ABSTRACT
Integration is deeply entrenched in the discourse on sustainable development. Emphasizing the interrelationship between economic, social and environmental dimensions, integration was at the heart of the Brundtland Report and shaped the overarching framework of sustainable development in Agenda 21. The 2030 Agenda is the latest milestone in the evolution of integration, highlighting the integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and calling for the integration of sectors, levels and actors to achieve them. While earlier views often assumed synergistic relationships between the dimensions and goals of sustainability, recent approaches emphasize a complex network of synergistic and conflictual relations between the SDGs. This leads to new governance approaches that use the systemic yet differentiated integration of the SDGs for leveraging transformative change. Integration will continue to be an essential concept of sustainable development, shaping the development of the discourse in an increasingly polarized world.
