Value problem in perception of sustainable development in international public law

Abstract

In this article, normative perception of sustainable development is problematized in its value content. The aim is to focus inner logic which makes this concept so difficult to define in practice. The value content of sustainable development is observed in its substantive legal aspects, international administrative practice and in the framework of its national administration, as the contexts of perception. We find that underlying values are related to human development, human rights and equitable social organisation, and the reflection of the knowledge about the connection between human activities, the environment and natural resources and economic growth. Also, sustainable development is a historical category, concerning the need for fairness in the allocation of resources and meeting basic needs for all, but some methods of its global contextualization destabilise fairness. We conclude that sustainable development today needs redefining in value terms, based on distributive justice.