5. Social Development

Lead Papers 

Dr. Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, William M. Alexander, MALIK AMIN ASLAM, Dr. Allan Barsky and Bill Diepeveen and Maureen Wilson and Karen Hanna, Dr. Peter Bartelmus, William Belsey, Elena BIVOL,Dr. Alexander S. Bogolyubov, George Lutalo Bosa, Dr. Keith G. Brown, Kamil Vilinovic and Milan Chrenko, Ronald Colman, Karine Danielyan, George L. De Feis, Dr. John C. Dernbach, Nurgul Djanaeva, Louise Dunne and Frank Convery, Dr. Erkin Dzhamanbaev, Dr. Janet M. Eaton, Oleg Garms, Dr. Tee L. Guidotti, Mikylas Huba, Craig Hubley and Associates, Vladimír Hudek,Dr. Tao Jiyi, Dr. Gennady N. Karopa, Anne M. Karanja,Natalia Knijnikova,ANITA KON,Vera Koveinik, Dr. Mikhail Krasnyanski, Dr. Vladimir Kremsa, Elena Krougikova,Dr. Balkrishna Kurvey, Vladimir Victorovich Lagutov, Oystein S. LaBianca (Ph.D) and Gary Brendel,Elizabeth(Beth) Lange, Alexander Theodore Lopin,Ngo Louga Madeleine, Dr. Ross Mallick, Tatiana Mamatova,Dr. Sue L.T. McGregor, Kulik Mikalai, Laszlo Miklos, Natalya Miroshnichenko,James Mwami, Dr. Yew-Kwang Ng, Anatoly Nikitin and Sofia Nikitina, Beverly A. Paul, Ms. Julia Pavlova, Akim Rahman, Md. Hasibur Rahman, Dr. Richard C. Rich, Sergey Roganov, Dr. Vyacheslav Sharov, Alla Shevchuk,Dr. Colin L. Soskolne, Andras (Andy) Tamas, Dang Thanh Thuy, John Koffi B. Toguefai, Pavel Toma,Robert Unegbu,Kamil Vilinovic and Milan Chrenko, Valentin Yemelin,DSc. Professor William M. Zadorsky

When communities, nations, or international bodies make decisions affecting sustainable development, there are many voices to be heard (Barsky,  Diepeveen, Wilson and  Hanna). Typical bodies involved in public discussions of environmentalists, developers, business people, taxpayers, scientists, community planners, governmental officials, and non-governmental organizations. This paper/panel questions whether certain voices are denied access to the discussion. The paper identifies silenced or forgotten groups and concludes with proposals for making public discussions more inclusive.

Bivol mentioned that the revolution in social life and education made for a huge diversity of personalities and tastes, hobbies and standards of life, methods of earning and entertainment. The combined efforts of many sciences revealed a close interdependence between the human health, the conduct of the people, the quality of their environment, the type of their professional occupation, the motives and objectives of their lives, the relationships with other people and with the natural elements. 

Zadorsky has researched the concept of sustainable development and found that it includes three aspects: ecological, economic and social. The underestimation results any of these three components in a skew in equal sides system triangle and infringement in strategy of sustainable development. Really, the reassessment of an economic force with underestimation ecological and social results in infringement of stability of development, for it is impossible to ensure improvement of conditions of life of the following generation, if the improvement of economy will not be accompanied by reduction of technogenic loads per capita and decision of social problems in life of a community. Precisely as there cannot be by end in itself a reduction of technogenic loads per capita, and, means, the decision of ecological problems nor can be end in itself, as in a limit it would result in returning to a primitive community, when with ecology all was in the order.

Russia has recently become a state of the "general ecologization" (Bogolyubov). Moreover the importance of this sphere of human knowledge and the necessity of the environmental education are admitted by everybody including teachers and ministers. The final aim of the environmental education is the formation of a "healthy environment community" that lives in harmony with nature(Knijnikova). Mixing concepts, terms and theories gives a negative phenomenon - representatives of different trends can not speak the same language in spite of the only and identical aim - educating a generation of people who would thinks "ecologically" (in an environment way).

