Sustainable Development

Sustainable Development can be defined as:

"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
(Brundtland Commission Report, "Our Common Future", 1987)

Increasingly, people all round the world are beginning to understand that 'business as usual' is not a sustainable option and in 2006 the EU adopted its renewed Sustainable Development Strategy. This strategy recognises that economic, social and environmental objectives can reinforce each other and they should therefore advance together. As a result sustainable development is a regulatory cross-cutting theme across all of the EU Structural Funds including ESF.

Although within the current programme the strategic priorities of jobs and skills will remain the main drivers for ESF activity, there is also a strong emphasis on making sure that the environmental aspects are better integrated into delivery arrangements. To achieve this, the UK has adopted a Sustainable Development Mainstreaming plan, which aims to both educate and to develop an integrated approach to environmental sustainability by 2010. As part of this plan and in order to meet the cross-cutting sustainable development theme of the programme, over the coming months the LSC will be encouraging providers to develop and adopt policies covering a range of environmental issues.

Sustainability Self-Assessment Template

To find out more about Sustainable Development please view Issues 3 and 8 of the Noticeboard, or visit:

www.defra.gov.uk/sustainable/government or www.esf.gov.uk/info