Global Agenda Research Articles

Defending the Pluralistic Minimum Universality of Human Rights

The idea of ‘universal human rights’ has emerged as a significant topic on the global agenda with the intensification of globalisation through technological change, the spread of transport and digital communication tools, and the increased visibility of instances of gross human rights violations in diverse regions worldwide. However, the spirit of the ‘Universal Declaration of Human Rights’, which emerged in the aftermath of the wave of fascism in 20th century Europe and the devastation of the Second World War, is still unable to penetrate all parts of the world. Furthermore, the rise of authoritarian populism in recent years has the potential to lead to a retreat from the idea of universal human rights. Thusly, the main purpose of this article is to introduce a viable, effective, pluralistic and minimum universal understanding of human rights on which world public opinion can agree. Within this framework, the intellectual elements of radical universalism and radical relativism, which are the parties to the debate on the universality of human rights, have been subjected to a rigorous analysis. A philosophical discussion was held in order to put forward an understanding of human rights that is respectful of multiculturalism and does not leave individuals at the mercy of the countries and societies in which they live, and to overcome the dichotomy in question. Moreover, the possible obstacles to the implementation of human rights worldwide have been discussed and the limits and scope of the pluralistic minimum universalist understanding of human rights have been revealed.

Sustainable Supply Chain Development Strategies in the Fast Fashion Industry: A Case Study of Nike

With the acceleration of globalization, companies are increasingly concerned about environmental protection and social responsibility, and sustainable development has become an important trend in industrial development. The fast fashion industry has attracted much attention due to its rapid market response, mass production, and frequent style updates. However, its supply chain faces many challenges in terms of sustainability. Based on this background, this study delves into sustainable supply chain management in the fast fashion industry using Nike as a case study. By analyzing Nikes strategies, practices and achievements, this paper provides useful suggestions and insights for achieving sustainability in the fast fashion industry. Nike has positively contributed to supply chain sustainability by promoting a circular economy, establishing a green supply chain and optimizing inventory management. This study can provide an important reference for the sustainable development of the fast fashion industry and a guide for companies to innovate and improve continuously under the global sustainability agenda.

Environmental impacts and BIM: a Portuguese heritage case study

PurposeThis paper aims to compare the possible environmental impacts of different rehabilitation solutions proposed to a case study of a Portuguese vernacular building, bearing in mind the need to search for less impactful practices in accordance with global agendas and, simultaneously, the importance of preserving heritage assets.Design/methodology/approachThe two proposed solutions differ from each other in the selection of materials, varying from the exclusive use of conventional contemporary materials to the use of locally sourced and natural-based materials, considering the Portuguese and local scenario. Results obtained from Life Cycle Assessment procedures are the basis of comparison, which were developed using a Building Information Model (BIM)-integrated analytical plugin.FindingsProducing Heritage Building Information Model (HBIM) models was essential to the analysis, and therefore is a vital part of the used methodology; nevertheless, the modelling of heritage buildings itself plays an important part in preserving heritage assets once it provides precise documenting and managing tools. The results depict variation in values for different indicators in both cases, whose interpretation might need further development to get to deeper conclusions. It has been found that the software tools are still not well adapted to analyse heritage or historic buildings, and therefore adaptations had to take place to overcome these limitations.Originality/valueThe study distinguishes itself by involving the production of HBIM models and the use of BIM-integrated Life Cycle Assessment plugins as well as its analyses, to validate this approach.

A study into the themes of quality management: early findings from a global research project and agenda for future research

PurposeQuality management (QM) plays a pivotal role in driving organisational efforts to enhance operational efficiency and customer satisfaction. This study aims to explore the most important themes in QM over the past three decades, identifying and analysing the top ten key themes that have shaped the field during this period. This study, involving leading academics and industry practitioners, lays the groundwork for a three-to-four-year exploration of the most influential QM themes worldwide.Design/methodology/approachThe authors conducted a comprehensive review of QM literature over the last three decades from top specialist journals on QM. This is followed by conducting a global pilot survey with leading academics and practitioners to pinpoint the top ten dominant themes of QM for organisations to leverage in gaining and maintaining a competitive edge.FindingsThe top ten themes of QM, as identified by authors through input from academics and practitioners worldwide, offer valuable insights for companies of all sizes and sectors. These themes serve as a guide for the successful and sustainable implementation of QM practices and continuous improvement strategies.Research limitations/implicationsDespite a limited sample size, the initial findings provide a glimpse into critical themes. Over the next three years, as the study progresses, we anticipate potential changes in the results. Notably, the comparison of themes between manufacturing and services as well as large and small enterprises, remains unexplored in the current investigation.Originality/valueThe authors of this study assert that their research will pave the way for future themes in the digitalization era. Moreover, this research stands out as one of the most exhaustive examinations from both academic and practitioner viewpoints, offering a unique perspective not commonly found in existing literature.

A global agenda for dignity and health: a personal opinion

A global agenda for dignity and health: a personal opinion

A Bibliometric Analysis of Green Shipping: Research Progress and Challenges for Sustainable Maritime Transport

This paper aims to systematically review and analyze the literature on green shipping, focusing on research trends, key areas, and future directions. A bibliometric analysis is conducted on 1339 articles published between 2000 and 2023, using data from the SCI-EXPANDED and SSCI core collections on the Web of Science platform. Co-occurrence analyses are performed for authors, countries, institutions, and keywords. The analysis reveals exponential growth in green shipping research over the past decade, with a significant increase since 2019. China leads in publication output and international collaboration. Key research areas identified include sustainable development, green energy, green ports, and green supply chain management. Green shipping research is rapidly expanding, emphasizing sustainable practices and technological advancements. Future research is expected to integrate artificial intelligence, big data analytics, and other advanced technologies to further promote sustainability. Strengthening international cooperation and interdisciplinary integration will be crucial for advancing the global green shipping agenda.

Strategies for achieving the sustainable development goals across the wine chain: a review

In the face of escalating climate change impacts, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set forth by the United Nations present a comprehensive blueprint for achieving a better and more sustainable future for all. The wine industry, with its extensive global reach and significant economic impact, holds a unique position to contribute toward these goals. This review examines how the wine industry can, directly and indirectly, support all 17 SDGs through a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating extensive literature analysis. The study explores the alignment of wine industry practices with the SDGs across three key pillars: social, environmental, and governance goals. Social initiatives focus on enhancing livelihoods, food security, fair and safe working conditions, inclusive and ethical development among the workers and communities, education, and economic growth. Environmental efforts emphasize reducing the industry’s carbon footprint, conserving water, improving water and energy use efficiency, improving grapevine resilience against adverse environmental conditions, minimizing pollution, protecting biodiversity, creating more sustainable cities, and promoting moderate wine consumption. Governance goals highlight the importance of regulatory frameworks, wine industry standards, and stakeholder engagement in promoting sustainable, responsible and ethical practices, contributing to effective partnerships and institutional capacity. Conclusions highlight the wine industry’s commitment to sustainability as a catalyst for positive change, demonstrating that profitability and environmental stewardship can coexist. Future perspectives call for enhanced collaboration, research, education, supportive policies, robust monitoring, and equality initiatives. By embracing sustainable practices, the wine industry can play a vital role in advancing the global agenda for a more equitable, resilient, and sustainable future.

Exploring the potential of non-traditional sound absorbers to improve acoustic quality in open-plan offices

Open-plan offices are designed to promote collaboration and communication between workers, but they can be noisy and distracting, where irrelevant speech is one of the main causes of dissatisfaction and annoyance. To address the problem, synthetic sound absorbers are often used as one of the possible acoustic measures. However, these materials are typically derived from petrochemicals, demanding considerable energy for production, which conflicts with global agenda for decarbonization and circularity. Alternatively, non-traditional sound absorbers can replace synthetic ones, aiming to enhance acoustic quality in open-plan offices. In the present study, a real open-plan office was measured according to ISO 3382-3:2022, and the data was used to calibrate a room model in ODEON. Computer simulations were conducted to evaluate the room with different synthetic and non-traditional sound absorbers. It was observed that the non-traditional sound absorbers can attenuate office noise as effectively as synthetic sound absorbers, and improve acoustic quality criteria recommended by ISO 22955:2021. Auralizations were then conducted to assess the participants' auditory perception through a listening test with both types of sound absorbers. The ongoing listening test aims to determine whether the sustainable nature of non-traditional sound absorbers positively influences subjective experiences compared to their synthetic counterparts.

Quantifying energy transition vulnerability helps more just and inclusive decarbonization.

The COP28 agreement signals "beginning of the end" of the fossil fuel era, calling on countries to contribute to global efforts to transition away from fossil fuels in energy systems in a just, orderly and equitable manner. While a quantitative assessment of country's vulnerability in energy transition is a prerequisite for national and international policy makers to ensure a just and inclusive transition, it is notably absent in the existing research. Here, we develop a conceptual framework based on the vulnerability scoping diagram (VSD) method to assess differences in energy transition vulnerability across countries, with a specific focus on the challenges associated with transitioning away from fossil fuels. The resulting energy transition vulnerability index (ETVI) scores reveal that countries in the Global South generally exhibit higher vulnerability in their energy transition compared to those in the Global North, and this gap has widened over the past decade. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the decade-long trend of continuous decline in global energy transition vulnerability. This study also provides two important applications of ETVI scores, aligning them with major global sustainable development agenda. Firstly, we identify substantial differences in the dynamics of transition vulnerability across seven major party groups in the international climate change negotiations and distinguish four energy transition statuses in relation to achieving global climate goals: Stressful, Leapfrog, Potential Challenges, and Less Painful. Secondly, we demonstrate crucial synergies between energy transition resilience and the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

World Futures Day 2023 Global futures agenda by The Millennium Project

World Futures Day (WFD), the 24 h round-the-world participatory method hosted every year by The Millennium Project and others on March 1, stimulates conversations and collective intelligence on possible futures. The 2023 edition marked its tenth anniversary. The 2023 Global futures agenda coming out from the data analysis is composed of four main clusters, each listing future oriented topics and related contents. Cluster 1, Complex solutions for complex problems, includes topics such as Environmental regeneration, Predictable food systems, Energy transition, Homo Galaxia, and Synergetic relations for peace. Cluster 2, A hyper-technological humanity, includes topics such as A biological revolution, New definitions of truth, An emotional AGI, A conscious AGI, and AGI governance. Cluster 3, Education and learning for a better future, includes topics such as Intelligent agent teachers, Intergenerational storytelling, and A cultural shift to self-actualization. Cluster 4, Improving global foresight, includes topics such as Futurists as a contradiction, A new leadership agenda, Futures shapers, The power of stories, Judging trillions of scenarios, Committees and summits for the future. After discussing some changes in the contents addressed over the years and some potential next steps for the research on WFD, the conclusions report that one key takeaway from WFD 2023 is that we have a vital need for pragmatic hope.

Progress and Challenges Toward Coherence Among Disaster Risk Reduction, Climate Change Adaptation, and Sustainable Development

In 2023, which marked the midpoint of the post-2015 global agendas, the findings of midterm review process of the Sendai Framework (MTR SF) were presented. Various data demonstrate that hydro-meteorological disasters, presumably exacerbated by climate change, are increasing in frequency and intensity and causing widespread adverse impacts and associated losses, which calls for coherence among disaster risk reduction (DRR), climate change adaptation, and sustainable development. This article provides findings and recommendations through an analysis of publicly available data and reports, including monitoring for the Sendai Framework and Sustainable Development Goals as well as the MTR SF. The main findings in the MTR SF are that countries focus primarily on short- to mid-term adjustments rather than on long-term structural transformation and that policies and measures to reduce exposure are less well described. Recommendations include (i) the development of a national disaster loss database to collect data on both large- and small-scale and slow-onset disasters; (ii) the implementation of “custom indicators” to supplement the Sendai Framework Monitoring (SFM) by utilizing available loss data collection and exceptional governance measures in the case of high-impact disasters; (iii) the employment of common metrics with the SFM at the national level for climate change statistics and indicators to promote integrated data collection and coherence; (iv) the introduction of new indicators to measure and verify implementation; and (v) formulation and elaboration of a long-term comprehensive national strategy that goes beyond national DRR strategies to integrate DRR-related sectoral policies in support of relevant stakeholders, underpinned by secured resources and adaptive governance with monitoring and evaluation to enable a transformation toward more resilient and sustainable future.

Bridging the Surgical Divide: Addressing Access, Safety, Volume and Financial Burden in Mexico's Healthcare System through Global Surgery Research.

In 2008, Paul Farmer and Jim Yong Kim first referred to surgery as the "neglected stepchild of global health". Their powerful statement highlighted the critical neglect of surgical care within the global health agenda, emphasizing the urgent need for greater attention and resources. Today, this issue remains acutely relevant in Mexico, where inadequate investment, the risk of catastrophic expenditures, and limited surgical capacity continue to compromise the health and economic stability of millions. Surgical diseases remain a major cause of death and disability, particularly among the poor.

Investigating the relationship between health and gender equality: What role do maternal, reproductive, and sexual health services play?

Examining the causal nexus between health services and gender equality is of paramount significance in policy formulation and academic inquiry. This paper concentrates on maternal, sexual, and reproductive health, offering a critical narrative review of empirical research exploring the causal relationship between enhanced women's health, stemming from either overall healthcare amelioration or specific interventions, and broader gender equality objectives. A conceptual framework is devised to elucidate the causal pathways between health and gender equality across various dimensions. The final review encompasses 30 empirical papers, revealing both direct and indirect effects of improved maternal, reproductive, and sexual health outcomes on labour participation and educational investment, with fertility decisions and autonomy serving as primary intermediary factors. Evidence predominantly indicates that interventions like contraception, family planning, and abortion policies yield enduring effects beyond health, influencing reproductive choices. Specific medical procedures, such as caesarean deliveries and sterilization, also impact fertility and labour market outcomes. Furthermore, public healthcare infrastructure contributes to combating gender-based violence by facilitating incident reporting and access to protection. Recognizing, documenting, and monitoring these co-benefits arising from improved women's health are pivotal for delineating future health sector priorities and advancing the global gender equality and sustainable development agenda.

Does Board Gender Diversity Influence SDGs Disclosure? Insight from Top 15 JSE-Listed Mining Companies

An assessment was made halfway into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) agenda period, and the findings indicated a slower than anticipated pace towards the implementation of the SDGs agenda. One of the possible causes of the slower pace is a lack of strong governance mechanisms such as gender diversity, sustainability committees, and board sustainability experience in institutions. The study sought to investigate the influence of board gender diversity on SDGs disclosure amongst the top 15 JSE-listed mining companies in light of their contribution towards the attainment of this global agenda. Mining in South Africa affects about nine percent of the country’s population. The study was anchored on the agency and the stakeholder theories. This is quantitative research which employed a keyword search to measure SDGs disclosure in the annual integrated reports for the sampled companies from 2019 to 2023. The study hypothesised that there is a significant positive relationship between a female-dominated board and SDGs disclosure in the sampled companies. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, as well as regression analysis were employed. The results established a lack of significant evidence of a positive or negative relationship between gender diversity and SDGs disclosure, a significant positive relationship between board size and SDGs disclosure, and no relationship between board independence and SDGs disclosure in the sampled mining companies. It was concluded that board gender diversity in corporate boards in the top 15 JSE-listed mining companies has no impact on the SDGs disclosure. The study recommends including more moderating factors and conducting more empirical studies towards the attainment of conclusive results in this space.

Social movements and the 2030 Agenda: the correlation between the progressist agendas and the Sustainable Development Goals

Since World War II, as of the Declaration of Human Rights, several social movements have undergone restructuring, encompassing multiple agendas that have solidified as catalysts for broad social and political changes. The social movements also played an important role in defining the current global agendas, such as the 2030 Agenda. To highlight the protagonism of social movements in the current Sustainability Agenda, this research presents progressist movements that emerged from the late 1940s, establishing a correlation with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. A narrative literature review was conducted, integrating definitions, concepts, and guidelines of the social movements. The results demonstrate the considerable role of social movements in reshaping the civilizational process that led to significant societal advancements across various fronts, including gender relations, racial, labor, and environmental issues.

Urbanization moderates the transitional linkages between energy resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, socio-economic and human development: Insights from subnational analyses in China

Sustainable energy use and management are key to improving human well-being, while rapid urbanization intersecting with economic development makes it challenging. Extensive cross-national analyses on this topic can inform the global agenda; however, far fewer subnational explorations consider the impact of urbanization in moderating the relationships between energy resource use, greenhouse gas emissions, socio-economic and human development. Therefore, this research analyzed Chinese subnational data from 2000 to 2019 to reveal the dynamic relationship between energy use and objective human well-being and explored how urbanization moderated the transitional linkages from energy use to economic development to human need satisfiers and to human well-being. This research found a diminishing return from energy use (both primary energy extraction and final energy use) to the Human Development Index (HDI) from 2000 to 2019. Moreover, in later years, there was neither a linear correlation nor a log-linear relationship between energy use and HDI at the subnational level. In contrast, HDI was consistently strongly correlated with GDP per capita and household income at the subnational level in China over time. Two distinct energy-GDP pathways, i.e., high energy use-low GDP and low energy use-high GDP, were observed at the subnational level, which explained why the log-linear relationship between HDI and energy use/GHGs diminished over time. Urbanization level had a significant moderating impact on the linkages between human need satisfiers and HDI, as well as life expectancy. Subnational policies should prioritize different human need satisfiers in different urbanization periods.

