CIRSD Co-organizes Silk Road Forum in Warsaw
The third annual Silk Road Forum took place on 20 and 21 June in Warsaw and was organized by the Development Research Center of the State Council of China (DRC), the Center for International Relations and Sustainable Development (CIRSD), the Polish Information and Foreign Investment Agency, and the …
New ideas for development effectiveness
Almost two years ago, I alerted readers to a contest, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation through the Global Development Network, to develop new ideas to improve the impact of development cooperation. The Next Horizons Essay contest 2014 received 1,470 submissions from 142 countries, …
How Do You Stop a Future Terrorist When the Only Evidence Is a Thought?
The first time Larossi Abballa appeared on the radar of French terrorism investigators, the only act of violence they could pin on him was killing bunnies. He had joined a small group of men, all bent on waging jihad, on a trip to a snowy forest in northern France five years ago, when he was 19. The…
Syrian refugees and the promise of work permits
Issuing work permits to refugees in return for donor support for jobs is seen as a “win-win-win” for refugees, host countries, and the international community. It would stem the flow of refugees to Europe, decrease the dangers of radicalization, and prevent the exploitation of refugees as a source o…
China’s plan to cut meat consumption by 50% cheered by climate campaigners
The Chinese government has outlined a plan to reduce its citizens’ meat consumption by 50%, in a move that climate campaigners hope will provide major heft in the effort to avoid runaway global warming. New dietary guidelines drawn up by China’s health ministry recommend that the nation’s 1.3 billio…
Global Entrepreneurship Summit to boost social business agenda
The 7th annual Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), set to open this week in Silicon Valley, has attracted over 1,000 conferees out of 4,500 applicants from around the world. It will be hosted by President Barack Obama who, starting with the inaugural summit in 2009, has made entrepreneurship promo…
The Mind of The Islamic State
Two years ago, the armies of the group that would soon call itself the Islamic State, a group that already controlled large swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria, entered Mosul, the second city of Iraq. The Iraqi Army, in which the United States had invested, or perhaps wasted, US$25 billion, fled …
Sustainable Development and Sustainable Business: Two Sides of the Same Coin
The UN General Assembly committed to “eliminate poverty in all its forms everywhere” by 2030, when it met in New York last year. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were launched with much fanfare, endorsed by heads-of-state, celebrities and CEOs. Thanks, to a campaign on Twitter, Instagram and…
A Green Homes Revolution is Happening around the World: Terri Wills, World Green Building Council
When we think of green buildings, we often picture towering office buildings with green walls and state-of-the-art technologies – such as the iconic Empire State Building retrofit or the EDGE office building in Amsterdam – with shiny LEED or BREEAM plaques at reception, boasting of their environment…
Brexit Explained: All You Need To Know About the UK Referendum
On June 23, 2016, British voters will decide whether they want to leave the European Union, a possibility widely referred to as “Brexit.” Polls indicate that the result of the referendum is wide open, with the Remain camp and the Leave camp neckandneck in recent public opinion polls…