Welcome to New World Spring 2012

Those of us who are most concerned with the state of the world worry about the effect of the global economic crisis on poorer countries. Since the turn of the century, events have reinforced nationalistic tendencies - now that we feel poorer ourselves, what impact is this having on sustainable development?

This issue of New World examines some of the hurdles that lie ahead in the quest for a sustainable future. In our editorial and scene-setter, UNA-UK's Chairman Sir Jeremy Greenstock and Natalie Samarasinghe, call on governments and publics to resist the growing pressure to pursue narrow national agendas. Mark Malloch-Brown, a former UN Deputy Secretary-General, meanwhile, considers the impact of the eurozone crisis on multilateral institutions.

This issue's op eds offer a range of ideas ahead of the June 2012 'Rio+20' summit. UNEP's Achim Steiner reflects on the Durban climate conference, whilst other contributions focus on urban planning, healthcare and environmental management. We also consider different ways to measure countries' development.

All those interested in contributing to this debate should take part in our UN Forum on 14 July - a ' must' for anyone who believes that promoting sustainable, equitable and peaceful development is both possible and necessary.

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