ON the second day of the Open Dialogue "Future of the World: New Platform for Global Growth" at the National Centre "Russia," the most outstanding essays by authors who participated in each track were presented.

Their works were highly rated following the panel pitching "Investment in Environment."

The pitching took place with the participation of experts and the essay authors, with Maria Kudryavtseva, host of the Russia 24 TV channel, moderating the discussion. The themes of the "Investment in Environment" track included ecology, environmental preservation, the sustainable future of the planet, rational use of resources, and the destinies of peoples on different continents.

During the voting following the panel pitching, Francois Ndengwe, the expert from France and chairman of the African Advisory Council, was recognised as the most outstanding essayist.

In his essay, he presented a concept for climate and energy solutions for the African continent.

"Africa needs to develop sovereign solutions in climate and energy.

Africa faces energy and climate challenges. Policies have imposed solutions on Africa from outside, but the time has come for Africa to develop its sovereign solutions. This will help Africa increase its competitiveness.

Africa faces issues such as balancing energy sovereignty and climate resilience; meeting demand associated with the country's industrialisation; and combating energy poverty.

There is still an energy crisis on our continent, which is full of resources, and many people do not have access to electricity or even clean cooking methods. Africa suffers from global environmental pollution. Solving all this will require creating a new world-class organisation, a body regulating issues of the African continent," said Ndengwe Francois.

The use of advanced technologies in construction and the use of green zones to create a comfortable environment became the topic of the essay by an expert and author from Turkmenistan, Serdar Rahymov, a specialist of the Media and Cultural Events Department "Yupek Yoly" of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan. He spoke about constructing environmentally friendly cities using the example of the settlement of Arkadag.

"The city of Arkadag in Turkmenistan is environmentally clean. Trees are planted in a circular pattern to create a clean environment. All city transport has been replaced with electric vehicles. Together with colleagues from Japan, the city has launched the production of environmentally friendly gasoline, the emissions of which do not pollute the environment.

Rainwater is reused for irrigation. Construction uses materials that leave no carbon footprint. The global community has a demand for scaling such cities," said Serdar Rahymov.

Among the most outstanding essayists of the "Investment in Environment" session were also: Janashantha Apeksha, Research Assistant, Vice President of the University of Sri Jayawardenepura, representative of the Association of Young Biologists of Sri Lanka; Igor Pilipenko (Russia), PhD, Head of the Laboratory of Socio-Economic Problems of Housing Policy at the N.M. Rimashevskaya Institute of Socio-Economic Problems of Population, FCTAS RAS; Victor Jair Osorio Salamanca (Mexico), student at the House of Culture of Mexico and Russia; and Muskan Gharge (India), Managing Director of Young Sapiens Network.

The author of the most outstanding essay has been invited to participate in the final day of the Open Dialogue on April 30.

Other topics in the "Investment in Environment" track essays included prioritising green infrastructure, using groundwater to renew drinking water resources, creating 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 "Future of the World. New Platform for Global Growth" is being held at the National Centre "Russia" from April 28 to 30, 2025.

It is attended by international experts from leading analytical centres, including 24 world-class experts, development institutes, higher education, government institutions, business associations, youth organisations, science, and journalism.

Authors of the best essays on the world's future from 42 countries have also joined the event. The NC "Russia" expert council selected the works from among 696 essays written in 18 languages. The Open Dialogue participants represent 48 countries (all continents of the Earth).