Keith Brown  examines the transition of the economy of Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada, from a heavily industrialized region reliant upon coal and steel, to one moving towards development based upon knowledge and culture. A closer look at multimedia and entertainment sectors illustrates the breadth of the diversification that is taking hold.  This thesis suggests the two are inextricably linked and those of us who are practitioners or academics in the field must encourage local communities and community groups to embrace globalization and the resultant niche opportunities for innovative, entrepreneurial solutions for regional, national and international demands. Economic development practitioners on Cape Breton Island have embraced the notion than the two not only must coexist, but can do so in harmony. There is much for others to learn from the Cape Breton model of economic development, redevelopment and sustainability. Historically, the natural resources of coal, timber and fish were exploited on Cape Breton with little to no regard for the resource or the impact on the environment. As the traditional industries are no longer sustainable, the residents of Cape Breton must look to a new natural resource; the ingenuity and talent of its people. One hundred years of heavy industry has taken a heavy environmental toll on the urban areas in and around Sydney. Ironically, as attention turns to remediation of these industrial sites, a new undistry based in knowledge, science, technology and research is developing. The result of this full circle of industrial development, combined with emerging and enabling technologies, positions Cape Breton, once again at the dawn of a new century with knowledge development poised to replace industrial development.  

Vilinovic, Chrenko, Hudek,  Toma and Miklos developed a project to assist the Slovak Republic in enhancing public participation in activities promoting sustainable development at the national, regional and local level. The segment will provide small grants and technical assistance for NGO´s and local communities in order to strengthen their capacity and to assist them in the implementation of small projects related to sustainable development with a particular focus on environmental protection and management, social and community development and building partnership between municipalities, NGO´s, the private sector and other stakeholders of the society. The projects should be linked to the sectors and issues (Dernbach, Huba) recognised by Agenda 21, for example air, soil and water pollution problems, biodiversity issues, energy issues, environmental law related issues, education and awareness raising, rural development or sustainable development (both on national and local level).

Colman proposed some types of economic growth clearly enhance well being, increase equity and protect the environment. There is vital work to be done in our society: - raising children, caring for those in need, restoring our forests, providing adequate food and shelter for all, enhancing our knowledge and understanding, and strengthening our communities. But we will never shift our attention to the work that is needed if we fail to value our natural resources, our voluntary service and our child-rearing, and if we place no value on equity, free time and the health of our communities (McGregor, Pavlova, Soskolne).

Danielyan propose to  elaborate method basing on the statistical data of other countries (in particular the CIS countries), which would make it possible to evaluate the situation from the same position with implementation of a rather adequate system of parameters.  

De Feis explored the four diverse interests of the "four-legged stool": needs of people, optimal resource utilization, economy, and environment, and the opportunities to bring management, big business and the economic sector back into the "sustainable development fold."  

Djanaeva found  that the current socio-ecological crisis (SEC) was a crisis of interrelations between society and natural environment, but not of the interrelating parties separately. Besides, SEC is considered as a historical normal state of the development of the system "Society-Natural environment" .Using the "ecological" approach helps to identify the roots of the challenge. There are two types of SEC – regional, local and global. The "ecological approach" allows us to recognize causing original determinants of this phenomenon as well as perspective ways out.  

A significant proportion of Ireland's population resides in urban areas and therefore the issue of urban environmental quality is of great importance (Dunne and Convery). Although a number of recent policy initiatives have focused at improving the socio-economic conditions of urban areas, many urban environmental problems are still intensifying. Such problems include waste management, aspects of air quality, noise and water pollution, traffic congestion, the loss of open space, and the degradation of the urban landscape. In 1996, the EPA report, State of the Environment in Ireland, recommended that a comprehensive set of environmental and sustainability indicators are developed for Ireland to guide sustainable development and to measure environmental quality and the effectiveness of government policies. Among those suggested for priority was the theme of the urban environment. The Policy Agreement for a Government of Renewal (1994) states the Government's commitment to work towards a new set of indicators of sustainable development, taking account of environmental and social factors, and to be used alongside measures of economic activity such as GDP.  

Dzhamanbaev found that building the capacity of the poor to develop their own strategies for overcoming poverty and supporting these very strategies enables us to ensure sustainability of poor people’s own initiatives. Moving towards institutional sustainability is important for ensuring that financial services are available on a long-term basis for the poor. This should not, however, compromise the need to ensure the sustainability and development of the poor people’s activities themselves. The Human Element is a key determinant for growth and sustainability(LaBianca).  

