Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the necessity and current state of leadership training for young professionals in the sustainable development sector. It identifies a critical leadership gap driven by the retirement of senior practitioners and a growing demand for 'green jobs' that exceeds the current training capacity. The document surveys various non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations to analyze existing training models, identify essential cross-cutting skills—such as communication and innovation—and propose collaborative frameworks for networking alumni and evaluating program effectiveness.

• There is an urgent leadership gap in sustainable development caused by a combination of complex global challenges, a lack of progress in leadership training, and a demographic shift as current leaders enter retirement.
• The demand for personnel to address environmental issues is growing faster than the capacity of nations to train new workers, with the environmental sector in Canada seeing demand for workers grow at over 10 per cent per year.
• Innovation is identified as the top skill for sustainability leadership, defined as the ability to challenge the status quo, understand interdependence between systems, and encourage cross-disciplinary decision-making.
• Effective sustainability leadership requires a set of 'enabling' or 'soft' skills rather than just technical knowledge; the most critical skill identified by young professionals is communication, specifically the ability to influence others to change policies and practices.
• Young professionals are increasingly mobile, often switching between sectors (NGOs, private sector, and government) and showing a decreased sense of affiliation with any single institution.
• Existing youth programming varies widely in structure, ranging from short-term intensive courses and internships to long-term fellowships and online training, but often lacks a culture of sharing training materials between organizations.
• Many organizations struggle to maintain alumni networks due to insufficient resources, although such networks are valued for creating 'sustainability ambassadors' and providing peer support.
• There is a significant risk that the largest generation of young people in history may succumb to apathy, distrust, or consumerism if they are not effectively engaged and trained for active citizenry.
• Non-profit organizations are less likely than for-profit companies to hire senior management from within, meaning talented staff must work harder to develop the networks and skills needed for leadership.

APA

International Institute for Sustainable Development (n.d.). Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support_next_gen_leaders.pdf

Chicago

International Institute for Sustainable Development. Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership. n.d. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support_next_gen_leaders.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=International Institute for Sustainable Development |title=Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support_next_gen_leaders.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{internationalinstituteforsustainabledevelopmentndsupporting, author = {{International Institute for Sustainable Development}}, title = {{Supporting the Next Generation of Sustainability Leadership}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/support_next_gen_leaders.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }