Cargill and GWC launched its Cargill Currents platform in 2021 to address water challenges faced by local communities. The program supports access to safe drinking water and sanitation, and enhanced water security in priority regions by tailoring to the specific needs of the target communities. The global program is expected to benefit more than 150,000 people by the end of 2024. Building on this partnership, Cargill and GWC are expanding their efforts across Brazil by constructing sanitation facilities and water supply systems, which will significantly improve drinking water provision, community health and the overall well-being of Brazilian community members throughout seven projects across five municipalities and watersheds.

The new projects in Brazil, managed by GWC through the Cargill Currents platform, are designed to build community resilience, promote economic development and deliver multiple socio-economic and sustainability co-benefits beyond water access alone. These initiatives will prioritize efforts to promote community health and livelihoods by improving access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH). 

“Because of our position as a connector of the food system, Cargill has the unique ability to develop holistic water solutions that drive impact-at-scale. That’s why we’ve set a global ambition to enable a water positive impact across our operations, supply chains and communities by 2030,” said Michelle Grogg, Vice President of Corporate Responsibility at Cargill. “Partnering with organizations like Global Water Challenge is just one way we are working to strengthen local water systems. Together we will continue to drive sustainable change in communities where it is needed most.”

Following a Call for Proposals and a rigorous review process, Cargill and GWC have selected and partnered with the following organizations to drive and implement the in-country execution of the project’s goals and initiatives:

• ChildFund is a child-focused international development organization that helps deprived, excluded and vulnerable children to have the capacity to improve their lives and the opportunity to become young adults, parents and leaders who bring lasting and positive change in their communities. In Brazil, ChildFund has been working since 1966 to address challenges impacting Brazilian children living below the international poverty line. These challenges include inadequate education, poor health care and lack of access to safe drinking water. ChildFund works with local partners to provide support, protection and care for children so that they grow up healthy and strong. This work also includes improving water quality and preventing water-borne diseases and infant mortality.
• Instituto de Projetos e Pesquisas Socioambientais (IPESA) is a Brazilian NGO comprising experts and environmental activists working to build a sustainable society that balances economic growth, preservation of natural resources and social justice. IPESA has worked extensively in Brazil to train on appropriate water management and improving water and sanitation access in rural communities.

These two organizations will play an instrumental role in ensuring that project activities are implemented in collaboration with the local communities in the following Brazilian municipalities: Luís Eduardo Magalhães, São Desidério, Santarém, São Félix do Xingu and Rio Verde. Key interventions include community upliftment and improving clean water access through the construction and rehabilitation of water supply and distribution systems, the development of water treatment systems, the promotion of effective water systems management, WASH education and training – particularly to reduce water-borne diseases and the empowerment of communities through training in financial and entrepreneurship skills.

“This World Water Week, we celebrate the power of collective action and partnerships that galvanize sustainable solutions to address water access challenges,” said Monica Ellis, CEO of Global Water Challenge. “Cargill’s global commitment to addressing critical needs in priority regions and building community resilience is commendable. As the partnership is at the core of GWC’s water stewardship programs, we are excited to be a part of these continued efforts through the expansion of our partnership with Cargill into Brazil. Brazil will form part of a growing list of countries and communities where livelihoods are being positively impacted through our partnership.”

The Cargill Currents platform is one example of how Cargill is working toward its global ambition to enable water-positive impacts across their operations, supply chains and communities by 2030, in alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 6. The Cargill Currents program, in partnership with GWC, started in 2021 and has implemented 13 projects in Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, India and the United States, positively impacting nearly 48,000 people to date. The newly launched projects in Brazil are expected to benefit an estimated 41,000 people with improved water access, sanitation and hygiene. By the end of 2024, Cargill Currents initial investments aim to benefit up to 150,000 people with improved WASH in priority communities and basins around the world. Additional projects are in development for Europe, North America and West Africa.

Across the world, Cargill is dedicated to effectively balancing and addressing the shared water challenges of availability, quality and access to safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, using an approach that is informed by local context. You can learn more about Cargill’s commitment to water here.

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About Cargill

Cargill helps the world's food system work for you. We connect farmers with markets, customers with ingredients, and families with everyday essentials – from the food they eat, to the ground they walk on. Our 160,000 team members worldwide innovate purposefully, empowering our partners and communities as we work to nourish the world safely, responsibly, and sustainably raise feed. This includes our 11,000 colleagues in Brazil, where we have worked since 1965 to make our global vision a local reality. The possibilities are limitless, from feeds that reduce methane emissions to renewable fuels based on waste from feeds meal synergies. But our values remain the same. We put people first. We got further. We do the right thing. And that's how Cargill meets the changing needs of the people we call neighbors and the planet we call home – today and for generations to come. For more information, visit Cargill.com.

About Global Water Challenge (GWC) 

Global Water Challenge (GWC) is a coalition of leading organizations deploying expertise and networks to advance global water security and achieve universal access to safe and affordable drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) in communities around the world. Since 2006, GWC has positively impacted over 3 million across Africa, the Americas and Asia with clean water access, and its campaigns, tools, data, and best practices reach millions more. In collaboration with multi-sector partners, GWC engages in action – catalyzing financial resources and driving innovative programming for sustainable, local solutions. For more information, please visit globalwaterchallenge.org.

Press Information 
Emily Webster – media@cargill.com 
Madeline Flamik – madeline.flamik@globalwaterchallenge.org

Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF)

Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF)

The Global Environment & Technology Foundation (GETF), established in 1988, is a leading 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with a mission to accelerate sustainable development through partnerships that deliver impact at scale. GETF builds and manages high impact public-private partnerships improving the lives of over 10 million people in 65 countries through water access, sanitation and hygiene, health systems strengthening, entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, sustainable agriculture and climate resilience. Partnership platforms under GETF’s management include the Replenish Africa Initiative (RAIN), The Coca-Cola Foundation’s signature community water initiative, the Water and Development Alliance (WADA) and Project Last Mile Partnership (PLM) both partnerships between The Coca-Cola Company and USAID. GETF serves as the Secretariat for two high-impact water coalitions – Global Water Challenge and the US Water Partnership.  For more information visit http://www.getf.org.

Uzbekistan set a 25 percent target for renewable energy (solar, wind, and hydro) generation by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. To support the government’s efforts to achieve these goals, USAID is working with the Ministry of Energy and energy sector stakeholders to launch a Green Hydrogen Hub. The Hub will help improve the energy sector workforce’s expertise in emerging clean energy technologies to shape the region’s future energy landscape and contribute to Uzbekistan’s “Strategy for the Development of Renewable and Hydrogen Energy”.

During the meeting, the Deputy Minister of Energy of the Republic of Uzbekistan, Umid Mamadaminov, and Acting Director of USAID Mission to Uzbekistan Edward Michalski, alongside key stakeholders from the energy sector discussed the initial phase of the Hydrogen Hub concept, such as the priorities and action steps.

In his remarks, Edward Michalski underscored the importance of clean energy initiatives. “USAID is committed to supporting the Central Asian countries in the pursuit of clean energy development and other energy priorities, as this is not just a goal, but a necessity. Our commitment is rooted in the belief that a sustainable future depends on our collective efforts to transition to cleaner, more efficient energy sources.”

