Evaluation of sustainable development in Lithuania

Nors darnaus regionų vystymosi problematika pradėta nagrinėti daugiau nei prieš 30 metų. Ši tema šiandien tokia pat aktuali ir reikalaujanti tolimesnių tyrimų kaip ir anksčiau. Darnaus vystymosi vertinimas yra pagrindas, kuriuo remiantis gali būti suderintos politikos gairės ir strategijos su naujausiais pokyčiais, todėl kurti vertinimo sistemas ir vertinti regionų darnų vystymąsi yra labai svarbi ir aktuali problema tiek moksliniame lygmenyje, tiek ir visos šalies ar regiono mastu. Šio straipsnio tikslas yra parengti darnaus regionų vystymosi vertinimo modelį ir atlikti Lietuvos darnaus vystymosi vertinimą. Sukurtas vertinimo modelis gali būti pritaikytas kitų išsivysčiusių šalių darnaus vystymosi vertinimui, taip pat adaptuotas Lietuvos regionų vertinimui atlikti.The problematics of sustainable regional development is being studied for 30. Its significance was first time acknowledged since 1987 by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), namely in the report “Our Common Future” by G. H. Brundtland, the then Minister of the Environment of Norway and the chair of UNCED. Even though more than 30 years have passed, the question arises: whether the same problem would remain relevant today. First of all, it is important to mention that the world’s population has increased by 2,5 billion people during the last 30 years. In such a case, it should be stated that the sustainable regional development strategy which was formulated in the previous millennium is no longer applicable today. Since the world is constantly evolving, it is absolutely necessary to follow the dynamic environmental factors. The large bulk of resources are limited and the continuously growing population is a threat that these resources will be soon completely exhausted. The advancement of sustainable regional development encourages preserving and sustaining the resources base by gradually changing technologies and searching for the alternative resources. Sustainable regional development, which has adapted to the never-ending changes during the last 30 years, is quite a relevant topic in modern society. The evaluation of sustainable development is the base according to which specific political guidelines and strategies are compatible with the newest changes. Thus, it is very important to establish various evaluation frameworks according to which sustainable regional development could be evaluated: it is a highly significant topic at the scientific level as well as to regional or national extent. The object of the article –indicators of sustainable development. The aim of the article – to frame the model of sustainable regional development evaluation and to evaluate sustainable development in Lithuania. The objectives of the article: • To develop the system of sustainable regional development indicators by carrying out the analysis of theoretical material and empirical research; • To frame the model of sustainable regional development evaluation taking into account the significance of specific indicators which affect regional sustainability; • To employ the model into practice and to evaluate sustainable regional development in Lithuania. Methods of the research: analysis of scientific literature, empirical studies and documents, analysis of the situation, comparative analysis, survey of expert, analysis and evaluation of statistical data