Further, there are difficulties in applying the growth-environment linkage, as represented by the Environmental Kuznets Curve, to the case of the developing countries. This, combined with the fact that sustainable development is the primary responsibility of the national government, points to the need for domestic action, which incorporates the use of market-based instruments to internalize environmental costs, institutional reform and effective regulation. Thus, financing sustainable development goes beyond financing environmental protection and management to the integration of social, environmental, and economic aspects of development. Finance will flow to where value creation is perceived. Unilever's programme in the field of fisheries, agriculture, and water are examples of how we are putting this understanding into practice.
International companies have an important role to play in promoting sustainable development.
Sustainable development is primarily about people, resources, and the value placed it on it by people and societies. Sustainable development is closely linked to poverty and specifically to women. In order to succeed, the poor have to become stakeholders, and a pro poor bias has to be built into all sustainability efforts. We have to realise today that sustainable development is the responsibility of many actors - government, civil society, private industry and development organizations. The increasing power of private business is also raising concerns.