“We believe all people should have the opportunity to reach their full potential, contribute to society, and have voice in the decisions that affect them.

We believe the best way to achieve these goals is to encourage initiatives by those living and working closest to where problems are located; to promote collaboration among the nonprofit, government and business sectors; and to ensure participation by men and women from diverse communities and all levels of society. In our experience, such activities help build common understanding, enhance excellence, enable people to improve their lives and reinforce their commitment to society”.

“Our mission is to build a fairer, more sustainable world, using evidence, action and influence in partnership with others. As an independent international research organisation, we are specialists in linking local to global. In Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America, the Middle East and the Pacific, we work with some of the world’s most vulnerable people to ensure they have a say in the policy arenas that most closely affect them — from village councils to international conventions. Through close collaboration with partners at the grassroots, we make our research and advocacy relevant to their needs and alive to their realities.”

“A world in which everybody can build an independent livelihood, that is our ideal. And that is why support people in developing countries working on their own future. A matter of justice.”

“The Christensen Fund believes in the power of biological and cultural diversity to sustain and enrich a world faced with great change and uncertainty.  We focus on the “bio-cultural” – the rich but neglected adaptive interweave of people and place, culture and ecology.  The Fund’s mission is to buttress the efforts of people and institutions who believe in a biodiverse world infused with artistic expression and work to secure ways of life and landscapes that are beautiful, bountiful and resilient.”

“The United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) is amongst the newest in the network of research and training centres within the UNU system . The Institute conducts research, postgraduate education and capacity development, both in-house and in cooperation with an interactive network of academic institutions and international organizations.

The thematic direction of our research concerns the interaction of social and natural systems. Thus, our research combines the social sciences with some of the physical and life sciences and is aimed at the development of informed policy-making to address global concerns.”