Governance for a sustainable future

The paper discusses the concepts of governance and sustainability in the context of public health, drawing on the report of the World Humanity Action Trust on governance. It emphasises the importance of poverty reduction, economic valuation of the environment and natural resources and horizontal and vertical integration in policy and decision-making. Examples of water quality regulation are used as illustrations and the outcomes of the Johannesburg Earth Summit are discussed. The paper recognises some progress but concludes that sustainable development must become more than just words.