The WCHE seeks to ensure that higher education will respond to the needs of society in the 21 st Century. The thematic debate of this day is based on the arguments and outcomes of debates held in and among universities over the past decade, as well as work performed by the United Nations subsequent to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro of June 1992.
Sustainable development is a process of change.
Key elements of this change are social, economic and natural systems and processes. The focus of the debate was on higher education and sustainable human development. Participants asked a number of specific questions and described the emerging role of universities in refining the concept of sustainability. Key to the success of universities in re-orienting their research programs and curricula toward sustainable development is their capacity for flexible interdisciplinary cooperation and collaboration with institutions outside the university. The discussion of these issues elaborated a strategy for future actions to be undertaken to close the gap between theory and practice, ideals and reality, in preparing coming generations for a sustainable future.