The term 'Sustainable Development' has been used (and misused!) in a variety of ways by different groups and entities - and there is a constant need to rethink its basic meaning, and adopt/contextualize it to different situations and scales

The objective of this GDRC programme on Sustainable Development is to function as a repository of key online information on the theme - since considerable information already exists on the web. It also helps in contextualizing all other programmes of GDRC, which eventually, directly or indirectly, leads to sustainability. The concept of sustainable development means sustainability in three areas - the environment, the economy and the community. If development is sustainable, it empowers the people of the community, maintains or improves the economy, and treats the environment responsibly.