Finding ways to supply humanity’s current needs without compromising the future of the next generations is considered the definition of sustainability. And this topic was at the heart of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development – Rio+20 discussions.

To contribute toward the debates, the Bahia Southern Lowlands Environmental Protection Area Mosaic Integrated and Sustainable Development Program (PDIS) – supported by the Odebrecht Foundation as part of a partnership with the government, private initiative and organized civil society – was present at the event in different actions.

On June 14, as part of the Brazilian Ministry of the Environment’s Biodiversity and Forest Department, there was an exhibit presenting the actions and results achieved by PDIS that have promoted sustainability in the Southern Lowlands region. Such is the case of the Strategic Cooperative Alliances, a development model that integrates the training of youth from the rural zone with the generation of work and income for field producers.

Administered by Joaquim Cardoso, Chairman of the Deliberative Council for the Land Conservation Organization (OCT), an institution associated with PDIS, the lecture also promoted reflection about readjusting public policies in Brazil to make sustainability possible. “This requires joint work between the local, state and federal governments, understanding that there must be a permanent and dynamic alignment between everyone,” said Cardoso.

Another action presented PDIS as one of the topics of the roundtable discussion “Cities at the Heart of the Future We Want: Cities and Private Sector Dialogue on Social Responsibility” on June 18. Organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the meeting presented the experiences of governments and private foundations from different countries as to how social responsibility strengthens partnerships for economic and social development.

Representing the Odebrecht Foundation, Ivan Sant’Anna, responsible for the Social Partnership Area, presented PDIS as a promoter of opportunities for rural communities, with the youth as the target public of the educational and professional training projects. “This allows people to become involved with sustainable economic activities, establishing local production chains,” said Sant’Anna.

Besides this, during all days of the event, the Mitsubishi Corporation highlighted at its stand located in the Japan Pavilion the panels that presented the results of the investments made by the company at the three Family Homes associated with PDIS. The company has been a partner of the program since 2009, and increased its support in 2012, investing resources that have been used to fund the training of young rural entrepreneurs.