The Rehovot Conference 2010 on "Inclusive Sustainable Development Initiatives" to be held in December 2010 is an event organized by the Weitz Center for Development Studies that brings together diverse stakeholders from around the world to discuss and develop innovative strategies and best practices towards inclusive and sustainable local and regional development.
This year's conference will draw attendance from professionals from all over the world. Speakers representing international organizations, policy makers, as well as planners, academic scholars and researchers from the development arena will present and discuss best practices in inclusive sustainable development, focusing on strategies, methodologies and pro-active measures.
Deadline for registration: October 30, 2010
In response to rising inequality at local, regional, national and international levels, more and more developing, as well as developed, countries are adopting inclusive sustainable development strategies While in the past, the mainstream development debate addressed mainly economic growth relegating the environmental and social issues, and later debates addressed environmental problems but excluded the concerns of the poor, the new perspective is an inclusive approach, which puts the vision of the poor and marginal sectors at the center, and includes all the dimensions of development in a holistic and synergetic manner.
Inclusive sustainable development is reflected in a series of measures designed to counter inequality through targeting the most marginalized segments of the urban and rural populations. The promotion of equal and active participation in social, economical and environmental activities are aimed at enhancing people's access to the various benefits of development regardless of gender, ethnicity, age, sexual orientation, disability or poverty.
Measures are intended also to ensure that governments, institutions and policies are accessible, accountable and responsive to disadvantaged groups, protect their interests and provide diverse populations with equal opportunities for public services such as justice, health and education. Moreover, inclusive strategies promote social sustainability, enabling people to identify with their communities, reducing conflicts, and creating a more cohesive society which allows future generations to have greater access to social resources and services.
The Conference will emphasize practical experience and best practice of development benefiting marginalized groups; the synergy resulting from integrating social, environment and economic aspects in development; the ways these strategies are put into practice and what their outcomes have been. Differential practices in urban and rural contexts will be highlighted.
The Conference will be organized around a number of themes on the following broad issues:
- Mainstreaming inclusion and sustainability into national development policies - legal frameworks and regulations, planning and budgetary instruments etc.
- Partnerships for Inclusive sustainable development - between local authorities and stakeholders, between local and national authorities; between local and international organizations; among public, private and academic organizations and enterprises, etc.
- Inclusive sustainable development methodologies and tools - education and training, participatory planning and budgeting, advocacy, dialogues, social enterprises etc.
- Private sector inclusive and sustainable initiatives - employment policies, social responsibility of private enterprises, business alliances, etc.
- The role of international organizations in promoting inclusive and sustainable initiatives - capacity building, institution building, information exchange, consensus building, etc.
Organizing Committee
Ms. Julia Margulies - Weitz Center for Development Studies
Mr. Louis Bar-Nir - Municipality of Rehovot
Ms. Miriam Eger - Weitz Center for Development Studies
Dr. Shai Finger The Jewish Agency for Israel
Mr. Ilan Fluss - Israeli Agency for International Development Cooperation (Mashav), Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Dr. Roby Nathanson - The Macro Center for Political Economics & Weitz Center for Development Studies
Mr. Yossi Offer - Weitz Center for Development Studies
Mr. Aviad Sar-Shalom - Israel Planners Association
Lic. Roberto Spindel - Israel Latin America Chamber of Commerce
Dr. Aliza H. Stark - The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment