In the 90s of the XX century, at a meeting of the UN World Commission on Environment and Development, a decision was made on the need to find a new paradigm for the development of civilization. The report "Our Common Future" prepared by this UN Commission substantiated the principle of "sustainable development" as a progressive form of development of society. Its peculiarity lies in the fact that it will satisfy the needs of not only the modern generation of people, but, at the same time, it will not infringe on the ability of future generations to ensure their existence. In the XXI century, it is recognized as a determining principle for the development of countries and regions. To begin implementing the sustainable development principle in the regions of the Russian Federation, it is necessary, first of all, to develop a sound long-term strategy for the actions of all participants in regional activities, taking into account the complex interaction between socio-economic, environmental and other factors. In methodological terms, this is an extremely complex interdisciplinary problem that excludes any intuitive approaches. In the era of the digital economy, a complex of modern methods of informatics and system analysis and computer tools is required to consider the above interactions in practically accessible and analyzable economic and mathematical models, provided with a reliable, timely and complete information base. It should be especially noted that in recent years the emphasis of social development has shifted from the factor concept of economic growth to the significance of human role as a subject of economic activity with human social goals.