“The greatest challenge we have today is that we have a world that is pushing back on rights,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), at the Wilson Center. [Video Below]

Adaptation, mitigation, or suffering – those are the three choices people the world over face when confronted with climate change, wrote guest contributor Paul Wapner in one of last month’s most popular posts. Joining him were new posts on population, climate, and peacebuilding efforts in Africa and how “smart city” technologies are being applied in growing urban areas around the world.

Over the last two decades, social accountability has emerged as a strategy to make health services more responsive to community needs. It’s an approach that creates a space for “interaction between citizen engagement and government responsiveness,” said Jonathan Fox, professor of international development at American University at the Wilson Center May 5. [Video Below]

Have we seen enough of climate change to call it a “catalyst for conflict?” A panel of retired U.S. military leaders think so in a new report from CNA launched at the Wilson Center last month.

Water and women were common themes among the blog’s most popular posts last month.

On the aquatic front, USAID launched a new water and conflict toolkit, guest contributor Cameron Harrington took on the concept of impending “water wars,” and Keith Schneider introduced the “Choke Point: India” project.

Last month brought a slew of major stories, including guest contributor François Gemenne’s take on a new direction for climate change and conflict research, a breakdown of climate change in the U.S. Quadrennial Defense Review, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah speaking at the Wilson Center about public-private partnerships. Our sister program, the China Environment Forum, also had a great showing with a new video featurette, infographic, and report launch on the potential of renewable energy.

The Wilson Center’s Urban Sustainability Laboratory, in partnership with USAID, International Housing Coalition, World Bank, and Cities Alliance, is pleased to announce the 5th Annual Urban Poverty Paper Competition for graduate students. The competition calls on students currently enrolled in a Master’s or PhD program to submit paper abstracts on topics relating to urban poverty in the developing world.

“Population was long perceived as mainly an issue in terms of people’s resource appetites: more people means more demand for stuff,” said The New York Times’ Andrew Revkin in an interview last month. “But in vulnerable places it actually means a bigger exposure to hazard.”