Sustainability needs to be ensured in all sectors of the economy and at all levels of developmental action. It would require far-reaching changes in both national and global politics.
At the national level, new balances must be struck between the efficiency of competitive markets, the legal and regulatory frameworks that only governments can provide, the investments to enhance the capabilities of all and the provision of social safety nets for those with unequal access to the markets. Balances between the compulsions of today and the needs of tomorrow, between private initiative and public action, between individual greed and social compassion are sorely needed for this purpose.
The essence and test of sustainable human development strategies must be to ensure a sustainable livelihood for all. These strategies̶̶—especially at the national level—will thus have to focus on three core themes: poverty reduction, employment creation and social integration—in short, participation.