Lange researched answers to the question: What will it take to engage individuals and communities in significant changes that constitute a sustainable society? The primary purpose of this qualitative educational research study, carried out in Canada, was to determine the entry points and learning processes that are most effective in engaging middle class adults in actions that contribute to a sustainable society. The three specific objectives of this study were: 1. empirically analyzing the cognitive and normative conditions within middle class consciousness and thus determining key entry points for bringing people into a learning process; 2. assessing the effectiveness of transformative action learning for understanding wholistic sustainability as well as catalyzing actions that transform living and working, and 3. critiquing existing theoretical concepts of transformative learning.

 Achieving sustainable development may therefore be linked with policies emphasizing community, the value of information, originality in ideas, and the arts (Guidotti, Karopa).  

KON discussed the impacts of the recent economic globalization on the Brazilian economy have revealed a diversified tendency in spatial development, when regional economic indicators are observed. This is due to the specificities of each region, as regards their sector structure, the availability of human resources, the agglomeration economies and the degree of technological innovation undertaken by local enterprises.  

Krasnyansky bring solutions to the problems of ecology and technological safety that become more and more important for mankind. The majority of countries of East Europe, South America, Asia and Africa have not enough finances either for environment protection (keeping air and water clean) or for utilization of the accumulated industrial and domestic wastes, or for preventing fires and explosions in industry, woods, etc. The industrial wastes in these countries (stored in dumps and settling tanks)can be of interest. In the Ukraine there had been accumulated not less than 25 billion tons of such wastes, and the estimates are that they are 2 - 3 trillion tons in the whole world. On the one side such wastes are the source of ecological disaster and on the other side they contain billions of tons of ready residual raw materials: coal, oil products, wood, iron, non-ferrous metals, rare metals, etc.

 Lagutov Vladimir Victorovich from Russia developed a new concept is aimed at the stabilization of the environment under conditions of limited resources and authority degradation. The main idea behind the realization of this goal is the dislocation of the most active social part of the local population in the key areas of river basins. Expected outputs 3.1 The environment in the basin is stabilized and controlled on the whole catchment area by local population as the most effective forces of alert response. 3.2 From the international perspective could be solved the following problems: - the sustainable region development; - biodiversity rescue; - transborder problems within one watershed and basin; - the restoration of the traditional style life of the local population. 3.3 Providing the most active and destabilizing part of the society with the employment and duties useful for the whole society. 3.4 the creation of preconditions for the restoration of civil society by using successful example of the ecological situation improvement in the most damaged areas of the basin. 3.5 participation of the NGO community in the process as the information, control and coordination centers with limited funding in the framework of international participation. 3.6 the fulfillment of SoES tasks as the social-ecological international organization. 3.7 the creation of state status for Cossack groups and the rehabilitation of the Cossack movement as the protector of environment from the destructive ecological policy of national authorities. 3.8 the redistribution of the forces balance in the community, which will be aimed at the biodiversity rescue and preventing ecosystems from degradation.  

Indigenous peoples are dependent on their environment for traditional livelihoods, which are being threatened by development projects (Mallick) . The indigenous relationship with nature is typically portrayed as being in harmony, and though this may be so in many instances, there are examples where it is not. Mallick cites cases where the harmonious relationship is being disrupted by outside development, as well as instances where indigenous people themselves contribute to the disruption. The complex relationship between the environmentalist movement in the dominant society and indigenous peoples is a major theme in the study, where frequently environmentalist support indigenous but in some cases oppose aboriginal development. Both multinational interests and environmentalists cast an influence which affects aboriginal peoples.   

The Belarusian people badly need adequate information concerning the real consequences of the Chernobyl accident(Mikalai). They are often unaware of what is to be done to improve the state of environment, their living standards, and how to deal with various problems that life presents. The problem of survival and human rights are on the agenda of the Belarusian society at the turn of the centuries.  

Ng discussed public spending, especially on research and environmental protection, is likely well below optimal due to the long-term and global public-good nature and the overestimation of the costs of raising public revenue. This overestimation arises from 1. Economists' emphasis on the excess burden of taxation, ignoring that this is largely offset by the negative excess burden on the spending side; 2. The failure to take account of the environmental disruption effects of most production and consumption (which make taxes largely corrective than distortive), relative-income effects (which bias in favor of private consumption), and burden-free taxes on goods with diamond effects; 3. The failure to recognize the fact that, in non-poor countries, higher private consumption does not increase happiness at the social level, making the happiness cost of public spending virtually zero. Both reported happiness and indicators of quality of life have little positive association with economic growth but increase with scientific and technological breakthroughs at the global level.  

