Trust Isn’t Automatic, It Has to Be Earned | Dr. Simone Sandholz, UNU-EHS

That’s a very good question. You mentioned I’m with the United Nations, which has offices across many countries.

Personally, I’m based in Bonn, Germany. Our institute, UNU-EHS, is located on the UN Campus in Bonn.

United Nations University has multiple offices worldwide, with our headquarters in Tokyo.

I’m actually not even from a town, I’m from a small village. I was born and raised in Germany, about 100 kilometres from where I live now.

It’s a village of around 800 people.

I think it does for most people. When you grow up in nature, you naturally embrace it.

Even though I lived in a village, we had towns nearby, and as a child, you develop a natural preference for beautiful, green spaces.

I’m happy to. The United Nations University is unique because it belongs to the UN system but also functions as a university.

It was founded in the 1970s as a think tank for the UN.

Each of our institutes around the world acts like a faculty within a university. They are spread across different countries, each focusing on specific topics.

Our institute in Bonn works on environment and human security. That includes issues like climate change and disaster risk reduction.

We operate under three pillars: research, policy work, and education.

We also offer a Master’s programme in collaboration with the University of Bonn. It’s the Master’s in Geography of Environmental Risks and Human Security.

The programme attracts a very international group of students and has been very successful.

I wish we did! And since I’m talking to someone from India, where many universities have large, beautiful campuses, I can say that it’s quite different here.

In Germany, universities are often integrated into the cities rather than having a single campus.

So our students attend lectures both at the University of Bonn and here at what’s called the UN Campus.

But really, the UN Campus is made up of former government buildings from West Germany, from before reunification. These buildings have now been repurposed for UN offices, including UNU-EHS.

Thank you for asking, that gives me a great opportunity to talk about our Master’s programme! Students can apply through our website, unu.edu/ehs.

All the details are available there, including deadlines and eligibility.

The application window usually opens in autumn. It’s a competitive selection process, but we particularly encourage students from low and middle income countries.

Many of them qualify for scholarships provided by the German Academic Exchange Service.

The programme welcomes students from various backgrounds, not just geography. It’s a diverse and international group, which makes the learning environment really vibrant.

That’s a lovely way of putting it, thank you. I initially chose architecture because I was fascinated by buildings and how to design them sustainably.

During my studies, though, I realised that most of the assignments were focused on idealised designs, like creating an opera house in a remote location. That made me question the real world impact of such work.

I found myself more interested in how cities actually function and how people live in them.

This led me to shift toward resource management and eventually earn a PhD in urban geography.

That moment, when I realised I cared more about the people and the systems that shape our urban life than just the buildings, was a turning point.

I became more focused on open spaces, mobility, infrastructure, and how we can improve collective urban living.

One key influence was definitely my background in architecture. Designing a building isn’t just about functionality, it also requires a creative, even artistic, approach.

That blend of practicality and inspiration has stayed with me.

Even as a researcher now, I believe that how we communicate and disseminate our work matters a lot. Over time, I’ve felt the need to explore more creative and engaging ways of sharing research.

We’ve started experimenting with different formats that connect more deeply with people’s daily lives. One example, visible in the background of my screen, is a project that reflects this creative side. Photography, yes.

Besides traditional research methods like interviews or focus group discussions, we’re increasingly exploring artistic methods to capture messages from people.

Photography is one of the most powerful tools we’ve found for that purpose.

In fact, these photos you see behind me are from a project I’m currently involved in. It’s called Transformative Urban Coalitions, a six year initiative supported by the International Climate Initiative of the German government.

As the name suggests, the project is about bringing together the various people needed to create more sustainable cities. It’s not just about politicians, although they play a crucial role.

It also includes citizens, communities, and local stakeholders.

We’re working to create inclusive spaces where everyone can meet, build trust, and contribute to shared urban goals.

This work is happening in five cities across Latin America, and we’re about halfway through the project.

One of the key approaches we use is tactical urbanism. This involves temporary, low cost changes to the built environment, like transforming a street corner into a pedestrian friendly or child friendly area.

