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This paper explores how schooling could be made a sustainable development project for rural secondary school learners whose drop-out rate is alarmingly high. The paper resulted from diverse discourses some of which regard current rural secondary school learners to be facing a bleak future considering how they prematurely exit the secondary schooling system in large numbers. This paper is conceptual and empirical in nature within the qualitative research paradigm. The research question guiding this paper is: what shall it take to transform the current public secondary school system to remain captivating and absorbing for rural learners never to be tempted to drop-out? Interviewing technique and documents review were employed to collect data. Out of the population of 16 secondary schools in one of the circuits in the Sekhukhune district in Limpopo Province, South Africa, three rural secondary schools were conveniently sampled. In each of the school, a science education specialist or head of department, a teacher serving in the School Governing Body and a Chairperson of the Representative Council of Learners, became research participants. Findings revealed that firstly, schooling could facilitate upward socioeconomic mobility of learners. Secondly, enduring schooling could be a key to escaping rural poverty. Thirdly, schooling could reduce inequalities. Fourthly, schooling could foster tolerance and peaceful societies. Fifthly, schooling could generate gender equity. Lastly, without schooling non-proficiency rates by learners could remain disturbingly high. The researcher recommends for the addressing of the gap between the rural under-connected, under-developed and the highly digitalised secondary schools to ascertain that no single learner is left behind as regards the sustainable development project through schooling. Furthermore, for the thriving of sustainable development project, governments need to be encouraged to prioritise schooling of all rural learners in policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to describe the idea and approach to innovate the curricula and syllabuses at the Faculty of Technical Sciences at University "Mother Tereza" towards taking its part of responsibility to contribute to the UN goals of Sustainable Development. In last improvement of the curricula od different studying programs, the Faculty of Technical Sciences introduced a course "Sustainable development in technology" as basic tool to make sure the students, further engineers, become familiar with one of the most important awareness of humanity regarding periods to come, all shaped in UN Sustainable Development strategy. Due to the fact that Sustainable Development is a mixture of environmental, economic and social aspects of contemporary life, and all of them have deep connections with the technology, no gap between purely technical, economic and social views are allowed any more. Therefore, in front of teaching staff at the Faculty of Technical Sciences is a very important and complex duty to make students aware of the core meaning of Sustainable Development, its relation to their further profession and bring knowledge and skills how to deal with all new challenges. This task, opposite to some basic courses in engineering is much more complex in terms of multidisciplinary and put some new challenges in front of the teaching staff. This comes from the fact that nowadays, and in the future, the role of the engineer has been widened and become more complex, and more interdisciplinary adding more environmental, economic and social aspects. It is important that including of sustainable development knowledge, competences and skills, in engineer portfolio should not be taken as a burden, but chance to contribute to everyone's future. The Faculty of Technical Sciences already takes the first steps in this direction and first experiences are described here. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A local development strategy allows the active coordination of the development process taking place in the territory, taking into account local characteristics, changes in the external environment and allowing a positive approach to territorial development in an innovative way. Local development strategies are characterized by at least seven characteristics recommended to local managers responsible for development: vision for the future, creativity, flexibility, activity, created for action, orientation to change and orientation to sustainable gain. The purpose of this paper is to highlight both the needs and requirements of the inhabitants of the Snagov commune, respectively the degree of satisfaction with the public services they benefit from, as well as the development vision of the Snagov commune. To obtain the information necessary for the study, the questionnaire method was used, and the group of people related to the sample filled in the requested data and expressed their opinions regarding public services, infrastructure, community projects. The key challenge is to ensure a balanced and sustainable development of the territory based on polycentric development, providing services to the surrounding rural areas, avoiding the decline of the rural population and ensuring the continued attractiveness of these areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Education is fundamental to economic diversification, development, and sustainability. This paper principally examined the place and importance of the mandate of polytechnic education in the economic diversification and sustainable development of Nigeria. For the purpose of objective and scholarly analysis, the Functionalist Theory or Functionalism as the theoretical framework was adopted. Using three factors, namely relevant provisions of the Federal Polytechnic (Amendment) Act, 2019; experiences and lessons from Germany, China, and the Asian Tigers; and the National Board for Technical Education's (NBTE) Skills Advocacy Slogan "Skills, not Degrees," the paper argued that repositioning and strengthening polytechnic education, specifically through the empowerment and skills development of polytechnic graduates and youths, constitute critical success factors in sustainable national development. The paper made appropriate recommendations to rejig polytechnic education in Nigeria, which should include, but are not limited to, increased funding of the polytechnics, a review of the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) sharing formula in favour of the polytechnics, laying much emphasis on the vocational component of polytechnic education, continuous staff capacity development and upward review of the salaries and improvement of the conditions of service of polytechnic workers; fostering a culture of innovation and applied research and development and inauguration of technology incubation centres in all polytechnics in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes goals, process, and results in the effort to introduce new curricula at The Faculty of Technical Sciences of University Mother Theresa - Skopje fully devoted to teach students in the direction of sustainable development. The idea was born in the process of reaccreditation of the old curricula named "Mechanical Engineering and management" at The Faculty of Technical Sciences. The authors of this paper, and the idea for reconstruction were fully aware of the direction Mechanical Engineering needs to go to contribute to the sustainable development of the country and wider. Therefore, that idea led the developing process into new curricula titled: "Sustainable Design in Mechanical Engineering". From total of 40 courses, 15-20 are fully related to sustainable development goals and the curricula includes also a number of projects and diploma work by which students will additionally have an opportunity to add to their understanding and knowledge of sustainable development tools. The new curricula successfully passed the process of accreditation and it is now a part of this University offer. Based on this curricula, a number of courses for lifelong learning will be developed. It is expected that this curricula will attract attention both of the new students, but also of the professionals at different companies, state and municipality institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The EU's Sahel strategy was formulated in accordance with the EU's holistic approach, emphasizing the interconnectivity of security, development, and governance. This paper seeks to evaluate the effectiveness of the EU's Sahel strategy and its alignment with established goals. Thus, the initial Sahel strategy was introduced by the EU in 2011, subsequently fortified by the 2015-2020 regional action plan. These two documents delineate the fundamental pillars that form the basis of the EU's involvement in the Sahel region. The EU's involvement encompasses a multifaceted approach aimed at promoting security, development, and cooperation in the Sahel. This includes initiatives to counter terrorism and extremism, enhance governance and rule of law, promote sustainable development, and strengthen regional partnerships. However, the European Union's strategy toward the Sahel region encounters substantial challenges across various dimensions. In addition, evaluations suggest that a timely and comprehensive reassessment of the EU's Sahel policy is essential to achieve its intended objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst China's aid and development model has been traditionally understood as divergent from the dominant post‐1945 liberal development model, scholars are also increasingly exploring convergence between features of the two development models. Recently, scholars from a range of disciplines including development studies, development geography and international (business, environment and legal) studies have explored a process whereby China's Belt and Road Initiative and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals converge ('BRI‐SDG integration'). This paper brings these multidisciplinary strands of scholarship together and places them in dialogue with social sciences convergence theory to understand how BRI‐SDG integration aligns with or challenges previous conceptualisations of Chinese‐dominant development convergence. The paper first demonstrates that BRI‐SDG integration proposes a novel and deliberate convergence process ‐ which the paper names 'complementary convergence'. However, BRI‐SDG integration also underscores the need for more multidirectional frameworks that reject Eurocentricity for evaluating the contemporary Chinese‐dominant relationship, and an enhanced focus on how China is influencing dominant development institutions. Finally, BRI‐SDG integration reiterates the methodological difficulties of delineating between 'development models' in an increasingly interrelated global governance of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

United Nations (UN) leaders suggest that the world is not on track to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The purpose of this paper is to explore whether the SDGs provide a valuable platform to call for a basic income (BI) globally. Adopting a critical historical studies approach, the article traces the evolution of 'development', including the UN decades of development, the Millennium Development Goals, and the SDGs. It subsequently describes the structural adjustment and poverty reduction efforts by the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, and then outlines why the SDG framework may be helpful in advancing a BI. We argue that as climate-related disasters increase, a BI will be vital in providing a modicum of security in an increasingly unstable world. Calls for BI must be anchored to a broader change agenda that recognizes the causes of poverty and income inequality, and seeks their dismantling and redress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Water is central to sustainable development as established in the official report of the High Level Panel on Water of the United Nations and World Bank. Such strategic importance of water justifies global demand for investment from all sources in the water sector to not only provide much needed infrastructure but also enhance the capacity of management and governance necessary to cope with complex water problems and risks, particularly under changing conditions characterized by climate change, urbanization, and environmental degradation. Yet, how to finance the investment need to build a strong water sector for sustainability is a practical question that has been gaining wide attention globally. This paper synthesizes current knowledge and understanding of water investment finance. It examines and characterizes water finance and challenges, encompassing economics and practice of financing water investment needs, the commonly considered finance model, and barriers for water finance in relation to the unique features of water investment needs and the water sector. It introduces some promising practices adopted or advocated to address the financing challenges, and highlights key governance and institutional strategies to help bridge the funding gap in the water sector. Based on the synthesis, the paper offers some discussion on the water finance issue in the end. This paper hopes to connect academia and development practice to stimulate communication while informing policy and management reform to better promote financing water investment for sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work explores the nexus between ethical leadership and the effective management of public resources. The major force is that any nation's performance, seeking to achieve its goals, depends on its leadership. This is especially true when ethical leadership translates into wise public policy design and implementation and good public service delivery to meet citizens' needs and ambitions. Unfortunately, the post-independence period in Africa has been characterized by a never-ending quest for the depressing trajectory of African economies. This paper employs a literature review of various sources. The objective is to better understand ethical leadership and effective management of public resources for African development by bringing out the Tanzanian experience. This study is based on findings from the literature review. Further studies are needed to include findings from Africa and elsewhere to give an informative work from a global perspective. This work is expected to inform researchers and all stakeholders concerned with leadership and development to get crucial information on the theoretical and policy gaps that must be addressed when dealing with ethical leadership. Topical gaps in the literature are suggested as prospective research areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper focuses on the perspectives of sustainable development among the Nyishis of Kurung Kumey district in the state of Arunachal Pradesh who have the status of a Scheduled Tribe but are somewhat deprived of the benefits of development even after India's economic reforms. The study reveals that Nyishis living in remote and inaccessible villages have remained neglected over the years due to the following three main reasons: firstly, the benefits of development do not reach these remote villages due to their distant and isolated location; secondly, the administration of these villages is in the hands of political/panchayat leaders which is more concerned with the collection of petty amount without doing anything good for the