The most outstanding essayist of the "Investments in the Environment" track at the Open Dialogue held at the National Centre RUSSIA was Francois Ndengwe

On the second day of the Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth" at the National Centre RUSSIA, the most remarkable essays submitted by authors in each track were presented. Their works received high praise during the "Investments in the Environment" panel pitching session.

The pitching was attended by experts and the essay authors themselves, with Maria Kudryavtseva, a host on the Rossiya 24 TV channel, serving as moderator of the discussion. The "Investments in the Environment" track focused on topics such as ecology, environmental preservation, a sustainable future for the planet, rational resource use, and the fate of peoples across different continents.

Following the voting results of the panel pitching, the most outstanding essayist was recognized as the expert from France, Chair of the African Advisory Council, Francois Ndengwe. In his essay, he presented a concept for climate and energy solutions for the African continent.

"Africa needs to develop sovereign solutions in the fields of climate and energy. Africa is facing energy and climate challenges. Policies have long imposed external solutions on Africa, but the time has come for the continent to establish its own sovereign approaches. This will help Africa boost its competitiveness. The continent faces challenges such as balancing energy sovereignty with climate resilience, meeting the demand caused by national industrialization, and fighting energy poverty. Our resource-rich continent is still experiencing an energy crisis, with many people lacking access to electricity and even clean cooking methods. Africa suffers from global environmental pollution. All of this can be addressed through the creation of a new world-class organization, a body that would regulate issues related to the African continent," said Ndengwe Francois.

The use of advanced technologies in the construction and maintenance of green areas to create a comfortable environment was the theme of the essay by expert and author from Turkmenistan, Serdar Rahymov, a specialist in the media and cultural events department "Yupek Yoly" at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. He spoke about the construction of environmentally friendly cities using the example of the town of Arkadag.

"Arkadag city in Turkmenistan is environmentally friendly. Trees are planted in a circular pattern to create a clean environment. All urban transport has been replaced with electric vehicles. Together with colleagues from Japan, the city has launched the production of environmentally friendly gasoline, whose emissions do not harm the environment. Rainwater is reused for irrigation. Carbon-neutral materials were used in construction. The global community is calling for such cities to be scaled up," said Serdar Rahymov.

Among the most notable essayists of the "Investments in Environment" session were Janashantha Apeksha, Research Assistant and Vice President of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura and representative of the Young Biologists' Association of Sri Lanka; Igor Pilipenko (Russia), PhD in Economics and Head of the Laboratory of Socio-Economic Problems of Housing Policy, N.M. Rimashevskaya Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population, Federal Research Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences; Victor Jair Osorio Salamanca (Mexico), a student of the House of Culture of Mexico and Russia; and Muskan Gharge (India), Managing Director of the Young Sapiens Network.

The author of the most outstanding essay has been invited to take part in the final day of the Open Dialogue on 30 April. Other essay topics in the "Investments in Environment" track included the prioritization of green infrastructure, the use of groundwater for the replenishment of drinking water resources, the creation of comfortable housing conditions for demographic growth, and the impact of green investments on the GDP growth of Russia and BRICS+ countries.

The international project Open Dialogue "The Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth" is taking place at the National Centre RUSSIA from 28 to 30 April 2025. The event brings together international experts from leading think tanks, including 24 world-class experts, as well as from development institutions, academia, government agencies, business associations, youth organizations, science community, and media. Authors of the best essays on the future of the world from 42 countries also joined the event. The works were selected by the expert council of the National Centre RUSSIA from among 696 essays written in 18 languages. In total, the participants of the Open Dialogue represent 48 countries (all continents of the Earth.)