Previously, USAID established a partnership between the University of Delaware, USA, and Tashkent State Technical University to introduce a new curriculum on green hydrogen, which has been incorporated into a master’s degree program at the university.

The Green Hydrogen Hub concept will assess key aspects to successful implementation including renewable energy potential, water availability, clean hydrogen production methods, and export potential. Site evaluation, storage design, logistics planning, market analysis, regulatory assessments, and environmental impact considerations are among other components in determining optimal locations for operation.

This work is made possible through USAID’s flagship regional energy project, Power Central Asia. With a total budget of $39 million over a five-year period, the project aims to improve performance of the energy sector, expedite clean energy development, and enhance energy security and resiliency through greater regional connectivity and expanded cross-border electricity trade. Through this project alone, USAID has leveraged $2.2 billion in clean energy investments and facilitated the installation of 2,241 megawatts of clean energy capacity across Central Asia to date.

Internationally, endeavors persist to ensure coherence between last year’s COP28, this year’s COP29 in Azerbaijan, and next year’s COP30 in Brazil. Notably, the recent intensified collaboration between the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) exemplifies the concerted efforts toward monitoring energy-related outcomes, fostering consensus on aligned energy transitions, and supporting the formulation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement.

As nations navigate the challenges of transitioning energy sources and promoting regional cooperation, a promising perspective emerges – one defined by collaboration, innovation, and collective responsibility. Citizens across South Asia, particularly in Pakistan and India, are eager for their governments to explore the diverse landscape of the region’s journey toward a cleaner energy future. This entails scrutinizing crucial initiatives, navigating obstacles, and seizing opportunities that influence the trajectory towards greater environmental sustainability and prosperity.

The urgent challenge of air quality facing South Asia is starkly evident in major cities like Delhi, Dhaka, and Lahore, where levels of particulate matter (PM2.5) consistently exceed World Health Organization guidelines. Swift collective action is crucial to address the root causes and protect public health.

The haze enveloping South Asian cities originates from various sources, including industrial emissions, vehicle exhaust, agricultural burning, and energy inefficiencies. These factors exacerbate health issues and contribute to climate change. Incorporating climate change mitigation strategies into national policies and promoting sustainable practices are crucial steps forward. Both India and Pakistan persist in using coal, despite the suffocating air quality in their major cities, as both nations are grappling with developmental challenges and energy deficits.

Addressing air pollution requires a comprehensive strategy that gives priority to climate resilience and addresses related inequalities. Despite geopolitical tensions, fostering dialogue and mutual understanding can create a foundation for collaborative efforts. Strong political determination is essential for overcoming logistical hurdles and implementing effective solutions.

Recently, significant developments have unfolded regarding longstanding energy initiatives in South Asia. Pakistan has at long last authorized the construction of its segment of the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. Initially proposed in 1995 as the Iran-Pakistan-India pipeline to transport Iranian natural gas to the region, the project faced numerous challenges. These obstacles included India’s withdrawal in 2008 due to security concerns and regional tensions. 

Despite reaching an agreement with Iran in 2009, construction on Pakistan’s portion has only recently commenced. Given the looming deadline and potential penalties, completing the project by September 2024 is crucial. However, persistent challenges, such as external factors like U.S. sanctions on Iran, continue to impede progress.

Similar challenges confront another significant energy initiative in the region: the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline, stretching over 1,800 kilometers. Launched in 2015, the TAPI pipeline aims to facilitate the transportation of natural gas. However, security concerns in Afghanistan and the logistical intricacies of the project have led to delays. Despite these challenges, efforts continue to advance this vital energy initiative, which holds significant potential for enhancing regional energy security and fostering economic development.

Much like the Gulf Cooperation Council and European Supergrid, the potential of an electricity grid linking South and Central Asia is immense for both regions. Such an interconnected system would have the capability to revolutionize regional collaboration and enhance energy security. Picture a future where cleaner energy sources are plentiful, reducing the dependency on fossil fuels. This vision encompasses goals such as decarbonization, improved energy efficiency, and the transition toward a sustainable, low-carbon energy system.

This diversification of energy sources offers increased security and reliability for all nations involved. Through collaborative efforts, more efficient energy demand management can be achieved, alleviating power shortages and fostering sustainable regional development.

Moreover, the establishment of trade routes among Iran, Central Asia, Pakistan, and India presents significant opportunities. These routes could become bustling conduits for goods, opening new markets and stimulating economic growth across diverse regions. By expanding trade horizons, this network would contribute substantially to overall economic development among participating nations.

In addition to the advantages provided by the power grid and trade routes, improved connectivity offers benefits that reach beyond the realm of electricity. Strengthened relationships can promote increased regional integration, leading to closer diplomatic ties and collaboration across diverse sectors, such as infrastructure development and security.

These endeavors not only tackle air pollution directly but also stimulate economic growth and promote regional integration. By nurturing new markets and enhancing cross-border trade, they contribute significantly to the region’s economic development.

China’s Belt and Road Initiative serves as a model for successful South-South cooperation, providing a platform for knowledge sharing and joint efforts against climate change. South Asian nations can glean valuable insights from China’s experiences in renewable energy development and green technology implementation. In turn, South Asia can offer expertise in areas like sustainable agriculture and waste management, fostering a mutually beneficial exchange of knowledge.

The international community plays a pivotal role in unlocking South Asia’s clean energy potential. By providing technical expertise and resources, they can expedite the region’s transition to sustainable practices. This collective endeavor against environmental challenges underscores the interconnected nature of our world and necessitates a global approach transcending borders.

Developed nations, especially, must reassess past approaches that may have inadvertently hindered progress in South Asia. Focusing solely on ideological differences has proven insufficient in fostering long-term stability and prosperity in the region.

A more nuanced approach, emphasizing diplomacy and multilateral cooperation, presents a promising future for South Asia. Through mutual respect and understanding, nations in the region, with constructive international support, can make significant progress in addressing air pollution and ensuring a healthier environment for all citizens. This collaborative endeavor will not only foster regional stability and prosperity but also pave the way for a more sustainable South Asia.

In summary, the profound health and environmental crisis gripping South Asia underscores the urgent need for a unified regional approach that transcends political divisions. Despite historical conflicts, cooperation on critical issues like air pollution is indispensable. South-South collaboration emerges as a viable solution, facilitating the exchange of knowledge and best practices. Establishing a regional air quality monitoring network and harnessing international support are pivotal steps toward achieving a cleaner energy future. 

Through collective action to address shared challenges, South Asia can pave the way for a healthier environment, enhanced stability, and economic development. Ultimately, it is through collaboration and innovation that the region can secure a sustainable and prosperous future. Strong political resolve is paramount for surmounting logistical obstacles and implementing effective solutions.

The village has made significant strides in clean energy and sustainability since the inception of the Sustainable Montour Falls and Clean Energy Communities (CEC) program. Initiatives have included upgrades to municipal buildings, the acquisition of electric vehicles, and the installation of the county’s first Electric Vehicle Charging Station, contributing to substantial cost savings and environmental benefits.

