Think Change

We are taking a break from our regular schedule this month to look back on some of the most popular episodes released since Think Change first aired back in March 2022. This episode revisits a conversation we released last year, and the halfway point of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals deadline to end poverty and reduce inequalities. We asked what poverty really means today, and if old notio...

This episode revisits some of our favourite conversations since the first Think Change podcast aired back in March 2022. Since that time we have released over 50 episodes and been lucky to host some brilliant guests, who have shared their analysis and stories with us on a range of critical global issues – from MDB reform and the debt crisis in the Global South to the future of the Africa-China rel...

The impacts of the climate crisis are widely known and have rightfully spurred international action, but the hastening collapse of global biodiversity receives far less attention. Biodiversity is the life support system of our planet. We also depend on intact ecosystems for our food and water supplies, medical advances and disease prevention, climate stability, shelter and so much more. In financi...

The recent European elections came at a pivotal time for Europe and its relations with the rest of the world. In the continent, the economic squeeze, along with the public’s concern around security and migration, drove the outcome of the elections.  Across the world, the rise in protectionist and nationalist ideology threatens the future of the multilateral system. At risk is the global commitment...

Small island developing states (SIDS) suffer disproportionately from external shocks. They face an existential threat from the climate emergency, while global economic uncertainty and geopolitical shifts have derailed recent progress that SIDS have made towards achieving growth and resilience. That’s why governments of SIDS and their international partners met in Antigua and Barbuda a fortnight ag...

Time is running out to keep the climate goals set out in the Paris Agreement within reach. Wealthy countries have introduced new industrial and green trade policy measures, but there are concerns that some of these are having adverse effects – hitting countries that have contributed the least to the climate crisis the hardest. This episode examines the concept of the ‘green squeeze’ – the notion t...

The Declaration on Climate, Relief, Recovery and Peace was signed last year at COP28 in Dubai. This recognised the unique challenge of addressing the climate emergency in areas affected by conflict and fragility, and called for “bolder, collective action” to support them. But what does this look like in practice? Despite being among the most vulnerable to climate change, conflict-affected countrie...

The question of how multilateral development banks need to reform themselves so they are fit to face today's global challenges was again high on the agenda at the recent World Bank/IMF Spring Meetings in Washington, D.C. These debates and recommendations for reform can be technical and complex, but what do the people these financial institutions were set up to serve think about what changes a...

The crises of hunger in Sudan and Gaza are grave humanitarian emergencies with profound consequences for affected communities. A recent UN briefing to the Security Council stated that Sudan is set to face the “world’s worst hunger crisis”, while an international committee of experts issued a dire warning that famine is not only imminent in Northern Gaza, but a risk across the entire territory. Whi...

Global public debt is at unprecedented levels. The UN has reported that nearly half of the world’s population lives in countries that spend more paying off debts to other countries than they spend on healthcare for their own people. While needs soar as countries try to address the impact of the poly-crisis and invest significantly to transform their economies and societies, economic growth is in s...

When it comes to development, creative and cultural practitioners are too often overlooked and underestimated as agents of change.   According to UNESCO, the creative and cultural sector is one of the most powerful engines of global development. It accounts for nearly 50 million jobs worldwide, representing 6.2% of all existing employment and 3.1% of global GDP.   On this episode, our guests discu...

Between 2008 and 2016, 21.5 million people a year were forcibly displaced from their homes by weather-related events, and the UNHCR predicts that globally, 1.2 billion people could be displaced by 2050 due to climate change. This represents a hugely impactful but often overlooked consequence of climate change – one we are ill equipped to deal with. With immigration expected to dominate the electio...

Femicide – the intentional killing of women and girls with a gender-related motivation – affects every society around the world. According to UN Women, nearly 89,000 women and girls were killed intentionally in 2022 – the highest number recorded in the past 20 years. And over half of all female homicides were committed by family members or intimate partners. This episode puts a spotlight on this g...

In November, South Africa approached the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and to consider whether Israel is committing genocide. All eyes were on the Hague last month as the ICJ made its interim ruling, calling for Israel to "take all measures within its powers" to prevent civilian deaths in Gaza. But it stopped short of ordering a ceasefire...

Artificial intelligence (AI) dominated conversations at the recent World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. The release of ChatGPT to the public in December 2022 put AI firmly in the spotlight. And today it is all around us, promising to transform how we live our lives. But there are plenty of concerns and warnings about how it could impact the world. Many have sounded the alarm, even the so-...

Last year was a bumpy one for the global economy, with sluggish growth, high inflation, tightened monetary policy and instability in the financial sector. This all played out against a backdrop of increased geopolitical tensions and fiscal pressures. This second podcast in our two-part mini-series on 2024 trends examines the global economic outlook for the year ahead. Will the next 12 months be de...

2023 has been another year marked by major crises. This final episode reflects on where we are now, and the major global themes shaping 2024. The world is at a pivotal moment as we try to cope with multiple, interconnected crises. The number of people fleeing war, persecution and violence is at an estimated 114 million, against a backdrop of rising geo-political tensions, carbon emissions, food an...

An increase in modern slavery in the last five years has been met with a decrease in the political will needed to address it. But what can consumers do to make more ethical choices this holiday season and beyond? In this episode we navigate the intricate web of human trafficking, exploitation and forced labour within global supply chains. We put the spotlight on the retail industry, exposing its r...

The rights and treatment of refugees is never far from the media headlines. Hostile narratives and politicised rhetoric dominate the news at a time when globally, solidarity for refugees continues to decline. But with devastating conflict and climate hazards forcing more and more people from their homes, is the international community failing on its shared commitment to refugees? It’s been five ye...

The Global Food Security Summit is about to get under way, where political leaders and experts will come together to discuss how to make urgent progress on Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2: to achieve zero hunger and end all forms of malnutrition by 2030. Around 345 million people experience acute food insecurity according to the World Food Programme – an increase of 200 million compared to pr...

The world today is grappling with a multitude of conflicts, each of which different levels of global attention. In this episode, we shine a spotlight on a deeply under-reported humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh (also known as Artsakh), situated in the South Caucasus. Historically predominantly inhabited by Armenians, Nagorno-Karabakh falls within the internationally recognised borders of Aze...

We are now two weeks into the latest escalation of the long and bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas. A humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in Gaza, prompting UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to call for an immediate ceasefire to stop the indiscriminate bombing of civilians and civilian objects. But on the same day, a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ‘humanitarian pause’ was...

The question of how multilateral development banks (MDBs) must transform themselves to address today’s most pressing global challenges will again be under the spotlight at next week’s World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Marrakech. Business as usual will no longer do. In this episode – produced in collaboration with the  Center for Global Development – we ask what the countries these banks were set u...

The High-Level Week of the UN General Assembly is about to get under way. This is a significant year because it marks a halfway point in the delivery of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs or ‘Global Goals’), which were adopted in a 2015 UN resolution known as Agenda 2030. These goals were designed to provide a "shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now a...

Following the Israeli government’s recent attacks in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and against its own Supreme Court, our new Think Change podcast explores the growing threat to human rights for all those affected. According UN experts, the recent Israeli air strikes and ground operations in the occupied West Bank focussing on the Jenin refugee camp, which left many dead and displaced 4000...