The idea is to co-design these changes based on a common vision for the neighbourhood. It’s not always easy.

Different people have different priorities. Someone might care about traffic, another about green spaces.

But if we can agree on a shared long term vision, say, what we want our city to look like in 30 years, then it’s easier to align short term actions today.

And when we appeal to people’s emotions and imagination, not just statistics and policy, it becomes much easier to build that shared vision.

That’s so inspiring, and I think that’s exactly it. You just nailed it.

It really starts with someone taking the initiative and owning a space. Once that happens, others follow, and eventually, it becomes a true community effort.

It’s deeply rewarding because it brings people closer together. In today’s world, many people live in silos.

We see nuclear families, limited interaction, and minimal connection between neighbours or companies. That’s why public spaces often get neglected.

But if we want to become more environmentally conscious, we need to step out into these spaces and start doing things together as a community.

From our institute’s perspective, especially in climate change and disaster risk reduction, this kind of community action is vital.

It may seem like people are just gathering to play guitar, as you said beautifully, but there’s a deeper layer. Cleaning garbage, rethinking how spaces are used, making places greener, these are all sustainability actions.

And even if we don’t call them that, intuitively, people are engaging in nature based solutions. Stronger community ties can also reduce disaster risks.

Greening spaces or managing waste helps protect areas from floods or urban heat.

The act of people coming together and caring for their environment has real, measurable benefits.

During your programmes, when you combine cleanup with tree planting, you’re creating healthier ecosystems. That draws in biodiversity, birds, butterflies, and improves urban resilience.

First of all, yes, it sounds great, and it is! It might sound a bit intimidating too, but it’s also part of a thoughtful strategy.

In the Transformative Urban Coalitions project, we’re working with Dirk Wilutzky and Mathilde Bonnefoy, a German and a French filmmaker who won the Oscar for Best Documentary a couple of years back.

They joined our project and began capturing short documentaries, 10 to 15 minutes long, featuring voices of international leaders in urban climate action.

Then we extended the scope. Now these films also feature voices from the communities we’re working in.

The idea is to bridge both worlds, the global and the local. It’s a way to educate, inspire, and showcase real life solutions.

One story is about waste picking in a city in Brazil, just like what you mentioned in Mumbai. Another shows how communities are rethinking transportation.

These films are powerful. People speak directly into the camera, sharing their journeys and challenges.

They express their hopes and ideas about what needs to change. And you can see how the small actions of individuals and communities can add up to global transformation.

Yes, the documentaries are available for everyone to watch. They’re hosted on our website and also on our YouTube channel. I should promote them more often!

The project website is urbancoalitions.org.

Since we are working primarily with cities in Latin America, the videos are available in English, with subtitles in Spanish and Portuguese. It would be great if you could include a link with the podcast, thank you for that.

In my work, I focus on linking local needs to global climate action. This is shaped by the broader context of the UN system.

Most of us have heard about frameworks like the Paris Agreement for climate action, the Sendai Framework for disaster risk reduction, and the Sustainable Development Goals.

While these are global in nature, they are implemented nationally and most effectively at the local level.

That’s where our work comes in. Our research aims to bridge this gap by asking what can be done locally that aligns with global frameworks.

It’s a two way process. We translate global frameworks into locally appropriate actions while also feeding local experiences back into global discussions.

That’s one of the most rewarding aspects of my work with the institute, seeing how diverse cultures and geographies adapt and interpret these global goals in unique, community based ways.

Let me start with the urban labs. This approach became more widely recognised in the past decade, especially in Europe and North America.

Traditionally, researchers would collect data from communities in a more extractive way, by observing or measuring, about something rather than with someone.

Urban labs shift that. They’re about co-creation, where research, policy, and community action work hand in hand.

One example is an urban lab in a marginalised area of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This area had already developed an “environmental table”, a local group focused on making the neighbourhood more environmentally friendly. We built on that by setting up an urban lab.

In this space, city officials, residents, community organisations, activists, and even a local filmmaker came together.

They worked to identify problems, co-develop solutions, and take collective action.

