A/77/290
to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human
rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.
12. There is a strong link between sustainable development and the right to
development. The 2030 Agenda reaffirms all the principles of the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development, including principle 3, which states, “The right to
development must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet developmental and
environmental needs of present and future generations. The Expert Mec hanism on the
Right to Development affirmed in a thematic study that “operationalizing the right to
development should constitute the basis for realizing the Sustainable Development
Goals” (A/HRC/48/63, para. 9). In General Assembly resolution 75/182 and Human
Rights Council resolution 45/6, respectively, the Assembly and the Council
emphasized that the right to development was vital for the full realization of the 2030
Agenda and should be central to its implementation.
13. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples also
contains important references to development, based on their r ight to selfdetermination, recognized in article 3. The Declaration recognizes that indigenous
peoples must have the right to determine and develop priorities and strategies for
exercising their right to development (art. 23) and that States must obtain t heir free
and informed consent prior to any project that affects them or their lands or territories
and other resources (art. 32.2). The Declaration recognizes that respect for indigenous
knowledge, cultures and traditional practices contributes to sustain able and equitable
development and proper management of the environment.
14. The issue, however, goes far beyond indigenous peoples’ matters. In several
resolutions, the General Assembly has repeatedly made the link, in general terms,
between development and cultural rights 7 and has acknowledged the role of culture
as an enabler and a driver of sustainable development. Most recently, in its resolution
76/214, the Assembly recognized that culture is an essential component of human
development, that it represents a source of identity, innovation and creativity for the
individual and the community and that it is an important factor in social inclusion and
poverty eradication, providing for sustainable economic growth and ownership of
development processes.
15. The 2005 Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of
Cultural Expressions (art. 2.5) and its operational guidelines refer to the
complementarity between the economic and cultural aspect s of development and to
cultural diversity as an essential requirement for sustainable development. Article 13
calls for the integration of culture in development policies at all levels in order to
create conditions conducive to sustainable development, ma king it one of the most
binding commitments on the matter. 8
III. Sustainable development: the concept
A.
Evolution of the concept
16. The term “sustainable development” is rooted in environmental considerations.
It was first articulated in the report of the World Commission on Environment and
Development (Brundtland Commission), entitled “Our Common Future”, as meeting
“the needs of the present without compromising the a bility of future generations to
meet their own needs” (A/42/427, annex).
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General Assembly resolutions 65/166, 66/208, 68/223, 69/230, 70/214, 72/229 and 74/230.
Contribution of Véronique Guèvremont, p. 3.
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