Capability Building

"Sustainability is not an obstacle to long term success, it�s essential for it."
Rt. Hon. Alistair Darling, Chancellor of the Exchequer, December 2007.

"A thorough understanding of how to apply sustainable development principles will need to be a key part of policy skills for the future as will the ability to engage the wider public in the development and implementation of new ideas."
Securing the Future � delivering UK sustainable development strategy, March 2005.

Government�s ability to lead by example and build its resilience to take on the challenges of the 21st century is dependent on the capability of the civil service/public service to operate within the principles of sustainable development.

The SDC is therefore seeking to strengthen its ongoing capacity to offer a comprehensive programme of capability building support for sustainable development across government. This work directly supports our advice, advocacy and watchdog functions, ensuring that we help government to make the long-term, strategic changes needed to embed sustainable development throughout its working practices and culture.

Although we are seeking that a capability-building approach is integrated across all of our work, the SDC Whitehall team is leading the development of the SDC�s core, capability building initiatives across government. This work is still evolving but there are a number of foundation areas on which we have recently focused:

� Providing Active Support
� Sustainable Development Action Plans (SDAPs)
� Sustainable Development Networks
� Tailored events/programmes

� Influencing existing government learning frameworks
� National School of Government
� Government Skills

Whitehall Team

For more information about the Capability-Building work of the SDC, please contact:
Debbie Dickinson, Policy Analyst � Whitehall (lead SDAP contact)