As researchers, we participate not just by observing but by contributing knowledge and helping structure the process.

This includes working closely with local researchers to ensure cultural and contextual relevance. We also work closely with local universities.

In the urban lab, researchers bring analytical tools and datasets to inform and strengthen the process. Our expertise allows us to interpret data and offer insights that help the lab evolve and support long term urban development.

At the same time, we are also collecting data within the urban lab. This includes participatory observation, where a local researcher attends meetings and observes how community interactions shift over time.

These changes in engagement styles may seem subtle, but they are incredibly important. They shape how future generations take part in local decision making, often giving them a stronger voice and a place at the table.

Urban labs are essentially spaces for interaction. As researchers, we contribute to them, but we also learn from them.

We gather insights, analyse them, and then return the findings to the group. This helps shape solutions that are both data informed and locally grounded.

Over time, this process has led to publications and presentations at international conferences, where we’ve even included community members so they can share their experiences directly.

These urban labs become platforms for wider dialogue. They not only connect stakeholders within a city but also allow communities to learn from others globally.

This kind of exchange is critical, not only for Latin America but for cities everywhere.

The way people live, interact, and connect with their surroundings plays a central role in shaping inclusive, resilient cities. That idea brings me back to my PhD work.

I explored how people relate to their cities and how much value they assign to their surroundings.

My background in architecture and conservation led me to study emotional and cultural connections to urban spaces, places of memory and meaning. These could be open spaces, buildings, or even everyday practices like cleaning or playing music.

Once a space becomes personally meaningful, people naturally want to invest more in it. That sense of ownership can unify a community.

Absolutely. When it comes to the data we collect, we make a point to share it widely.

Yes, we publish academic papers and present at conferences, but we also focus on reaching policymakers. That’s one of the core mandates of UNU-EHS and of my research team.

We don’t keep the data locked in technical documents. We translate it into formats that are accessible and actionable for different audiences.

Of course, academic research often stays within a small circle.

That’s why we want to partner with professionals from different sectors, academia, policy, and business. Working together, we can turn this knowledge into concrete change.

It’s about mobilising insight into collective action, and that’s where real transformation happens.

We recently completed a very meaningful project focused on a new area within international climate action, loss and damage. You might already be familiar with climate mitigation and adaptation.

Loss and damage is now emerging as a third critical stream, acknowledging that some climate induced disasters will cause unavoidable harm, and we must find ways to address and compensate for that.

In this project, we studied cities across different continents, with a particular focus on informal settlements. These communities are often the most affected by disasters.

People living in informal areas usually occupy marginal lands, flood prone zones or unstable slopes, because they have no other choice. At the same time, they often lack access to formal social protection systems.

We produced a comprehensive policy report of around 80 to 100 pages. It’s not just academic research but also tailored for practical use.

We understood that policymakers are often very busy, so we created condensed versions, two to three page summaries, and developed targeted recommendations.

There are about 20 actionable suggestions from this project, addressing different levels of governance, international, national, local, and civil society.

Yes, I’m involved in collaborations with other UN bodies like UNDRR and UNCCD. Our institute is mandated to support such collaborations, and we actively work with several UN entities.

A key milestone for me came even before I joined UNU.

At the time, I was working with a German university, and we partnered with UNEP, the United Nations Environment Programme.

Together, we developed a master’s module on ecosystem based disaster risk reduction. This included reforestation, flood retention strategies, and other nature based interventions.

We collaborated with about 15 to 18 universities worldwide.

That experience was incredibly powerful. We created open source teaching materials that anyone can use globally.

Just last week, I heard from a former colleague that the follow up MOOC, a Massive Open Online Course, based on that content has reached over 100,000 students.

That was a defining moment for me. It showed me that even as a young lecturer, I could contribute meaningfully to global change by collaborating with this extended family of experts.

I contributed to that initiative and stayed involved. At some point, I was offered the opportunity to join the United Nations University.

That was already seven or eight years ago. Even within UNU, my journey continued to evolve.

A few years in, I was asked to build and lead a team focused on cities and urban research.

At that time, cities were acknowledged as important, but not yet a central part of the agenda.

