A brief overview of Integral SustainabilityThis framework is already being used by senior leaders in UNICEF and UNDP, NGO directors, development consultants, and Fortune 500 business consultants.1) UNDP personnel use a rudimentary version at the Virtual Development Academy to design strategic plans for countering HIV & AIDS.2) The senior UNICEF representative to Oman uses it to develop all communication strategies and identify the etiology of destructive behavior. She states that it can "serve as the basis for a strategy to bring about social change [and] transformation."3) iSchaik Development Associates - consultants to DFID, The World Bank, UNICEF, EU, etc. - have used an integral framework since 1995. In a presentation to UNICEF, Dhaka, they state, ÏThis is the bigger picture within which all the ideas and developments with which UNICEF is involved must be seen.Ó4) The founder of Educate Girls Globally and the International Center for Economic Growth uses the framework as the basis for all program design, implementation, and communications strategies.Integral Sustainability is founded upon Integral Theory, which is the result of 30+ years of inter- and trans-disciplinary scholarship which has attempted to integrate and synthesize knowledge and research from many domains of inquiry, including: psychology, sociology, systems theory, anthropology, neuroscience, philosophy and Eastern and Western - as well as ancient and modern - spirituality. Integral Theory is currently used in politics, education, medicine, psychology, business, future studies and numerous other disciplines.Integral Sustainability is a framework which integrates the crowded conceptual and operational landscape of sustainable development and enables a synergetic, deeply customized response to development challenges. In practice, it uses current, "off-the-shelf" models, systems, techniques and technologies - carefully chosen - to tailor responses which are developmentally appropriate and effective for a particular situation. For each development issue, it addresses the:1) Social, economic and technological systems2) Culture(s)3) Psychological levels of stakeholders4) Degrees of physical health and behavior of stakeholders5) State of the physical, natural environmentFor example, the Integral Sustainability framework can be used to:1) Develop integrated responses which address the psychological, cultural and systemic factors that influence initiatives in development finance, conflict resolution, governance, education, health care, agriculture and environmental management;2) Design strategies (i.e., for shifting gender perceptions, increasing private-sector participation or restoring natural resources) which honor and leverage psychological, cultural and systemic nuances and the developmental levels of stakeholders, societies and their socio-economic systems.3) Communicate and implement these responses and strategies so as to profoundly resonate with the deepest motivations of all stakeholders, fit current systems, and mesh with the cultures involved.Fundamentally, Integral Sustainability is based on a more accurate and comprehensive map of human psychology and culture than current frameworks; thus, it allows for a more effective response to complex sustainability and international development problems. It offers a quantum leap in both the understanding of the macro-, mid- and micro-contexts, and the implementation capacity of any team.For more information, please contact me for an introductory paper about Integral Sustainability ([email protected]).Barrett C. BrownCo-DirectorCenter for Integral SustainabilityIntegral University