people, and in the process, the needs and concerns of the people often get neglected. Thirdly, there is a lack of proper execution of the developmental works by the government agencies/officials, due to which initiated work is stuck on the way. The paper attempts to raise the conceptual issues and constraints of post-reformation development programmes resulting in the obscured and neglect of the people in the process of development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite being emphasized as one of the main pillars of global sustainable development, social sustainability has been vastly neglected in research, and its importance has been undervalued. This paper aims to highlight the important role that wellness practices play in enhancing social sustainability by uplifting individuals and progressing communities. In turn, social sustainability strengthens the circular economy, resulting in global sustainable development. The paper also raises questions about future sustainable communities, quality of life, and wellness programs, which open up new avenues for future research and implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper delves into the concept of Society 5.0, which envisions a future society integrating advanced technologies with human-centred values to address current social challenges. It emphasizes the importance of aligning advanced technologies with human-centred values and social preferences to ensure the success and sustainability of Society 5.0. We offer comprehensive insights into the complex interplay between social welfare preferences and societal progress, emphasizing the significance of understanding and addressing societal preferences to foster inclusive, sustainable, and efficient societies aligned with the objectives of Society 5.0. The findings provide valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders in developing targeted interventions and policies that address critical societal challenges and foster progress across various well-being dimensions. The study emphasizes the importance of considering social preferences in the development of Society 5.0 and highlights the need for a holistic approach that integrates social preferences into the development framework. The study unveils that economic success does not guarantee societal advancement, as the array of social preferences reflecting the diversity of SWP impacts a country's trajectory towards Society 5.0. By combining theoretical and empirical methodologies, we offer robust qualitative and quantitative insights for crafting optimal policies across different scenarios of individual SWPs and their effects on achieving social progress [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With 85% of this planet's population adhering to a religion, faith communities are the largest transnational civil society actors in the world. This accords them a major role in societal processes, aincluding current global challenges as spelled out in the 17 SDGs, the core of the Agenda 2030. After decades of neglect, recent years have seen a rise in interest in the role of religion in the public agenda. Academics, policymakers and practitioners alike increasingly acknowledge the significance of faith actors for the SDGs. Key terms such as "Common Home", shared by faith and secular actors, already indicate their mutual relevance. At the same time, there is a lack of religious literacy in recognizing and interpreting religious dimensions in a given development context. This paper therefore seeks to shed light on the often nebulous "religious factor" in the SDGs in two consecutive steps. At first, the historical part traces the rise of religion in development. In the second step, an analytical part then provides a seven-dimensional model to enhance religious literacy and to provide a better understanding of both the potential and the problems of religion in the global quest for implementing the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the phenomenon of debt culture in the conventional financial systems and then to compare the existing or emerging trends in the Islamic finance industry. It provides critical insight into why economic policies that are delinked from some fundamental wisdom about sustainable lifestyle might be increasingly less effective. Design/methodology/approach – The paper identifies various areas of impact of the debt culture and provides qualitative analysis based on relevant data. Findings – The data presented in the paper shows that the Islamic finance industry is clearly biased in favor of debt-creating modes, which is expected to lead to promoting the same kind of debt culture as experienced in the conventional financial system. Research limitations/implications – Finding comprehensive and current data for Islamic financial institutions is a challenging task. The IFIs are not as transparent as their conventional counterparts in sharing relevant data and information. Practical implications – The paper highlights and analyzes a problem – i.e., the debt culture. Dealing with this problem would be indispensable in the long run for any credible as well as sustainable solutions to contemporary crisis. Social implications – Debt culture is more than an economic phenomena. The paper identifies/analyzes several areas, including consumption explosion, speculation, ethics, that are related to debt culture. Originality/value – This is probably the first research paper that looks into the issue of debt culture in the context of Islamic finance. The contemporary, ongoing global crisis underscores the kind of conventional problems that Islamic finance needs to avoid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Touristic security – the practice of securing tourists to sustain tourism – has become a highly pertinent and powerful global security practice. Many organisations, governments, industry stakeholders, consultants, and scholars claim touristic security to be a 'win-win' security practice supportive of global sustainable development for all. But is this true? This paper interrogates this claim in two steps. First, it sets out an international political sociology inspired approach to theorising security as a global practice shaped by and shaping of the continued coloniality of power, and, second, it uses this approach to select, connect, and analyse diverse critical studies of tourism for the emergence, enactment, and consequences of touristic security in the Global South. Put together, the critical studies of tourism analysed suggest that touristic security is a neoliberal security practice that centres international – often white Western – tourists' fears and vulnerabilities, and, following, that it is (re)producing the coloniality of inequalities, insecurities, and immobilities. Far from a 'win-win' security practice, then, critical studies of tourism imply that touristic security is feeding into an endless process of (in)securitisation that is antithetical to global sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The area of women's empowerment has attracted increasing attention among a wide range of interest groups, from authors to researchers to feminist scholars and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). This paper aims to identify the diverse understandings of women's empowerment in the literature and to discuss empirical evidence from NGO projects in the field. A systematic literature review is employed that includes an analysis of relevant high-quality articles and research papers published in the Scopus database, as well as those produced by United Nations (UN) bodies and well-published authors. The findings highlighted four common understandings of women's empowerment including granting women a voice, challenging existing power structures, the radical transformation of lives and livelihoods, and gender mainstreaming. The findings of these empirical studies on the role of NGOs in this field revealed understandings limited to granting women a voice and gender mainstreaming, thus reflecting the fact that limited knowledge of women's empowerment hampers the ability of NGOs to serve women's advancement and sustainable development. Furthermore, and given that these approaches and understandings still fall short of achieving social inclusion for women, it is recommended that these NGOs discharge their efforts toward initiating systemic change to actually sustain female empowerment in the communities in which they are active. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poverty continuously lays a breeding ground for capitalist orientations and perceptions of the concept in itself and "justifies" the adoption of foreign-based solutions with little or no affiliation to local and socio-cultural contexts. Meanwhile, the contextualizations surrounding the poverty debate in development aid and intervention seemingly underpin the assertion that development aid is problematic in itself given binary tensions surrounding indigenous knowledge and western science as post-modern development discourse. This paper succinctly explores the orientations of poverty within the development aid conundrum and discusses dichotomies between indigenous knowledge and western science in defining development processes in developing countries and Sub Saharan Africa. It seeks to underscore the socio economic, cultural and politically constructed "representations" of poverty by discussing theoretical standpoints to question development aid agencies interventions in the Global South, and the impending changes in local and community relationships as a result. The paper concludes that while anthropologists role within this development and knowledge debate is pivotal, it is imperative for development aid to go beyond mere economic and measurement led framings of poverty, to affix a more salient perspective of culture and local knowledge systems that will shape the understanding of poverty and guide concurrent interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Report 2019 points out that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) might not be achieved, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (sic). This paper tries to investigate alternatives to the hegemonic "development" discourse and ideas of "development": what would be the notion of "development" in Ubuntu? The paper proposes a contextual understanding of "development" rooted in tradition, religion and culture by using Michel Foucault and Ferdinand de Saussure as a theoretical basis. The heterogenous understanding of Ubuntu and its diverse understanding definition of "development" are an argument against universalising "development" ideas, but for tailor-made solutions. The paper follows the hypothesis that the SDGs rely on premises of epistemologies of the Global North which are (post)colonial. It also proposes that failing "development" strategies rely on epistemologies from the Global North which are excluding, imperial, Eurocentric and rely on abyssal -- extractive and postcolonial -- productions of knowledge (Sousa Santos 2018). The paper is a contribution to the decolonisation of knowledge in the Global North, to challenge hegemonic northern epistemologies and to bring them into contact with knowledge from epistemologies of the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Notwithstanding its level of socio-economic development, health failure is a threat to any country. Globally, the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to be the greatest threat to the existentiality of humanity since the end of World War II. The level of global interconnectivity also made it the most destructive to human existence. The accelerating growth of the pandemic in South Africa has devastated effects on its economy and cuttingly intensified prior socio-economic challenges and inadvertently, presented South Africa with an unseen and formidable enemy that does not know the differences between South African Black, Coloured, Indian or White. The study used a qualitative research approach, underpinned by the rationality for South Africa, to embrace innovative diplomacy as a means to an end for its health safety and security amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. The paper argued that South Africa must innovatively engage the acceptable global mechanisms and other health security measures with focus on its commitment to the goals of its national interests, while strengthening the efficiency of its health initiatives through better-quality governance where both local and international investors are allowed to participate actively in state socio-economic activities that respond to the safety and health security of the emotionalized publics. Thus, in a globalised system of innovation, South Africa needs to see the innovation environment as a steady pipeline of its domestic ability to control the negative effect of Covid-19 on its national health security. The paper concludes that South Africa must begin to invest, modify, and localise the biotechnology industry, and thus serving as a source of employment for the teaming unemployed South Africans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of sustainable development has been attracting the attention of the scientific and professional community for decades. Various researches and papers focused on the concept of sustainability, exploring it through the prism of the economic, ecological and social subsystem. In this paper, the authors focus on agriculture and its sustainability. Starting from the assumption that organic farming is a sustainable system production, the authors turn to institutional support, trying to find a link between EU agricultural policy (CAP) and the growth of areas in organic agriculture. The research showed that this kind of support system failed to play the role that was intended for it and did not lead to mass acceptance of organic agriculture everywhere. Authors on the example of Denmark, Germany and Italy show the extent to which state support has influenced the expansion of areas under this system. Also, the comparison with the US agricultural policy leads to the conclusion that support policies for organic production constructed on a one-dimensional focus of payments per unit area will not lead to the expected results in terms of further progress and development of the organic sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) constitute an overarching global milestone for creating a better sustainable future worldwide. The risk component of the agenda under the SFDRR must be better embedded into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and integrating disaster risk management policy with broader development objectives at national and subnational levels in many countries is still a work in progress. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the progress between the SDGs and the SFDRR in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and its complementary features Design/methodology/approach: Comprehensive and contextualized analyses of the progress of SFDRR and SDGs related to the LAC region need to be fully addressed to examine synergies and trade-offs with the two global agendas. Based on empirical evidence from United Nations global reports, a literature review of DRR and DRM, as well as development planning evidence, this paper addresses the implications of building coherence between the SDGs and the SFDRR in the region. Findings: Interplay and connections of the two agendas are highlighted together with an analysis of coherence among indicators. Despite the richness of several indicators, the examined evidence suggests that derived from the current progress, indicators are unable to completely reflect the dynamics among disaster risk drivers for both the SFDRR and the SDGs in the region. Research limitations/implications: Data availability at UNIDSR as well as at the regional level can limit the scope of the research. When comparing and matching the agendas, results could be further improved upon new releases of data. SFDRR and SDGs have also ground for improvement and countries are doing well but still slow. Practical implications: The paper offers new insights and findings for decision/policy makers in Latina America and the Caribbean. Originality/value: The paper offers an overall understanding of the progress and coherence among SFDRR and SDGs global frameworks and provides insights to identify the gaps and opportunities that need to be addressed to integrate disaster risk reduction into sustainable development planning at national and regional scales in LAC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigated the need for the inquiry of landscape values and public participation within the decision-making process on spatial changes. They are taken into account as an important segment in the harmonization of conservation and development requirements in the planning of sustainable spatial development. The method for obtaining that information was established, and new approaches in landscape research were tested through the perception of its values as the first step to solving the conflicts between spatial conservation and development. Through the research of the experiences and theoretical knowledge on the nature protection issues within the spatial planning context, this paper indicated the need for determination of the effectiveness of the standardization approach to nature protection. Also, it emphasized the importance of testing a possible application of new approaches, which would be based on a mutually agreed approach to the protection and development of space. Modeling the landscape qualities of the space was presented as a basic tool within the presentation methodology and within the inclusion of different public segments in the spatial planning procedure. Its usefulness has been shown in the possibility of preparing the cartographic presentation of the harmonized model, which simultaneously includes the opinions of all relevant groups and can be easily implemented in the planning procedure using the GIS tools before decision-making. This paper pointed out that such an approach contributes to solving the practical problems in the protection of landscape qualities that represent public good and the link between nature and culture, and biophysical, perceptional, social, and developmental elements within the space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship in both theory and practice between environment and sustainable development within the context of the emerging globalization is one whose study requires trans-disciplinary engagements for the understanding and appreciation of the embedded issues within the realm of critical interrogation. Because the ensuing discussions and analyses of the critical issues and problems that are inherent in the discourse on climate change and the attendant impact on sustainable development are currently being approached from the perspective of the general as opposed to the specific, there is the existence of a gap in literature. Narrowing the embedded issues to situational circumstances justifies the relevance and need of the paper and provides the much needed opportunity for the development and building of generalizations from such peculiar experiences. The paper consequently seeks critical examination, discussion and analysis of the relevance of the knowledge of the environment to mankind and in turn places the latter within the prevailing discourses on the subject matter globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For achieving the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) it is very much called for the meaningful participation of the youth. The young population in India is sizable, diversified, and affected by a wide range of problems. Due to their social status and caste rigidity, youth from Scheduled Castes (SC) are vulnerable. Despite numerous laws and programs, Tamil Nadu's programs for SC youth have a lower-than-average active participation rate. Their transition and social development are negatively impacted by poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, discrimination, and the lack of opportunities. Numerous empirical studies have examined the status of SCs in terms of their involvement in work and education, but none have yet studied their participation in accomplishing the SDGs. This paper examines how SC youth in Tamil Nadu participated in the SDGs. Subsequently, it offers an inclusive strategy to increase SC youth participation in accomplishing the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study explored challenges to gender proficiency in leadership to achieve sustainable development in Africa. The challenges to gender proficiency in leadership affect the achievement of sustainable development in Africa. The study discovered several social barriers hindering gender proficiency towards achieving sustainable development goals, which include the existence of social and cultural norms and gender-based differences in leadership, as confirmed by some researchers. The existence of these differences has been overlooked; hence it remains a reality that women are underrepresented in leading management positions in general on the ground, and particularly in leadership roles. The main question is if women’s call to occupy leadership positions is a complete reality or it is purely a pursuit for political acceptability. Gender gaps in the workforce over the last two decades remained largely unaffected, notwithstanding the increased number of women who have acquired education. Qualitatively, data was primarily collected through secondary content. The need to improve the education systems in low and middle-income countries is recommended, as all countries can reap the benefit of optimizing their deployment of female-skilled professionals and leverage their talent. This is actually one perspective to look at this opportunity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior studies have noted the importance of measurement tools that track the contributions of the circular bioeconomy and other developments towards sustainable development. In this study, we examined the EU-27 as a whole and found that its circular bioeconomy, measured by the 41 indicators we used, generally progressed over the period 2004--2021. Research and development personnel and Persons employed in circular economy sectors were ranked as the most progressing indicators over the studied period, together with Patent applications to the European Patent Office, which supports the idea that the circular bioeconomy uses novel technologies and requires research to develop them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper examined the polemic between the advocates of democracy, development and dictatorship. It exposed the philosophical foundation of democracy, development and maintained that democratic principles could facilitate development within the African continent. This argument is supported by the claim that the process and outcome of democratic practice are likely to bring about development aimed at improving the living standard of citizens in the society. The paper further maintained that the likely way by which democracy can be seen to be worthwhile is when it is geared towards societal development. Finally, the paper affirmed that since the two concepts of democracy and development are like the Siamese twins set to better the