This paper discusses the different ways in which the concept of sustainable development is one that favor the political and economic interest of the western countries. Also, this paper looks at the Sumaq Kawsay, which is the base of current sustainable policies for the governments of Ecuador and Bolivia, as a new alternative to western sustainable development. The term Sumak Kawsay can be defined as a life in harmony and equilibrium between human beings and the natural environment of which they are part. This paper is divided into three different parts. Firstly, this paper analyses the political-economic conception of sustainability as is proposed currently by the western global institutions and powerful countries. Secondly, this paper explains the basic principles of the Sumaq Kawsay approach as well as how it can be more suitable than the sustainable model for countries whit high indigenous populations in the Latin American region. Thirdly, this paper looks at how the Sumaq Kawsay approach has been used in policies established by Ecuador and Bolivia. Subsequently, this paper analyzes the way in which this alternative approach can be adopted to different countries in Latin America.

From the “Sustainability” of the North to the “Sumaq Kawsay ” of the South: An alternative proposal to the Western concept of Sustainability