COGITO

Mining standards: Turning opportunity into local-development reality

Reading Time: 3 minutesIt is the “paradox of proximity”: communities nearest a mine feel its impacts first, yet often lack the skills, finance or infrastructure to secure jobs and contracts. How can these opportunities be turned into outcomes?

La economía social y solidaria en Cataluña: claves del éxito

Reading Time: 4 minutesLa economía social y solidaria catalana no nació solo de la ley: desde 2016, catorce “Ateneus Cooperatius” y redes comunitarias han creado más de 1100 cooperativas. ¿Bastará ahora la política para sostener lo que crearon?

When the copper party ends… can mining regions make the gains last?

Reading Time: 3 minutesCopper booms do not last for ever. Prices rise, investment pours in and mining regions expand. Then the cycle turns. The obvious question for places that depend on mining is: what remains when it does?

How cities borrow ideas and make them work locally

Reading Time: 4 minutesCities often look to one another for solutions to challenges ranging from housing shortages and climate risks to infrastructure pressures and social inequalities. How can cities bridge the gap between inspiration and implementation?

The social and solidarity economy in Catalonia: Secrets to success

Reading Time: 4 minutesCatalonia’s social and solidarity economy wasn’t built by legislation alone: fourteen Cooperative Hubs and community networks came first, creating over 1,100 cooperatives since 2016. As legal recognition arrives, can policy alone sustain what communities already built?

Beyond buffaloes: Building a social enterprise in Laos

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn rural Laos, Laos Buffalo Dairy rents pregnant buffaloes from farmers, supporting rural families while producing milk commercially, sustaining livelihoods without disrupting traditional local farming practices. But can shared value be a lasting business model?

Putting people at the heart of Ukraine’s recovery

Reading Time: 5 minutesIn Ivano-Frankivsk, Promprylad Foundation retrains displaced people, veterans and women for in-demand local jobs, supporting 30,000+ people and 600+ new jobs since 2022. Can community-led models like this reshape how we think about post-war economic recovery?

Can MENA’s digital finance boom close the gender gap?

Reading Time: 4 minutesAsk whether digital finance is helping women entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) overcome old barriers and the honest answer is: both, at the same time. But is access enough to drive real growth?

¿Cómo puede Colombia construir una sociedad del cuidado que funcione para las personas y los territorios?

29 January 2026 Natalia Moreno Salamanca - (Ministry of Equality and Equity of Colombia)

Reading Time: 4 minutesEn Colombia, más de 17 millones de personas, casi un tercio de la población, requieren cuidados o apoyo diario. Construir sistemas de cuidado sostenibles requiere coordinación entre sectores y niveles de gobierno, con base en principios de colaboración, descentralización y corresponsabilidad. Pero el esfuerzo vale la pena: garantizar el derecho al cuidado no es solo una obligación moral, sino un camino hacia comunidades más fuertes e inclusiva.

How can Colombia build a caring society that works for people and places?

28 January 2026 Natalia Moreno Salamanca - (Ministry of Equality and Equity of Colombia)

Reading Time: 3 minutesIn Colombia, more than 17 million people, nearly a third of the population, require daily care or support. Many of these children, adolescents, older adults, and people with disabilities are supported by more than 7 million unpaid caregivers. Building sustainable care systems requires coordination across sectors and levels of government, based on principles of collaboration, decentralisation, and shared responsibility.

COGITO Talks… Roots of Wisdom: Indigenous perspectives for policymakers

21 January 2026 Edson Krenak - (Cultural Survival) and Adwoa Serwaa Ofori - (University College Dublin)

Reading Time: 10 minutesThe 2025 OECD Report Reinforcing Rural Resilience reveals that OECD regions have seen a significant loss of forests, with approximately 10% of their forest cover disappearing between 2000 and 2020. To discuss solution-based approaches to this issue, we do not need to necessarily turn to new innovations or technologies, but rather we can look to past wisdom of indigenous knowledge in how to care for nature in a long-sustaining manner.

COGITO Talks… From vanishing villages to vital visions: The future of rural Kazakhstan

16 January 2026 Zhanerke Kochiigit - (Nazarbayev University)

Reading Time: 10 minutesIn 11 of the 29 OECD countries included in the OECD Reinforcing Rural Resilience report, rural populations are declining. Discussing all things decentralisation, digitalisation and democracy in Kazakhstan, Shayne MacLachlan from the OECD has a conversation with Zhanerke Kochiigit. This conversation took place at the 2025 OECD Latin American Rural Development Conference, Rural-Urban Connections: Pathways to Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Have a listen.

Forging a child-friendly future for Tokyo

15 January 2026 Yuriko Koike - (Governor of Tokyo)

Reading Time: 4 minutesIn recent years, birth rates have been declining worldwide. But children are society’s treasure, and their radiant faces are hope for the future. That is why it is crucial for those of us here today to have a solid “strategy” and maintain a strong “will” to prepare an environment where those who wish to have and raise children can feel confident about doing so, and where children can grow up healthy and strong.

Greater Paris Metropolis: Powering the local digital transition

13 January 2026 Geoffroy Boulard - (17e Arrondissement)

Reading Time: 4 minutesFrance is now sixth in the European rankings of countries with the most smart cities – and the Greater Paris area is leading the charge. Innovation is no longer optional for municipalities facing complex social and environmental challenges. It is now essential for cities build on the lessons from early pilots and to deliver transformative long-term digital strategies for the benefit of all.

Métropole du Grand Paris : accélérer la transition numérique des territoires