Felix Dodds comments on sustainable development, coffee & life

Guest Blog by: by Walter R. Stahel is the Founder-Director of the Product-Life Institute (Switzerland), the oldest established consultancy in Europe devoted to developing sustainable strategies and policies. He is Visiting Professor in the Department of Engineering and Physical Sciences, University of Surrey, and a full member of the Club of Rome. He was awarded degrees of Doctor honoris causa by the University of Surrey (2013) and l’Université de Montréal (2016). Circularity is how Nature works, and a Circular Economy is as old as humankind. But in the beginning it was a barter economy and circular sharing society driven by necessity, and characterised by a scarcity of shelter, food, materials and objects. This situation is still dominant in some world regions and regularly resurfaces after major disasters. The industrial revolution enabled society to overcome scarcity by producing objects made of wool, timber, stone, leather and few metals. These did not become ‘waste’ because...

Qu Dongyu,   Vice-Minister of the Ministry of Agriculture  of China was elected Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Sunday the 23rd of June. Qu Dongyu received a total of 108 votes out of 191 cast, constituting a majority in the first round, followed by France's Catherine Geslain-Laneelle with 71 votes and Georgia's Davit Kirvalidze with 12 votes .  The election took place during the 41st session of the FAO Conference (22-29 June 2019), the highest governing body of the Organization.  Qu Dongyu will be FAO's ninth Director-General since the Organization was founded on October 16, 1945. The term of the new Director-General, who will succeed Brazil’s José Graziano da Silv a, will start on 1 August 2019 and run to 31 July 2023. FAO Directors-General Since the establishment of FAO in 1945, there have been eight Directors-General: Sir John Boyd Orr, United Kingdom, 1945-1948  Norris E. Dod...

Third World Network Information Service TWN Info Service on Trade and UN Sustainable Development 17 June 2019 Third World Network www.twn.my UN: Revised business and human rights draft treaty text expected end June Published in SUNS #8925 dated 14 June 2019 Geneva, 13 Jun (Kinda Mohamadieh) – A revised draft text of a legally binding instrument to regulate, in international human rights law, the activities of transnational corporations and other business enterprises is to be released by the end of June. This was announced by Ambassador Emilio Rafael Izquierdo Mino of Ecuador to the United Nations in Geneva, in his capacity as Chair-Rapporteur of the treaty proposal process. An informal consultation was held on 6 June in a room full of diplomats and civil society representatives, the first in a s...

My 18th book Stakeholder Democracy: Represented Democracy in a Time of Fear is now available from Routledge direct or slighter later from Amazon.   Great for birthday, anniversary and Christmas presents. Written with my co-authors Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Carolina Duque Chopitea, Minu Hemmati, Susanne Salz, Bernd Lakemeier, Laura Schmitz, and Jana Borkenhagen for their chapters - which are awesome!!  And thanks to Helen Clark for the Foreword. While underscoring that my co-authors do not necessarily agree with the chapters written by other people. "To mobilize action globally in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will require buy-in and commitments not just from governments, but from all segments of society. This book addresses a major component of that challenge – involving stakeholders in every part of the process to deliver on the promise of the SDGs. Many of the contributors have long led efforts to build an inclusive and democratic frame...

ABOUT THE CHALLENGE Calling all developers, ICT experts, engineers and innovators, to join Africa50 in finding sustainable solutions to respond to Africa’s most critical and pressing infrastructure development challenges. Africa50’s Innovation Challenge provides you with an unparalleled opportunity to get your solution in front of our investment team and project funding partners, as well as gain exposure in Africa’s leading tech events. The challenge Area: The Last Mile The Challenge Proposition: “Significantly increase access to affordable and reliable high-speed internet in under-served areas in Africa” Pilot Country: Rwanda Africa50 is looking for the most innovative infrastructure and tech solutions which enable people to connect to the internet in their daily lives, through fixed and mobile devices. Why Last Mile Connectivity? Recent World Bank studies show that an additional 10% Internet penetration can lift GDP by 1-4% in developing countries and that Afri...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a universal development agenda for all countries and stakeholders to use as a blueprint of action for people, the planet, and prosperity. Earth observations, geospatial data, and derived information play insightful roles in monitoring targets, tracking progress, as well as helping nations and stakeholders make informed decisions, plans, and on-going adjustments toward achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The GEO Awards on Earth Observations for Sustainable Development Goals Program recognizes the productivity, ingenuity, proficiency, novelty, and exemplary communications of results and experiences in the use of Earth observations to support sustainable development, as indicated by progress toward a SDG Target and/or progress toward, and reporting on, a SDG Indicator. The Earth Observations for Sustainable Development Goals ( EO4SDG ) Initiative invites you to submit nominations for consideration under sectoral ...

Guest blog by Allen L. White : Global sustainability research, advocacy and institution-building. This is from the Keynote Address Measuring and Reporting Sustainability Performance: Are Corporations and SSE Organizations Meeting the SDG Challenge at United Nations Research in Social Development (UNRISD) It is a great pleasure to share a few perspectives with this distinguished group of thought leaders in the field of sustainability measurement and reporting. My appreciation to UNRISD, Il Cheong, and his team for the kind invitation. This convening comes at a critical moment for all those concerned about securing a just, thriving future. The daily newsfeed depicts alarming, concurrent threats to realizing such a vision. Some are existential, such as nuclear conflict, climate disruption, and species extinction. Others pertain to issues of economic and social justice, such as wealth disparities, human trafficking, employment insecurity, and privacy. Collectively, these condition...