A EVOLUÇÃO DO CONCEITO DE DESENVOLVIMENTO NO ÂMBITO DAS NAÇÕES UNIDAS: DA CENTRALIDADE DO CRESCIMENTO À CONSOLIDAÇÃO DAS ABORDAGENS HUMANA E SUSTENTÁVEL

Abstract

This article examines the evolution of the concept of development within the United Nations (UN) from the post–Second World War period to the consolidation of human and sustainable development approaches. It argues that the UN progressively broadened the meaning of development, moving from an early emphasis on income growth and industrialization toward an agenda that integrates well-being, equity, and ecological limits. The discussion begins with the UN Charter’s normative framing, which links international cooperation to social progress and higher standards of life. It then shows how, during the 1940s–1950s, multilateral diagnostics and policy priorities relied heavily on economic indicators, while decolonization and persistent poverty exposed the limits of treating growth as a proxy for progress. In the 1960s, the debate increasingly distinguished growth from development, highlighting distributive goals and structural transformation. From the 1970s onward, environmental concerns entered the UN agenda—especially after the Stockholm Conference—encouraging integrated proposals such as eco-development. In the 1980s, the sustainable development concept was consolidated, defined by the Brundtland Commission as meeting present needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs. In parallel, the human development lens gained prominence, popularized by the UN/UNDP as the expansion of people’s choices and capabilities. Finally, the article stresses a persistent tension between normative advances and constraints in global governance, including debt dynamics and power asymmetries that hinder implementation. By tracing these shifts, the study clarifies how political contestation shaped definitions, metrics, and institutional tools, and why conceptual sophistication has often outpaced practical coordination in development policy.