Global Solutions Labs with Medard Gabel

The 15th Annual Global Solutions Lab will take place from June 17–25, 2017, at the United Nations in New York and Chestnut Hill College in Philadelphia, PA. Participants from around the world will be briefed by, interact with, and question UN experts (from UN Habitat, UN Development Program, UN Environmental Program, UNESCO, UNICEF, WHO, FAO and other UN agencies). They’ll work collaboratively in small teams to develop designs, programs and strategies that deal with critical problems facing our world’s urban environments. The work will be presented to a group of UN, corporate and foundation leaders at the end of the program and published in the Global Solutions Lab book, Designing A World that Works for All.

This year’s theme is Eliminating Urban Poverty by 2030. The focus will be on the problems facing the cities of the world— where over 55% of the world’s population currently live (and where 70% are expected to live by 2050). How do we turn sinks into sources? How can we transform urban sinks for food, energy, and water into sources for these valuable resources? How do we do this while simultaneously meeting the needs for housing, education, health care, employment and recreation?

The Global Solutions Lab is a structured learning experience that fosters creativity, disruptive innovations, global perspectives and local solutions. It is intense, fast-paced, and for many, transformative. Due to ongoing federal restrictions on international travel, US-based participants are particularly encouraged to apply.