At the Toronto Summit last month I joined with my fellow Heads of State or Government in endorsing the concept of sustainable development, the central message of the Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development —Our Common Future.
Since its launch in London in April 1987 this major and historic report has been examined with keen interest by the Government of the United Kingdom. The message from the Toronto Summit echoed the Report's call for environmental considerations to be taken into account in all areas of economic policy-making. In the United Kingdom we have already put this process in hand by inviting all relevant departments of state to examine their policies in the light of this and other recommendations of the Report. This process has contributed to a deepening understanding of how our institutions can adapt to meet the challenges highlighted by the Report.
Our “perspective” describes where we stand in the United Kingdom. It is intended to inform interested organisations and individuals at home, and to stimulate further international consideration of the Report, notably within the OECD and the United Nations. I see it also a contribution to the Ministerial Conference which the Norwegian Government will hold in 1990 to examine what progress we have all made to safeguard Our Common Future. Margaret Thatcher