Pressing Issues for the Future
A wide array of issues is currently demanding the development sector’s attention, all of which seem to be of vital importance to safeguard and advance hard-won development achievements and make further progress in the future. Future Brief Series No.1 Critical Issues for the Development Sector, has been developed by Partos and The Broker to guide readers in their quest for knowledge and help them navigate the vast amount of information out there. To begin this endeavour we have identified five of the most pressing issues for the future, of which the following four will be dealt with.
- Data and digitalisation
- Climate crisis
- Civic space
- The humanitarian-development-peace (HDP) nexus in protracted conflict settings
The fifth issue on Shifting the Power has been covered in a separate Future Brief.
Uncertainties & promising pathways
If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught us anything, it is there is no way we can know what the future brings. As the same holds true for these 4 issues, this brief should not be taken as prediction or foresight. Rather, for each of the topics, after a brief introduction, two key ‘uncertainties’ have been identified, followed by a number of promising pathways for action. The final section of this brief entails the main takeaways that emerge from discussing the five issues, closing with a list of relevant resources that can help continue your learning journey.