key: cord-0900123-3wqgeb5i authors: Al‐Dabbagh, Zeyad S. title: Sustainable development and its role in containing crises: Corona virus pandemic crisis (COVID‐19) in China as a model date: 2020-08-26 journal: J Public Aff DOI: 10.1002/pa.2339 sha: 2193e00f89ab445ff621c512be7a0bb01eefd5c4 doc_id: 900123 cord_uid: 3wqgeb5i Sustainable development has become an indispensable thing in our current world, as it constitutes a strong support factor for the process of facing crises if they are present properly, and if their aims that were approved by the United Nations are achieved, countries will rise to an advanced level as in China that has turned from a third world country to a major country after its success in achieving sustainable development, which made it able and ready to face crises such as the COVID‐19 pandemic, which has received international and global attention, whether from the United Nations or other countries, organizations and companies interested and donors to reduce the pandemic because of its great dangers In all dimensions, the fact that the virus has troubles that exacerbate the situation in the event that no necessary measures are taken immediately, and indeed the virus has shifted from a local health crisis in Wuhan, China to a global economic, social and environmental crisis that transcends geographical boundaries, but China is linked to the developmental policies and environmental and social policies were able to face the pandemic, and to overcome it and overcome it quickly, as it has real sustainable development. Sustainable development in its contemporary concept is no longer confined to one side but rather extended to include the social, political, economic, cultural and environmental aspects and its various activities, it is an interrelated process of sustainable activities according to an integrated approach based on justice and participation, as the concept of sustainability emerged closely with development in an attempt to expand the dimensions of development. Therefore, sustainable development is very important requirement to cope the negative effects of COVID-19 pandemic crisis (Al Eid & Arnout, 2020) . Sustainable development seeks to achieve the optimal use of resources in a manner that serves the members of society and in a manner that guarantees the rights of future generations and work to address all areas within society (water, health, food, services, education, income, awareness, institutional building, good governance, etc.). As a result of increasing awareness among individuals, governments, institutions and countries in general, a new concept for development emerged taking the name of sustainable development that was the beginning of the crystallization of its lines at the Stockholm Conference in 1972 in Sweden. As it was announced that protecting and improving the human environment represents A fundamental issue related to the welfare of peoples, where discussions took place on the use of natural resources available to any country in order to achieve economic and social development without depleting the natural resources but rather preserving them so that they remain available for use for the future (Abdul Rahman, 2011; Abu Al-Nasr, 2017) . In light of the need to provide a detailed explanation of sustainable development, the report of the Global Committee on Environment and Development called the (Burnland) Committee was published in 1987 (Abdul Rahman, 2011) . Where the committee issued its report entitled "Our Common Future" and the report included the definition of sustainable development and developed proposals on how to implement and define it as a development that ensures responding to the needs of the present generation while not infringing on the rights of future generations to live at a level equivalent to or agreeing to the present generation if possible. The committee's proposals were presented and approved by the United Nations General Assembly and the next step was to adopt the concept of sustainable development as a commitment by all countries (Osmani & El-Ghalia, 2013) . In 1990, the International Labor Conference approved the adoption of the idea of sustainable development as a basis for all the activities of the International Labor Organization and emphasizing the necessity of the proportionality of development policies with the coordinated use of resources. In 1992, a conference was held in Rio de Janeiro known as the "Earth Summit" in which reliance on sustainable development as a policy all countries are committed to it so as not to cause harm to the environment or human health and the economy as a result of non-rational works of natural resources. (Abu Al-Nasr, 2017). Sustainable development seeks to achieve awareness of human life and rational use of natural resources and try to keep them for a long period of time, and ensure the requirements of future generations (Osmani & El-Ghalia, 2013) . Sustainable development refereed to the development that not only leads to economic growth but also the necessity of a fair distribution of its fruits, which renews and does not destroy the environment. This type of development is of great importance to the poor, as it guarantees them a role in decision making and in the areas that affect their lives, it is for people and nature, the advancement of the position of women in society, and sustainability in its broadest sense is an issue of a fair distribution of development opportunities between the present and future generations, and if sustainable development is the process of expanding the group of people's choices, then sustainability is the development of a person and his capabilities, whether man or woman (Ashami & Nuri, 2019) . Sustainable development as not harming the productive energy of future generations and delivering them to them in the same situation that the present generation inherited and pointed out that sustainable development is