Cultural Sustainable Development

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Cultural sustainability is one of the elements of sustainable development. It means preserving cultural issues such as languages, traditions and customs. Culturally sustainable development accepts diversity, balanced growth, and respects the rights of all. Sustainable cities and communities are part of cultural sustainability. They aim to provide residents with safe and sustainable towns and communities.

The Sustainable Cities and Communities section focuses on urbanization, which means an increase in the number of people living in cities, relative to the general population. Most of the world’s population now lives in cities, but there are differences between countries. Managing urbanization is one of the major challenges for the sustainable development of humanity. A sustainable urban environment not only creates opportunities for its inhabitants, but also guarantees basic services such as social and health services, access to energy, transport, and good housing without being polluted.

Urbanization provides jobs, generates wealth and nourishes culture. Cities also provide more efficient opportunities for the use of education and healthcare in rural areas. On the other hand, the prosperity brought about by urbanization produces more consumption. Uncontrolled populations packing into cities pollutes the environment, increases the number of cars, and creates inequalities between residents. Extreme poverty is generally concentrated in urban environments.

Urbanization is safe and sustainable when society provides its residents with adequate living conditions. Globally, this means reducing slum areas. Sustainable urbanization is also investing in public transport, creating green spaces and involving residents in urban planning (parks, sports fields, bike paths, playgrounds, etc.). Sustainable urbanization is involved with preparation for various disasters (water pollution) and for taking concrete action to prevent adverse environmental effects. At the same time, they take care of the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

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Peace, stability, human rights, justice, and good governance are important preconditions for culturally sustainable development. It seeks to promote peace in societies and to guarantee justice through equitable justice. Peace as a concept generally perceived as the opposite of war, which is represented by violence and conflict. Peace is the normal state of reconciliation between states or similar. Only in peace, can individuals respect one another, enjoy their right to life and exercise their fundamental rights.

Defining justice is a challenge, but human rights and equality are closely linked. National laws and cultures reflect their own concept of justice. The right to good administration is a fundamental right that belongs to everyone. Guarantees of good administration should be guaranteed by legislation.

Peace also has global themes and important values, such as democracy, active citizenship, equality, anti-racism, human rights and non-violence. Armed violence and insecurity within have a devastating effect on a countrie’s development. Keeping peace is one of the core tasks of the United Nations (UN). The UN works to prevent crises from occurring, seeks to reduce political tensions and contributes to resolving conflicts that have already erupted.

The Sustainable Development Goals aim to significantly reduce all forms of violence and enhance cooperation between local governments and communities to resolve conflicts and crises.

The concept of fairness is difficult to define unequivocally because it can be viewed from the perspective of the individual or the community. Depending on the culture, for example, the concept of equality can be interpreted in many different ways. The basis of justice is a human right. Justice is always present in everyday life. One of the most important factors of well-being at work is the realization of justice. Enforcing the rights of one employee may lead to an experience of injustice in the other. The other side of defending one’s own rights is that one has to take into account one’s own responsibilities and duties. The most important thing in fairness is to see every human being equal in his or her rights. “We are all the same and we are all different.” There is something both common and universal that requires people to be treated fairly.

Good governance requires that public authorities treat citizens equally and do not discriminate against them. Authorities must act in accordance with applicable laws and in an impartial manner. This aspect of our lives has a great impact. The stable development of society gives us security on many levels. When the judiciary, police, and other authorities operate in a credible and transparent manner, they are overlooked and may not be appreciated, but losing them would be visible in everyday life.

It is also the duty of good administration to safeguard the right of public access to information. You and each individual have the right to know about plans and measures taken by authorities, such as town planning, day care and health care. The UN’s global goals of reducing violence, promoting legal security, combating organized crime, eradicating corruption and other actions are part of achieving the goals of sustainable development

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Global partnerships and cooperation are some of the elements of sustainable development and part of cultural sustainability. They aim to promote cooperation between governments, the private sector and civil society. Cooperation and partnership are global jobs, as states are now more interdependent than ever before. Technological advances and easier access to information have brought nations and citizens closer together.

The “Cooperation and Partnership” section aims to support the implementation of sustainable development and global partnership. Cooperation and partnership are also needed at both the national and local level. The realization of sustainable development requires the stability of the world economy, which can be enhanced and secured by the political work of the governments at the top. Cooperation and partnership will promote international trade that takes into account the needs of less developed countries. This will achieve a fair, open and mutually beneficial trading system. Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals also requires long-term investment in the least developed countries. Many countries provide Official Development Assistance (ODA) to enhance their economic growth. Development aid can be used to develop, transfer and disseminate environmentally friendly technologies. Development assistance can also be provided through training. Achieving literacy among citizens is an effective way of combating poverty.

Businesses and NGOs also need to work together locally and globally to achieve sustainable development goals. In Finland, companies have hardly participated in the so-called Official Development Assistance. The practice has changed in recent years. Companies and organizations have joined forces. Organizations have a wealth of information to share with companies on how to work in less developed countries. However, companies must bear in mind the main objective of Finland’s development cooperation, which is to reduce poverty and inequality, and to promote human rights.

Non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are often non-profit making. NGOs have many objectives, but they are often actors in maintaining public debate. NGOs strive to ensure that the voice of citizens is heard in decision-making. Their role considered very important in achieving sustainable development. Well-known NGOs operating in Finland include the Mannerheim League for Child Welfare, Animalia, Seta and the Finnish Association for Human Rights. Many of the organizations are international organizations that operate worldwide, including the Red Cross, Unicef ​​and Amnesty International. Non-governmental organizations also include small groups such as resident, parent and senior associations and hobby clubs.

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