wellbeing of citizens, then the way out of Africa's present crisis of development is to embrace democracy and its principles in practice properly. It concluded that only when a deliberate attempt is made at the practice of proper democratic principles with all sense of purpose that sustainable development can be attained on the continent of Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Uncontrolled development of mass tourism has led to the over-exploitation of tourism resources in a short period of time. By insisting solely on the economic effects of development, tourism has irreversibly degraded and to a certain extent 'exhausted' resources and attractiveness of destinations, thereby leading to their stagnation, and ultimately, to a decline in tourism activities in many destinations. By introducing the concept of sustainable tourism development, tourism analysis extends to other effects that tourism development produces in a given area, primarily the environmental, social and cultural ones. The paper analyses the achieved level of development of tourism in mountain destinations in the Republic of Serbia by using the comparative indicators of sustainable tourism applied in the EU countries. The results of the research indicate that the development of tourism in mountain destinations of the Republic of Serbia does not fully comply with sustainable development. In this respect, the paper provides specific recommendations on how to make tourism sustainable and therefore implement acceptable long-term concept of development of mountain destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Religion and Culture permeates the life of every human being as well as every society throughout the world. Every religion and culture has norms, values and acceptable standards reflected in its doctrines and ways of life. By inculcating in adherents and members of the society these norms and values, religion and culture are expected to act as agents for sustainable development in Nigeria. In-spite of this, Nigeria is facing problems of underdevelopment that are evidenced in the educational sector, social, political and economic deterioration. This paper therefore seeks to discover the reason for the lack of development and look at the various roles religion and culture can play in the sustainable development of Nigeria. The paper adopted phenomenological approach and discovered that, vices like corruption and materialism contributes largely to this underdevelopment and that religion and culture can play cardinal roles in growth of our society for sustainable development. The paper recommends that Religious leaders, Traditional rulers, Custodians of morality and Government at all levels should not isolate religion and culture to the background since the two could be found in every strata of the society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

"Mind the gap!" is an expression meaning a visual or audible warning phrase to take caution while crossing the gap between the train door and the platform. The subject of this paper is to highlight the existing inequalities, even the case East-West, and the necessity that, by political will and concrete economic and social measures, not only by warnings, to mitigate these disparities in the benefit of the parties involved in. This means that, through continuous political awareness of these inequalities, paying attention to this scourge of the today's world and to implement such measures in order to ensure a strategic game type win-win. The methods used in this paper are represented by primary data collected from international reports and situations about the status of today's world countries and from national analyses published. All these data and information become base for the analyses of this issue and emergence of valuable recommendations, rather than conclusions, regarding the counterbalance East and West, apart from the famous and classic example of David Ricardo regarding the theory of the international trade between the rich and developed North and the poor and underdeveloped/developing South, in Europe and in the world. Awareness, alertness and prompt responses to all challenges and a balanced development type win-win, here they are the keys for a modus vivendi and sustainable evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper aims to identify how to approach sustainable development in regional development strategies, having as a case study the North-East Region, and to evaluate how to implement strategic objectives, at regional and rural level. The document aims to identify new strategic proposals to ensure the sustainable development of rural areas, using a system of specific, quantifiable and representative indicators that allow, through econometric analysis, the evaluation of results and the projection of sustainable development developments. The approach of sustainable development and rural development in a strategic context had above all a theoretical character, the analysis being oriented towards: the delimitation of the different conceptual aspects regarding the sustainable development and the strategies of sustainable development; addressing rural development from sustainable development; regulations on sustainable development at global, European and national level, etc. The paper thus highlights, starting from the analysis of regional development strategies of the Northeast Region, solutions to improve the process of strategic implementation of development objectives, by providing viable tools for monitoring development, sustainable development at regional and rural level, eliminating their trends disproportionate. The target indicators proposed by this document and their justification allow such a realistic and accurate estimation of the strategic implementation and the measurement of the impact of the strategic objectives. At European level, concerns about incorporating the principles of sustainable development into Member States' development strategies emerged with Agenda 21, but the approach was fragmented and policy implementation was inconsistent in trade, investment, technology and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable development - a development model that seeks to ensure a balance between economic growth, quality of life and environmental conservation in the medium and long term, so as to meet the needs of the current generation without compromising the ability to meet the needs of future generations - has represented decades, the guideline that has underpinned development policies, programs and strategies. The issue of the mechanisms of financial support for Romania's agriculture is very important in our country's efforts to become competitive on the European agricultural market. However, the peculiarities of Romanian agriculture remain almost similar to the pre-accession period (fragmented agrarian structures, low technical and economic yields, outdate technical endowment, etc.), and the main question is whether community support mechanisms increase or remain Romanian farm performance, support measures to ensure their survival on the market. The paper highlights the regional development strategies of the NorthEast Region, solutions to improve the process of strategic implementation of development objectives, by providing viable tools for monitoring sustainable development at regional and rural level, eliminating their oversizing trends. The target indicators proposed by this paper and their rationale allow such a realistic and correct estimation of the strategic implementation and the measurement of the impact of the strategic objectives. In this context, we consider that proposed and substantiated result indicators starting from the previous trend of the region, for all strategic priorities 2014-2020, can be much better