Given that more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, we made urban research more prominent. This transition was gradual.

I was supported by colleagues and also motivated by the increasing demand from other UN organisations.

For instance, our work with UNCCD on urban land restoration is a recent and exciting development. We’re now co-developing a new teaching module aimed at architects and urban planners, integrating restoration and nature based solutions into their training.

As we touched on briefly, the loss and damage topic is now increasingly being discussed. I think it has been on the agenda since 2003, when it was first mentioned at one of the international climate conferences.

Last year, at the COP, the Fund for responding to Loss and Damage received its first financial pledges. That was a major milestone.

Countries recognised that climate induced losses and damages are real and that we particularly need to help the most vulnerable countries, which are suffering from climate change more than others already today.

The creation of the fund is a big win, but the challenge now is in developing effective mechanisms for disbursing that support.

There are many experts from the finance community working on how these funds will be distributed.

At our institute, we also have colleagues focused on climate finance. My role is more from the urban angle.

As urbanisation accelerates, cities are receiving more people displaced by disasters. We need to prepare cities for that future.

Our recent work includes two studies. We focused on the impacts of disasters on people living in urban informal settlements.

We also explored the mechanisms that already exist to support these communities before, during, and after such events.

Importantly, we examined how to align these efforts with access to future funding from the Loss and Damage Fund. A key recommendation is to build on existing knowledge and data.

Much of this data goes beyond official census records.

Informal communities often know their challenges intimately, but they remain blank spots on many maps. That needs to change for them to benefit from international support mechanisms.

Exactly. It’s about connecting the dots and valuing that specific local knowledge.

Internationally, we often speak about indigenous and local knowledge, but it’s that very grounded local understanding that bridges global frameworks with real action.

We’re recording this shortly after the UN Summit of the Future in New York, where that exact local knowledge featured quite prominently in the final declaration.

From a disaster risk reduction perspective, knowing where people gather is crucial. These spaces can act as emergency meeting points, or areas to distribute relief during a crisis.

This local data, collected through crowdsourcing, can serve many critical purposes. The key is creating systems that can channel and apply that data effectively.

What makes it even more powerful is the network effect.

If a disaster strikes, one message through the app can instantly reach citizen leaders across different regions. These leaders, who are embedded within their communities, are often more trusted and can act swiftly.

That’s the future of responsive disaster management.

For me personally, the most rewarding aspect is seeing change happen at the local level.

Beyond the research and publications, it’s knowing we’ve helped improve lives on the ground. It also builds trust.

In contrast to extractive research practices, where outsiders collect data and disappear, we aim to build lasting partnerships with communities. A good example is from Buenos Aires.

The informal settlement there, supported by local researchers from our partners at IIED América Latina, applied for recognition and support through local mechanisms. That was a direct result of our collaboration.

The data and engagement empowered the community to seek and secure resources, not just be studied.

They painted murals to educate children and others on environmental behaviour. Their work won a prize and gained international recognition.

Just knowing that we contributed even a little bit to that success is incredibly rewarding. It’s a powerful example of community action and how local efforts can bridge global gaps.

Last year, we took two people, one community leader from that area and one colleague from the city government in Argentina, to the climate conference in Dubai.

It was far more impactful to have them share their own stories directly, rather than someone else speaking for them.

Seeing them connect with others, including people from India, and realising that the challenges they face are actually quite similar across continents, was moving. That understanding creates space for shared solutions.

Their stories were powerful, and watching them thrive in that international space was truly rewarding.

I recall a similar moment during my PhD work in Nepal. One of my lecturers was connected to a local organisation there, and I got involved through her.

In Kathmandu, we were discussing nature based solutions to deal with earthquakes, flooding, and landslides.

At that time, these solutions were still relatively new, and we had to work hard to convince engineers that they made sense. Many believed in traditional infrastructure, dams, barriers, and concrete structures.

A colleague in Kathmandu gave me an eye opener. He asked, “Are you trying to sell me something you wouldn’t apply in Germany or Europe? Have you seen Queen Elizabeth planting rice in front of Buckingham Palace?”

