Bangladesh University of Professionals

Assignment
CT- 3 & 4
Course Name: Environmental Law of Bangladesh
Course Code: Law- 4704
Submitted To

Maksuda Sarker Lecturer Department of Law Faculty of Security & Strategic Studies
(FSSS) Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP)

Submitted By

Tanjina Islam
Id No. 18421111
6th Semester
Department of Law
FSSS, BUP
th
Submitted On: 14 June, 2021
BRUNDTLAND REPORT REVIEW

The commission was created by the UN in 1983 to enunciate new plans to deal with the
important issues of environmental development facing the world.

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In 1983, Norwegian prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland was invited by the United Nation’s
Secretary Javier Perez de Cue’llar to chair a World Commission on Environmental and
Development: WCED: which is also known as The Brundtland Commission concern with the
huge pressure of population growth, modern technology and consumer demand on the natural
resources. World’s natural resources were being rapidly decreased, often in the name of
development.

Population growth was no longer a major threat to the environment by the time The Brundtland
Commission delivered its report on Our Common Future in 1987.

It was not the population growth of the developing countries that were consuming the natural
resources, polluting the environment and depleting its ozone layer with Chlorofluorocarbon, CFC
or causing ecological havoc with their oil spills.

In fact the consumption of the world’s resources was very little compared to that of the
industrialized world.

Gro Harlem Brundtland found that poverty in the developing world was less cause than the
effects of current environmental degradation, outcome of insensitive technology transfer that
impoverishes people and natural systems.

Only sustainable development could combine the fulfillment of human nedds with the protection
of air, soil, water and other environmental elements.

From this, the concept of sustainability development was developed. Social and economic
advancement is important for human beings to lead a healthy and productive life but that should
not compromise the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs.

Environmentalism is also known as environmental rights which is a broad philosophy, ideology

and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of
condition of the environment.

COMMISSSION’S MANDATE

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Previously known as the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), The
Brundtland commission’s mandate had 3 objectives:

 Re-examine the critical issues of environment and development and to formulate

innovative, concrete and realistic action plans to deal with them.
 Strengthen international cooperation on environment and development, assess and
propose new means of cooperation that can break out the existing patterns and influence
policies and change the direction that was needed.
 Raising awareness and taking proper action accordingly on the part of individual,
voluntary organizations, businesses, institutes and governments.

The commission seeks the views of these individuals, scientific institute, NGO’s, specialized
agencies and other bodies of the United Nation and development issues.

It urged for their support and facilitated their participation in the work of the commission
especially the views of the younger generation.

In fulfillment its tasks, the commission paid careful attention to the terms and conditions which
was suggested by the General Assembly of the United Nation in Resolution 38/161.

STRUCTURE OF THE COMMISSION

There was 21 members from all over the world and these members were holding higher
governmental positions, scholars, scientists and experts, research institutes, industrialists,
representatives of Non-governmental organization and general public.

These 21 members were appointed by the Chairman Gro Harlem Brundtland and the Vice
Chairman Mansour Khalid.

The Brundtland Commission was mostly successful in forming international ties between
governments and multinational corporations. This report included the ideas which was shared by
the council government and business leaders globally.

Brundtland Commission directly resulted the 1992 and 2002 Earth Summit.

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SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS

The Brundtland Report focused primarily on the needs and interest of humans and was concerned
with securing a global equilibrium for future generations by redistributing necessary resources
towards poorer nations to enhance their economic growth.

It was suggested in the report that all human should be able to achieve their basic needs.

The Brundtland Report also suggested that social equity, economic growth and environmental
protection and development are simultaneously possible and that each nation is capable of
achieving its full economic potential and at the same time it can enhance its resource base.

However, it was recognized that achieving this equity and sustainable growth needs technological
advancement and social change.

The Brundtland Report spotted 3 fundamental components/pillars for sustainable development.

They are-

 The Environment Protection

 The Economic Growth
 Social Equality

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

We should gradually change the ways we develop and use technologies to conserve and enhance
our resource base.

SOCIAL EQUALITY

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Developing nations should be allowed to meet their basic needs of employment, food, energy,
water and sanitation like other developed countries.

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Developing nations should be allowed a growth of equal quality in the economic sector like other
developed nations.

WEAKNESS OF THE REPORT

 It was unable to identify the elements that are responsible for degradation of the
environment.
 Brundtland Report confused sustainability with sustainable development. The problem
occurred while experts redefined sustainability as a sustainable development.
Sustainable development is a solution but not the problem to solve. The problem is
sustainability.

STRENGTH OF THE REPORT

It recognizes the fact that-

 Human Resource Development is important for poverty reduction, gender equity and
wealth redistribution was crucial to initiate strategies for environmental conservations.
 Environmental limits exist in the economic growth in industrialized and industrializing
societies.

That is why the report offered the analysis, the possible long term remedies and the
recommendations for a sustainable course of development within developing countries.

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