In the aftermath of the devastating earthquake which struck Haiti in 2010, killing more than 220,000 people and leaving 1 million homeless, governments and multilateral organizations gathered in New York to pledge an unprecedented $10 billion in emergency aid and long-term reconstruction. “Our goal is not to rebuild. It is to build back better,” said then U.N. … [Read more...] about Natural Disasters: How Nations Build Resilience
Social Issues
Interactive Learning: Making it Work in Latin America
Can technology improve education? For most educators, advances in computational capacity and artificial intelligence open the doors to potential revolutions in learning. So do increases in mobile devices and broadband access. Interactive textbooks, using web-based animations and videos, allow students to visually grasp math, science and engineering issues in ways that were … [Read more...] about Interactive Learning: Making it Work in Latin America
What the Educational Sector Can Learn from Business
The story of business in the advanced economies of the 21st century is one of explosive innovation and creativity. From artificial hearts and electric cars to cloud computing and iPhones, companies have sent forth a dazzling array of new products and processes that have helped increase shareholder value, boost productivity, and raise living standards. Education, by contrast, … [Read more...] about What the Educational Sector Can Learn from Business
Preparing for Climate Change Migrants
In recent days, climate change has surged back into public consciousness with a disturbing report of rapid melting in the West Antarctic ice sheet. According to the report, the disintegration of the massive block of ice, larger than Mexico, could combine with other ice melts to raise sea levels by as much as six feet by the end of the century. That could eventually threaten … [Read more...] about Preparing for Climate Change Migrants
What Does Saving Have to Do with Resilience to Natural Disasters?
Investing in infrastructure is crucial for a country’s economic performance and growth prospects. In fact, it not only can make a difference in people’s everyday lives by providing better roads and schools, but it can actually save lives. During the last decade, Chile and Haiti provided two contrasting examples of this in the face of earthquakes due to their different levels of … [Read more...] about What Does Saving Have to Do with Resilience to Natural Disasters?