Close
Yazar: Setenay Demir
Sustainable economic and social development projects play a crucial role in enhancing societal well-being, preserving resources, and leaving a better world for future generations. However, to sustain their impact over the years and turn ideas into successful best practices that have a lasting positive effect on communities, there are fundamental building blocks that need to be considered together.
Participatory Approach
One common aspect of projects distinguished by their sustainable qualities is their focus on the needs and expectations of local communities. A participatory approach fundamentally involves embracing the target audience, involving the local population in the project, and contributing to decision-making processes.
An exemplary instance is the Grameen Bank, which pioneered providing microcredit to impoverished women in Bangladesh, now serving as a successful case of social entrepreneurship operating in 81 countries. Established locally in 1973, this model enables individuals receiving microcredit to establish their own businesses, thereby supporting their communities. The Grameen Bank model, born out of a successful analysis of a demographic that couldn't find its place within traditional income models, continues to focus on the needs of local communities, aiding in their economic development.
Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration
Social and economic development projects often necessitate the convergence of various stakeholders, including the public sector, private enterprises, civil society organizations, and local leaders, collaborating and focusing on shared objectives.
Unilever, recognized as a sustainability leader for the past decade based on assessments by global experts, aims to reduce social and environmental impacts by collaborating with diverse stakeholders. From the production of goods to consumer usage, Unilever engages all stakeholders in this process. Through global research reports, involving insights from 276 key stakeholders within their value chain and over 40,000 employees worldwide, Unilever not only understands the current sustainability objectives but also identifies future priorities. It continues to lead by developing multi-stakeholder missions, not just for industry stakeholders but also for consumers, such as the Sustainable Living Plan targeting goals like 100% sustainable agriculture, improving the lives of 1 billion people, and reducing the environmental footprint of subsidiary brand groups by 50%.
Sustainability-Oriented Planning
Considering not only short-term but also long-term impacts of projects is crucial. While the concept of sustainability has been around for a decade, encompassing various notions, it primarily involves balanced resource utilization, minimizing environmental impacts, and preserving economic efficiency.
Costa Rica stands out in recent years for setting targets for sustainable energy usage and developing infrastructure based on renewable energy sources. Ranking at the top in the Costa Rica Sustainable Development Index, surpassing the average life expectancy of the United States, the country has nearly 100% of its electricity generated from renewable sources like hydro, geothermal, wind, biomass, and photovoltaic, positioning itself in harmony with nature (IEA, 2023). Meeting the need for renewable electricity production that supports social and economic development, the country successfully cooperates through energy cooperatives to sustainably produce and distribute renewable energy, prioritizing uninterrupted, reliable electricity provision and enhancing the well-being of its 104,000 partners while prioritizing environmental sustainability over industrial energy production.
Resource Management
The success of projects hinges on the efficient and effective management of resources, encompassing not only financial resources but also human resources, natural resources, and time.
Amsterdam leads by embracing sustainable water management in city planning, advocating for the recovery and utilization of rainwater. This approach aims to efficiently utilize water resources and ensure the sustainability of water usage. Through architectural solutions, Amsterdam is steadfastly progressing towards becoming an ecological city, emphasizing sustainability in all aspects and drawing attention to its strategic goals and accomplishments in terms of responsible natural resource utilization and conscious consumption, offering its population some of the world's cleanest water sources.
Assessment and Measurement
Conducting impact assessments at every stage of a project and continuous evaluation are crucial to ensuring success. Adjusting strategies to identify shortcomings and steer the project towards its objectives is vital in capturing the essence of sustainability.
The UN's Millennium Development Goals initiative provided a framework for measuring global social and economic progress. These goals, offering significant criteria for monitoring progress and evaluating project impact, enhance the chances of success by facilitating noteworthy considerations, making implementation and measurement more straightforward
