Sustainable development is defined as development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of the future generation to meet their own needs. It allows all future generations to have a potential average quality of life that is at least as high as that being enjoyed by the current generation.

It aims at decreasing the absolute poverty of the poor by providing lasting and secure livelihoods that minimise resource depletion, environmental degradation, cultural disruption and social instability. It meets the basic needs of all, particularly the poor majority, for employment, food, energy, water, and housing.

Sustainable development involves promotion of natural resources, conservation, preserving the regenerative capacity of ecological systems, and avoiding the imposition of environmental risks on future generations.