Keynote Talk: Sustainability for All - The ‘Whole of Humanity’ Approach

Sustainability has been defined in the Brundtland Report as: "Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (1987). While this is readily accepted by many to date, it raises several questions about where the "past" belongs. This is a crucial reflection in trying to realign with the above approach, namely with respect to socio-cultural and spiritual perspectives. The former is to allow the traditional and indigenous concepts to be embraced more "naturally" within the diverse cultural contexts, whereas the latter is to enable each of the socio-cultural context be connected in more holistic ways as part of the shared human heritage. Cumulatively, it forms a continuum framework with a deeper understanding of "sustainability" as a living journey since time immemorial for better quality of life encompassing humanity as a whole. That is, the "whole of humanity" approach. The presentation will argue how this can be done for a wider and more comprehensive application of sustainability for all.