Sustainable development and ethno-social problems at the turn of the 21st century
The idea of sustainable development was explained in the Brundtland Commission report (1987) as meeting present needs without endangering the ability of future generations to meet theirs. In 1992 the UN Conference on Environment and Development took place in Rio de Janeiro, and in 2015 UN members adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 2030. Racism was condemned by a 1965 UN convention; in 2020, after the death of George Floyd in the US, large protests against racial inequality took place. Migration has grown because of economic reasons, war and disasters: according to the UN refugee agency, the number of forcibly displaced people exceeded 120 million in 2024. After 1991 ethnic questions in the former USSR and Yugoslavia led to several conflicts: the Bosnian war ended with the 1995 Dayton Agreement, and the killings at Srebrenica were recognized by international courts as genocide. Kosovo declared independence in 2008; many states recognize it, while Serbia and some other states do not. In 2019 Macedonia’s name was changed to North Macedonia.
Using an example from your neighbourhood or region, plan one practical project (on water, energy or waste) that fits the “present needs and future generations” principle: write the goal, who does it and the result.