In Burundi, the concept of ecologically sustainable development is understood as a process of creating goods and services, aimed at the qualitative improvement of the living conditions of the population, through the exploitation of natural resources, in a manner and at a rate that does not lead to their eventual disappearance, but maintains their potential to regenerate to meet the needs of present and future generations.

To be ecologically sustainable, development must be centered on human well-being and based on economic viability, social viability and environmental sustainability. To do so, the Government, which analyses and adopts the various sectoral policies and action plans, must constantly seek their coherence and complementarity. In this context, the Public Investment Programme should be a tool for verifying the coherence between global development objectives and sectoral strategies.

Burundi must therefore continue its efforts to move from the sectoral approach to the integrated approach to ecological development, with a view to sustainability as recommended in chapter 8 of Agenda 21.

It is in this context that this report is prepared in order to assess the progress made, the challenges that Burundi must face, and to provide guidelines for the future. The report focuses on five sectors, namely agriculture, water, water, biodiversity, biodiversity, energy, and transport, and initiates a brief reflection on ecological development in Burundi. These initiatives are being taken by the country in order to prepare for its participation in the next United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, scheduled for June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and to take into account the conclusions that will come out of the summit.