Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving informal workers losing income fast. 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.
informal
workers
losing
income
fast
economics-resources
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving fast food cheaper than healthy food. 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.
food
fast
cheaper
healthy
scaling
social-civic-problems
e-waste growing fast 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.
waste
growing
fast
creating
practical
climate-environment
clothes being thrown away fast 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.
clothes
being
thrown
away
fast
other
Future progress on human development and planetary health depends on solving fast fashion creating waste. 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.
fast
fashion
creating
waste
building
climate-environment
Addressing ageing population growing fast 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.
ageing
population
growing
fast
2030
mathematics-logic
Automated financial, information, military, and infrastructure systems may act in milliseconds while democratic institutions deliberate over months. The challenge is designing pre-authorized constraints, real-time oversight, and meaningful accountability. 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.
society-governance
democratic
oversight
systems
operating
faster
legislatures
low-income
communities
automated
financial
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
public
quantum
infrastructure
governance
Traditional credentials are too slow for rapidly changing technical work, while unverified short courses create noise. Future education needs trustworthy, modular, employer-connected, and worker-controlled skill validation. 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.
social-civic-problems
training
systems
update
faster
occupations
change
low-income
communities
work
create
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
society-governance
quantum
infrastructure
science-space
The problem of greenland ice melting faster 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.
greenland
ice
melting
faster
scaling
other
fake news spreading faster than truth 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.
fake
news
spreading
faster
truth
other
Addressing groundwater being extracted faster than it can recharge 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.
groundwater
being
extracted
faster
recharge
mathematics-logic
Climate events, cyberattacks, and conflict can demand action faster than standard legislative processes allow. The open problem is creating emergency authorities with strong checks, expiration rules, and public review. This becomes particularly difficult in informal settlements, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
climate-environment
africa
nigeria
institutions
informal
settlements
designing
democratic
high-speed
crisis
response
public
climate
society-governance
governance
high
open
Mexico, North America
As identity, payments, records, and service portals become central to state capacity, failures will produce large-scale disputes. The unresolved problem is setting up fast, fair, and trusted systems to resolve them. This becomes particularly difficult in informal settlements, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
north-america
mexico
state-capacity
institutions
public
informal
settlements
creating
dispute
resolution
digital
infrastructure
fair
systems
technology-computing
governance
Urban growth, migration, and climate change will outpace traditional master planning. The challenge is designing governance that can revise land use, service delivery, and infrastructure priorities continuously without becoming arbitrary. This becomes particularly difficult in post-conflict institutions, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
asia
bangladesh
climate-change
institutions
governance
change
post-conflict
building
cities
faster
plans
urban
growth
public
climate-environment
systems
conflict
Public services will increasingly depend on rapidly updated models and decision pipelines. The unresolved problem is keeping these systems lawful, understandable, and corrigible as they evolve faster than formal regulations. This becomes particularly difficult in informal settlements, because public institutions must remain fair, resilient, and accountable while adapting to new risks.
society-governance
africa
nigeria
public
services
informal
settlements
designing
adaptable
governance
emerging
will
increasingly
systems
institutions
technology-computing
AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. The approach must scale before formal institutions, infrastructure, and land-use systems fully catch up with population growth. 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.
mathematics-logic
asia
india
ai-designed
standards
proteins
rapidly
urbanizing
regions
deployment
approach
biological
technology-computing
society-governance
economics-resources
climate-environment
systems
infrastructure
AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. Affected communities must have meaningful control over data, revenue, deployment decisions, and the right to refuse harmful applications. 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.
mathematics-logic
ai-designed
deployment
standards
proteins
community
ownership
biological
molecules
may
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
infrastructure
quantum
science-space
open
South Africa, Africa
AI-designed biological molecules may be created faster than their safety, ecological, and clinical properties can be characterized. The open problem is building evaluation pipelines proportionate to capability and deployment risk. The design must remain functional when standards, trade routes, data access, and diplomatic cooperation are unreliable. 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.
mathematics-logic
africa
south-africa
standards
ai-designed
proteins
under
geopolitical
fragmentation
deployment
biological
molecules
technology-computing
economics-resources
climate-environment
society-governance
systems
infrastructure
As benefits move online, errors can become opaque and difficult to reverse. The challenge is creating fast, accessible grievance systems that help ordinary people correct eligibility mistakes without requiring legal expertise. The challenge is especially acute in informal settlements, where legacy systems, coordination failures, and weak oversight can magnify harm.
technology-computing
asia
indonesia
systems
grievance
informal
settlements
trustworthy
redress
digital
welfare
benefits
move
society-governance
public
climate-environment
across
economics-resources
open
Brazil, South America
Disasters, conflicts, and public-health crises force governments to buy quickly, often with reduced oversight. The open problem is building emergency procurement systems that are fast enough for crises but transparent enough to prevent leakage, favoritism, and fraud. The challenge is especially acute across fragmented municipalities, where legacy systems, coordination failures, and weak oversight can magnify harm.
society-governance
south-america
brazil
emergency
procurement
fragmented
municipalities
preventing
corruption
crises
oversight
systems
enough
across
technology-computing
public
climate-environment
climate