Capacity Building as a Path to Sustainable Development
Capacity building is the development of man and society, the building up of human potential (spiritual, cultural, intellectual, professional, educational) which is the main engine of transition to the path of sustainable development. Earlier, the world appealed with the concepts of “human capital” and “human resource”: a person was considered as an appendage to a machine and a renewable resource necessary for economic growth. However, now we must move on to understanding the central, fundamental role development of human potential.
What does Building Capacity Mean?
In the modern world, all developed countries strive for sustainable development. It becomes the core of the state system, sets the contours of all strategic decisions, and allows you to determine future landmarks. Sustainable development is a key imperative now accepted by the international community and allows us to highlight social and environmental issues that are not obscured by economic issues. Some experts believe that a region becomes the central link in ensuring the sustainable development of the state since it is a more manageable structural unit, which is a historically stable territorial entity.
Capacity building for sustainable development is part of an ever-increasing mystery in the development of material and human potential, as well as the ability to act as global entrepreneurs. It offers an element that is missing from most capacity-building books, in the sense that it promotes the collective awareness of scientists through self-analysis, and then provides a means to get you started with step-by-step guides on the steps you need to take to achieve integrity and sustainability.
With any development efforts, it is extremely important to take into account all the elements of self-development on the path to economic, scientific, technological, organizational, institutional, and human development.
What is the Purpose of Capacity Building?
The purpose of building capacity is to develop a means of sustainable development, providing the needs of the present, and not jeopardizing the ability of future generations to satisfy their needs. Indigenous traditional knowledge and skills should be effectively used in shaping sustainable development strategies.
SustainOnline offers the following recommendations for further action, recognizing that their implementation will benefit from the development of a multi-year work program in collaboration with industry members and partners to provide resources for active capacity-building efforts:
- Monitor the results of the global process to determine the goals of sustainable development and discuss their relevance with network members in order to understand implementation challenges and related capacity needs.
- Develop new targeted courses for government policymakers and other key stakeholders to implement and monitor sustainable development strategies in direct response to stated needs.
- Include sustainable development in industry courses, as far as possible working with current course offerings.
- Monitor implementation efforts and provide a platform for sharing experiences and best practices and for facilitating learning (for example, through peer reviews).
Confidence in the fundamental role of SME business sustainability in the process of sustainable development is expressed by many experts in the field. Speaking about the development, and not just about preservation or protection, we should emphasize the importance of human desire to independently participate in the process of sustainable development of the world as a whole, using and improving the accumulated knowledge. A holistic picture of the vision of the world inherent in the traditional worldview is the foundation of the concept of sustainable development of peoples.
What are the Factors Affecting Capacity Building?
Capacity can be enhanced and protected at the national level, but nationwide activities are easier to implement when there are global commitments and global support is available. A global commitment to key goals for the international community — the obligation to provide universal social services to the national minimum areas of social protection and full employment — could expand the space for national political maneuver at the national level. This will make it possible to identify approaches to creating employment and providing social services and protective mechanisms that are most effective in specific circumstances. Global agreements are of paramount importance because they can encourage environmental actions and generate financial and other support.
Nonetheless, the randomness and unpredictability of social changes and their consequences lead to the contradictory nature of progress. The development of some social (sub) systems, institutions, communities, etc., leading to their “moving forward”, can not only slow down the development of others, but also contribute to their retreat, and regression. In general, the fact that the development of mankind really follows the line of building up the development potential is therefore quite obvious.
Hence, the presence of progress cannot be denied, however, the absolutization of its manifestation today seems erroneous. There are some areas of life that are clearly evolving, but it is no less obvious that the concept of progress is absolutely unacceptable in relation to them. We are talking about art, religion, philosophical systems -the ethics of their evolution can hardly be considered progressive.
Without an enabling environment, effective organizations, a dynamic human resource base, and the use of the latest technologies, such as AI, countries lack a foundation to plan, implement, and adjust national and local development strategies and contribute to human progress. Over the past decade, the development community has realized that it’s impossible to influence political action if it does not affect the potential of people, organizations, and the community as a whole. It is the institutions that make political events sustainable, allowing them to move from words to deeds in managing the development process. At the local level, at the community level and at the national level of development of the potential improvement of institutions is one of the main tasks of development, whether it is a human resource base, systems, or the environment in which these institutions should operate.
Final Word
SustainOnline believes that the building of human potential and sustainability development begins with an eagerness to learn. The key to building a dynamic and sustainable company is to find means to enable all employees, from top managers to field/ground partners, to personally participate in daily corporate sustainability work. This is why SustainOnline Education courses were created. We offer over 90 micro-courses composed to make sustainability simple and straightforward for every employee in every company.
Join us now and you will see that learning sustainable development has never been easier!
