Everyone has a role to play in creating a safer, healthier and more prosperous world

United Nations Foundation President, Timothy E. Wirth, today issued the following statement on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability report published today, “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing:”

“In a report published this week, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s 22-member High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability, including UN Foundation Board Member Gro Harlem Brundtland, provided recommendations for reducing poverty and creating a healthier planet for future generations.  This report underscores the importance of a global approach to sustainable development based on three pillars – economic growth, social equity, and the environment.  Each of us desires similar things such as an education, a job, a clean and safe environment, affordable health care, and access to energy – and each of us has a role to play in helping to make this a reality for people everywhere today and tomorrow.

Twenty-five years after the release of ‘Our Common Future,’ which first outlined the concept of sustainable development, the Global Sustainability Panel’s vision reaffirms the Brundtland Report and inspires us to act now.  The report makes it clear it is possible to both ensure economic growth and protect our planet for our children and grandchildren.  As we prepare for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Brazil in June, known as Rio+20, I look forward to continuing the momentum and engaging in a conversation with not only governments, but also individuals, corporations, civil society and nonprofit organizations to create a better world and the future we want.”

 

### About The United Nations Foundation
The United Nations Foundation builds public-private partnerships to address the world’s most pressing problems, and broadens support for the United Nations through advocacy and public outreach. Through innovative campaigns and initiatives, the Foundation connects people, ideas, and resources to help the UN solve global problems. The Foundation was created in 1998 as a U.S. public charity by entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner and now is supported by global corporations, foundations, governments, and individuals. For more information, visit www.unfoundation.org.