A decade ago, reservoirs serving Durban, South Africa, were dangerously low. By engaging directly with community leaders, rehabilitating polluted waterways, and recognizing that small, local projects are most effective when they’re part of a regional approach, city leaders avoided disaster and improved water access. Lessons from Durban are part of a new WRI report on pathways to water resilience for African cities. The report shows how an integrated approach to urban water management improves livelihoods, protects ecosystems, and makes life better for all. Read more.

will focus on how to improve environmental sustainability with particular attention to vulnerable populations. The center is led by Cosmas Ochieng, who was formerly director of the African Natural Resources Centre at the African Development Bank.

“The circumstances of race, ethnicity, gender, social or family background cannot be allowed to continue to determine the basic opportunity for life for millions of people around the world,” Ochieng said in announcing the new center. “We must work with vulnerable populations to address economic, political and environmental inequalities that… undermine collective human welfare and ecosystem health. The Center for Equitable Development brings WRI’s reputation for high-impact research and policy engagement into this crucial work.”

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