Montour Falls achieved its Clean Energy Community designation in October 2018 and was recognized as a Bronze Climate Smart Community in October 2019. Mayor Ryan highlighted the collaborative efforts with local and regional partners that have propelled the village towards these achievements, with over $700,000 in projects completed and an additional $1.2 million slated for the next 18 months. These initiatives underscore the village’s dedication to transforming into a sustainable community for future generations.

More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities. By 2030, 5 billion people, or 2 out of every 3 people, are likely to be living in urban centres. About 90% of the shift from rural to urban areas will happen in Africa and Asia. This global trend of urbanization is having a significant impact on health and leading to huge social, economic and environmental transformations.

The WHO South-East Asia Region is home to over a quarter of the world’s population and currently, 750 million people in the Region live in urban areas. This population is growing on average by 3.5%.

While urbanization can bring health and economic benefits, rapid and unplanned urban growth is leading to many negative health, social and environmental impacts. Globally, almost 40% of urban dwellers do not have access to safely managed sanitation services and many do not have access to adequate drinking water. An estimated 91% of people in urban areas breathe polluted air.

The COVID-19 pandemic has also shown that cities often bear the brunt of emergencies. Overcrowding, lack of sanitation, and safe water sources increase the spread of the virus. Evidence has shown that in areas of existing health inequities, including access to quality health services, COVID-19 cases and deaths in these deprived areas are double compared to those in more advantageous areas.

The World Health Organization conceived the Healthy Cities initiative in 1986. The goal was to respond to health issues that have emerged due to urbanization and place health high on the social and political agenda of cities. In addition, the initiative aimed to promote health, equity and sustainable development through innovation and multisectoral changes.

While countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region have been taking steps to promote health, equity and sustainable development, in Indonesia, the efforts to promote health through the Healthy Cities approach have been ongoing for more than two decades. The country has taken several proactive and innovative steps to address urban health conditions that impact people’s lives. 

Birth of the Healthy City pilot project in Indonesia

In Indonesia, there are two types of administrative areas: City (Kota) and Regency (Kabupaten), and the Healthy Cities initiative targets both cities and regencies.

A Healthy City in Indonesia is defined as a clean, comfortable, safe and healthy city (or regency), which is manifested in multiple settings through integrated activities agreed upon by the community and local government.

Inspired by the WHO-designated theme for the 1996 World Health Day, “Healthy Cities for Better Life”, the Ministry of Health in Indonesia, in collaboration with the Ministry of Home Affairs, organized a series of seminars and meetings that led to the initiation of the Healthy City pilot project in 1998.

The pilot project involved six cities and regents (head of regency) from six provinces in Indonesia, namely Bandar Lampung City (Lampung Province), East Jakarta Administrative City (Jakarta Province), Pekalongan City (Central Java Province), Malang City (East Java Province), Balikpapan City (East Kalimantan Province) and Cianjur Regency (West Java Province). In 1999, eight more cities/regents participated in implementing the Healthy Cities approach. 

Taman Swasti Saba, Semarang, Indonesia (Photo credit: Semarang city government)

At the National Convention of Mayors and Regents of Indonesia held from 26 to 28 July 2000, subnational government leaders reached a consensus on adopting the Healthy City approach as a strategy to achieve the national health development goal of “Healthy Indonesia 2010”.

The national government backed this commitment by issuing a joint regulation with the home and health ministries. The joint Ministerial regulation establishes the concept of Indonesia’s Healthy City/Regency and helps to define it.

Indonesia Healthy Cities comprise nine pillars: (1) self-sufficient and healthy people; (2) offices and industrial places; (3) transportation and road safety; (4) residential and religious places; (5) marketplaces; (6) social protection; (7) educational/schooling practices; (8) tourism places; (9) disaster prevention and management. 

‘Going local’ – the key to success

The active involvement of mayors and other local political and community leaders in all aspects of Healthy Cities is crucial. 

As the first step toward becoming a Healthy City, local governments are required to facilitate the establishment of a Healthy City Forum in their respective city/regency. The Healthy City Forum consists of representatives from different sectoral government offices, civil society/ nongovernment organizations and academia, who are interested in contributing to the advancement of health, social well-being, and the development of their city/regency.

The Healthy City/Regency Forum is responsible for formulating and coordinating Healthy City/Regency activities as well as mobilizing community resources to support these activities.

Every two years, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs appraise the performance of the cities/regencies to evaluate improvements in the nine domains. Awards are given to the cities based on the outcome of these appraisals.

During 2005 and 2019, the number of cities and regencies voluntarily enrolling in the bi-annual appraisal of Healthy Cities/Regencies increased from 20 to 366. 

However, despite the commitment, the number of cities/regencies that participated in the Healthy City/Regency appraisal in 2021 declined as local governments’ focus was on controlling the spread of COVID-19 and mitigating its impact.

Number of cities and regencies participating in Healthy City/Regency appraisal 2005–2021 

Source: Ministry of Health, Indonesia 

In March 2022, once the COVID-19 pandemic had relatively de-escalated, mayors/regents and leaders of Healthy City/Regency forums convened at the National Healthy City Summit hosted by the Government of Semarang City.

The Summit sought to revive and strengthen the approaches toward the Healthy Cities initiative, taking the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The leaders of the Healthy City/District also agreed to form a national forum for Healthy Cities. Mrs Krisseptiana Prihardi, the Chair of Semarang Healthy City Forum, was elected as the first chair of the National Forum for Healthy Cities.

WHO’s regional and country offices provided technical support to this event, sharing WHO’s guidance on emergency preparedness and recovery for cities/communities, the updated global principles for Healthy Cities, designation criteria, action domains, and indicators of a Healthy City.

WHO also shared the aspiration to establish a South-East Asia Regional Healthy Cities Network as a means to enhance the capacities of urban leaders in urban governance for health and well-being.

A new initiative of the Regional Office, Regional Networks of Healthy Cities, has existed since some time in other regions. Taking the lead from the regional offices of Europe, the Eastern Mediterranean, Western Pacific and the Pan American Health Organization, the Regional Office for South-East Asia established the Healthy Cities Network, which is a platform to support cities to take actions on health and carry out agendas that enhance well-being. It is part of WHO’s health promotion actions and provides standard guidance for implementation, accreditation of cities, and acts as a learning hub for intercity sharing of experiences, innovation, and practices. The Urban Governance for Health and Well-being and urban leadership training are key contributions of the Regional Office to the regional Healthy Cities Network. 

The transformation of Semarang city as a Healthy City: a case study in point

Semarang is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. In 2010, Semarang City’s public health system was burdened with a large number of maternal and child deaths and a high incidence of dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF). The city’s incidence of DHF surpassed 5000 in 2010, which made the city one of the epicentres of DHF in Indonesia.2

Mrs Krisseptiana Prihadi, who was then the lead of the Family Welfare Programme in Semarang City, discussed comprehensive actions that needed to be taken to improve the situation with the Semarang City health officials. They learned that these actions were already accommodated in WHO’s Healthy Cities initiative.

Health officials held discussions with various sectoral government offices, academia, and civil society organizations to generate interest and commitment to establish the Healthy City concept in Semarang City. As a result, the Semarang Healthy City Forum was formed in 2014.

