Sustainable development is a way for people to use resources without the resources

running out . The term sustainable development was first introduced in The Bruntland
report, made by the World Commission on Environment and Development in 1987, and the
definition herein given is: ''to satisfy the needs of the current generation in such a way as
not to endanger the satisfaction of the needs of future generations and the development of
future generations."

This is not just a local issue. The same problems are faced at a national level. If
the governments of the world are to deal with poverty, they do not just need to
provide money and food aid, they need to help local people get educated and
get jobs. People also need a safe environment with adequate homes and
drinking water. To make these things work, governments also need to make
sure that people have an effective voice in deciding what happens where they
live.

Over the past few years, Sustainable Development (SD) has emerged as
the latest development catchphrase. A wide range of nongovernmental as
well as governmental organizations have embraced it as the new paradigm
of development.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), otherwise known as the Global Goals, are a universal
call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

Sustainable Development in Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka's path to middle income status has been remarkable in several ways, with consistently
high GDP growth rates and enviable performance in education, health and poverty reduction.
The end of Sri Lanka's 26-year conflict led to a further acceleration of economic growth, with real
annual growth rates in GDP per capita exceeding 7 percent from 2010 to 2012. But growth
collapsed thereafter and has remained at or below 4 percent for the last four years, slowing the
rate of Sri Lanka's overall development and leaving many parts of the country left behind. The
country's path to development must now change to sustain a convergence with high-income
countries.

The post-war boom was unsustainable because of the structure of growth itself, which has been
uniquely inward-oriented. Exports and export-oriented FDI have been fairly stagnant over the last
two decades, failing to keep pace with overall growth and the growth of imports. As a result, Sri
Lanka has run into recurring balance of payments crises. At the same time, the country has
faced a steadily weakening ability to collect tax revenue, making it increasingly difficult to invest
in the public goods needed to stimulate sustainable and inclusive growth into the future.

In January 2015, Sri Lanka elected a new government with a vision of promoting sustainable
development and reconciliation. As Sri Lanka's political institutions undergo an important
transformation, certain economic changes will also be required to put growth on a more
sustainable and more inclusive footing. The Center for International Development at Harvard
University is collaborating with the Government of Sri Lanka through a grant by the Open Society
Foundations (OSF) to provide research support to help the country move toward this future.

The project has 3 key components:

Growth and Transformation

CID's Growth Lab is doing in-depth, tailored analysis of Sri Lanka's economy to diagnose what
is constraining the countrys growth, identify the most fruitful areas in which to diversify the
economy, and identify what actionable reforms and projects are required to achieve sustainable
and inclusive growth. This applied research and training is conducted mainly in collaboration with
the Prime Ministers Office and the Ministry of Development Strategies and International Trade
(MODSIT).

Implementation
CID's Building State Capability Program is conducting action-research with implementation
teams drawn from across the Government of Sri Lanka, to develop new ways to implement the
reforms and projects necessary to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth, and to foster new
capabilities within the government. This action-research and training is conducted in
collaboration with MODSIT and other agencies and ministries across the government.
Trade Development
CID's Growth Lab is also conducting research into ways to reform and improve Sri Lankas trade
policy and implementation of trade commitments, including negotiation of partnerships and
agreements to be able to achieve sustainable and inclusive growth. This applied research and
training is conducted mainly in collaboration with MODSIT.

The research team is led by Ricardo Hausmann, Matt Andrews and Robert Lawrence, along with
CID Research Fellows Ermal Frasheri, Peter Harrington, Tim McNaught, Ljubica
Nedelkoska, Tim OBrien, Salimah Samji, and Daniel Stock.
See also: Growth Diagnostics, Inclusive Growth