By Julia Day As December’s UN conference on climate change creeps ever closer, an exclusive story in today’s Guardian reveals that a dispute bewteen the US and Europe over treaty rules is threatening progress and weaken a deal at COP15. The story by environment correspondent David Adam, reveals: “Differences have emerged over the structure of…
COUNTDOWN TO COPENHAGEN: 82 DAYS TO GO
NEW APPROACHES TO MONITORING THE MDGs?
By KATHARINA WELLE, SPRU, DPhil student Calls for increasing transparency and accountability for water supply and sanitation have been voiced in different sessions at the Istanbul 2009 World Water Forum. But what does that mean and how can it be achieved? A key element behind increased transparency and equity is monitoring – be it in…
OBAMA, LOOKING FORWARD WITH EXPECTATION
By JULIA DAY, STEPS Centre member A week ago the western world felt like a different place. ‘Change’ and ‘hope’ were still slogans. Now, as the embers of Tuesday’s historic celebrations in Chicago’s Grant Park finally begin to die down, US president-elect Barack Obama is throwing himself into the nitty-gritty of forming a new government….
International AIDS Conference, Mexico, Day 3
The links between violence against women and vulnerability to HIV infection are well known. But what interventions should we put in place to combat violence and its HIV related outcomes? This was a question addressed at a side session at the International AIDS Conference today. The solutions are far from clear cut. Links between violence…
POLITICS AND GOVERNANCE IN SUSTAINABLE SOCIO-TECHNICAL TRANSITIONS
By ADRIAN SMITH, STEPS Centre member The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg brought forward cross-cutting commitments to a ten-year framework of programmes on sustainable production and consumption systems (i.e. environmentally sound and socially just). An increasing number of governments, businesses and civil society groups are considering how reformed governance might bring such…
DSA DAY 2: SIR DAVID KING
The UK government’s chief scientific advisor Sir David King gave the conference gala dinner speech and raised a few hackles among the development studies fraternity.