The Healthy City Forum consists of representatives of nongovernment stakeholders, including academia, health professional organizations,

journalists, and informal community leaders. Their role is to empower the community to recognize the need to protect and promote their health; to advocate for community health needs in the city’s development planning and budgeting, and to mobilize community support for the implementation of government programmes to address the determinants of health.

While the Healthy City Forum sits at the city level, its role extends down to the kelurahan (urban village) level through the Kelurahan Health Forum. Essentially, the Healthy City Forum consists of city-/regency- level stakeholders, while the Kelurahan Health Forum consists of subcity or subregency stakeholders.

One of the important functions of the Healthy City Forum and Kelurahan Health Forum is to organize community meetings to discuss various situations that impact the health of the local population with the purpose of looking for solutions and mobilizing participation. These are then taken up during the annual city development planning process as proposals from the local village community.

It is through such ongoing consultations that the Healthy City Forum mobilized community participation for the eradication of mosquito larvae for the prevention and control of DHF.

More recently, during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Healthy City Forum and Kelurahan Health Forum spearheaded the risk communication and community engagement (RCCE) activities.

Youth groups were engaged by the forums to promote awareness among local communities about COVID-19 risk prevention measures, including wearing face masks, keeping a safe social distance, and ensuring hand hygiene. Once the COVID-19 vaccination drive was launched, youth groups were roped in to encourage community members to get vaccinated.

The forums also initiated a community collective support model for the self-isolation of people with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19. This includes arranging a dedicated place and provision of food for such patients. 

Addressing challenges such as equitable access to health care, vulnerability, the determinants of health and sustainability is an important part of the initiative’s uniqueness and success. By holding regular public consultations and seeking solutions from the local communities, the Healthy City Forum and Kelurahan Health Forum in Semarang, ensured that the most pressing health concerns of the local communities were taken up on priority.

Involving community members also helped instil a sense of ownership and pride in the developmental works and initiatives backed by community action. Between 2016 and 2021, public infrastructure and facilities in 250 neighbourhoods were upgraded through the Thematic Kampung programme. The Thematic Kampung (neighbourhoods) programme provides funds for groups that commit to improving their environmental conditions and developing small–medium businesses supporting tourism such as making handicrafts and selling traditional food. 

Kampung residents collectively decide which environmental and/or social determinants affecting their health they want to prioritize and design the intervention in a way that also improves the local economy. Then, the community shares a budget proposal for funding the interventions with the city government. The funding can cover all or a fraction of the budget needed. 

The move toward becoming a Healthy City has benefited Semarang City and its people in many ways. People’s participation both in planning and implementation has resulted in a cleaner environment, lower incidence of DHF, and the ability to quickly gain control of the COVID-19 situation. Multisectoral efforts in manifesting Healthy City features in Semarang City have also contributed to improved tourism and small–medium enterprises. Human settlements along the banks of the river have improved. The upgraded neighbourhood resulting from the Thematic Kampung Programme not only provides residents with cleaner and healthier living conditions but also helps improve economic opportunities from tourism and small–medium enterprises.

Some examples of improvement in the living environment resulting from neighbourhood upgrading as part of the Thematic Kampung programme (Photo credit: Semarang Healthy City Forum, Semarang city authorities)

For its efforts, Semarang City has earned a number of national and regional recognitions, including being awarded the Healthy City award four times from the Government of Indonesia (in 2015, 2017, 2019 and 2021)3 as well as the title of Cleanest Tourist Destination in South-East Asia 2020–2022 from the ASEAN Clean Tourist City Standard (ACTCS).4

The ultimate recognition of Semarang City’s efforts toward becoming a Healthy City was the selection of Semarang City as the venue for the Indonesia Healthy City Summit 2021 and the election of the chair of the National Forum for Healthy Cities established during the Summit.

Healthy cities – paving the way towards better health and well-being

A review conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2018 indicated a positive association between the designation as a Healthy City/Regency and better access to services essential for health.

The study found that cities/regencies that earned Healthy City/Regency awards have 14–23% higher access to improved sanitation and 20–28% higher access to clean water.

These results suggest that the Healthy Cities designation is an effective advocacy tool to expedite implementation of the public health agenda in urban development.

A number of disease prevention measures and protection of the population’s health were achieved through the implementation of Healthy Cities such as reduction of dengue in cities due to mayors’ leadership, multisectoral actions, engagement with local youth to clean up the neighbourhood, and improved drainage and sewage systems in local communities.

The cities that participated in this initiative were also able to improve urban planning along with nature conservation, and were able to create more active spaces for people to walk and do physical activity. The improved surroundings and spaces with the cultural uniqueness of each area also made the local neighbourhoods more attractive to tourists.

While there has been a qualitative improvement, a nationwide systematic analysis of the Healthy Cities initiative effect on these conditions is yet to be made available.

Urban planning and water conservation efforts between 2017 and 2021 (Photo credit: Semarang Healthy City Forum, Semarang city authorities)

The COVID-19 pandemic also showed that cities/regencies designated as Healthy Cities/Regencies did not cope better in emergencies (including public health emergencies) than the rest of the cities/regencies. The implementation of mentoring and assessment activities for the Healthy Cities programme is heavily dependent on the budget and human resources of the health sector.

In addition, health equity, in terms of access to essential health services and achievement of the desired health outcomes, has not been fully addressed in the current concept of Indonesia’s Healthy City programme.

In response to some of these challenges, the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Home Affairs have initiated the process of developing a Presidential Regulation on the implementation of Healthy City/Regency in 2022, which will expand the scope of the Healthy City/Regency initiative to include health equity as a core principle. The regulation will also provide a stronger policy basis for the formulation of multisectoral interventions and budgeting.

The interlinked nature of urban health challenges has shown that action in one sector can have benefits for many other sectors. The achievements of the Healthy Cities programme in Indonesia have highlighted the importance of investment in sustainable development with people’s health at the centre of multisectoral actions and good urban governance for health and well-being in cities. 

The groundbreaking initiative, championed by President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was launched on the sidelines of the conference and aims to provide clean cooking technologies to women and girls in Africa to reduce the use of wood, charcoal, and other traditional forms of biomass.

In Africa, almost 80 per cent of the population uses wood and charcoal for cooking, the leading cause of indoor pollution which has devastating effects on the health of women and children.

President Samia rallied fellow African leaders and representatives to accelerate clean cooking solutions in the region and help transition some 900 million Africans from biomass fuels to more affordable and environmentally friendly options over the next couple of years.

Promoting clean cooking energy solutions will help prevent the deaths of millions of women and children, foster social stability, and unlock significant labor market productivity, she said. “Women and girls are disproportionately affected when there is no access to clean cooking solutions.

Exposure to toxic fumes affects their health and wellbeing, and the programme will ensure that the long hours they spend fetching firewood are spent on productive economic activities,” she said.

President Samia explained the environmental impact due to the growing use of wood and charcoal for cooking, noting the most commonly cited impact is deforestation.

“This has led to the loss of 3.9 million hectares of forest between 2010 and 2020 in Africa,” she said and pointed out that while access to clean cooking had increased across the world, in Africa, it is the use of wooden biomass that is growing.

President Samia said the private sector had a significant role to play in promoting clean cooking energy solutions.

“We call on the private sector to establish a commercial supply chain for clean cooking alternatives, including improved stoves and facilitating access to electricity in rural areas.”

She said the newly launched programme was “not just about stoves and emissions, but to usher in a clean and sustainable future.”

Global leaders at the conference rallied around the programme and committed to providing clean cooking energy by 2032 to nearly a billion people in Africa who still cook using firewood and other forms of biomass.

African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said, “300,000 women and 300,000 children die every year due to respiratory diseases simply by trying to cook a meal what is taken for granted in developed economies.”

Adesina said the global economic cost of women’s hours spent fetching firewood is estimated at 800 billion US dollars annually and the health cost for that is estimated at 1.4 trillion US dollars annually.

“The risk of women dying from a lack of clean cooking solutions is three times higher than the risk of dying from malaria,” he said.

“Africa requires 4 billion US dollars a year in investment to provide clean cooking equipment to 250 million women by 2030,” he said and outlined how sub-Saharan Africa could achieve 100 per cent access to clean cooking solutions.

“This requires that governments direct at least 5 per cent of the current 70 billion US dollars energy investments annually into the provision of clean cooking solutions. That would provide close to the required 4 billion US dollars annually. This is not too much to ask.”

“Second, accessibility and affordability to clean cooking solutions should be assured through the development of liquefied petroleum gas upstream capacity, especially for production, storage, and distribution infrastructure.”

“Third, multilateral finance institutions should set aside a significant share of their annual energy financing specifically for providing clean cooking solutions at scale.

This should include concessional blended financing, as well as guarantees to de-risk lending by commercial banks and other financial institutions,” said Adesina.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa described his country’s experience in transitioning rural communities from firewood and cow dung to coal-generated electricity and now to renewable energy “on an equitable basis.

”He said even though access to electricity had increased to 93 per cent from about 50 per cent over the past nearly 30 years, the electricity was generated from coal, a fossil fuel.

“We are beginning the transit route to cleaner energy. It is a necessary journey that addresses gender equality and poverty.”

Norwegian Minister for International Development Anne Beathe Tvinnereim pledged support for the program and said: “It takes women to truly drive these gender-related issues.”

The grant will fund a  five-year project co-led by the three researchers, which will establish one of eight funded Clinical Research Centers focused on adolescent health in Africa. Specifically, their Mwotaji (“Dreamer” in Kishwahili) Clinical Research Center in Tanzania will study methods to deliver HIV prevention, such as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP, medication taken to prevent the transmission of HIV), to young women at community pharmacies to increase healthcare access and reduce stigma.

This project is an extension of Dr. McCoy’s collaborative work in epidemiology to design, implement, and rigorously evaluate new implementation strategies for HIV prevention, as well as to support the health and wellbeing of people living with HIV. Her emphasis in recent years has been studying HIV treatment and low-cost ways to improve engagement in care and treatment adherence.

McCoy’s work is particularly relevant because it has been well documented that girls and young women in sub-Saharan Africa are at a disproportionately high risk of HIV compared to their male counterparts. Little awareness of sex education and stigma around reproductive health have contributed to this, in addition to barriers to accessing prevention medication such as PrEP.

The award will also allow the center to create a certificate program in implementation science at the Centre of Excellence in Health Monitoring and Evaluation at Mzumbe University, which will facilitate the study of policy methods and their use every day. This will create a sustainable network of researchers, implementers, and government officials trained in implementation science to serve the needs of adolescents in the future.

Jake Bryant, Felipe Child, Ezgi Demirdag, Emma Dorn, Stephen Hall, Kartik Jayaram, Charag Krishnan, Cheryl Lim, Emmy Liss, Kemi Onabanjo, Frédéric Panier, Juan Rebolledo, Jimmy Sarakatsannis, Doug Scott, Roman Tschupp, Seckin Ungur, Pierre Vigin29-37 minutes 2/8/2024

It is more important today than ever before to improve the quality and equity of education systems around the world. Automation is expected to increase demand for highly educated workers, creating a greater need for technological, socioemotional, and cognitive skills. The rise of generative AI is accelerating these workforce transitions. In addition to preparing students for the workforce, education systems are increasingly being asked to participate in resolving broader societal issues, from rising mental health challenges among young people¹ to political polarization² to combating climate change.³

Student learning improvements are not keeping up with these demands. More children than ever are in school, but many are not mastering basic skills. The World Bank estimates that seven in ten students in low- and middle-income countries are living in “learning poverty,” unable to read a simple text by the end of elementary school. The same is true for nearly nine in ten students in sub-Saharan Africa. This means that the majority of the world’s children are born into education systems where they will not learn to read by the end of elementary school.⁴

More children than ever are in school, but many are not mastering basic skills.

Much of the global discussion about educational performance revolves around a small subset of mostly high-income countries that get relatively high scores on the three major assessments: the Programme for International Assessment (PISA), the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), and the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS). In our schema below, we classify those countries as having “good” or “great” performance.

However, more than 90 percent of children live in countries where average educational outcomes are below poor, poor, or fair.⁵ Historically, many of these countries have not taken international assessments, but more recently, the introduction of regional assessments⁶ and the Early Grade Reading Assessment (EGRA) has enabled a broader global comparison of learning outcomes. The OECD suggests that approximately 20 PISA points are equivalent to a year of learning. By that measure, high school students in many sub-Saharan African countries may be ten or more years behind their peers in Europe, North America, or East Asia (Exhibit 1).⁷

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In the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, student performance in most school systems globally stagnated—or declined. Of the 73 countries with longitudinal data over the past decade, only 23 managed to achieve significant, sustained, and consistent improvements in student outcomes. In 17 systems, student performance declined by half a year of learning or more.⁸ Systems that historically performed at the highest levels were most likely to experience declines (Exhibit 2). Even in high-performing countries, overall system performance may mask significant inequities; every system that participates in PISA shows gaps in performance correlated with socioeconomic status.

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In the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic, student performance in most school systems globally stagnated—or declined.

The pandemic only exacerbated these challenges. Lost learning time widened equity gaps within and between countries, with students ending up, on average, eight months behind where they would have been absent the pandemic. Meanwhile, the pandemic’s shift to remote work and e-commerce accelerated changes in the workforce. This is creating a scissor effect: learning losses are colliding with an increasing need for higher-order skills.

The stakes are high: if historical trends continue, more than 700 million children will remain in learning poverty in 2050. The pandemic wiped out decades of educational improvements, and we cannot wait decades to make up these losses. The world’s population is growing fastest in the places where learning is the furthest behind.⁹ If we do nothing, the implications for economic growth and political stability worldwide will be tremendous. However, this grim future is not inevitable. If all systems could improve student outcomes at the rate of the top improvers, an additional 350 million students could be lifted out of learning poverty in the next 30 years (Exhibit 3). This report considers what it would take to make that happen.

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Systems beating the odds

At first glance, the lack of progress may seem puzzling. Over the past decades, the education community has researched, developed, and codified strong evidence on what students need to master foundational skills such as reading, writing, and critical thinking. We know what interventions work to move most students to proficiency. Over the past decade, per-capita education spending has increased in countries of all income levels.¹⁰ And yet our global survey of 400 education leaders globally found that only 20 percent of education improvement efforts meet their stated goals (Exhibit 4).