not limited to the resources consumed and inherited only for future generations; rather, through adequate guidance to the quality of the environment and the total production capacity of the economy, including technical equipment, factories, and the knowledge structure (Al-Jawarain, 2016). Sustainable development is also defined as "a pattern of progress and progress whereby the needs of the present are met without being at the expense of future generations or weakening their ability to meet their basic needs" (Salem, 2008) . Sustainable development in the general and comprehensive concept is a comprehensive activity for all sectors regardless of whether it is in the state or in organizations or in the public or private sectors, as it works to develop and improve the conditions of reality through a set of processes that depend on the study of past experiences and scientific developments in this regard from in order to change reality and understand it to make it better, and set a set of plans and strategies for future planning, and work to exploit human and material resources and energies (see Table 1 ) Al-Azzawi (2016) and Supreme Education Council (2002) indicated that the sustainable development are characterized by the following: 1. The comprehensiveness of the sustainable development aims, as they are not limited to raise the level of national income, but progress in all areas of life, whether education, health, environmental balance or improving services. 2. Sustainable development depends on its basic components of man and the environment, which gives it the characteristic and continuity, as it is concerned with providing the needs of the current generation without harming the needs of subsequent generations. 3. It is long-term because the temporal dimension is the basis, as well as the qualitative and quantitative dimension. 4. It cares about the human and humanitarian aspects and works for eradicating poverty and protecting cultural, religious and civilization diversity within society. 5. It works to achieve international integration in the use of resources and to rearrange and organize the relationship between the poor and rich countries. Salem (2008) ; Abdul Rahman (2011); Mohammed (2013) and Hamdaoui (2017) refereed that Sustainable development has several dimensions (see Figure 1 ) in our time, as it is no longer limited to one side or dimension, but has extended to include multiple aspects and dimensions, the most important of which are: 1. The economic dimension: Sustainable development aims to achieve economic development by seeking to increase exports and reduce imports. The key to crises lies in establishing security and human rights within the country, as the United Nations Economic and Social Council, as well as international organizations specialized in fostering international cooperation in the economic and social aspects. 3. The social issue is closely related to economic development and growth, and that sustainable development can only be achieved through addressing social issues, among which the most important are the problems of unemployment and poverty, as they are factors that can be considered a missing link in the treatment of poverty and growth, as they are linked with social stability and security. 4. The environmental dimension: The industrial expansion in the world and its dependence on oil, coal, and natural gas as energy sources. This caused damage to the environment due to the gas, solid and liquid waste it left behind that harms the environment. According to Salem (2008) sustainable development is based on a set of principles, as following: 1. Equity: Distributing wealth to members of society in a fair and balanced way so that each person's share is equal to other members of society. 2. Empowerment: It is to increase the sense of belonging among members of society by giving them the possibility to participate actively in decision-making and mechanisms or exercise influence over them. 3. Good sound management and accountability: In order to avoid corruption and favoritism, which is an obstacle in the way of the sus- Preserving the ecological and biological system is one of the most important aims (see Figure 2 ) of the sustainable development process, because the continuity of the human presence depends on this and this requires large efforts and high expenditures for the integrity of the ecosystem for future generations. As for the technological environment, sustainable development aims to resort to the use of technologies with limited environmental damage, and directing to recycle and utilize waste and materials in industrial energy fields (Ismail, 2015) . Ashami and Nuri (2019) indicated that there are a set of variables and factors that have a direct impact on protecting sustainable development, the most important of which, as following 1. The nature and ideology of the existing political system, that sustainable development in any society is not independent of the aspects of conflict within society, as it takes a form that achieves the interests of social forces with political power. 2. The prevailing pattern of production and social formation, as the mode of production includes production forces, manpower, production relations and machinery. 3. The available human, material and financial capabilities, because this process of determining these capabilities and their role in development is one of the fundamental issues. 4. The challenges and obstacles of planning and development, as many countries still face difficulties and challenges in the developmental aspects. 5. The low rate of savings, accumulation, and production, the limited markets and resources. 6. The absence of the real motivation for development and the lack of elements of organization are social obstacles facing the development process. F I G U R E 2 Shows sustainable development aims 7. The constraints and obstacles imposed by developed countries on the world market constitute international obstacles facing development. 