Economic development in many parts of Brazil has been unable to eliminate social exclusion or guarantee the sustainable use of an abundant natural resource endowment. Conditions in the Amazon, the most biologically diverse ecosystem on earth, illustrate these shortcomings. Severe environmental degradation in this region, threatening even the livelihoods of traditional forest peoples, has focused Brazilian and global attention on the urgent need to balance environmental, development and social concerns.

The Sustainable Development Program seeks to foster the policies, practices and institutional capacities that can increase the control of the historically disadvantaged over their key natural and socio-cultural resources, and to promote sustainable use of these assets to improve livelihoods. The Program also seeks to promote civic involvement in policy debate and to advance the theory and practice of sustainable development. The Program emphasizes creating the conditions and institutional infrastructure that facilitate community-based sustainable

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Sustainable Development Program actions involve:

• Applied research and policy studies to increase understanding of the social, economic and environmental impacts of public policy and practice; consultation with public and private agencies on ways to improve sustainable practices and to promote more effective and participatory local development;

• Professional and institutional capacity building to strengthen policy review and advocacy skills, community outreach and public education programs, and to promote networking and multisectoral partnerships; and,

• Innovative demonstration projects to assess promising sustainable development efforts, and meetings of communities, practitioners and policymakers for mutual exchange and learning to improve development interventions.