As Leonardo da Vinci observed 500 years ago, “Nature never breaks her own laws.” Achieving sustainable development in the 21st century requires visionary leadership based on a profound understanding of this guiding principle. The Sustainable Development Academy offers inspirational learning and regional networking opportunities for leaders committed to inter-generational responsibility.

In today’s fast-moving, globalised world, the human population is rapidly increasing, consumption is rising, growing numbers of people are travelling further and more often, and metropolitan areas are mushrooming. All of this growth is taking its toll on the earth’s natural resources and climate. In as early as 1972, The Limits to Growth, a report by the global think tank The Club of Rome, brought attention to the consequences of a growing human population and finite natural resources. The report argued that any attempt to reach a state of equilibrium must be based on a fundamental change in values and goals at individual, national and global level.

Although economic growth and environmental protection have traditionally been regarded as irreconcilable goals, a new paradigm is gradually emerging with the concept of sustainability, in which development is redefined as comprising environmental, economic and sociopolitical aspects in the interests of the more rational use and management of the world’s natural resources.

In order to achieve sustainability, action is needed, especially at the political level, to promote the necessary technical counter-measures in response to the devastating impact of our lifestyles on the planet. Firm commitments are needed in order to ensure the implementation of policies, development strategies and plans. Lack of leadership, knowledge, skills, determination and courage must also be addressed through education, capacity building and awareness raising.

In response to this challenge, the Regional Environmental Center (REC) established a targeted programme, designed to build the capacities of key leaders in the fields of politics, public service, business, NGOs and the media while at the same time forging partnerships between these groups and academia. The programme moves the focus of the debate from how to remedy the results of poor management, to how to put in place preventive measures.

  Cross-border co-operation has been boosted by the second iteration of EU's Instrument for Pre-accession Assistance (IPA2) fund, which supports projects that advance harmonized sustainable development. The EU formed IPA to modernize the entire pre-accession assistance within a unified framework. It emphasizes cross-border ...

The Regions for Sustainable Change (RSC) project held its final conference in Cornwall, UK on October 19-20. Titled "Showing the way to a low-carbon future for European regions", the event drew approximately 60 participants from participating regions and organisations from throughout Europe. The project will close officially on December 31, 2011. ...

Donetsk - New steps to achieve sustainable management of water resources of the Donetsk region of Ukraine were identified during a roundtable discussion, which brought together representatives of WWF, the SABMiller company and the German Society for International Cooperation. Under the project "Water futures" more efficient and sustainable ...

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