8. The absence of political stability and the lack of political independence experienced by most developing countries. The world received a strong shock due to the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, and a major question arose about its impact on sustainable development and its aims. Should the virus slow the sustainability process or could it give it a push forward?. In this context, a UN report It is a multifaceted crisis that requires working for a more sustainable future, so there can be no sustainable economy without protection Social and health for people and the environment, and this is the basic principle of sustainable development that was embodied in the 17 sustainable development aims adopted by the United Nations (Benabo, 2020) . As a result, the necessity of reconciling developmental issues with environmental and social issues has become a concern that haunts all of humanity, for example, how to achieve economic 16. The world must seize the opportunity of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis to reinforce its commitment to implementing the 2030 Agenda and the 17 sustainable development aims by making progress on the global roadmap for a more inclusive and sustainable future, enabling the world to respond better to future crises. Ali (2016) How did China achieve progress and development in all fields?, and how did the Chinese economy occupy the second place in terms of GDP after the American economy in recent years?, and how did the average per capita income rise to many times in recent years compared to previous years? (Ali, 2016) . And the answer, in fact, is that the strength of the state lies with the resources it has within its terri- Although China is the first country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then the countries of the world followed in sharing the damage, it is noted that China has been able to contain the pandemic significantly compared to many countries in the world, and the main reason is because China has many elements of development Sustain-able… (as it made impressive efforts to combat the epidemic, and its detection and testing procedures as well as movement restrictions succeeded in stopping the spread of the COVID-19 successfully; Benabo, 2020) . In this regard, the United Nations indicated that since the beginning of the outbreak of the COVID-19 in China, the Chinese government has taken measures to try to reduce the transmission of the disease and reduce its risks to public health, and the World Health Organization has called more than once to draw lessons from the experience of China and apply it to the rest of Countries of the world in order to limit the spread of the disease (United Nations News, 2020) . In the same context, "Bruce Aylord, a doctor at the World Health Organization, told the American Business Insider after his recent visit to China at the head of a delegation of 25 doctors from different countries… that the world is" not ready "to confront the virus with the seriousness and speed with which China faced And… thanks to a group of measures taken by Beijing to counter the threat of the virus" (Al-Ain News, 2020). Among the most prominent measures taken by China (Al-Ain News, 2020, and Mahdi, 2020) to confront the COVID-19 pandemic: 1. Making medical examinations for the injured free of charge, and the Chinese government has pledged to pay any treatment cost that is not borne by the citizens' health insurance. 2. Building new qualitative hospitals, each of which can accommodate about 1,000-1,300 patients, one of which was built in 6 days, and the second in 15 days, and it transformed a number of buildings into hospitals, and its hospitals in the endemic areas were completely devoted to treating those infected with the virus, isolating them completely from the rest of the patients. 3. China has turned many medical examinations into online counseling. 4. China has published many medical clinics almost everywhere in the country, these clinics known as "fever clinics" were approved during the spread of the SARS virus in the country in 2002. like China, the major changes that reform brings will affect its old social structure and its social stability. Here it must be emphasized that reform is based on stability and its aim is development. The Chinese approach to openness and reform adhered to the principle of establishing stability first, or as the leader said The late Deng Xiaoping: "Stability exceeds everything," and this helps to reduce unrest and maintain social cohesion. On this basis, the Chinese government has endeavored to achieve development and promote stability through reform and sustainable development, which has achieved balance and harmony between stability, development and reform. (Ping, 2017) . Another key to China's experiences is strong government seeking development, and leaders with deep in sight and sound policies. Here, the developing country that needs to transform its development mode should unite its people and focus national power to advance economic, social and political reform on a regular basis, so it needs a strong government In a certain period and in certain areas, it has strong political power and the ability to manage effectively (Ping, 2017) . To this effect, China will transform from a developing country that suffers from many problems and crises to a country that possesses the elements of real sustainable development and is able to solve its problems and crises and contain them, but rather the competition of developed countries in the areas of development and progress and provide support and assistance to the countries of the world that need help and expertise, and the Chinese experience in the field of facing and containing the pandemic of the COVID-19 crisis is a good example of that. 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