materialized in projects with major impact on sustainable development both at regional level and the rural environment, and the way of their evaluation and estimation represents a viable methodology for monitoring the regional development strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is centered on roles of Library and Information Professionals (LIPs) towards the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The highlights of the paper are: understanding the context, content, and commitment of the SDGs, the expected roles of Library and Information Professionals (LIPs) towards the realization of SDGs, the strategies for actualizing the SDGs by Library and Information Professionals (LIPs). Expected roles such as creating of awareness on SDGs, organizing of continuing education programme, establishment of viable community information centre, partnering with non-governmental organizations (NGOs), translation of SDGs documents into local language and provision of information resources/services to support institutes for disadvantaged people were extensively examined. The position of the paper is that expectations are high for library and information practitioners in the sustainability of developmental goals. The paper concludes that as information providers and managers, it is imperative that achieving the SDGs by 2030 through the provision of qualitative and enduring information services should be given priority. Intensive lobbying and advocacy, reviving of public libraries in Nigeria, re-engineering of school libraries, sustainable partnership and collaboration were recommended as key strategies to the actualization of the expected roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The first Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) tasks countries with eradicating poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. This presents considerable challenges for poverty researchers and national statistical offices charged with collecting data to monitor progress on meeting of this ambitious target. Our paper focuses on how the different dimensions of poverty might be mapped out, and compared, within and across heterogeneous countries and societies, using a method called the Consensual Approach to poverty measurement. It explains how the approach can inform different poverty measurement frameworks (e.g. rights based, capabilities or deprivation of basic needs approaches), how it has already been used successfully across low, middle- and high-income countries and sets out some key lessons and future challenges. The paper uses data from the demographic and health surveys (DHS) and World Bank's Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire surveys to demonstrate cross- and intra-national consensus about what constitutes minimally acceptable living standards across several countries in West Africa; we suggest that existing survey platforms, like national household income and expenditure surveys, DHS or even UNICEF's Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys could (with minor additions) be used to apply the Consensual Approach to measure multidimensional poverty in children and adults across countries, and thus aid reporting for the SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The cruise sector has undergone a significant transformation over the past decades, rendering it amongst the fastest growing tourism segments. Nevertheless, cruise holidays represent a relatively small fraction of the entire tourism sector; and so do their economic impacts and externalities. The cruise business has emerged as a result of technological developments in passenger air-transportation and the resulting decline of passenger-shipping. While the increased visibility and over-exposure of its market and product developments may have enabled the re-invention and growth of the cruise sector, they are also amplifiers for its economic and sustainability risks. The purpose of this paper is to relativise both the potential risks and benefits to contribute to more pragmatism in future destination development investments and policies. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a brief historical analysis of cruising and current trends, a realistic future is painted where the passenger and capacity growth rates of cruise tourism gradually level out. Findings: Moreover, the cruise business becomes increasingly technologically driven to maintain profitability and establish its position in the wider experience portfolio of holiday consumers. Originality/value: Traditionally, the relevance argument for cruise tourism research is based on the reported sector's growth rates and corresponding impacts, positive and negative, on destinations. Yet, the mere reproduction of growth rates and passenger numbers in isolation may well foster a misconception and even an overstatement of the cruise sector's significance and role within the wider tourism context. Arguably, the historical analysis and the comparative statistics contained in this paper paint a much-needed realistic picture and contribute to a deeper understanding of the sector's current dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development and benefit accrued from development has always been a subjective issue because it implies the gain of one and the loss of another. With the creation of the State greater importance was assumed by public purpose since it was now the State which acquired property and created something useful for all. Throughout the course of Indian history private rights and collective rights have been pitted against each other and recently this tussle has been highlighted by the proposed Lakshadweep Town and Country Planning Regulation, 2021. The research is aimed towards firstly, to understand the ecosystem of Lakshadweep and the suitability of the regulation; secondly, to look into the implementation mechanism and whether it allows for a participatory process. Since the regulation draws powers of acquisition from the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 which is a general law to acquire land and the Regulation provides for a special scenario, therefore, the modification of public purpose for this special purpose shall become the third component of the paper. Public purpose has always been construed in the economic sense therefore towards the end of the paper the viability of this economic construction shall be examined especially with respect to Lakshadweep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are in trouble half-way towards their target date of 2030. With increasing global inequalities, and reversal in developmental gains because of the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as financial and political instability, achieving the goals in the next seven years seems difficult. We undertake an exercise in defining an ecological system of the SDGs to argue that focusing on two sentinel goals of SDGs 5 & 12 ('gender equality' and 'responsible consumption and production') could be key to achieving the other goals. The linkages posited in the SDG ecosystem are based upon our reading of the literature from a political economic and political ecological perspective. Prioritising SDGs 5 and 12 requires more of political rather than a financial commitment. The paper proposes a pathway to achieving some success in realising SDGs during their remaining half-life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What will the regulatory state of the South (RSoS) look like in the coming decade? This paper takes stock of contemporary practices of institutional reform in development, and their historical trajectory, to chart a possible pathway. Empirically, I identify a practical shift in development since the early‐2000s. On one side are Washington Consensus practices that assume a "non‐reflexive" relationship between people and institutions, meaning that people, in general, do not or should not reflect on their values and political position. On the other side are practices that assume a "reflexive" relationship between people and institutions, meaning that people reflect on their values and political position, and contest and shape the institutions that govern them. Analytically, I identify the emergence of an infrastructure that has enabled development actors to put this shift into practice. Proceeding inductively, I argue that it is composed of three specific technologies – massive data‐gathering of people's political and social values; adaptive institutional design processes; and large multistakeholder platforms. Theoretically, I explore the political structures embedded in these technologies and sketch some of their consequences, particularly in light of the centrality of institutional reform to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals over the next decade. