The organization’s strategic approaches evolve from grassroots perspective and objectively designed to links local-national and international entities. Both activity design and implementation are influenced by the principle of pro-poor growth having equity and justice as the core of its impact analysis.

Achieving sustainability is the long term goal of Unnayan Onneshan. However, UO strongly believes that research and dialogues could contribute to achieving sustainability but not enough to mainstreaming and social transformation. The organization therefore follows a 4S strategy. 4S stands for Scholarships, Shared Learning, Social Transformation and Sustainability respectively.  The organization builds critical scholarship through rigorous research underpinned on robust science.

The Unnayan Onneshan has adopted an optimistic view on role of knowledge in country’s journey towards development where the empowered citizen will enjoy their rights equally, governed by the rule of law. The organization involves much of its energy in innovating approaches where sustainability is central focus. Building empirical model with full and effective participation of concerned stakeholders is a very good strategy of knowledge development and dissemination where good practices up -scaled based on local polito-economic dynamics.

Functions of  knowledge are very important for the accomplishments of any arrangements or policies towards sustainably developed society. It is true that knowledge has been producing and reproducing continuously but there still remains many barriers in the communication between knowledge producer and society.  Moreover, research institutions have been in different views with their societies over their missions and responsibilities. Keeping this in view, The Unnayan Onneshan examines every issue critically to explore underlying causes behind any problem as well as building a knowledge base for future use. Sustainability is a longitudinal process that never ends.  On the threshold of the 21st century, the think tanks are under pressure to reassess their available resources to deliver society the knowledge of sustainable development.  They are trying to respond to economic challenges and capacity building measures that could contribute to prepare the community for sustainability.  In responding to the demand of time, the Unnayan Onneshan has been building scholarship for functioning to make easy economic developments, provide much-needed social services, support the public, offer technical assistance to community-based organizations, target researches that provide guidance for community problem solving, and create opportunities for people learn from one another, all these could contribute to our effort to achieving sustainability.

Evidence based action research leading to model building for practical demonstration is one of the major tools used by UO for developing and sustaining new knowledge. The organization works for mainstreaming equity and justice principle that results in improved wellbeing in the society and collectively the social transformation occurs that promotes establishing a sustainability regime.

Learning and Sustainability: Unnayan Onneshan  deems learning as the core to sustainability based on the understanding that through learning actors assimilate information and update their cognitions and behavior. The Organization emphasizes on both dimensions of learning: the mechanism of learning (social versus individual learning) and the properties of the information being learned (empirical versus normative knowledge). The Unnayan Onneshan works in collaboration with other organizations, forms partnerships, participates in events and act as a bridging organization between local, national and international organizations which promote learning systems and facilitates the development of better theories and empirically testable models of learning for sustainability.

Social Transformation:

Putting sustainability into practice requires knowledge about the  interactions among society, economics, politics and environment. Orthodox segregated operation of society, economics and environment seems inadequate to lead a social transformation where sustainability matters. It is obvious that new forms, not only of policy making, but also of scientific consultancy as well, are required.  Unnayan Onneshan explores that the gap remains both in knowledge and practices, therefore acknowledges that research on sustainability demands cross and multidisciplinary cooperation on different levels of social science disciplines, as well as between social and natural sciences. The Unnayan Onneshan continuously reviewing the disciplinary boundaries and revising where needed as a focus on achieving sustainability. Truly, sustainability presents many challenges, but creates many opportunities as well for research and knowledge generation. These range from conceptual clarifications, to the working out of new indicators and policy tools, to new forms of involvement in political decision making and social transformation both at local and global level.