This is the first in a series of articles celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the Sustainable Economic Development Unit (SEDU) of the Department of Economics.

In October 1996 a few researchers, Dennis Pantin, John Cropper, Axel Kravatsky, Justin Ram and myself, committed to identifying solutions for the sustainable development of Caribbean countries.

We planted a seed and started the Sustainable Economic Development Unit (SEDU) in the Department of Economics, UWI St. Augustine.

Under the stewardship of Dennis Pantin, Coordinator of the Unit, we took a decision to engage in, and to facilitate, interdisciplinary work on the most promising policies for Sustainable Economic Development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Now, ten years later, SEDU is celebrating the growth and development of the “seed” by hosting its 10th Anniversary conference on October 16th and 17th at the UWI St. Augustine Campus.

Apart from Dennis Pantin and myself, SEDU is also home to two other economists, Winston Rennie and Justin Ram. We have also collaborated with colleagues from the Faculties of Engineering, Agriculture and Natural Sciences and elsewhere in the Social Sciences on projects, thereby infusing a multidisciplinary approach to sustaining economic development.

When the Unit started in 1996, we benefited greatly from the insight and rich experiences of the late John Cropper, in whose memory the Anniversary Conference is dedicated.

The inaugural John Cropper Memorial Lecture will be delivered by Professor David Edwards during the 2-day October Conference. Professor Edwards worked with John Cropper in the Department of Agricultural Economics, UWI and went on to become Director, Project Planning Centre, University of Bradford.

Presentations are invited on the following topics:

• Evaluating experiences in promoting Sustainable Development;
• Policy Implications of Sustainable Development;
• Indicators of Sustainable Development;
• Stakeholder participation in Sustainable Development processes;
• Natural Capital/Resource Management;
• Environmental management;
• Gender perspectives on Disaster Risk Management;
• Waste Management;
• Social Capital, Poverty eradication/sustainable livelihoods;
• Trade and the environment;
• Watersheds, coral reefs, other environmentally sensitive areas.