That comment stayed with me.

It made me realise we need to understand what makes sense for a community, what’s locally relevant and acceptable, rather than just assuming something that works elsewhere will be welcomed.

At the same time, successful examples from other regions do have value. They can inspire changemakers and demonstrate what’s possible.

City B can learn from City A, even across countries and continents. These models can reach down to the local level, where communities adapt them in meaningful ways.

For me, it’s no longer even a distinction. Research isn’t just academic or data collection. It includes action research, participatory research, and community led efforts.

For example, in our TUC project in Brazil, we supported a community based enumeration. These communities aren’t covered by formal census data, so without this process, they can’t make demands or advocate for support.

Importantly, it wasn’t us collecting the data. We trained local community members and partnered with a local university.

This way, the knowledge stays in the community. It brings us back to the idea of what counts as “research” or “valid knowledge”.

Local knowledge, indigenous knowledge, and community sourced data are just as valuable as academic research. Too often, there’s a colonial or outdated mindset that privileges certain kinds of knowledge.

But why should something I collect be seen as better than what a local person gathers? It isn’t. All knowledge systems have value.

That’s why having local labs and partners is so critical. It gives you access to more grounded and balanced information.

Ground truthing research outputs with real community needs is essential.

Researchers can still contribute by offering a broader perspective and bringing in learnings from elsewhere, but you can’t impose them on the community. You can’t expect everyone to know everything. So we just need to join forces here.

These regions have distinct practices, ways of functioning, and government structures. There’s often a deeply rooted way of doing things.

One of the biggest challenges I faced was building trust.

It might sound simple, but creating trust is at the heart of enabling lasting change. If we want to implement sustainable solutions in urban planning and governance, we need people to work together.

But why should they trust me, a researcher arriving with a project budget, and believe that I or my partners can help bring change? Trust isn’t automatic.

It has to be earned, and that takes time. One major issue is that most project cycles don’t factor in time for trust building.

They focus too quickly on technical solutions and tangible outputs. On paper, it often looks faster to bring in outside experts to implement a known solution.

But real progress happens when we co-develop the solution.

For example, if we’re building an open space, it shouldn’t just be a playground. It could also be a disaster response gathering point, a shaded green space, or a social hub.

Deciding that together creates shared ownership. But again, that depends on inclusive decision making processes.

Again, it comes back to co-development. The urban lab process is essentially a structured approach to shared decision making.

If we believe in implementing the global frameworks we’ve talked about, on climate, biodiversity, and resilience, then we must create ways for local people to have a real say. Urban labs formalise that idea.

They bring together community voices, researchers, government actors, and others.

Countries like Brazil have already pioneered this with participatory budgeting. Citizens get to vote on how public funds are spent, which creates stronger buy in and more relevant projects.

But we’re not there yet everywhere. Urban labs also integrate the creative arts.

Tools like film and photography can humanise complex issues. They help people tell their own stories and connect emotionally.

That changes how sustainability is seen, not as an abstract agenda, but as something personal and urgent.

One key takeaway is that it’s much more hands on and way less scary than it sounds on paper. There is access to these processes.

For example, the Paris Committee on Capacity-building, the PCCB, which works under UN climate action, is doing a fabulous job, with regular trainings, podcasts, and webinars for many partners, from international organisations down to local groups.

We’ve been partnering with them for a couple of years now, including at the UN climate conferences, where we contributed photo exhibitions like the one you see in my background.

These exhibitions remind international policymakers of what is happening locally and what still has to happen locally.

But even as a citizen, as someone who’s interested, you can join these trainings and webinars, get access to that information, and partner with them.

Just last week, I attended a workshop under the PCCB together with TED and US universities, where young leaders were brought together.

Some were even teenagers who were already implementing local initiatives that made their cities better places. That was so inspiring.

I’d highlight two key lessons. First, everyone has their own way of contributing to sustainability.

I contribute as a researcher and someone who tries to translate that to policymaking. Others may contribute as a local community leader, or by going into local politics.

We can all use our own abilities and skills to contribute to that change. Second, it takes all of us.

