Statements - K4DP - Knowledge for Development Partnership

Somoey Fancy Chepkirui

Communication and Fact Checking, Kenya
Chepkirui is an Information Professional, passionate about Information and
Knowledge Management at large. She is a researcher and a publisher.

Erhard Busek

Chairman of the Institute for the Danube Region and Central Europe
(IDM), Former Vice chancellor and Minister for Science and Research,
Austria

Jah Bilkisu Communication and Knowledge Management Officer, Sierra Leone. Bilkisu Jah is a Communication and Knowledge Management Officer at Jhpiego. Dedicated to enhancing global health through effective information dissemination. With a passion for KM, she is adept...

Ivett Bene

Ivett Bene
Knowledge and Expertise Management Coordinator, European Medicines
Agency, Hungary and the Netherlands

Usman Ibrahim Babagana

Research Fellow, CSPCS, University of Maiduguri, Nigeria

Paul Atsu

Young Professionals for Agricultural Development ( YPARD) and KM4AgD
Champions. Development Communications, Knowledge Management and
Research Development Practitioner

Epiphane Adjadji

KM Specialist | Local Knowledge Preservation
Communications Specialist and Local Knowledge Preservation Activist
Benin Republic

Shailza Taneja

Director, CreativExpression,
Visionary Leader & Author of the book Circle For Life on SDGs, India

Lingga Kartika Suyud

Knowledge Management Expert and Executive Director, Halaman Consulting,
Indonesia

Aparajita Suman

Advisor – Knowledge Management, India. Advisor to the Government of
India. Work experience with organisations of repute UNAIDS, UNODC,
UNICEF, World Bank, BMGF, CDRI and other iNGOs.

Maggie Starkey

Knowledge Management Specialist. Maggie is a change agent and culture
enthusiast with a master’s degree in Knowledge Management, specializing in
problem-solving and advancing organizational knowledge practices.

Toni Sittoni

Toni Sittoni
Advisor on development communications and knowledge management
and Phd research scholar, Kenya. Advisor on international development
communications and inclusive knowledge societies, with extensive
African experience and a PhD focus on decolonising knowledge.

Thomas A. Senaji

Deputy Vice Chancellor, The East African University. Thomas Anyanje
Senaji, PhD, is a Full Professor of Strategy and Knowledge Management,
ICT and digital transformation expert/consultant

Rocio Sanz

Senior knowledge management consultant, UNICEF and KM4Dev, Spain and
Switzerland
Imagining a Sustainable Knowledge

Dhingra Radhika

Knowledge Management Consultant, UNICEF India

Radhika is a dedicated Qualitative Researcher specialising in knowledge

Andrej B. Racz

CEO & Co-founder for C-Sync Ltd, United Kingdom

As new generations make their place in our workforce, an uncomfortable

Johanna Pennarz

Johanna Pennarz, Lead Evaluation Officer at the Independent Office of
Evaluation of IFAD, leading evaluations of IFAD country strategies and
programmes. In 2023, she led the corporate-level evaluation of knowledge
management in IFAD.

David Otieno

Head of Programme, GIZ Uganda Broader Energy and Climate
Programme
Statement for the Knowledge Agenda for Uganda:

Gabriel Odili Olise

PhD candidate and research assistant at Cyprus International University,
Cyprus & Nigeria

Ronnie Ntambi

Chief Executive Officer, Pictures of Africa

Trend vanes are indicating that advanced

Oscar Nagari

Information and Communications Technology Managers, Uganda Health Marketing Group

True knowledge is transcendental and its

Dali Mwagore

Freelance KM and Communications Consultant, Kenya

1. Stop stealing indigenous knowledge in the name of research

Joan Wakasa Murumba

PhD, Information Literacy Librarian – Faculty, Texas A & M International University, Kenya and USA

Aldo de Moor

Owner CommunitySense, Netherlands
Aldo de Moor is a research consultant specialising in community informatics and
founder of CommunitySense. He has over 25 years of academic and business
experience helping community networks discover collaborative common ground.

