At the close of its final meeting, in Tokyo, the World Commission on Environment and Development issued the Tokyo Declaration, dated 27 February 1987. The full text of the Declaration is published in Our Common Future, Oxford : Oxford University Press, 1987.

A useful intepretation of this declaration can be found in Linda Starkes' "Signs of Hope".

The World Commission on Environment and Development now calls upon all the nations of the World, both jointly and individually, to integrate sustainable development into their goals and to adopt the following principles to guide their policy actions.

1. Revive Growth
2. Change the Quality of Growth
3. Conserve and Enhance the Resource Base
4. Ensure a Sustainable Level of Population
5. Reorient Technology and Manage Risks
6. Integrate Environment and Economics in Decision-Making
7. Reform International Economic Relations
8. Strengthen International Co-operation