How do we provide energy, health care and other services to people around the world as the population grows and resources dwindle? It’s a challenge that will be front and center this June at Rio+20, the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.
In Rio, world leaders will gather to negotiate a blueprint for collaborative action that will guide the development community for years to come. The outline is already being crafted, so now is the time for the aid community to speak up.
“The world stands at a crossroads,” as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said March 22 in a message delivered by U.N. Development Program Associate Administrator Rebeca Grynspan to the Global Human Development Forum in Istanbul. “We need everyone — government ministers and policymakers, business and civil society leaders, and young people — to work together to transform our economies, to place our societies on a more just and equitable footing, and to protect the resources and ecosystems on which our shared future depends.”
That’s why the United Nations Foundation and Devex are partnering on Rio+Solutions, a campaign to raise awareness of key challenges — and solutions! — in the run-up to the high-level gathering in Brazil.
Beginning next week, Devex will feature guest opinions from some of the world’s greatest thinkers and doers on issues such as sustainability and the green economy. You can be part of the conversation by sharing your thoughts on the Devex website and via social media.
Each week, Rio+Solutions will provide solutions to challenges that is expected to feature prominently at Rio+20, including jobs, cities, food, water, oceans, disasters, health, science and technology, and women’s issues. We’ll kick off next week with a focus on energy solutions.
Please watch the Devex website, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter and find us on LinkedIn to make sure you don’t miss this exciting campaign — and let us know what you think the aid community’s role should be in fostering global development.
About the author
Rolf RosenkranzRolfRosenkranz
Rolf Rosenkranz has worked as a Global Editor for Devex. Previously, Rolf was managing editor at Inside Health Policy, a subscription-based news service in Washington. He has reported from Africa for the Johannesburg-based Star and its publisher, Independent News & Media, as well as the Westdeutsche Allgemeine Zeitung, a German daily.