Victoria Mbigidde

Knowledge Management Officer, National Agricultural Research Organisation (NARO), Uganda

Vidah Mahava

Certified Knowledge Manager for Sustainable Development, TARI Tanzania Agricultural Research Institute

Diana López

National Commission for the Knowledge and Use of Biodiversity
(CONABIO)

Obwoya Kinyera Sam

Professor, Executive Board Member, National Planning Authority, Uganda

Maureen Kenga

Librarian/Knowledge Manager, Kenya

Naomy Jemeli Kemboi

Knowledge Management Officer at Kenya Forestry Research Institute

Stacey Young, PhD

Development begins with defining: what are the problems, what solutions might work, what should be done, how much will it cost, who should do it, how will we know if it’s working?

Gladys Kemboi

Knowledge Management (KM) and Communities of Practice leader with
10+ years of experience in global, regional, national and local level in
providing strategic vision, developing and implementing KM strategies,
building and sustaining Communities of Practice, and performing oversight
of KM projects to meet evolving needs in Local and International
Development.

Gashaw Kebede

Independent KM scholar and consultant, Ethiopia

Lilian Gisesa

Abagusii Indigenous Knowledge Capture by Kisii University, Kenya

Irina Bokova

Director-General, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)

Knowledge is a catalyst for development.

Dr. Bambang Susantono

Vice-President of Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development
Asian Development Bank (ADB)

Knowledge Management is fundamental to

Patricia Mweene Lumba

Senior Knowledge Management Officer, Sustainable Development at African Union Inter-African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR)
Optimizing the Africa Knowledge Agenda for the Knowledge Society.

Leif Edvinsson

Professor, University of Lund, Sweden

Kingo Mchombu

Professor and Acting Vice Chancellor, International University of Management, Namibia

The Agenda of Knowledge for development 2030 supports the

Mamun Rashid

Managing Partner PricewaterhouseCoopers, Bangladesh

Syed Ishtiaque Reza

Editor in Chief, GTV

Bangladesh economy has experienced

Inam Ahmed

Editor The Business Standard

Since SDG is a global collective

Syed Khaled Ahsan

The World Bank Office in Bangladesh

Knowledge and development are complementary to each other….

Shahidul Alam

Photographer, writer, human rights activist. Time Magazine Person of the Year 2018.

The development lens has largely focused

Ms. Shaheen Anam

Executive Director
Manusher Jonno Foundation

Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) formed a Knowledge Management Team (KMT) in

Dr. Ali Riaz

Professor, Department of Politics and Government, Illinois State University and Non-resident Senior Fellow at Atlantic Council, USA.

Politics is essentially a process of comprehending the rights as citizens,

Sumaiya Khair Ph.D.

Professor of Law, University of Dhaka
& Adviser, Executive Management, Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB)

For years now, legal reform initiatives have been focusing on empowering the poor

Dr. Md. Golam Rahman

Former Chief Information Commissioner, Bangladesh

Communication is one of the major components of behavioral and societal

Ali Imam Majumder

Former Cabinet Secretary, the Government of Bangladesh

There can be no denial on the imperatives

Eric Tsui

Prof. Eric Tsui PhD, Associate Director, Knowledge Management and Innovation Research Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University

In the 21st century, we are living in

John Lewis

Explanation Age LLC, USA

I was just 6 years old when I attended the 1964 New York World’s Fair, but I remember

Robin Mansell

Professor, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

If investment in digital networks and access

Kim Martins

Co-Director, Mind Vision

We live in a post-truth world in which ‘fake news’ can disrupt development work and

Ron McCallum

Emeritus Professor, University of Sydney, Australia

Access to knowledge is important for everybody

Chris McMullan

Masters’ student, Anthropology of Development and Social Transformation, University of Sussex, UK

As a student of anthropology and development, I am constantly examining

Henning Melber

President of the European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI)

‘Knowledge is power’ remains a popular slogan in education and beyond. It aims to

Angelika Mittelmann

Knowledge Manager at Voestalpine, Winner of the KM Award 2015

It is not the knowledge as such but the attitude towards learning that makes the

Marjan Modara

Engineer, Researcher, and PhD Candidate in Knowledge & Innovation Management, Bahrain

In October 2008, the Kingdom of Bahrain launched its comprehensive economic

Isaac Mugumbule

Supervisor Landscape, Kampala Capital City Authority, Directorate of Physical Planning, Uganda

Uganda has been known internationally as the pearl of Africa. According to the

Nolbert Muhumuza

Awamu Biomass Energy, Uganda

Kampala Knowledge City is a timely platform that I believe individuals,

Shira Bayigga Mukiibi

Manager, Renewable Energy Business Incubator, Uganda

Advancing knowledge to accelerate clean energy businesses The Renewable Energy

Esther Mwaura Muiru

Founder and National Coordinator, GROOTS Kenya

The foundation to accomplish the ambitious 2030 Sustainable Development

Ashwani Muthoo and Helen Gillman

Director, Global Engagement, Knowledge and Strategy Division Senior Knowledge Management Specialist, Global Engagement, Knowledge and Strategy Division, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD)

Oscar Nagari

Information and Communications Technology Managers, Uganda
Health Marketing Group

True knowledge is transcendental and its

Agnes Naluwagga

Coordinator, Regional Testing and Knowledge Centre, Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), Uganda

Knowledge is a fundamental necessity for any successful achievement.

Lata Narayanaswamy

Lecturer in International Development, University of Leeds, UK

People need information at various times

Cecilia Nembou

President of Divine Word University (DWU), Papua New Guinea Visions for future knowledge societies

In this statement, knowledge means..

Vanessa Nigten

Knowledge Broker at The Broker and the Food & Business Knowledge Platform

The Agenda Knowledge for Development rightly urges country knowledge..

Klaus North

Professor of International Management, Wiesbaden Business School, Germany

Knowledge or ignorance for development?

Francis Onencan Onek

Finance and Administration Manager, BOSCO, Uganda

At present, I see knowledge society as a human structured organization based on..

Osbert Osamai

Systems Analist, National Information Technology Authority, Uganda

Knowledge is a vital ingredient in the economic development of any country…

Isaiah Owiunji

Programme Coordinator, Energy, Climate and Extractives Programme, World Wide Fund for Nature, Uganda

The old adage is clear: “knowledge is power” and as human beings we live in a knowledge era….

Neil Pakenham-Walsh

Director, Global Healthcare Information Network, UK

Progress on the SDGs is wholly dependent on the ability of individuals and…

Ewen Le Borgne

Process Change, The Netherlands

Knowledge for Development is a tautology. Knowledge is for development. Knowledge….

Günter Koch

Member of KM-A, co-founder of the New Club of Paris and former CEO of the Austrian Institute of Technology (AIT)

In my ‘former life’ as a computer scientist and software engineering manager, I was constantly confronted with the question of how intellectual…

Suzanne Kiwanuka

Senior Lecturer in Health Policy, Planning and Management at Makerere University, Uganda

According to Hyrum W. Smith, wisdom is knowledge, rightly applied. In order to promote knowledge uptake in a rapidly changing world, the coming decade should be…

Obwoya Kinyera Sam

Professor, Executive Board Member, National Planning Authority, Uganda

Knowledge is a fundamental catalyst to economic development….

Daniel Keftassa

PhD, Chairperson of the community based organisation HefDA and Development Practioneer in Ethiopia

In the social and economic development field, development practitioners are often expected to meet the needs, aspirations, worries and wishes of the…

Casey Keeley

Student, University College Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

In an effort to truly get to the root of knowledge discrepancies between different groups, we must first acknowledge the role that education has in perpetuating fundamental…

Anna Rosa Juurlink

Student, University College Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Canada is a first world country and also one of the most water-rich places on earth. Despite this, it has an entire population of citizens living in third world conditions….

Annabella Busawule Johnson

Johnson Consulting and managing partner, Austria

To serve effectively across an international community of knowledge for development partners, we must have first and foremost people, knowledge and technology while, of course, not taking for granted…

Dimitar Hristov

Managing Director, Cluster Sofia Knowledge City, Bulgaria

Knowledge-based economy is a new state of the global economy, which in recent decades has been transformed by new technologies. It is characterized by disruptive changes caused by incorporation…

Jaap Pels

KennisKlussen | KnowledgeWorks, The Netherlands

It seems obvious knowledge is relevant for development. But so is trust, respect, innovation, co-creation, learning, money, (information) technology and a plethora of other conditions and intangibles. What’s…

Mike Powell

IKM Emergent

When the World Bank launched its World Development Report, Knowledge for Development, in 1998, its premise was that the knowledge needed to achieve development existed and that the challenge was to disseminate and apply it. Whilst there is…

Shishir Priyadarshi

Director, Development Division, World Trade Organization

It is well established that the promotion of knowledge – including through human capital accumulation, development of information technology and communication tools, and promotion of…

Courtney S. Roberts

Principal and Founder, Moonshot Global, USA

While knowledge has always been at the core of global development work, there has been a shift over time from the belief that expert knowledge transferred and disseminated can yield change and spur…

Mirjam Ros-Tonen

Associate Professor University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

We often hear that inclusive and sustainable development requires ‘knowledge beyond science’ – co-created by researchers, policymakers, practitioners and, for instance, farmers and value…

Hope Sadza

Vice Chancellor and Professor, Women’s University in Africa, Zimbabwe

The Women’s University in Africa (WUA), of which I am the Vice Chancellor, is a private institution with campuses in Bulawayo, Harare, Marondera and Mutare. It was co-founded in 2002 by…

Raymond Saner

Director, DiplomacyDialogue and Professor, International Relations & International Management, University of Basle, Switzerland

In order to achieve the 17 goals of Agenda 2030, substantial financial investment will be required. According to the 2014…

Thierry Sanzhie Bokally

Senior Knowledge Management Officer at United Cities and Local Governments Africa, Morocco

La ville est l’espace public dans lequel toutes les politiques publiques de développement se mettent en oeuvre. Elle est le lieu par excellence du…

Charlotte Scarf and Ros Madden

Research Fellows, Centre for Disability Research and Policy, University of Sydney, Australia

Data development as part of knowledge development for achieving the SDGs More than one billion people or 15 percent of the world population live…

Johannes Schunter

Innovation & Knowledge Specialist at United Nations Development Programme

It is easy to hail knowledge as ultimate driver for change and key resource to achieve the SDGs. The sobering reality, however, is that more knowledge doesn’t per se make…

Donald Houessou

PhD Candidate at Athena Institute, Vrije University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

The African continent is at a crossroad of its transformation where the world is facing, at the same time, the five big challenges: population growth, urbanization,…

Saskia Hollander

Knowledge Management Director, The Broker, a think net on globalization and development, The Netherlands

Independent knowledge is crucial for inclusive development. Yet, while there is a wealth of scientific knowledge that is relevant for achieving…

Alta Hooker Blandford

President of the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Nicaraguan Caribbean Coast (URACCAN)

Over the last decades, the world has developed in an unparalleled way. Great technological innovations, especially in the field of communication and…

Paul Hoebink

Professor at the Centre for International Development Issues Nijmegen, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands

All my professional life I have been working in Academia, in fact in the same university where I arrived as a student in 1970. All those…

Paul Hector

Doctoral Researcher, Institute for Knowledge and Innovation South East Asia (IKI-SEA), Bangkok University, Thailand

Knowledge is a key resource that enables transformation. Through knowledge-based development we can create solutions to contemporary…

Michael Häupl

Mayor and Governor of Vienna

Introduction to the Knowledge City World Summit and Knowledge for Development Summit in October 2016 in Vienna At present, Europe is undergoing a change comparable in extent with the industrial revolution. This also applies…

Johanna Hartmann

Project Manager Knowledge Mangement and Energy Access

Today one in five people worldwide lack access to electricity, while every third person cooks on unhealthy fireplaces. First-hand knowledge on modern and sustainable energy solutions often only…

Cees Hamelink

Emeritus Professor, Communication Science, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

There are many challenges to the creation of knowledge, both for science and society. The challenges to science include that, historically, universities have assisted…

Ariel Halpern

Vice-President, PROCASUR Corporation

In the near future, our societies will value local communities as knowledge holders. We will learn that problems are global but effective solutions start from the bottom. Because people’s knowledge reflects on the…

Leah de Haan

Editorial Assistant, The Royal Institute of International Affairs, Chatham House, UK

Local knowledge, and especially the complex and multiple ways it interacts with all our other knowledges, is key to how we comprehend the world. The tumultuous political…

Bernard Atsu Sename

Ingénieur de territoire, Assistant suivi-évaluation et chargé de management des connaissances à ETD, Togo

La connaissance est pour la société ce que le sang est pour le corps humain. Pour se développer et s’épanouir, chaque société doit gérer ses…

Denise Senmartin

Professor, Faculty of Social Sciences, National University of Cordoba, Argentina

The tensions between what we call rich and poor, private and public, global and local, porous and walled, open and secret, sharing and leaking, activism and slacktivism,…

Arthur Shelley

Intelligent Answers, Australia

The challenge for knowledge professionals is that humanity is not leveraging its collective knowledge as effectively as it could. There are many errors being repeated around the world, with major tangible and intangible…

Alan Stanley

Senior Convenor in the Open Knowledge and Digital Services Unit at the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), UK, Editor of Eldis (www.eldis.org) and co-convenor of the EADI Information Management Working Group The UN Agenda 2030 for Sustainable…

Nico Stehr

Professor, Karl Mannheim Chair for Cultural Studies, Zeppelin University, Germany

Knowledge seems to define so many of the phenomena of modern societies. But despite its prominence, knowledge is a hard term to grasp and often remains nebulous. It is…

Subhash Gupta

Global financial & management executive and development professional, USA

Knowledge for development is driven by the need to enhance operational efficiency, continuous improvement, organizational learning and innovation. The processes of cooperation…

Vandana Gopikumar

Co-founder, The Banyan and The Banyan Academy of Leadership in Mental Health (BALM) and Professor, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), India

Mental health is everybody’s business. The interaction between structural…

Nikita Giron

Student, University College Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

KDG3 aims to strengthen local knowledge ecosystems by emphasising ‘collaboration and context-based communication, based on local realities and local knowledge.’ To achieve KDG3,…

Ojulo Stephen

Volunteer for the Switch Africa Green Project, CREEC, Uganda

‘With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbour, but through knowledge and superior discernment shall the righteous be delivered.’ Proverbs 11.9 The capacity for knowledge as shown in…

Wim Getkate

Country Manager, African Clean Energy (ACE) Solutions, Uganda

Knowledge is one of the few things on this earth which multiplies when shared, like happiness and love. Sharing it must therefore be the right thing to do. Doing the right thing is at the core…

Rachel Fuhrmann

Student, University College Utrecht, Utrecht University, The Netherlands

Knowledge is a fundamental constituent of development and acknowledging this is precisely what the Agenda Knowledge for Development has done. The initiative represents an…

Students of Masters’ courses, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK

Conclusion of focus group discussion, 2 March 2017

We recommend that future development of the Agenda Knowledge for Development should provide a clarification on the knowledge aspect of each SDG. In addition, we consider that the moral and political aspect of knowledge requires greater recognition which also requires greater clarity on the authors’ and contributors’ positionality.

Euphrasius Fuorr

Chief Executive Officer, Planit Uganda Limited Planit

Uganda Limited is here to upgrade and carry forward the desire of all communities in the sector of the built environment. The heart beat is to provide technologies that are accessible and…

Riff Fullan, Cesar Robles and Monika Herger

Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation, Knowledge and Learning team, Swizerland

It is through knowledge and learning that we as individuals meaningfully interact with others and with our wider environment. Participation in…

Sola Folayan

Executive Director, Pan African Civil Society Research and Documentation Centre (PACIRAD Africa), Nigeria

Knowledge curation is very essential if we are to achieve the Agenda 2030. Africa is making much more efforts in the last decade on documentation….

Prince Lekan Fadina

Executive Director, Centre for Investment, Sustainable Development, Management and Environment (CISME)

The world is facing myriads of challenges – inequality, poverty, high level illiteracy, economic crises, climate change, migration, finance and…

Ana Cristina Fachinelli

Graduate Program in Administration, University of Caxias do Sul, Brazil

The improvement of human societies is driven by developing efficient and effective strategies for using knowledge as a factor to create value on a local, regional and…

Nanette Svenson

Adjunct Professor, Tulane University, USA

Kofi Annan once said, ‘Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.’ He was right. And, ‘knowledge’, especially ‘knowledge for…

Gibril Faal

Director of GK Partners & Interim Director of ADEPT

On 19 September 2015 at the United Nations Summit for Refugees and Migrants, I had the privilege to address member states on the subject of ‘International cooperation: the way a head.’ I stated that…

Edith van Ewijk

Postdoc researcher knowledge co-creation in food and business learning platforms, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Partnerships for the goals, sustainable development goal (SDG) 17, is crucial in achieving all other SDGs. In order to address…

José Angelo Estrella-Faria

Secretary-General, International Institute for the Unification of Private Law (UNIDROIT)

Law is one of the cornerstones of civilisation and a basic condition for community life. Private law is probably the oldest branches of law and for…

Rabih El-Haddad

Multilateral Diplomacy Programme, United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)

As the training arm of the United Nations System, UNITAR is committed to equipping individuals, institutions and organizations with the knowledge skills…

Günther M. Szogs

Secretary of International Advisory Board, Leonardo European Corporate Learning Award

‘Fighting hunger, need, disease and – often forgotten – fighting ignorance are the prerequisites for a life of human dignity all over the world. And the world can be…

Jacobs Edo

Business Transformation Advisor, Stanford Institute for Innovation in Developing Economies (Stanford SEED), Austria

The need for quality public services delivered faster, more integrated and more ecologically friendly cannot be over-emphasized in today’s…

Serafin D. Talisayon

Community and Corporate Learning for Innovation (CCLFI), The Philippines

Knowledge for development: start with the right framework About 70% of Gross World Product is now being created from knowledge; the rest is from extraction or growing and…

Alistair D. Edgar

Executive Director, Academic Council on the United Nations System (ACUNS), Wilfrid Laurier University

The Sustainable Development Goals are indivisible. Without peace, ending poverty and hunger and ensuring healthy lives and well-being are all but…

Erwin Eder

Managing Director, HORIZONT3000, Austria

Rosa Luxemburg, a fighter for civil rights, once said: ‘We will only succeed if we do not forget to learn.’ Development cooperation works mainly project-based and involves multiple stakeholders for financing and…

Fréjus Thoto

Executive Director, Actions pour l’Environnement et le Développement (ACED), Benin

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are the most integrated and comprehensive blueprint to ensure that all nations achieve socio-economic development while protecting…

Abdelkader Djeflat

Chairman and founder of the Maghreb Technology (MAGHTECH) network, former Dean of the faculty of Economics of Oran University, Algeria

In African countries the fundamental ingredients in terms of sustainable knowledge for sustainable development…

Smith Tukahirwa

Centre for Research in Energy and Energy Conservation (CREEC), Makerere University, Uganda

With the government of Uganda making a deliberate effort towards attaining a middle income status by 2020, strategic knowledge management becomes an…

Nancy Dixon

Common Knowledge Associates, USA

I want to propose what may seem to some a radical goal for the international development agenda: The most impactful way for knowledge to serve development is for every successful, local, intervention to ‘Pay it Forward’ to…

