Ewen Le Borgne

Process Change, The Netherlands

Knowledge for Development is a tautology. Knowledge is for development. Knowledge is development. Personal, communitarian and societal development. Contrary to money and influence (coming through our personal networks), knowledge can be quickly shared and expanded, it is the most accessible route towards impact. And it is a crime not to use it, cultivate it and increase it so that we keep on addressing the grand challenges of our times, prepare for tomorrow’s gauntlets and anticipate on the promises and threats of the day after tomorrow. 

Knowledge is not only an opportunity, but also a necessity for us to get prepared and to leave a humanly, socially, economically and ecologically sound planet to our children and grandchildren. One where compassion and critical thinking go hand in hand. So how do we move forward? By personally cultivating knowledge and learning to be ever more aware, informed, and more able to make better-informed decisions now and in the future. By cultivating our collective knowledge and learning in our families and communities of adoption, as a fertile ground to lit the bulbs of our collective intelligence and capacity for action. By connecting these communities with national and global movements where our ideas, feelings, intentions, emotions gather a wider echo and start shaking the power structures that don’t want to listen or change. But really how then?

It starts with reading, talking, documenting, learning, sharing that learning and knowledge online and especially in person at all times, reflecting on ourselves and others, and on the world, listening and caring, being ever curious about one another, about everyone, because development concerns everyone and should be led by everyone, not by greedy corporations and aloof governments.

The Millennium and now the Sustainable Development Goals are diligent efforts to provide a general direction as to where we need to get with our world, but these frameworks will disappear. The Agenda Knowledge for Development is a timely and yet timeless contribution to remind everyone young and old, women and men, of all walks of life, religions, ethnic groups etc. that we have the power to influence our development, if we care to cultivate knowledge and a tender curiosity for each other, as the seed of hope for a humanity well-grounded in the universe.