This report forms part of the GEF-funded project on “Groundwater Governance: A Global Framework for Country Action” under the International Waters focal area, and includes partners from the FAO, GEF-IW, IAH, UNESCO-IHP and the Bank.

Half of humanity – 3.5 billion people – currently live in cities and by 2055 an estimated 75% of the world's population will live in urban areas. Cities occupy just 2% of the Earth's land, but account for over 70% of both energy consumption and carbon emissions.

Since the first UN Conference on the Environment and Development in Rio in 1992, all the important environmental trends have taken a turn for the worse. In politics and industry decisions are still taken with scant regard for climate change, biodiversity loss or dwindling resources.

Food insecurity refers to both the inability to secure an adequate diet today and the risk of being unable to do so in the future. Social protection is a menu of policy instruments that addresses poverty and vulnerability, through social assistance, social insurance and efforts at social inclusion.

Food insecurity and climate change are, more than ever, the two major global challenges humanity is facing, and climate change is increasingly perceived as one of the greatest challenges for food security.

This report reviews emerging approaches by transmission utilities and regulators to cope with the challenges of expanding transmission infrastructure for renewable energy scale-up.

This report provides key messages on the relationship between population dynamics and sustainable development.

The UN’s Sustainable Energy for All initiative (SE4ALL) has a strong focus on the private sector to deliver universal energy access, improved efficiency and increased investment in renewable energy.

Rapidly growing cities in the developing world face a complex and challenging task to keep pace with their expanding populations; investment, planning and meeting the labour aspirations of their new inhabitants, says this report from the McKinsey Global Institute.

Minorities and indigenous peoples are under increasing threat from governments and private companies wanting to benefit from the resources found on or under their lands. Despite the growing recognition of their rights in international