When I studied architecture, the architects didn’t like the civil engineers and the civil engineers didn’t like the architects. But only together can you build a proper house.

We have to overcome silos, between disciplines, between nationalities, or even between different ministries in a country.

Don’t be overwhelmed by how broad this field might seem in the beginning. Don’t be scared. Start somewhere.

My journey began in architecture and evolved over time as I continuously developed my skills.

Whenever an opportunity arises, take it. Be daring, and trust yourself that you are able to deliver.

That can be difficult, especially for women, who may not have been brought up to be bold and speak their minds. But you can trust yourself more than you might think in the very beginning.

Of course, we all face challenges once in a while, but they might also make us stronger.

Finding mentors is definitely great, but it doesn’t have to be someone older or your professor. Sometimes, peers or younger people working together can have just as much impact.

With digital tools today, you can easily connect with people from other countries and collaborate globally. There are also plenty of international organisations, youth networks, and interest based communities that offer great opportunities for mentorship and learning.

Online trainings are another powerful tool. There are so many available online nowadays, and that’s certainly a huge benefit.

Obviously, look into what is already there. That’s a very researcher perspective, right? Reinventing the wheel is never necessarily good.

With the internet and all the global data, it’s much easier to find out whether a certain approach has already been tried.

If you want to change the garbage system in your community, or do research on a certain topic, look at what already exists. It’s part of my research process to look at what has already been published.

That definitely shortens the learning curve. It might also help to ask someone a bit more senior, or a few years ahead of you, how they would do it.

Oh, my failures. There are so many! We recently discussed that we should be more open about sharing failures.

When you are early in your career and see someone else’s CV, it always sounds so polished. If we were honest, it wouldn’t be like that. Sometimes it was a lucky occasion, sometimes a coincidence.

I could definitely have been quicker in some of my studies. On occasion I took an extra semester, or did too many part time jobs to finance my studies.

A big one? As a researcher, you’re supposed to write project proposals, and they’re often very time sensitive.

There was this one time when we had been working on a proposal for a long, long time. The deadline was midnight, and the submission was online.

Just before midnight, the internet failed. A second after midnight, the proposal still wasn’t uploaded. I thought, “Do I even dare to tell my professor the next day?”

Luckily, my colleague and I had already started the submission process. We called the agency the next morning, and they saw our attempt and let us submit it. That could have gone badly.

It taught me a key lesson. Always leave some buffer time before a deadline.

Some of the most important qualities are perseverance and frustration tolerance. This work is long term. It’s not about instant results.

That can be difficult because humans are wired to notice immediate changes more easily than slow, long term ones.

For example, countries often react faster to disasters like floods or earthquakes than to climate problems that develop over decades.

That can be frustrating, especially for young activists who want real change now. So it’s crucial to build the emotional strength to keep going.

Another vital quality is the ability to network and find people who are interested in contributing. You don’t always need to agree with everyone on every detail.

What matters is agreeing on the long term goal. That ability to compromise while keeping a shared vision is essential for building coalitions.

In terms of resources, there is so much. I can encourage them to listen to your podcast, obviously! And there’s a growing number of such media and outlets.

I could also promote the films we have been making under our TUC project. One of them features Debra Roberts, a South African policymaker and researcher.

She talks about being a “boundary person”, someone who connects research with policymaking.

The UNFCCC’s Climate Champions initiative is another great place to explore. It showcases people working in this space globally and shares their stories to inspire others.

As for books, I won’t give you just one recommendation!

I enjoy mixing factual books and research with novels, even crime fiction, that creatively integrate climate themes. There’s been a rise in fiction that explores climate issues, making them accessible to wider audiences.

There are all the usual suspects when it comes to climate books. But one that recently inspired me, though I should have looked up the exact title, was about how to foster climate action.

The author argued that humans respond better to stories than to facts.

He explained that one challenge in climate engagement is the way we tell the story. Instead of making the humans who save the planet the heroes, he suggested making climate action itself the hero.

That shift in narrative inspired me deeply. We all become little heroes by contributing to something much larger than ourselves.