Sustainable development and its social, economic and environmental aspects
Sustainable development is an international socioeconomic term with which the United Nations has drawn a map for environmental, social and economic development all over the world. Its main goal is to improve the living conditions of every individual and develop production means and methods, and manage them in a way that doesn't deplete the natural resources of the planet, and doesn't deprive the coming generations from their fair share of these resources (meeting the needs of the current generation without depriving the coming generations of their rights) and without abusing the remaining natural resources.
Many of the natural resources we use in serving the comprehensive development process in our country are non-renewable, so every day they decrease. This is especially applicable to energy and water resources and raw materials that the world increasingly consume since the industrial revolution, while there is a deeply-rooted misconception that earth is an inexhaustible source of natural resources and infinite energy.
However, warning bells have been ringing. Reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) experts confirmed that human activities are responsible for the risks that threaten mankind future. These risks include air pollution, gas emissions to the atmosphere, global warming and the polar ice melting, accompanied with the rise in sea levels that threatens with extremely dangerous natural disasters.
This means that the responsibility for these risks lays on the prevalent development pattern we use. So, the United Nations, and a large number of regional organizations, specialized international agencies, NGOs and countries, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, joined hands and forces to fight this situation. They aimed at adopting objectives of the sustainable development towards establishing an international humanitarian community united to fight the global challenges, eliminate poverty, change production and consumption behaviors as to non-renewable resources, protect and sustainably manage natural resources, prevent environment deterioration, desertification and the decline of biodiversity, and fight water, air and sea pollution.
Driven by this, MEWA was set to play a vital role in achieving these noble goals and objectives. KSA has been among the first countries to adopt the sustainable development objectives since their announcement. MEWA joined hands with other government institutions to adhere to the national constructive initiatives, face the challenges and carry out the national transformation programs that aim at attaining sustainable development, according to the principles announced by the international community as the main pillars:
• Sustainable economic development
• Sustainable social development
• Sustainable protection for the environment and natural resources
This means adopting a comprehensive view while drawing strategies for sustainable development in which the three pillars are taken into consideration. This will contribute to the sustainability of development in its comprehensive sense, which is a main focus of MEWA in all its activities.
Below is an overview of the role played by MEWA in achieving the goals of sustainable development, highlighted through indicating the role of MEWA and e-services in this regard:
