Many members of the international community are looking for a leader they can count on to carry the torch on the Sustainable Development Agenda. Could it be Germany, the third largest donor for development assistance after the U.S. and the United Kingdom, and its chancellor, who has taken a stand on issues ranging from climate change to the refugee crisis?

When he leaves the Oval Office this month, he will have safeguarded more of the ocean than any other president, and increased the amount of protected waters around the U.S. by 20 times. His administration has also worked to improve American fisheries, clamp down on illegal fishing, and create national policies for protecting the oceans. Such measures are vital at a time when the oceans are imperiled by many threats.

China, as befits its status as a current major world power, should play a significant role, both behind the scenes and in front of them, in establishing a new order in Syria. Careful and thoughtful Chinese diplomacy, in conjunction with efforts by the other interested nations, can also create a foundation for a more peaceful Middle East and North African region in the medium- to long-term.

Past presidents have tried to use "soft power" strategies to bolster the United States' cultural appeal abroad and lend moral weight to the country's standing as the free world's leading alternative to communist or authoritarian systems. Such tactics are not a substitute for military and economic "hard power," foreign affairs analysts said, but can help shape global perceptions of the United States and its motives.

New solar technology is poised to provide cheap power to many of the 600 million people in Africa who lack access to reliable electricity. Innovation in “off-grid” solar power is becoming accessible to even the most remote communities for less than a half dollar a day. [...] The company received $50 million in financing from the U.S. government’s Overseas Private Investment Corporation, as part of President Obama’s Power Africa initiative.

A year after COP21 and the adoption of the Paris Agreement, international policymakers are still struggling to convert targets into action. This is clearly indicated by the title of the recent followup COP in Marrakech: Turn the Promise of Paris into Action. But as the international community putters along, cities and local communities are already staking out the front lines of the fight against climate change.

A diverse group of global stakeholders -- businesses, national governments, non-profits and universities, and so many others -- are embracing the transition away from carbon intensive energy and toward an economy built on clean energy technologies.