Wangui wa Goro

Independent academic, critic, public intellectual, translator, editor, writer, social and cultural catalyst, advocate, activist and campaigner for human and cultural rights Umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu:

I am, because you are. What is exciting is that…

Gituro Wainaina

Professor, School of Business, University of Nairobi, Kenya

Kenya Vision 2030 is the national development blueprint that aims to transform Kenya into a newly industrializing, globally competitive and knowledge-based middle-income country, providing a…

Richard Walugembe

Head Technical Department, UltraTec (Uganda) Limited Kampala Knowledge City development

Kampala Knowledge City will bring development as a learning living lab where various sustainable spatial and economic innovations will be shared through the…

Nancy White

Full Circle Associates and member of KM4Dev

An Agenda Knowledge for Development is a useful way of raising issues and finding common ground – or the lack of it – as a starting point for dialog. But I worry it is rooted in a dying paradigm. What is becoming…

Tan Yigitcanlar

Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Development Queensland University of Technology, Australia

Throughout the history of humankind, urban development and socioeconomic progress have gone hand in hand, and they are supported through technological…

Kandeh K. Yumkella

Former Under Secretary General, United Nations, and Former Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Sustainable Energy for all

The present is the future; what we do today determines our future. The fact that around 80 percent of the…

Chris Zielinski

Visiting Fellow, University of Winchester and Programme Lead, Partnerships in Health Information (Phi), UK

The failure to apply existing knowledge to improve peoples’ health is often referred to as the ‘knowledge gap’ or ‘know–do gap’. The know–do gap…

Marjolein Zweekhorst

Professor, Programme Director Management Policy Analysis and Entrepreneurship in the Health and Life Sciences, Athena Institute, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Knowledge is an essential element for development and knowledge sharing is…

Petru Dumitriu

Inspector, Joint Inspection Unit, United Nations Office at Geneva

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development is the most ambitious and comprehensive document adopted by the United Nations after the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It is conceived…

Charles Dhewa

Chief Executive Officer, Knowledge Transfer Africa (KTA), Zimbabwe

Working at the intersection of formal and informal agricultural markets in Africa, I am getting frustrated by the realization that policy makers and development agencies take action when…

Felice Davids

Bachelor’s student, Liberal Arts & Sciences, University College Utrecht, The Netherlands

In the summer of 2017, I was part of an anthropological research project aiming to assess the long-term impact of severe maternal morbidity on the lives of…

Eli De Friend

Capacity Building Resource Exchange – CAPRESE, Switzerland

From an early age, I had great respect for the carving on the Temple of Apollo at Delphi: ‘γνωθι σεαυτον’. As a scholar of Classical Greek, I appreciated Socrates’ insistence that none of us…

Sarah Cummings

Knowledge for Development Partnership and Athena Institute, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands

From my perspective, the SDGs are fundamentally flawed because they are not based on local realities and local knowledge. Although they present the…

Paul Corney

Knowledge et al, UK

Firstly, I’d like to thank the organising committee of the forthcoming conference in Geneva for the opportunity to share my thoughts on this topic. I believe it is the right time to be addressing the important role global institutions…

Robert Chambers

Professor, Institute of Development Studies, University of Suusex, UK

The answer to the rhetorical question ‘Can We Know Better?’ is ‘Yes we can’. The history of humankind and of development is spectacularly littered with error. We desperately need to…

Virginia Cavedoni

Intern, Policy Advice and Planning Section (PAPS), UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, USA

In efforts by the international community to ‘develop’ and ‘democratize’ countries in the global South, through the transfer of Western…

Rob Cartridge

Head of Global Knowledge, Practical Action

In the seminal work ‘Small is beautiful’ published in 1973, Fritz Schumacher wrote: ‘The gift of material goods makes people dependent, but the gift of knowledge makes them free – provided it is the right kind…

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Statements of Agenda K4D