World Solve

Addressing weak support for breastfeeding is critical for achieving the 2030 Agenda. Current efforts fall short in scale, speed and equity, leaving the most vulnerable behind. Any viable solution must function in low-resource settings with limited specialists, transport, laboratory capacity and broadband. Proposals should specify quantifiable biological, social or environmental outcomes, openly discuss potential risks, and present a realistic pathway for long-term maintenance and local ownership beyond short research pilots.

Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving inadequate care for premature babies. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.

Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving limited access to contraception. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.

rural populations without eye care remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

oral health neglected in many places remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

The problem of wildfire smoke travelling across continents continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.

underwater noise harming marine life remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

Information encoded in residential ground requires excavation for retrieval and raises ownership and contamination risks. The challenge is creating durable, accessible biological storage that remains under the subject’s control.

Lifts that stop between floors to prompt destination second-thoughts can induce anxiety or delay. The challenge is allowing reflective moments without forcing hesitation as a system default.

Pets that can demand short-term human embodiment for negotiations raise questions of consent, capacity, and responsibility. The challenge is defining boundaries that protect both species without creating unmanageable hybrid legal status.

Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving toxic leakage from discarded batteries. Conventional approaches have proven insufficient. The required intervention must integrate community knowledge, data and appropriate technology while remaining affordable, privacy-preserving and operable with minimal external support. Strong solutions will articulate measurable impact metrics, risk mitigation strategies, and a plan for sustained operation by local actors after the pilot phase.

The problem of millions of households still without toilets continues to affect hundreds of millions of people and undermines progress on multiple Sustainable Development Goals. Existing responses remain fragmented, under-resourced and poorly adapted to local contexts. A strong solution must operate effectively under severe constraints of skilled personnel, infrastructure, electricity and connectivity. It should define clear measurable outcomes, identify possible unintended harms, and demonstrate how the intervention can be sustained by local institutions long after initial funding ends.

Automation could eliminate jobs in some regions while creating new opportunities elsewhere, reversing long-standing urbanization patterns. Cities need adaptable housing, education, transport, and fiscal systems for population movement that is difficult to forecast. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Long-lived infrastructure and environmental decisions can impose costs on people who cannot vote today. The unresolved problem is creating legitimate institutions that represent future people without removing accountability from current citizens. The solution must work with limited capital, intermittent services, and local maintenance capacity. The research opportunity is to define measurable success criteria, test the approach in realistic settings, identify failure modes, and create a pathway from prototype to accountable deployment.

Roadways that shrink in real time based on predicted density can trap pedestrians and restrict access. The problem is managing crowd flow without creating physical bottlenecks that endanger people or exclude those with mobility needs.

Companion drones assigned at birth that cannot be permanently powered down raise questions of autonomy, surveillance, and liability. The challenge is giving individuals genuine authority over devices that have been present since infancy without creating safety gaps.

unacceptably high suicide rates in many regions remains one of the most urgent challenges of our time. Systems currently in place are inadequate for the scale and complexity of the problem. A successful approach must work where resources are scarcest and demonstrate clear, measurable results. It should identify possible harms, respect local agency, and show how the solution can be maintained and expanded by the communities it is meant to serve.

If legal names must be renewed annually like licenses, administrative barriers and fees can strip people of identity continuity. The problem is designing naming regimes that allow flexibility without turning a core personal identifier into a recurring bureaucratic burden.

Statues that continuously change expression or posture according to live public sentiment risk turning monuments into unstable opinion mirrors. The problem is allowing cultural responsiveness without erasing the original historical record or creating permanent contention over every figure.

Spoken words may leave lasting sonic residues audible only to selected listeners, creating hidden layers of communication and potential surveillance. The challenge is controlling persistence, access, and erasure of these echoes so they do not undermine privacy or create invisible social hierarchies.