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Well-being of humankind, planet should be put at center of global sustainable development efforts: UN

Xinhua, April 28, 2015 Adjust font size:

A top UN official on Monday said that the well-being of both humankind and the planet should be put at the center of the global sustainable development agenda, which is being hammered out by all member states and expected to be adopted in September.

Sam Kutesa, the president of the UN General Assembly, made the statement as he was speaking at the Interactive Dialogue on Harmony with Nature.

"The agenda should put the well-being of both humankind and our planet at the center of our sustainable development efforts," the president said.

The new global development agenda, also known as the Sustainable Development Goals, is expected to replace the Millennium Development Goals, a set of eight anti-poverty targets, by the end of this year.

"As we prepare to adopt and move toward implementing a new development agenda, it is critical to ensure that a harmonious relationship with our planet underpins our quest to achieve sustainable development."

The economic, social and environmental challenges the world is facing today are inextricable linked, he said. "To address these inter-connected challenges, we have to adopt a post-2015 agenda that is holistic in nature."

"This year's dialogue on Harmony with Nature is timely, as the formulation of an ambitious and transformative development agenda for the next 15 years is underway," he said.

"We need to remind ourselves that the development path that we have taken over the last decades has imposed a heavy cost on our planet, leading to serious environment degradation, among other consequences," he said. "It is now widely accepted that our way of life, especially the production and consumption patterns, is no longer sustainable."

"As scientists have repeatedly warned, we are severely affecting the Earth's carrying capacity and are in danger of reaching planetary boundaries or tipping points beyond which we risk irreversible and abrupt environmental changes," he said.

To commemorate International Mother Earth Day, which falls on April 22, the 193-member General Assembly hosted an interactive dialogue on Harmony with Nature. The purpose of the interactive dialogue was to advance discussions on different economic approaches, in the context of sustainable development, and to further a more ethical basis for the relationship between humanity and the Earth. Endite