Fund set up to support sustainable development research at Kennedy School of Government

In an effort to address one of the world’s most pressing public problems – sustainable development – Harvard’s Center for International Development (CID) and the Ministry for the Environment and Territory of the Italian Republic will work together to create the Fund for Sustainable Development at the Kennedy School of Government (KSG).

The fund will support training and research programs on sustainable development and natural resource management with an international orientation and a vision toward achieving shared prosperity and reducing poverty while protecting the environment.

“The Fund for Sustainable Development will help generate solid solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems,” said KSG Dean David T. Ellwood. “We are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory in this worthwhile endeavor.”

Ricardo Hausmann, director of CID, will manage the fund. Additionally, he will chair an advisory committee consisting of representatives from Harvard and from the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory.

“Harvard University and the Italian Ministry for the Environment and Territory will work together in designing and testing innovative ways to address sustainable development in developing as well as developed countries,” said Italian Ministry General Director Corrado Clini.

More specifically, the fund will support efforts in the following areas:

Research to foster problem-driven scholarship on the broad topic of sustainable development. Results will be disseminated through books, journal publications, conferences, and dialogues with the policy community

Teaching, including the preparation of course materials for use at the Kennedy School, and for dissemination internationally through the Kennedy School’s Case Program

Fellowships that will enable senior leaders to spend time as visiting fellows at CID, and the creation of an international competition to bring younger professionals to CID

“The fact that the government of Italy and Harvard join forces to fight poverty in developing countries and protect the earth shows the emergence of a global consciousness to address global challenges,” said Hausmann, who is also a professor of the practice of economic development at KSG.

William Clark, Harvey Brooks Professor of International Science, Public Policy, and Human Development, added, “The Fund for Sustainable Development will significantly enhance Harvard’s capacity to promote policy-driven, collaborative research on core challenges of sustainable development, ranging from food, water, and health security to clean energy and the conservation of natural ecosystems and the services they provide to society.”

CID was established in 1998 and serves as the University’s primary center for research on sustainable international development.