A. Nikitin and S. Nikitina discussed Ethnoculture as the basis of harmonic interrelations between human beings and environment by  NGO "Bionic" Kamchatka Russia 1. The speach of Great Chief Seattle is basic principle of our understanding of modern problem in sustainable development. 2. We can consider traditional knowledge and its mythological interpretation as a special modus vivendi in hormony with nature. 3. Scientific understanding of human and natural life is often connected with the lost of interrelations between society and nature at first, and between the separated people and the society - secondly. 4. An urgent need to unite and identify every person or ethnos with scientific conception of the world is a key problem of humanitarian aspects of modern civilization. 5. Our practise in non-traditional medicine. It gives us possibility to apply these principles in everyday life. 6. Work in link with scientists working in biology, physics and mathematics. The problem of evident and precise estimation of the results of our practice is impossible without regular contacts with scientists. 7. The most specific point of our work is treating effect of thermal water of natural sources of Kamchatka. 8. The necessity to compare our specific experience with similar activity in other parts of the globe. The greatest interest - places with thermal waters and volcanogenic manifestations (Yellowstone, Calgary region). 9. Urgent need to harmonize our work with economic development, human beings and the environment.

 Md. Hasibur Rahman proposed that natural resources management, stakeholder participation and sustainable development are interrelated. Sustainable development is a process which will start with situational analysis including problems identification, prioritization followed by policy making, planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. In many cases, problems identification and its ranking or future planning is not done by involving participatory approach. It is evident that the stakeholder problems or root-causes of threats that depletes natural resources are remains behind the consideration. More importantly in the field of development in general or in agricultural, particularly a few common approaches are considered for planning that is far from fully participatory approach. Coordination of national planner/policy maker and stakeholder participatory approaches is needed to input in the field of any development. As because the local stakeholders are important components who are exploiting natural resources and also they can conserve the same for better environment. It is an urgent need to take necessary measures in order to control and minimize the adverse effect of human activities. And to ensure conservation of natural resources and planned urbanization, industrialization, sustainable agricultural development etc. are the main components. Proper implementation of environment friendly and sustainable development policy is most important along with a pragmatic implementation strategy. Recommendations and policy implementation regarding mitigative measures in order to conservation of natural resources and balanced development is needed to the national as well as to the global context.  

Sharov discussed the ecological education is vital for inhabitants of the Chelyabisnk region to preserve the greatest values - their health and life. We have developed interactive computer programs for ecological education of population and specialists. One of computer programmes 'What Radiation Is?" consists out of two parts: database and tests and that is why the user can simultaneously study and carry out self-testing.  

Yemelin tells us of the life in Russia and the EcoHouse project. The scene is a massive standard concrete apartment block in the Moskovsky district of St Petersburg, Russia. Nine stories, multiple stair-wells, poor maintenance, 267 apartments with more than 500 residents in cramped apartments from the 60s. 1700 m2 of flat roof, almost as much unusable basement: not only damp but wet, with broken and unfinished walls, poor access, infested with rats and breeding mosquitoes. A high proportion of low-income, elderly residents with little social interaction transmits a general impression of isolation and apathy. Less than three years later the house is humming. A good proportion of the residents are engaged in different environmental and social activities, including two with full-time and two with part-time jobs in the house. The stair-wells are in good condition, two-thirds of the roof is literally blooming, organic waste is composted in the basement – which has been rebuilt and rat-proofed, and which also houses experimental cultivation of Witloof endives. Heating bills have been nearly halved. A community meeting room has been renovated and decorated, and is heavily booked for meetings of all kinds, including a kind of «resident’s surgery» at which people can seek professional help with their problems.

Comments and Recommendations from Participants

 THE THEORY OF DEVELOPMENT as a method OF COGNITION

Paper by Alexander T. Lopin

Our names: JHY Katima, S. Augustin, B. Lyimo and E. Kilawe

Our opinion:

The paper has explained in detail fundamentals and some examples of the development theory. As for many existing theories, though posed in a logical approach, have suffered a defeat in the implementation and execution. These may be linked however to weaknesses due to the executing agent but it is clear that they also embodied in a sequence of rational and more ideal or logical preference.

Many societies have emerged from different backgrounds in such, the application of the theories may differ from one end to another. In a decentralized global we are living in today it is even difficult to have a common approach although the theory narrates of originating from the same source.

The theory requires high level of thinking of which not many are that much thinkers. Nevertheless many ideas coming by are impeded by the exigency structures, which has to be changed. Changing the structure may lessen the impact in an intended item rendering much more impact in other areas. With the existing local and later global priorities the contradiction may lead to difficulties in application of the theory.

Natural disasters always happen as a surprise. Remedies being made to solve problems sometimes come late and theories are not applicable and yet societies are not that fast to adapt to the changes. It may take longer than predicted theoretically, as points of intervention may be not readily available.

Comments to the paper: which author might give a more clarification on them.

From our stand the theories were well explained. They lack justification on where exactly the starting point should be. Looking at it with an assumption that any point of intervention will give the same results may not be feasible. Nevertheless dictating some personal approaches under the existing egalitarian era may be unsustainable both economically and socially. Where should the inputs come from? Is dynamic thinking at the "global-village" possible? Did the elements of equality and equity consider externalities from both local and global scale perspective?


The history of humanity has always been that of an increasingly more complex interrelationship between its members. Clans to tribes, to nations, to empires,  and to today's economic and political alliances. Societies have become global and communications have made us all 'neighbours'. Massive migrations within and among countries have contributed to increasing contacts between human beings of different origins, religions, ideologies, and moral-value systems. The Global Community is becoming pluralistic. Recognition and respect  of this pluralism is a necessity for the survival of mankind.

The Global Community recognizes that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. Freedom is both a principle and a value. It is because human beings are free that they are subject of law and are creators and holders of rights. Freedom and human rights are therefore basic to each other. 

Fundamental freedoms are far from being enjoyed by all but it is our common future, it is part of our Vision statement for year 2024. Human freedom is a value to be attained.

Equality is a value, an ideal for people who live a hard day-to-day life of economic inequalities such as unemployment, and social inequalities caused by the privileges enjoyed by some people and the exploitation of others, and inequality of educational and health opportunities. Freedom and equality are both indispensable.

Equality and freedom are therefore accepted and enshrined as universal values by which The Global Community organization will governed its affairs. As universal values they are concerned with our ability to decide, to choose values and to participate in the making of laws, and they dependent on the recognition of other people. These values forbid any form of discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, sex, religion, age or mother tongue.

By accepting both values of freedom and equality we can achieve justice. One can be answerable for one's actions in a 'just' way only if judgements are given in the framework of democratically established laws and courts. 

Social justice is another universal value to which The Global Community aspires and accepts as a universal value. Social justice consists in sharing wealth with a view to greater equality and the equal recognition of each individual's merits.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights resides in the fact that it gives equal emphasis to cultural rights, economic and social rights, and civil and political rights.  The Global Community organization asks how meaningful is the right to life or to participation in political life, if poverty, destitution and epidemics prevent individuals from enjoying freedom of movement, freedom to vote, to marry and so on?  We found evident that economic and social rights are the essential prerequisite for the effectiveness and exercise of all rights recognized for human beings. This was the reason for organizing the World Congress: to find the best ways to sustain us all. The developing countries are having a harder time than others to achieve the exercise of these rights on a lasting basis, with the problems of economic globalization presenting new challenges. We must therefore beware of enforcing economic rights alone to the detriment of individual civil rights and the rights of all individuals to decide their own fate and the future of their country, their political rights.

The universality of human rights recognizes the right of all individuals to participate in the cultural life of their community and of other country, to receive education and training, and to be informed. In this World Congress, you were asked  to list values that were the most important, very important, important, not so important, and values that should be let go in order to sustain all life on Earth. We are aware that traditional customs and standards could burden the sustainability of all life on Earth. They could burden Earth society or any society forever, and holds individuals in a straitjacket. We cannot accept that. No one can! There are choices to be made and you must make them. Cultures can develop and can go on developing. Even religious beliefs may evolve. We are living now and we are able to create these changes. We are at least as bright , most certainly brighter, than the people who were living thousand of years ago.  As far as The Global Community is concerned, cultural and religious differences cannot be a reason or an excuse or a pretext for not respecting human rights. Quite the contrary, all kinds of cultures may promote human rights and especially cultural rights. They are different in their achievements, but they are equal in dignity where they are expressions of freedom. At any time or in any given place, men, women and children use their culture to invent new ways of making human rights a living reality. Diversity enriches us if it respects the dignity of each individual, and if it takes account of human rights as a whole.