Looking ahead to the Summit of the Future in September 2024, the question of what kind of world we leave to our descendants concerns us all. The Signals Spotlight identifies some of the areas where our legacy to future generations is in doubt – and asks what that means for development.

The themes in the Spotlight come directly from the observations of UNDP’s staff on the ground, a global network of “signal scanners” who scan the horizon for signs of change. It’s a conversation starter; the reader is encouraged to dip into chapters and ask: are the signals of change which UNDP is noticing novel, or already familiar? And what might they mean for development?