By the end of 2020, the size of the impact investment market was estimated at US$715 billion.
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The development effectiveness of these investments could be enhanced by, among other things, greater transparency or better impact measurement.
Employee-owned firms have better organizational performance and tend to be more resilient in the face of economic disruptions.
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The Canadian government’s proposed employee ownership trust could have positive impacts that go beyond workers and businesses.
On average, women spend more time than men collecting and transporting water.
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The water crisis is a women’s crisis. Women need to be equal partners in the process of creating more just and effective water governance systems.
Ajay Banga is expected to become the next World Bank president.
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It’s a crucial time for the World Bank, with growing calls for reform and sky-high expectations of what one leader needs to do. A former World Bank official explains the challenges ahead.
Flags fly outside the UN building in New York.
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The UK is among countries cutting international aid payments, which could affect the world in four key areas: poverty, extremism, democracy and refugees.
Bottled water corporations exploit surface water and aquifers, buy water at a very low cost and sell it for 150 to 1,000 times more than the same unit of municipal tap water.
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The bottled water industry can undermine progress of projects aimed at creating safe-water systems for all, by redirecting attention to a less reliable, less affordable option.
Waste management workers stand outside a waste processing plant in Bengaluru, India. By formalizing the waste collection process, the ‘I Got Garbage’ digital platform transformed waste workers into micro-entrepreneurs.
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To focus on sustainable development goals, platforms need to change from being exclusively focused on profits and value appropriation to perceiving themselves as public goods.
Waste on Lekki beach, Lagos.
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Nigeria’s incoming president must prioritise environmental protection to avert further loss of the country’s biodiversity.
Women protesting the failure of the gender equality bills on International Women’s Day in 2022.
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After 24 years of democracy, women still struggle for political relevance in Nigeria - limited by poverty, corruption and other factors.
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The huge gathering of policymakers focused on culture’s crucial role in sustainable development.
Innovations in food systems, like food processing technologies, have enhanced the sensory quality, safety and shelf life of food products.
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Innovations in food science and technology are well-positioned to address many existing food systems challenges.
A family cooking with firewood in Qunu, the rural village where former South African President Nelson Mandela grew up.
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The essential ingredients in achieving the development goals are partnerships combined with smart thinking about how to deploy 21st century technologies.
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It is useful to recognise why companies either restrict or strengthen their sustainability efforts in response to a crisis.
Businesses and investors have a critical role to play in biodiversity and conservation efforts and need to invest in sustainable production and extraction methods.
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We need more targeted investments in solutions that have a positive impact on nature to reverse biodiversity loss.
The UN’s 2022 “Transforming Education Summit” highlighted how staggering the need is for education in the world.
Gaëll Mainguy/Learning Planet Institute
At the Learning Planet Institute, an initiative launched with UNESCO, we’ve seen many programs that foster the ability and motivation to learn, act and lead for a better world.
The UN Sustainable Development Goals have been on the agenda at this year’s COP27 meeting in Egypt.
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The UN Sustainable Development Goals set a target date of 2030. To meet that deadline, international collaboration and funding is required.
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Voluntary regulation has helped company boards become more diverse but has been more successful in certain countries.
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (Agra)
The future food security of nearly 1.5 billion Africans depends on the actions and decisions that are made today.
The African Energy Commission says expanded access to new, people-centred renewable energy systems will “lift hundreds of millions of people” out of poverty.
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Are studies right that expanded access to off-grid solar products has driven economic development in Africa?
Working with residents is essential to build sustainable cities.
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Cities are crucial to addressing climate change. To meet emission reduction targets, cities need to involve their residents in environmental action at the local level.