E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L e-GLO 2 Earth Charter Guiding Leaders Towards Sustainability Action Learning from the successful projects “Even imitation requires intelligence” Urdu saying

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L The best way to learn on the sustainable development is to concentrate on successful projects Leadership, vision, communication and partnerships are essential in sustainable development but the most important is imitation Building from existing experiences is the most effective path to progress; –one can look for best practices and adapt the great ideas to his own context and situation Banuri and Najam strongly emphasize the stories of the practitioners of sustainable development

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L Imitation is not only the sincerest form of flattery it is also the most effective path to progress None of the champions of sustainable development thought up his or her contribution from scratch –Whether consciously or unconsciously, all of them were active imitators –They achieved success by borrowing unabashedly from others The word imitation is not used here to mean mindless repetition –It is used to mean adapting an idea to one’s own context and situation –Conversely, it also implies that ideas have a life beyond the particular activity in which they are embedded. The same idea appears and reappears in a myriad of forms

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L The number of stories is sustainable development is potentially infinite; but the number of features and characteristics described is quite concise, and each feature gets repeated in various combinations with others External programs, whether implemented by donors, government agencies or NGOs, have definite timelines. Sustainable development in practice does not have start or end dates. It becomes a success not when it happens but when it becomes self- replicating and self-perpetuating

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L The power of successful stories is that it is not just stories of those successful implementers It is the story of all those who followed him/her and who passed on his sense of civil will from one hand to another, and one generation to another much like in a relay race These stories are inspiring because they inspired others into action. The process of evolution and progress revealed through these stories is based not on mechanistic rules but on creative adaptation In the business world, the case studies of successful entrepreneurs tend to become best sellers and thus propagate the experience and lessons of these entrepreneurs

E A R T H C H A R T E R I N T E R N A T I O N A L Banuri and Najam write: “The final lesson that we wish to proffer in this volume is addressed to every stakeholder – the policy maker, the donor, the scholar, the consultant, the educator, the activist, and the present and prospective champion of sustainable development and the lesson is very simple: imitate, imitate, and imitate; make it easy for others to imitate; learn from others; teach what you learned and prepare the ground for those who will follow.