Statement by Mr. Carlos Lopes, UN Under- Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ECA: Africa regional consultative meeting on the sustainable development goals ministerial segment

Sustainable development, since its seminal inclusion in the Brundtland report of 1987, remains an aspirational set of values and principles, where development meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own. It challenges our ability to bring greater balance in our social, economic and environmental development goals, with human security and prosperity, seeing as necessary preconditions for a functional tomorrow. It is therefore imperative to treat all the three dimensions of sustainable development –economic, social and environmental- equally.