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To understand how school systems globally can reignite growth and recover from the learning losses of the pandemic, McKinsey examined the decade prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. We conducted research across both improving and declining school systems; analyzed global data; and spoke with more than 200 system leaders, donors and philanthropists, not-for-profit leaders, academics, and educational consultants.

Our interviews all pointed to the complexity of the implementation challenge. Most school systems struggle to turn improvements into action at scale. Our research demonstrates that to make changes stick, it is not enough for leaders to know “what” interventions to use. It also requires understanding “how” to implement them well at scale. In many systems, well-intentioned changes fizzle out. Stagnating school systems tend to get stuck in a few “failure modes”:

• Conflicting directions. Education is not seen as a priority, resulting in an inability to raise the donor or domestic funds needed to deliver. Goals are too numerous, too far out in the future, and hard to measure, and there is a lack of coherence across the individual elements of reform.
• Leadership discontinuity. Educational change requires more time than politics often allows. Rapid electoral cycles and short tenures for ministers of education can lead to a whipsaw of priorities, which can in turn confuse and disillusion educators and families. This is exacerbated when reform efforts are tied to political structures, rather than more deeply embedded within institutions.
• Organ rejection of reform. Improvements may falter in the face of pushback from communities and educators who feel they were not consulted. Top-down policies may not actually work once they reach the classroom.
• Insufficient coordination and pace of change. Too much time is spent on developing strategy and not enough on creating an implementation road map with aligned budgets, timelines, and accountability.
• Limited implementation capacity. A lack of program management and analytical capacity within government undermines reform efforts—great educators do not always make great managers. Donor technical assistance ends up overly dependent on international consultants, who leave, rather than local players.
• Flying blind. Leaders at all levels operate without sufficient data, missing key opportunities to create transparency and to intervene.
• Standing still. Systems try to solve today’s problems with yesterday’s solutions. Leaders may pilot new ideas but without a plan for how to measure impact and take them to scale.

Yet failure is not inevitable. The good news is that some systems are beating the odds and producing meaningful gains in student learning year after year. These outlier school systems exist on every continent and at every level of national development. The global education community can chart a new path by learning from these systems.

To identify improving systems, we looked at national systems that had achieved sustained, consistent, and significant improvements in student outcomes as measured by international assessments,¹¹ as well as at lower-income systems with emerging evidence of improvement on regional assessments.¹² We also identified relevant subnational improvers using national assessment data.¹³ None of the 14 systems that we profiled is perfect, and in some, the absolute level of achievement is still low, but each has meaningful lessons to impart at different stages of the educational improvement journey from below poor to poor to fair to good to great (Exhibit 5).¹⁴

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Some systems are beating the odds and producing meaningful gains in student learning year after year.

Our analysis suggests that successful systems, at every level of spending and national development, use reinforcing strategies to create a virtuous cycle, enabling significant, long-term gains in student learning (Exhibit 6):

• Anchor in the evidence. Based on clear research into what improves outcomes, successful school systems ground changes in the classroom, focusing first and foremost on teachers and the content they deliver. They choose evidence-backed strategies relevant to their starting place and prioritize foundational learning, particularly in systems with limited resources. They use technology as a tool to enhance learning, not as an end in itself.
• Build a durable coalition for change. Successful school systems focus on a few coherent priorities, rallying stakeholders around them to ensure that everyone—from system leadership to principals to teachers—is on board. They invest in authentic, two-way communication with families, educators, and communities to design better policies and build deeper buy-in.
• Create delivery capacity to scale. Successful systems move quickly from strategy to implementation, pacing reforms to show early traction while building stamina for the long road to impact. They build dedicated delivery teams with the organizational structures and individual skills to execute on plans over time.
• Drive and adapt with data. Successful systems rigorously measure what matters—student learning outcomes—and use transparent data to improve their interventions. As they roll out tried-and-true methods, they also create space for innovation and measure what they innovate, which feeds back into the evidence base of what works.

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Individually, these strategies may seem obvious or incremental. Together, they are transformative. Our survey suggests that systems that used all seven of the “how” levers above were six times more likely to be successful in meeting their goals for student outcomes and system transformation than those that used four or fewer (Exhibit 7).

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Anchor in the evidence

Ground system strategy in better classroom instruction. The global education community knows what strategies drive learning outcomes. Successful systems focus on interventions closest to students and work outward, starting with the classroom (what is taught, how it is taught), then the school (what supports exist for students and teachers), and finally aligning the system supports (performance management, infrastructure, funding) to what is needed in the classroom (Exhibit 8).

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For example, Singapore invests heavily in its instructional core throughout the curriculum and across teacher recruitment, development, and retention. Teacher candidates are drawn from the top 30 percent of their graduating class and must demonstrate core content knowledge. Once in the system, teachers complete 100 hours of professional development annually and receive coaching and weekly collaborative sessions with master and senior teachers. Professional development is practical and tailored, offered in digestible modules, and delivered in classrooms.¹⁵

In Poland, reforms in the early 2000s focused on redesigning the national curriculum—first in elementary grades and later in secondary schools—and on investments at the teacher, principal, and school level to reinforce adoption. Based on research about learning and comprehension, the curriculum was redesigned to prioritize critical thinking and reasoning where there had previously been a content overload. Teachers were engaged in the redesign to inform what strategies might lead to the best uptake; expert coaches worked with teachers to build their skills around the new curriculum.¹⁶

Start the journey where you are. To select the best interventions, school systems need to consider their starting student performance, their financial resources, and the capabilities of their teachers and school leaders. One of the biggest mistakes that school systems can make is to “lift and shift” best practices from a system that operates in a vastly different context. In our methodology, we group school systems into five performance bands, based on student learning levels: below poor, poor, fair, good, and great. While the elements of school system excellence remain the same, the interventions differ.

As school systems progress toward good and great performance (for example, Poland and Singapore), increasing levels of school and teacher autonomy are possible, paired with effective accountability, capability building, and peer learning. Systems in the poor or below-poor performance bands (for example, Malawi and South Africa), by contrast, may be best advised to focus on foundational literacy and numeracy, ensure that instructional materials are available on a one-to-one basis, scaffold teachers through structured (or even scripted) lesson plans and in-situ coaching, and put effective assessment for instruction in place to account for greatly varying student achievement levels—a package of interventions sometimes referred to as structured pedagogy. Systems in the fair category (for example, Kenya) need to ensure the basics are in place, but they then can begin to expand selective earned autonomy, broader competency-based curricula tied to economic pathways, and incentives for teachers and school leaders to develop top talent (Exhibit 9). These imperatives to “start in the classroom” and “tailor to journey” apply equally to technology use (see sidebar, “Education technology—great potential but mixed results”).

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For example, Ceará in Brazil, where performance was poor, prioritized Portuguese literacy and math in the curriculum, with a focus on elementary school, and invested heavily in supporting teachers to deliver quality content. All teachers received regular practical professional development, including classroom observations. The state government also led a long and sustainable journey to improve the quality of municipal education leaders, empowering them to provide better support for teachers and schools. From 2009 to 2019, Ceará registered an increase of nearly 12 percentage points on the National Assessment of Basic Education (Sistema Nacional de Avaliação da Educação Básica), moving from poor to fair. Ceará also saw the highest increase of any Brazilian state on the national index of educational quality in elementary education (Index of Development of Basic Education) between 2005 and 2017.¹⁷

In Punjab, India, where performance was below poor, leaders used Teaching at the Right Level to group students by level rather than age to reduce targeted learning gaps in primary school. Leaders used simple, quick one-on-one assessments to group students into levels at the start of the intervention, administered assessments throughout to track progress and adapt instruction based on students’ results, and reviewed aggregate data to make programmatic decisions.¹⁸ Teachers received training and support to change behaviors. While the share of students in India who could read a grade two text as measured by the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) declined from 2006 to 2014, the share in Punjab surpassed the national average and grew by 13.2 percentage points.¹⁹ Punjab moved from below poor to poor in the decade prior to the pandemic.

The journey is not perfectly linear for any system, and there are multiple paths to system improvement. In addition, in many systems, overall performance may mask inequities within the nation or region. In a single system, there can be schools ranging from below poor to great. This may require system leaders to consider a range of approaches to drive improvement based on schools’ starting points.

Build a durable coalition for change

Set fewer priorities to get more done. Education leaders are regularly pulled in too many directions. To counteract this, leaders of successful school systems define a North Star vision and choose a limited set of coherent, sustained, and evidence-based priorities (typically no more than three to six). They define these nonnegotiables based on the evidence of what works and ensure that donors and partners support this short list, channeling money and energy to what matters most.

For example, Mississippi reorganized its state education department and board to align their work against six core goals, started every meeting with a recap of these goals, and interrogated every new initiative against these priorities.²⁰ From 2010 to 2014, Kenya introduced 25 different interventions to address literacy rates and saw limited impact.²¹ Starting in 2014, leaders pivoted and prioritized a singular evidence-based approach: Tusome. By relentlessly targeting the country’s low literacy rates through a proven approach, the initiative nearly doubled the share of students who met the government’s literacy benchmarks from 2014 to 2021.²²

If everything is a priority, nothing is.

Carey Wright, Former State Superintendent of Mississippi

Cultivate leadership beyond a single leader. True transformation can take a decade, but few leaders have that much time. Successful systems invest in civil servants who outlast political leaders and build a deep bench of talent at the central office (especially at the n-2 level²³), at the middle layer, and across schools. Leaders foster institutions beyond the ministry, insulating education from politics by distancing the work from political structures and enabling a greater ecosystem of experts who can support policy development and implementation. Longevity also comes from embedding educational change into policies and procedures that are harder to reverse.

In Norway, for example, policy continuation was facilitated by the stability of senior civil servants from the Norwegian Ministry of Education and Research and Directorate for Education and Training. These trusted institutions provided a common set of evidence-based research that both parties relied on as the fact base for policy. When the 2012 PISA results were released, leaders in both political parties called the same senior civil servant to understand the data and implications for policy.²⁴ In Morocco, ministry leaders enshrined reforms in a framework law with bipartisan support and created binding mechanisms for new leadership to manage implementation.

My initiative is now being fulfilled by a conservative government. This kind of continuity gives me hope for the future.

Kristin Halvorsen, Former Minister of Education of Norway

Engage educators and families authentically. Authentic engagement is hard to do well, but successful school systems treat it as nonnegotiable. Successful systems actively collect diverse stakeholder input at the outset and throughout implementation to design and refine policies that will resonate and work in the classroom. In practice, this includes engaging teacher, principal, and student advisory boards; conducting regular surveys of parents, students, and educators to keep a pulse; and ensuring that every member of the executive cabinet visits a diverse range of schools at least twice a month. Successful systems then create compelling change stories and use a broad tool kit to influence changes at the school and classroom level.

For example, during Kaya Henderson’s tenure as school chancellor in Washington, DC, the public school system worked closely with communities to communicate how school closures would lead to more resources in remaining schools, and it sought community input on how to transform school communities. When the district made subsequent closure decisions, there was less pushback from the community than otherwise expected. Overall, public school enrollment grew during this time period for the first time in decades, pointing to strengthened public confidence in the system.²⁵ Cecilia María Vélez White, former minister of education in Colombia, held monthly meetings with principals, convened more than 1,500 teachers, shared information with unions, and went on a listening tour to a different region every week.²⁶

We asked people, ‘Ten years from now, what should DCPS look like? What are your hopes and your dreams for the district and for your students?’

Kaya Henderson, Former Chancellor of DC Public Schools

Create delivery capacity to scale

Create coordination and a cadence for change. Successful systems move quickly to turn their plans into action. They create a concrete road map, pressure-test their implementation plans, and ensure the budget is oriented around priorities. They pace their changes to show quick wins in the first six months to demonstrate momentum. At the same time, they design for scale to ensure that changes have their intended impact.

For example, as part of the London Challenge initiative, London appointed dedicated advisers who were deployed to the schools that were struggling the most. The advisers provided on-the-ground coaching and brought immediate recommendations back to the central department so resources could be deployed rapidly.²⁷ South Africa created free literacy workbooks, adapted them to native languages, and distributed copies to 6.5 million students across 20,000 schools. A dedicated delivery team oversaw the entire process, from development to printing and delivery of the workbooks, and 40,000 trained teachers provided support for adoption.²⁸ From 2011 to 2015, more than 150 million workbooks were delivered to schools.²⁹

You can be nimble and agile. The fact that you can work at a ridiculously higher speed than government normally works makes people believe in you in a completely different way.

Sir Jon Coles, Former Director of the London Challenge

Build implementation structures and skills. Many school systems struggle to access the in-house talent to implement major changes. In addition to great educators, school systems need great project managers and implementors to translate strategy at the ministry into implementation in every classroom across the system. Successful systems ensure dedicated implementation capacity within the central team, at the middle layer, and across schools. This involves establishing clear roles and responsibilities for making decisions and approving investments, as well as creating an army of changemakers in the field to bring changes to fruition. Systems can then assess their delivery capacity across this structure and hire or build missing capabilities.

For example, under Jaime Saavedra’s leadership in Peru, the ministry brought in experienced managers from within and outside of government, with a specific goal of improving management and the pace of change. At the same time, Peru also reformed the process for selecting its 15,000 school principals to ensure high-caliber management talent in schools.³⁰ In Ceará, Brazil, the 150 highest-performing schools adopted the 150 lowest-performing schools. If the lower-performing school improved, both schools in the pair were financially rewarded. This pairing of successful and struggling schools has also worked in London and in Shanghai. In Shanghai, deputy school leaders of successful schools can only be promoted to principal or school leader if they first lead the turnaround of a struggling school.³¹

I ended up changing most of the top 60 positions in the ministry to ensure the right managerial skills and implementation capacity, including attracting people from the Ministry of Finance.

Jaime Saavedra, Former Minister of Education of Peru

Drive and adapt with data

Measure student outcomes and make them transparent. Successful school leaders build robust data systems, identify trends, and use the data to build a shared culture of continuous improvement. They make important information public to build momentum, segment schools for accountability and support, and use data to drive improvement at every level, from system strategy to instruction in schools.

For example, in Estonia, student outcome data is linked with broader social data. The government maintains a centralized data system for all public services with a unique ID for each citizen. Families can look at their own child’s achievement data within this broader context. The ministry makes school-level data transparent to the public and regularly uses this data to support policy making. Data is sufficiently protected, and there is a high degree of trust among citizens.³² In Sierra Leone, the ministry has built data systems from the ground up, digitalizing the school census and linking it to student performance data, enabling data to become the reference point for all interventions. Data on gender inequities in access has informed new policies, which have helped increase enrollment among girls.³³

I made sure that we had data to inform everything we did. From day one, all policies had to be grounded in data and evidence.

David Moinina Sengeh, Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education and Chief Innovation Officer for Sierra Leone

Roll out what works, but create space for innovation. Successful systems create space for innovation and, critically, measure what they innovate to add to the existing evidence base of what works. Most innovation in education systems will likely be oriented toward continuous improvement and sustaining practices. However, there is also a need for more-disruptive innovation, especially in systems where performance is poor or below poor and where exponential growth in achievement is needed. Innovation is needed both to improve the effectiveness of existing interventions and to create more-scalable models.

For example, structured pedagogy approaches currently provide the best evidence base for improving literacy and numeracy across low-income countries—but financial and human capital constraints mean that systems will not be able to roll out and scale such approaches rapidly enough to reach this generation of students. In Malawi, education leaders are scaling up a foundational literacy and numeracy program that uses robust, solar-powered, offline tablets in primary-school education. The intervention was first tested as a pilot with external partners, and the government has built a team strictly focused on the rollout. A big part of the innovation is in the streamlined implementation—schools and teachers can be set up to run the program within weeks. The program is being measured and tested as it scales.³⁴

Singapore has demonstrated that even the most successful school systems need to keep innovating, particularly as the needs of students change. This has led to new experiments and investments in social-emotional learning and 21st century skills to complement the already-strong approach to math and literacy instruction, based on emerging research on the importance of student mindsets on educational outcomes.³⁵ Singapore’s system is unique among top PISA scorers in that it continues to grow while others have stagnated.

When we talk about professional learning, we can never say we have arrived. . . . The moment we say we have arrived, that will cause our downfall.

Yen Ching Chua-Lim, Deputy Director-General of Education (Professional Development), Singapore

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Individually, these strategies may seem obvious or incremental. Together, they are transformative. The slow and steady work of implementation sets improving school systems apart from the rest. This is not really a story about beating the odds. It is a story about the systems that were able to change the odds. Education leaders can—and must—learn from them.

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The Brazilian government, in collaboration with various stakeholders, has embarked on an ambitious plan to transition toward a greener economy. This plan encompasses a wide range of initiatives and will create sectoral roadmaps aimed at reducing carbon emissions in its robust agriculture and industrial sectors, fostering renewable energy sources, building new green industries, and preserving its diverse biomes. As Brazil hosts the G20 this year and prepares to host COP30 in 2025, the Ecological Transition Plan plays a central role in leveraging Brazil's international influence on combating climate change.

During the 2024 Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington D.C., the Brazil-U.S. Business Council hosted a roundtable with Minister Fernando Haddad, Brazil’s Minister of Finance, and Ilan Goldfjan, President of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), to discuss investment opportunities in Brazil’s climate transition. For these opportunities to transform into viable investments, Brazil needs to balance robust regulatory frameworks with the right market incentives and security.

Setting Priorities

Legislation currently being debated in Congress will enable the plan and other national priorities, creating regulatory frameworks and determining the future landscape of industries. Now is the time for the business community, as key stakeholders, to actively participate in shaping these policies and upcoming regulations so that they are structured to foster innovation, investments, and environmental sustainability while at the same time being both effective and implementable.  

Agriculture 

One of the most significant pieces of legislation is the proposed framework for climate-smart agriculture. This policy aims to promote agricultural practices that are not only productive and low carbon but also environmentally friendly, including an emphasis on restoring degraded farmland. By prioritizing frameworks that ensure productivity growth, traceability of commodities and livestock, and precision and regenerative agriculture, Brazil is positioning itself as a leader in sustainable agriculture. 

Strategic cooperation between the United States and Brazil in agriculture is pivotal for advancing models that balance sustainability with food security. This collaboration should aim to incentivize sustainable agricultural practices, enhance producer access to innovative technologies, and effectively address growing barriers in food and commodities markets. By jointly developing and implementing agricultural models that prioritize ecological farming practices and technological integration, both nations can significantly boost productivity and sustainability. Such bilateral cooperation not only strengthens the agricultural sectors in both countries but also sets a global standard for sustainable and secure food production systems. 

Carbon Markets

Brazil is also betting on regulating its carbon market as a key source of financing. As these efforts move forward, it is crucial to look to the global discussions taking place to ensure transparency and accountability, as well as prevent market manipulation and fraud.

By the business community working together with Brazil, we can help create a carbon market that is more harmonized with its regulations and standards to international markets, as well as technological integration for reporting and verifying carbon credits. 

Energy Transition  

Another critical area of focus is the development of renewable energy sources. Brazil's vast potential for producing biofuels, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable power generation, low-carbon hydrogen, and critical minerals should be harnessed through appropriate government policies and market signals. Under the right conditions, Brazil should be well-positioned to become an important global supplier of clean energy. Toward this aim, the business community can be helpful by providing examples of regulatory best practices, as Brazil is considering introducing and expanding the incentives for establishing renewable energy industries and gaining a competitive advantage.  

The Brazil-U.S. Business Council is also actively participating in ongoing discussions across the other key pillars of the plan, which include technological development, bioeconomy, circular economy, infrastructure, and adaptation to climate change. 

Challenges Ahead 

The Ecological Transformation Plan is not without its challenges, however. In addition to smart regulations, ensuring access to climate financing and catalyzing investments from the private sector is essential for Brazil's climate transition. Brazil is calling for reforms of multilateral development banks to provide increased capital to developing and emerging countries, a priority topic that was discussed during the Spring and G20 meetings in the finance track.  

Under the leadership of Ilan Goldfajn, IDB is focusing on innovative financial solutions, such as the creation of a hedging platform to attract green investments in Brazil. This platform aims to mitigate currency fluctuations on investments tied to Brazil’s Ecological Transformation Plan. It is part of a broader strategy to foster environmentally responsible development through secure investment returns. 

A Path Forward 

Brazil's Ecological Transformation Plan is a comprehensive effort to align the country's economic aspirations with environmental stewardship. With thoughtful legislation and strategic partnerships, Brazil is poised to pave the way for a future that is both economically inclusive and ecologically sustainable. As the world watches, Brazil's journey toward sustainability can serve as a model for other nations seeking to balance development with the responsible use of our planet's natural resources.  

The Brazil-U.S. Business Council calls for strategic partnerships at the highest levels between Brazil and the United States, which include the active collaboration of the business community. The upcoming U.S.-Brazil High-Level Dialogue in May is an opportunity not to be missed. Let us seize this moment to advance a partnership with a global impact.