The Institute for Sustainable Development (ISD) was established in 1996 by Dr. Tewolde Gebre Berhan Egziabher and Sue Edwards. It was born out of a workshop held in May 1995 in Mekelle, and Gaia were a founding partner of the organisation. The workshop examined papers on the natural resource base and systems used to involve local people in controlling their own affairs from village through to regional levels. At the end of the workshop the Institute was initiated with a project to investigate possible strategies to improve rural productivity on a sustainable basis. ISD's main purpose is to pursue sustainable development, primarily in Ethiopia, by empowering local communities and helping them build on their own sustainable development practices

ISD's vision is to contribute towards an Ethiopia that is free of hunger and poverty, where communities are empowered with the knowledge and responsibilities to chart their own development, and where the best from traditional knowledge practices and innovations is maintained and enhanced with modern knowledge, practices and innovations.

ISD is empowering local communities and helping them build on their own sustainable development practices.

To achieve this, the ISD's mission is to raise the importance of using environmentally and ecologically sound and sustainable knowledge, practices and innovations to support and improve the livelihoods of local communities- farmers, youth, students, women, elders and professionals. This involves incorporating the best from both traditional and modern knowledge through sharing experiences, open dialogue, study research and training based on genuine participation.

To this end, the goal of ISD is to influence governmental policies on education, agriculture and environment to create awareness and give opportunities, which can secure a sustainable environmental development while improving the livelihoods of local communities.

The ISD is also a member of the Third World Network, a grouping of organizations and individuals involved with Third World development issues.

For more information on the work of the ISD read Fassil's story of change:

Transforming Landscapes in Ethiopia

Contact details:

Contact: Sue Edwards

Address: PO Box 171 - code 1110, Addis Ababa, Ethopia

Telephone: +251 11 67406 / 16 69467

Fax: +251 16 69466

Email: sustaindeveth@ethionet.et

Website: http://isd-test.100webspace.net/