Foreword — Full Text
In September 2015, all member states of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which identified 17 Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) covering the economy, society, and environment. These goals have become an internationally recognised development blueprint and the overall direction of global collaboration. According to the research of the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, the UNSDGs will have significant business effects worldwide, creating business opportunities worth more than 12 trillion US dollars and up to 380 million new jobs. At the conference, President Xi delivered the speech “Build a Community with a Shared Future for Mankind and Jointly Deliver a Brighter Future for the World,” demonstrating China’s determination to promote sustainable development as a responsible country and to integrate sustainable development in the national policy framework for different regions, industries, and academia. In the face of global challenges such as climate change, digital transformation, and social polarisation, China strives to develop advanced productivity with high-tech, high-efficiency, and high-quality characteristics, covered in the concept of “new quality productivity.”.
From the promotion of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to businesses, “Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG),” we need to carry out sustainable development planning to respond to regional and global carbon neutrality goals in a collaborative manner. “Sustainable Development Planning” is the core methodology that guides enterprises, projects, and institutions to implement the SDGs. It involves the application of different tools to facilitate actions in the environmental, societal, and governance aspects and ensures that these actions are clear, measurable, and achievable.
In the face of the increasing demands for sustainable development from international, national, regional, and corporate entities, we strive to nurture professionals with a thorough understanding of the key concepts of sustainable development, the skills for sustainable development planning and governance, and the ability to use innovative technologies to design and implement sustainable development solutions that are environmentally and socially coordinated. We also assist these talents to obtain the professional qualifications of Certified Sustainable Development Planners (CSDP) and Certified Sustainable Development Corporates (CSDC).
The Hong Kong Institute of Education for Sustainable Development (HiESD) is dedicated to constructing a lifelong learning system for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In 2017, the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs launched the “Partnerships for SDGs.” HiESD’s “Sustainable Development Planning (SDP) Postgraduate Training and Certification Program” was successfully registered (Registration Number: 26908). The first edition of the Sustainable Development Planning textbook was published, and the first Sustainable Development Forum was jointly held with the China Association of Circular Economy and the Peking University Guanghua School of Management.
Over the past eight years, HiESD’s courses have been included in the Qualifications Framework of the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications; industry practitioners are supported by the Continuing Education Fund to complete sustainable development trainings. Our courses are also included in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region’s “Pilot Green and Sustainable Finance Capacity Building Support Scheme” and the “Professional Training on Smart and Green Logistics Scheme, which support the learning and implementation of sustainable development planning for people in different professional fields.
In 2025, we compiled the third edition of the Sustainable Development Planning Bilingual Textbook, Volumes I and II, and released it on the “United Nations International Day of Education.” The new edition of the textbook follows up on the latest international, national, and local developments in sustainable development, combines theory and practical cases, and refers to international official documents and standards. In addition to the theories and tools of sustainable development planning, it also covered practical cases and cutting-edge research outcomes, emphasising the integration of interdisciplinary knowledge, encouraging learners to solve the challenges of today’s society from a diverse perspective, and cultivating scholars’ system thinking, planning, data analysis and management, stakeholders’ communication and collaboration, disruptive innovation, and comprehensive problem-solving capabilities.
We hope that this textbook can become a key reference and toolbox for professionals from different disciplines to practice sustainable development planning. Volume I covers the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainable development planning, and three core sections of sustainable development planning (SDP), setting the stage for more professional methodological analysis and application in volume II. Sustainable development, ESG, and the multi-industry practices are constantly being updated. On top of this textbook and courses, learners also need to ensure they are aware of the latest international guidelines and keep their knowledge and skills updated.
With an optimistic vision for the future, we bravely march towards sustainable development. We work with international organisations, government agencies, enterprises, talents, schools, and all different stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of sustainable development goals based on the integration of “sustainable development planning (SDP)” with different industries and fields to build a sustainable future together.
Prof. Karen Cheung
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President of UNESCO Hong Kong Association
Director of Hong Kong Institute of Education for Sustainable Development
President of the World Institute of Sustainable Development Planners