The Sustainability Learning Forum

Human Rights Council takes strong action on water, climate change and toxic waste

The United Nations Human Rights Council has taken great strides to ensure national water governance better considers human rights, and has also taken into account national concerns over the effects environmental degradation is having on human rights, according to environmental nongovernmental organizations Green Cross International and WaterLex. more[...] login_required

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Club of Rome - “Money and Sustainability – the Missing Link”

Watch the videos of the launch of the Club of Rome EU Chapter’s new Report “Money and Sustainability – the Missing Link” by Bernard Lietaer. He presented his new book during a lecture, hosted by the Club of Rome’s EU Chapter in Brussels, to launch the Report from Club of Rome in Brussels on May 31st 2012. more[...]

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Meet WRI President Andrew Steer

World Resources Institute (WRI)

Dr. Andrew Steer is the new President of the World Resources Institute. In this short video interview he speaks about development and environment issues and his visions for the WRI. From his point of view watching at the natural resources and understanding the links between nature and mankind has never been more important than today: Economic decisions must include the value of natural resources and living ecosystems. Steer announces a new WRI strategy for the coming years to face the upcoming challenges and develop solutions to the world’s most urgent environmental and human development challenges. more[...]

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Davos Annual Meeting 2009 - The Global Compact and the Corporate Citizen

The Global Compact: Creating Sustainable Markets The UN Global Compact was launched at the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 1999 and put forth the powerful idea that corporate engagement on global issues benefits both business and society over the long run. more[...]

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Conflict Minerals, Rebels and Child Soldiers in Congo

Warlords, soldiers, and child laborers all toil over a mineral you've never even heard of. Coltan is a conflict mineral in nearly every cell phone, laptop, and electronic device. It's also tied to the deaths of over 5 million people in Congo since 1990. more[...]

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A New Vision for Russia

If you can't get on a train or enter a building because you are disabled it isn't just an inconvenience -- it's a denial of a human right. Today we meet two activists in Moscow whose own disabilities have made them all the more determined to bring about change. more[...]

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On the Role of Human Development in the Arab Spring

Prof. Randall Kuhn, University of Denver

This essay traces the impact of human development on political change, focusing on the events of the Arab Spring. Over the past generation, most Arab States experienced rapid progress in human development outcomes, including declining child mortality, increasing schooling and increasing height of women. I posit that improvements in human development laid the foundation for mobilization against political regimes. more[...]

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Eni’s Cooperation Model for Sustainable Development

Sabina Ratti, eni

Multinational companies face huge challenges in countries they operate in, from human rights to the growing need for transparency and responsibility, from respect for the environment to the fight against poverty and the promotion of fair labor practices. Oil and gas companies operate in some of the most challenging places on earth, where they can have an important impact on local communities and on the environment due to the nature of their operations. Furthermore, they manage energy resources that are deeply connected to the economy of a country, and they cope with a public sector that often looks for the support from the private sector to guarantee an improvement of development standards. more[...]

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The MDGs at a Glance

Editorial Team

In the year 2000 the United Nations introduced the Millennium Development Goals. Main targets are the reduction of extreme poverty and a global partnership for development. At the UN Millennium Summit in New York stakeholders from the international politics, civil society and global NGOs promised to achieve all these targets till 2015. The eight goals are: Eradicate extreme poverty & hunger, achieve universal primary education, promote gender equality and empower women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/Aids, Malaria and other diseases, ensure environmental sustainability and develop a global partnership for development. more[...] login_required

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Avoiding Adaptation Apartheid: Climate Change Adaptation and Human Rights Law

Margaux J. Hall, World Bank
David C. Weiss, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP

There is now little doubt that humans will be forced to adapt to the impacts of a warming world. There is also little doubt that the poorest people in the poorest countries will bear most of the burden of adapting to climate consequences they had almost no role in creating.(2) As the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has explained, “In the Netherlands, people are investing in homes that can float on water. more[...] login_required

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