The Western psychologization of global development: A cultural and decolonial approach

Euro-American psychology’s strong focus on the individual mind and behavior has become a fundamental part of global development agendas. Concepts like self-regulation, self-actualization, self-efficacy, and behavior change decorate the development discourse. Scholars term this phenomenon the “psychologization of development.” The main driver of this focus is likely rooted in the hegemonic belief that Western psychological theories are universally applicable. Yet, the discipline’s embeddedness in Euro-American imperialism, globalization, and neoliberalism makes its theories particularly un-universal and unfit in many contexts. Nevertheless, people in non-Western societies are increasingly subjected to development interventions targeting their individual behavior. Using examples from research in sub-Saharan Africa of how articulations of harmful witchcraft may increase because of development interventions that promote individualized ways of being and thinking, this article prompts a cultural and decolonial perspective to reimagine other ways of doing development.

Tourism in the polycrisis: a Horizon 2050 paper

Purpose Tourism faces a range of interconnected and potentially transformative global risks – collectively considered an evolving polycrisis – that have not been adequately defined and understood. As a result, the industry struggles to proactively anticipate and mitigate potential future challenges, while governments lack insight for strategic longer-term decision-making on tourism development. The purpose of this paper is to advance tourism sector consideration of global change threats and their complex interactions and more effectively incorporate these risks into tourism futures planning. Design/methodology/approach This conceptual gap is addressed through a discussion of the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Reports, and their definition of environmental, economic, geopolitical, societal and technological risk categories. In applying results to tourism, a preliminary expert assessment of global risks serves as a foundational framework to incorporate potential global change threats more effectively into tourism futures planning and decision-making. Findings Additional research should be prioritized to examine global risks most influential of tourism, how and where they may interact, how to convert risk categories into measurable indicators and to evaluate whether risk assessments can contribute to mitigating the evolving polycrisis. Originality/value This paper discusses the systematic and strategic engagement with global risks for tourism, critically reviews the World Economic Forum’s Global Risk Reports from tourism perspective, presents key risk dimensions driving future tourism development, provides a foundational framework to further assess global risk for tourism and compels tourism academy to prioritize global change research agenda.

Opportunities for the global climate development agenda with Net Zero in the horizon: A perspective from Central America

Net Zero pledges have become the most prominent expression of political and business commitment to climate action in the 2020s. The article examines the relevance of this policy framework within the diverse context of Central American countries, which exemplify the varied experiences of middle-income economies outside the G20. The countries in the region have crafted long-term strategies and short-term policies amid rising climate ambition under significant capability gaps and the unfulfilled promises of climate development finance. This Perspective calls on the earth system governance community to draw on evidence from a larger and more diverse set of local circumstances to define expectations of climate target setting and the integration of carbon removal into climate policy. The article highlights the continued relevance of issues like capacity gap, for instance, to complete GHG inventories or to establish a carbon removal policy. But also the importance of past failures of the climate regime, notably the unfulfilled promises of finance under the Kyoto Protocol, which continue to influence policy debates in Central America.

Incidence, Causes and Outcomes of Postpartum Hemorrhage in Eastern Ethiopia: A Multicenter Surveillance Study

Abstract Objectives Maternal mortality remains an unfinished global agenda and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) remains one of the leading causes. The aims of this study were to describe the incidence, underlying causes, and case fatality rate of PPH in public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia. Methods This study was part of a larger Ethiopian Obstetric Surveillance System (EthOSS) project — a multicenter surveillance of women admitted to 13 public hospitals in eastern Ethiopia due to any of the five major obstetric conditions: obstetric hemorrhage, eclampsia, uterine rupture, sepsis, and severe anemia – conducted from April 1, 2021 to March 31, 2022. All registers in maternity units of those hospitals were reviewed to identify eligible women and collect data on sociodemographic and obstetric characteristics, management and maternal outcomes at discharge or death. Findings were reported using descriptive statistics. Results Among 38,782 births registered during the study period, 2043 women were admitted with at least one of the five major obstetric conditions. Of these 2043, 306 women (15%) had PPH corresponding with an incidence rate of 8 (95% CI: 7–9) per 1000 births. Uterine atony was the main underlying cause in 77%; 81% of women with PPH received at least one uterotonic drug, and 72% of women for whom blood was requested received at least one unit. Of the 70 hospital based maternal deaths, 19 (27%) died from PPH, making a case fatality rate of 6 per 100. Conclusions Although the overall incidence of PPH appeared low, it was still the underlying cause of death in one out of four women who died. The contributing factors might be that one in five women with PPH did not receive any uterotonic drug and the low blood transfusion. Ongoing audit, followed by targeted action, is essential to improve care quality and reduce adverse maternal outcome. The relatively low incidence may reflect under-recording in paper-based records, implying that further research into methods to optimize the surveillance is needed.