Benchmarks Analysis of the Higher Education Institutions …
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Following the Brundtland report, some of the major world conferences that
debated on the importance of sustainability and proposed actions and solutions to
issues of that moment, are highlighted in Table 1.
Table 1 The major world conferences on sustainability
Conference/Event
Declaration
Main highlights
United Nations Conference
on Environment and
Development (1992)
The Rio Declaration on
Environment and
Development
Principles four and five of the
Declaration demonstrate the
importance of international
cooperation to solve
socio-environmental
problems, as well as the need
to integrate social, economic,
environmental and
development issues into
decision-making processes
and the implementation of
sustainability initiatives in all
regions
World Summit on Sustainable
Development (2002)
Johannesburg Declaration on
Sustainable Development
The Summit discussed the
disparities between developed
and developing countries, as
well as poverty, as crucial
aspects for transformations
towards sustainability at that
time. In addition, the ideal of
sustainability was presented
as three supporting
interdependent pillars:
economic development,
social development and
environmental protection—at
the local, national, regional
and global levels
United Nations Conference
on Sustainable
Development—Rio + 20
(2012)
The Future we want
It is acknowledge “the need
to further mainstream
sustainable development at all
levels, integrating economic,
social and environmental
aspects and recognizing their
interlinkages, so as to achieve
sustainable development in
all its dimensions.”
(continued)