The Sustainability Learning Forum

On the Eve of the MDG Review Summit

Anita Sharma, UN Millennium Campaign

When they signed the Millennium Declaration in 2000, world leaders made an historic promise to work together to improve the lives of the world’s poorest people. With its clear goals and deadlines, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) created the first-ever global compact in which rich and developing countries acknowledged shared responsibility to end extreme poverty and its root causes. more[...] login_required

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In the end, it all trickles down to water

Dr. Pasquale Steduto, FAO Water Unit

We can be certain about one thing related to the future: The pressure on water resources will continue to increase. This is a fundamental challenge, as water resources, unlike fossil fuels, are a natural resource irreplaceable for human survival. more[...] login_required

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We’re All Global Commoners Now

James Bernhard Quilligan

Economic analysts often look at the world’s monetary and financial asymmetries without understanding their historical causes. Yet the international community -- including the private sector -- must address the origins of these structural imbalances if there is to be a meaningful adjustment of the economic system. more[...] login_required

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United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development

United Nations

The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) is being organized in pursuance of General Assembly Resolution 64/236 (A/RES/64/236). The Conference will take place in Brazil on 20-22 June 2012 to mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), in Rio de Janeiro, and the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It is envisaged as a Conference at the highest possible level, including Heads of State and Government or other representatives. The Conference will result in a focused political document. more[...] login_required

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New Project for Sustainable Investments in Africa

Gustav Johansson, Singularis Advisors

Over the past decade, real GDP growth for Africa rose at more than double its pace compared to the 90′s. FDI from international investors has played a major role in this development and investments in Africa have become an important part of any diversified Emerging Market portfolio. more[...] login_required

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Improving Labor Standards Performance in the Middle East

Craig Moss, Social Accountability International (SAI)

Labor standards and working conditions in the Middle East exhibit many of the same basic problems that occur globally. If we look at workers’ demands from the recent strikes in Egypt and Jordan, we will see issues that clearly violate the International Labour Organization’s core labor conventions – unfortunately, that will surprise no one. more[...] login_required

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Loewe, Markus

Editorial Team

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Sanitation campaign in Indian village starts with women and youth

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)

UNICEF correspondent Atul Kumar reports from Mirzapur, Uttar Pradesh, India, on a campaign that tackles defecation in the open. more[...]

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Haiti: Wooden Soldiers for Sale

In Haiti, craftsmen are sculpting wooden UN soldiers at the Brazilian Military base. Located opposite MINUSTAH Headquarters, the place has been turned into a market selling perfectly handcrafted blue helmet soldiers. The constant demand for these special items has helped talented Haitian craftsmen enjoy a bit of economic stability for the moment. more[...]

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Bangladesh: Climate Change Threatens Livelihood

Climate change continues to threaten food security in Bangladesh, one of the poorest countries in the world, where rising sea levels and seasonal storms worry farmers. Those living along the country's southern coast fear for their crops and livelihoods. Now the Government of Bangladesh is working with IFAD, the International Fund for Agricultural Development to provide training to farmers with the aim of introducing new techniques to beat the crisis. more[...]

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The world' s challenge - Feeding 9 billion people

Dr. Marion Guillou, INRA (Instut national de la recherche agronomique)

If a global population of 9 billion by 2050 is to be fed adequately, more food must be produced, and this in keeping with increasingly stringent standards of quality and with respect for the environment. Not to mention the land that must be set aside for the production of energy resources, industrial goods, carbon storage and the protection of biodiversity. more[...] login_required

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Global Compact International Yearbook 2011

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

Over the last several years, the United Nations has become a trailblazer in promoting corporate responsibility. “In the 11 years since its launch, the United Nations Global Compact has been at the forefront of the UN’s effort to make the private sector a critical actor in advancing sustainability,” UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says in the 2011 edition of the Global Compact International Yearbook. more[...] login_required

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Global Compact International Yearbook 2010

Dr. Elmer Lenzen

A profound retrospective of the first decade of the UN Global Compact, challenges in the light of the year of biodiversity, and instruments for an adequate Corporate Citizenship are some of the issues highlighted in the new 2010 edition of the “Global Compact International Yearbook”. Among this years prominent authors are Ban Ki-moon, Bill Clinton, Joschka Fischer and Achim Steiner. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “As the Global Compact enters its second decade, it is my hope that this Yearbook will be an inspiration to bring responsible business to true scale.” Formally presented during the UN Global Compact Leaders Summit in New York, the yearbook is now for sale. more[...] login_required

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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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Will the Arab Spring Free the “Orphans of Globalization”?

Prof. Jean-Pierre Lehmann, IMD

It was a humiliated Arab youth – the Tunisian Mohammed Bouazizi from the desolate village of Sidi Bouzid – who, in immolating himself, sparked a revolution that engulfed his country, spread to Egypt, and has gripped the entire Arab world. It is the first revolution to happen in the Arab world for some time, certainly one led by youth, and it is the first in which the spirit of revolution was spread through such social media instruments as Facebook and Twitter. more[...]

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