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is the process of transformation through which cities develop, and higher percentages of the population come to live in the city or urban area. Urbanization has a positive impact in the path of development. According to World Bank estimation, more than 80% of global GDP generates in cities. Urbanization can contribute to sustainable growth through increased productivity and innovation if managed well. During 2011 census, Assam has an urbanization rate of 14% approximate which is lower compared to 31% of national urbanization rate. This paper intends to study the trend of urbanization in Assam over the years and the rate of growth of urban population. It also seeks to study the impact of urbanization on socio economic development and environment. The findings show that there is an increasing trend in the rate of growth of urbanization. Proper management and planning is required to induce organised and sustainable economic development and to protect the environment from degradation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The global paradigm shift in exploring literature to approach environmental issues is relevant in the 21st-century African literary discourse for the development of society. The Nigerian literature in English is protest-oriented and utilitarian. It serves as a medium of interrogating social decadence for the development and transformation of society. Niyi Osundare, a foremost and vibrant Ikere-Ekiti born Nigerian eco-poet and social activist, condemns negative forces of 21st-century activities and the unscrupulous Nigerian leaders for their corrupt practices which impact negatively on the people, their psychic and the environment. These vices subsequently; negate integral human security, sustainable environment, and the development of the country. There has been an extensive critical focus on Osundare dwelling on issues that plague humanity and the continent. His contributions to the environment and the ecosystem, particularly as regards issues of justice, equity, fairness, security, and sustainable human and national development of the 21st-century Nigerian society, as advocated and entrenched in eco-criticism, need more critical focus. Against this backdrop, this paper seeks to address Osundare's dynamic eco-critical approaches to create awareness to engage issues of justice, equity, fairness, security, and development, especially in the 21st Nigerian society. The eco-critical literary discourse which writers use to approach literature from the ecological perspective which is also relevant to the 21st-century Nigerian society is adopted for this study. This paper, therefore, examines Osundare's selected poetry collections to articulate the poet's ecological engagement to demonstrate that Osundare's poetry serves as a veritable tool for sustainable development. The poet extols the lost glorious environment of primordial times with nostalgia and advocates a healthy environment that will enable the entrenchment of justice, equity, and fairness which will ultimately engender development in the present Nigerian society. As the poet pursues justice, fairness, and equity, he parades contradictions inherent in contemporary Nigerian society and attacks leaders and their cohorts whom he depicts as inhuman, selfish, materialistic, and corrupt. The paper concludes that environmental decadence and human rights abuses will ultimately bring about existential dread, underdevelopment, and insecurity if nothing is done to check the anomalies because they will bring about a catastrophe that will result in the extinction of the fauna and the flora. While on the other hand, ecological justice, equity, and fairness will help to bring about development and national unity in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) have now been in place for 4 years, as the center-piece of the sustainable development program of the United Nations. This paper argues that the Earth system fundamentally represents the organizational framework of the planet and, therefore, any attempt at avoiding the existential threat to humanity that our activities are creating must be integrated within this system. We examine how complex systems function in order to identify the key characteristics that any sustainability policy must possess in order to deliver successful, long-term coexistence of humanity within the biosphere. We then examine what this means in terms of the SDGs, currently the dominant policy document on global sustainability and lying at the heart of Agenda 30. The paper explores what a sustainable program of actions, aimed at properly integrating within the Earth system, should look like, and what changes are needed if humanity is to address the multiple challenges facing us, based on systems theory. Central to this is the acknowledgement of shortcomings in current policy and the urgent need to address these in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since their independence from colonial rules in the late 1950s and early 1960s, most countries in African continent have been sleepwalking in developmental realm due to a myriad of human security threats including internal conflicts, military dictatorships, public sector corruption and generational poverty among others. Consequently, the continent, in sharp contrast to others, failed to achieve some of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the comity of nations at the turn of the 21st century. As all the African states pledged unwavering commitment to achieving other sets of global goals--the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set in 2015, --concerns over their actual capacity to achieve them by the target year (2030) are being raised. This is because they not only epitomise most of the challenges being confronted but also lag far behind in the global race for digitalisation, precipitated by 21st century digital revolution and widely regarded as an essential driver in governments efforts towards achieving national objectives. Using desk review of secondary data, this paper examines the instrumentality of digital technologies to the achievement of sustainable development in Africa, with specific reference to Nigeria. The SDGs serve as the basis for the analysis while system theory, emancipatory realism and Digital Era Governance model among other scholarly and expert perspectives provide reasoned lines of explanation. The paper concludes that digital technology is an indispensable mechanism to the achievement of sustainable development. It recommends that while curbing corruption and insecurity are considered Nigeria's developmental priority, digital technologies should be used to accelerate their achievement and other lofty ideals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]