SEEU Review vol. 5 Nr. 2 (pdf) - South East European University

Zoran Sapuric, PhD and Vullnet Zenki, MSc.
This creates possibilities for different understandings of this concept in the
world literature, sciences and practices. We will mention as a first definition,
the well-known and most popular definition for the sustainable development,
established by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and
Development, the so called “Brundtland Commission” from 1987. The
report has been titled as “Our Common Future”. The Commission got its
name from its own chairman, the Norwegian Gro Harlem Brundtland.
According to this commission, the sustainable development is ,,
development that meets the needs of present without compromising the
ability of future generations to meet their own needs,, According this
definition sustainable development is a balance between needs of the present
and the future. The report addresses the need of undertaking urgent measures
in terms of the economic and social development which will be just and
which will integrate the needs for environment protection.
The intergenerational approach as well as the interconnection of the
economic and social development with the environment by placing the
human in the center is actually the basis of defining the sustainable
development according to the Brundtland Commission.
Quite logical, the concept of sustainable development is related to the
concept of sustainability. In general sustainability means capacity, ability for
certain phenomena or processes to be able to survive or be maintained for a
longer and undefined period.
In this respect, we can discuss about the ability for sustainability of
plenty of phenomena and processes, such as sustainability of different
communities, certain states, local and regional communities, organizations
and institutions, etc. When we are talking about sustainability in the field of
environment, first of all we mean sustainability of eco-systems, biodiversity
as a whole, or separate types of biodiversity, sustainability in exploitation of
various natural resources, etc. The sustainable development is a global
development which is oriented towards the preservation of the planet’s
integrity and towards the economic development and social protection. In
this respect, the successful development and implementation of this concept
are possible only if we take into consideration that it is needed both at a local
and national level.
The sustainable development means integrating the environmental points
in all areas of human activity, especially in the economic area. In this
respect, sustainable development means sustainable, prudent, rational and
planned exploitation of all kinds of natural resources.
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