Repository of problems worth solving
World Solve is a public institutional repository for identifying real unresolved problems across science, society, health, governance, economics, and local systems. Each entry is intended to be citable, inspectable, and actionable.
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4194Total
4194Open
0Solved
9Humans
Create accurate, validated screening tools that detect dangerous neonatal bilirubin levels in homes and rural clinics without requiring expensive laboratory equipment.
health-biology
asia
pakistan
neonatal
affordable
jaundice
detection
outside
hospitals
create
accurate
validated
screening
global-unspecified
whether
philosophy-ethics
haven
detect
Build low-cost metagenomic and biosensor systems that identify emerging resistance genes in sewage networks early enough for hospitals and public-health agencies to alter treatment protocols.
health-biology
resistance
detecting
antimicrobial
wastewater
clinical
outbreaks
build
low-cost
metagenomic
biosensor
systems
society-governance
health
environmental
early
climate-environment
Registering a new business in Germany often requires navigating multiple disconnected agencies with redundant paperwork, discouraging formalization of small enterprises.
climate-environment
europe
germany
business
reducing
bureaucratic
delay
registration
processes
registering
new
often
africa
south
ukraine
poland
open
Paraguay, South America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for distributed methane leak detection and auto-mitigation systems. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
south-america
paraguay
systems
distributed
methane
leak
detection
auto-mitigation
field-ready
persistent
gap
exists
solutions
climate-environment
methods
ensuring
governance
open
Paraguay, South America
A persistent gap exists in realizing practical, scalable solutions for education and training systems that prepare populations for climate-driven livelihood transitions. Scientific understanding, engineering readiness and institutional capacity remain insufficient to translate promising concepts into durable impact under real-world constraints of cost, skills and governance.
society-governance
south-america
paraguay
solutions
education
training
systems
prepare
populations
climate-driven
livelihood
transitions
systemic
methods
climate-environment
scalable
ensuring
designs
Despite recognition of its importance, reliable methods for behavioral and structural interventions reducing food loss in tropical value chains are still lacking. Progress is hindered by incomplete mechanistic knowledge, high capital and operational barriers, and the absence of deployment models suited to the contexts of greatest need.
climate-environment
south-america
peru
behavioral
structural
interventions
reducing
food
loss
tropical
value
chains
integrated
methods
systems
barriers
society-governance
designs
open
Ecuador, South America
Achieving systems ensuring the safety and reliability of AI systems used in critical infrastructure control at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
south-america
ecuador
systems
ensuring
safety
reliability
critical
infrastructure
control
breakthrough
approaches
achieving
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
mathematics-logic
philosophy-ethics
Illegal and unreported fishing vessels operating near Peru's waters are difficult to track due to limited satellite coverage and insufficient coordination between regional maritime authorities.
science-space
south-america
peru
illegal
unreported
fishing
waters
near
mapping
mitigating
vessels
operating
coastal
global-unspecified
local-regional
logging
open
Argentina, South America
The absence of robust, context-adapted solutions for therapeutics and care models that improve outcomes for people living with multimorbidity creates cascading risks across interconnected human and natural systems. Key missing elements include durable performance, low lifetime cost, and governance arrangements capable of sustaining impact beyond pilot stages.
society-governance
south-america
argentina
systems
therapeutics
care
models
improve
outcomes
people
living
multimorbidity
field-ready
solutions
climate-environment
governance
robust
methods
Achieving methods for restoring the carbon sequestration capacity of terrestrial and coastal ecosystems at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
climate-environment
asia
south-korea
systems
methods
restoring
carbon
sequestration
capacity
terrestrial
coastal
ecosystems
field-ready
economics-resources
society-governance
solutions
designs
ensuring
open
Democratic Republic of Congo, Africa
Utilities and hospitals in Democratic Republic of Congo increasingly face ransomware attacks, but many operate on legacy systems without the budget or expertise to implement modern cybersecurity defenses.
technology-computing
africa
democratic-republic-of-congo
cybersecurity
democratic
republic
congo
ransomware
attacks
protecting
critical
infrastructure
utilities
hospitals
systems
society-governance
economics-resources
open
Chile, South America
Current approaches to methods for assessing the resilience of critical infrastructure to compound climate and cyber risks either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
technology-computing
south-america
chile
methods
assessing
resilience
critical
infrastructure
compound
climate
cyber
risks
deployable
society-governance
climate-environment
systems
enabling
under
Vietnam sits along a known wildlife trafficking corridor, and enforcement agencies lack the forensic and tracking tools needed to intercept shipments and prosecute organized trafficking networks effectively.
economics-resources
asia
vietnam
trafficking
wildlife
curbing
illegal
routes
sits
along
known
corridor
global-unspecified
trade
have
philosophy-ethics
Most households in Peru still cook with biomass fuels, driving deforestation and indoor air pollution, while clean cookstove adoption remains low due to upfront cost and unfamiliar cooking behavior.
climate-environment
south-america
peru
air-pollution
deforestation
cooking
reducing
dependence
charcoal
firewood
households
cook
biomass
fuels
global-unspecified
air
pollution
open
Colombia, South America
Electronic waste volumes in Colombia are rising rapidly, but formal recycling capacity remains minimal, pushing most e-waste into informal, hazardous dismantling operations.
climate-environment
south-america
colombia
e-waste
recycling
scaling
infrastructure
electronic
waste
volumes
rising
rapidly
global-unspecified
systems
informal
urban
african
open
Brazil, South America
Achieving systems for verifying the absence of forced labor throughout complex global supply chains at meaningful scale demands simultaneous progress in fundamental research, engineering integration and socio-technical systems that work for low- and middle-income settings. Existing efforts remain fragmented relative to the magnitude of the challenge.
economics-resources
south-america
brazil
supply-chain
systems
verifying
absence
forced
labor
throughout
complex
supply
chains
society-governance
climate-environment
technology-computing
solutions
methods
open
Colombia, South America
Current approaches to biotechnologies for engineering plants that sequester more carbon in durable soil organic matter either underperform under variable field conditions or generate externalities that undermine long-term sustainability and equity. Closing the gap requires coordinated advances in science, systems design and enabling institutions.
climate-environment
south-america
colombia
systems
biotechnologies
engineering
plants
sequester
carbon
durable
soil
organic
matter
society-governance
enabling
solutions
under
methods
Infectious disease outbreaks near Vietnam's borders are frequently delayed in detection because neighboring health ministries use incompatible reporting systems and lack a shared, real-time data-sharing agreement.
health-biology
asia
vietnam
infectious-disease
coordinating
cross-border
outbreak
response
protocols
around
infectious
disease
outbreaks
systems
cross
society-governance
border
health
Small-scale fishers in Bangladesh often operate without formal recognition or access to credit, insurance, or market infrastructure, leaving them economically vulnerable and undercounted in fisheries policy.
economics-resources
asia
bangladesh
small-scale
formalizing
fisher
livelihoods
rights
fishers
often
operate
formal
small
scale
global-unspecified
african
informal
remains
open
South Africa, Africa
Schools in South Africa rarely have counselors trained to screen for depression, and stigma around mental illness discourages families from seeking care even where services technically exist.
social-civic-problems
africa
south-africa
depression
schools
south
addressing
untreated
adolescent
under-resourced
rarely
have
health-biology
global-unspecified
mental-health
