19 - Young Scientists Summer Program Lecture - 18 June 2008

Mahendra M. Shah

Sustainable Development: From Agenda Setting to Policy Actions

Listen [MP3 47:25]

Lecture Summary

Humanity has reached a defining moment. Unless we learn to understand, respect, and mobilize the wealth of diversity in nature and in the human world, a progressive and secured future will not be tenable. Diversity is of critical importance as it and its inter-connectedness endows humanity with collective potential; similarly in nature, the web of interdependency, of ecosystems and species, creates the enabling environment for evolution of biodiversity and its survival resilience.

No one sets out to destroy diversity, but the cumulative consequences of conscious and unconscious human behavior -- so often in the short-term interest of "me" rather then "us" -- cause disparities, the disenfranchisement of societies, the degradation of ecosystems, and loss of biodiversity. We have a responsibility to current and future generations to ensure sustainability in all its dimensions of societal, environmental, and economic development.

In the 21st century, the transition toward sustainable development cannot be realized without building strategic and effective human capital. We must be innovative in mobilizing diversity in education and knowledge. We need to put a humane face on ingenuity and innovation with commitment and a partnership of mutual respect and responsible actions towards others and in harmony with nature. Only then will we, and the generations to come, prevail.

Speaker Biography

Mahendra Shah is Senior Scientist and Coordinator of United Nations Relations at IIASA. He also serves as Dean of IIASA’s Young Scientists Summer Program (YSSP). His current work is concerned with sustainable development and integrated social–environmental–economic policy analysis, human capital, international negotiations, and millennium development goals.

From 1997 to 2000, Dr. Shah served as Executive Secretary to the CGIAR System Review at the World Bank and coauthored, with Maurice Strong, Food in the 21st Century: From Science to Sustainable Agriculture. He was Special Advisor to the Secretary General of UNCED during 1991-1992 and prepared the Earth Summit report The Global Partnership for Environment and Development: A Guide to Agenda 21. During 1988-1989 he served in the UN Office of the Coordinator for Afghanistan as Director of Information and during 1984-1986 he was Director of Monitoring and Evaluation Division, UN Office for Emergency Operations in Africa. From 1977 to 1983 he was Senior Scientist with the Food and Agriculture Program at IIASA and coauthored the UNFPA/FAO/IIASA report Land Resources for Populations of the Future. He returned to IIASA in February 2001.

Dr. Shah received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in 1971 and started his career at the University of Nairobi (1971-1977) and the Kenya Ministry of Economic Planning (1974-1976).

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Last updated: 03 Apr 2009