ABSTRACT
The former implies that development progresses within society as a natural consequence of existing democratic, economic and power structures. Societal, as well as fundamental human, needs must be taken into account, and as such participation and representation of the disempowered in development projects are essential if lasting change is to be achieved. Trade was generally established through treaties with local leaders, creating preference and conflict within indigenous power structures to gain economic advantage. During the first half of the Twentieth Century, the power structures of the colonial world continued to be shaped by the decisions taken at the Berlin Conference. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 saw a change in the post-war world order. Since the launch of the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, the world has moved in a direction that appears even less likely to support their achievement.
