Policy Analysis

Brundtland Revisited

By Jim MacNeill on February 8, 2013

IISD Chair Emeritus Jim MacNeill was the lead author of the Brundtland Commission's landmark report, Our Common Future, completed in 1988. Based on a mandate from the UN General Assembly, the report was widely endorsed by environmental and educational institutions and both public and private sector actors around the world. It became influential in the creation of environmental policy and the advancement of sustainable development as a concept. Twenty-five years later, MacNeill reflects on the legacy of the Commission's work.

Jim MacNeill is President of MacNeill and Associates and is the former chair of IISD. He was Secretary General of the World Commission on Environment and Development (the Brundtland Commission). The views expressed are his own views and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD.