The 2007 report assesses progress toward the eight Millennium Development Goals between the years 2000 and 2005. Under “Assure Environmental Sustainability” there is a section on extreme poverty in urban slums.

Rapid urbanization has given rise to increased slum populations throughout the developing world. While cities represent hope for many, destitute conditions severely threaten human well-being. It’s interesting that the section on slums is grouped with the environmental sustainability goals.

Photo from page 9 of the Millennium Development Goals Report 2007

Quoted from the Millennium Development Goals Report 2007 (PDF): Already, nearly half the world’s population live in cities in towns. But due to urban migration and rapid population growth, the number of urban dwellers will continue to expand, from 3.2 billion people today to nearly 5 billion by 2030, with most of the growth taking place in Africa and Asia.

The Overseas Development Institute (ODI) sponsors an impressive list of research projects and events to promote global development. I especially enjoy their blog and resources (including PDFs of recent articles) on topical issues.

Photo by Christopher Anderson

Quoted: ODI is Britain’s leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. Our mission is to inspire and inform policy and practice which lead to the reduction of poverty, the alleviation of suffering and the achievement of sustainable livelihoods in developing countries. We do this by locking together highquality applied research, practical policy advice, and policy-focused dissemination and debate. We work with partners in the public and private sectors, in both developing and developed countries.

The Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) at Columbia University focuses on the advancement of sustainable development in urban areas, with an emphasis on rapidly growing cities in the developing world. They are currently working on a project in Ruiru, on the border of Nairobi, Kenya.

Photo by Nicole Volavka

Quoted: The mission of the Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD) is the creation of physically and socially sustainable cities….CSUD will send students and faculty to cities in developing countries to work with local officials, universities and community-based organizations to develop environmentally and socially sustainable strategies for urban development, land use and transportation that target the neediest residents of urban centers and to research the impacts of implementing such strategies.

IUCN is a great resource for sustainable development with a global perspective. Of particular interest to me is the IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management, which works to promote biodiversity and responsible land use.

Quoted: The Union’s mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) Vulnerability and Adaptation Project works to prepare nations around the world to mitigate and manage the effects of climate change through informed policy.

Quoted: National development policies that take the changing climate into account will provide an essential foundation for enabling effective action on adaptation.  WRI’s Vulnerability and Adaptation (V&A) project tackles questions of how policy design can respond to the range of challenges raised by climate vulnerability.

Globalis provides a visual mapping of data from the UN and other organizations on global ecological impacts and progress in meeting the UN Millennium Development Goals.

Quoted: Globalis is an interactive world atlas where you decide what is to be displayed on the map. Globalis aims to create an understanding for similarities and differences in human societies, as well as how we influence life on the planet.

The Challenge of Slums: Global Report on Human Settlements (2003), by the United Nations Human Settlements Program, is an influential report on urbanization in the developing world. It provides excellent case studies on the origins, problems, and solutions associated with urban slums in the context of contemporary globalization.

Quoted: The most authoritative and up-to-date review of the development of the world’s cities and other human settlements. The first global assessment of urban slums, the challenges they present and the ways to improve the lives of slum dwellers. Statistical annexes provide essential information on demographic, spatial & economic, housing, and environment & infrastructural indicators…

New Ventures (newventures.org) assists sustainable small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in developing countries with strategic planning and attaining capital for growth. The program is administered by the World Resources Institute’s Enterprise and Innovation Group.

Quoted: The New Ventures program of the World Resources Institute supports sustainable enterprise creation in emerging economies by accelerating the transfer of venture capital to outstanding investment opportunities that incorporate social and environmental benefits.

The World Green Building Council is an important example of global cooperation in support of sustainable building practices.

Quoted: The World Green Building Council is a union of national councils whose mission is to accelerate the transformation of the global property industry towards sustainability. WorldGBC supports member councils’ efforts to adopt and implement market-based transformation tools — such as BREEAM, CASBEE, Green Star and LEED — that meet local needs.

This World Resources Institute review of a report from the World Conservation Union (IUCN) shows how the intelligent preservation and management of ecosystems can ease the effects of natural disasters. The picture on the left depicts a fishing boat damaged by the 2004 tsunami in Koh Phra Thong, Thailand (IUCN Photo Library © IUCN/Jeff McNeely). The picture on the right is of mangrove trees in Bangladesh (IUCN Photo Library, © IUCN/Nicolas Van Ingen and Jean-François Hellio).