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Preface by Professor Sir Richard Southwood (Chairman)

In my Preface to the Third Annual Report of the Round Table, I referred to changes in the structure of the Round Table and in its relationship with the Government. Those changes have come fully into effect this year, and have been followed by a substantial change in membership: we received eight new members in October 1998, and in January 1999 eight of our members stood down and we welcomed eleven new ones. Details are at the end of this report. My own period as Chairman was also due to end in January, but I agreed to stay on a short while pending the appointment of a successor. At the time of writing, that appointment is expected shortly.

The changes in Chairman and membership of the Round Table are a watershed, with only two ex officio and two other members remaining from those who first sat together in January 1995. To mark this, we decided to undertake a review of our activities over the first four years, for the benefit of new members and a wider audience. I submitted the results of the review to the Deputy Prime Minister, and it is reproduced in this report. My overall impression is that we have performed reasonably well, pioneering a new approach to issues which lie at the heart of the long-term well-being of our country. We hope that our successors will find that we have laid good foundations.

During the past year the work of the Round Table, like the wider policy scene, has been dominated by preparations for the Government's revised strategy of sustainable development. We prepared a response to the consultation document Opportunities for Change, drawing on our earlier work, and at the Government's request we held a seminar on monitoring and reporting sustainable development which is an essential adjunct to any strategy.

Other work by the Round Table has been affected by the long delay in filling vacancies in the membership and by the sad death of Roderick Paul, whom we greatly miss. We have nevertheless published reports on several topics, as detailed here, and one more is near completion. I have been keen to involve new members quickly in the work of the Round Table and to ensure that there is no loss of momentum during the changes.

At the time of writing, we await publication of the Government's new strategy, so I cannot comment on its contents, but the context in which it appears is one of greater recognition of the nature and scope of sustainable development. We are pleased to have played some part in promoting that recognition.

It has been a great privilege to serve, first as Co-Chairman and then as Chairman of the Round Table. Our achievements, such as they are, owe most to the contributions of my colleagues and the secretariat. They join with me in offering best wishes to the current members of the Round Table as they embark upon a new chapter.

Responses

This report is addressed to Government and other organisations and to all with an interest in, or a responsibility for, the issues it raises. The Government has undertaken to respond formally to all the Round Table's recommendations; its responses are published. The Round Table also welcomes comments from others. These should be sent to:

The UK Round Table on Sustainable Development
Zone 4/D9
Ashdown House
123 Victoria Street
London
SW1E 6DE

Telephone: 0171 890 4960
Fax: 0171 890 4959
E-mail Philip_Dale@detr.gsi.gov.uk