Secretariat

Jonathan Fanton, Ex-President of the MacArthur Foundation and former Commission Members:
(John W. McArthur (Co-Chair), CEO, Millennium Promise; Freddie Kwesiga, Coordinator, African Development Bank;
R.K. Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climage Change)

The International Commission On Education For Sustainable Development Practice

In an effort to bolster the leadership and training of development practitioners, the Earth Institute is convened a group of 20 eminent scholars and practitioners from a variety of disciplines in a year-long the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice. Launched in early 2007 and supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Commission aimed to identify practical initiatives to support an emerging field of cross-disciplinary “sustainable development practice. In a report by the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice released in 2008, the Commission provided the insights and recommendations that ultimately led to the development of the Master's in Development Practice programs.

The Commission’s work was anchored in the following core observations:

Sustainable Development Requires Integrated Approaches

The interwoven challenges of sustainable development – including extreme poverty, disease, climate change and ecosystem vulnerability – can be solved only by connecting insights from a range of disciplines.

A New Cadre of Highly-Trained “Generalist” Development Practitioners Is Required

Professionals working in the field of sustainable development – whether in inter-governmental organizations, developing-country ministries, developed-country aid agencies, non-governmental organizations, or academic institutions – are not sufficiently prepared to surmount the challenges they confront.

To address the complex problems of extreme poverty and development in the 21st century, a new generation of professionals is needed with strong management skills as well as practical knowledge across a range of disciplines including the social, natural and health sciences.

Development Practitioners Require Practical, Cross-Disciplinary Training

Sustainable development practice should be supported by new education systems that integrate multi-disciplinary curricula with practical field training. While education for sustainable development may be incorporated into all stages of the academic career, professional training should focus on new graduate degree programs, executive education programs, and professional development programs within organizations.

A Global Network Of Sustainable Development Practice Is Required

A vibrant network of sustainable development practitioners, educators and organizations should be formed to support the launch and expansion of sustainable development education programs. The network should further foster academic and field training collaborations between institutions, while also developing and hosting an open source electronic repository of curricular materials, including case studies as well as innovative teaching and learning tools to support multi-disciplinary courses in development practice around the world.

The Commission’s final recommendations was announced in a formal launch in October 2008.