From the editor.

• Position: Editorial

This issue of Américas highlights the relationship between human beings and nature and the importance of social policies for overcoming inequalities in the world and in our hemisphere.

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Children are the future in every society, and it appears that government efforts to reduce poverty and improve the lives of children have borne fruit in the first decade of the 21st century. Less than five years from the target date for the Millennium Development Goals, this issue shines a spotlight on the Latin American and Caribbean campaign, to reduce the child mortality rate and ensure healthcare and education for all our children.

Prosperity is measured in works and in results, and so is the future. This issue also looks at the achievements of the Trust for the Américas, which has benefitted thousands of people throughout the hemisphere through partnerships with the private sector that create education and job opportunities.

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Meanwhile, the cry to preserve the balance of nature and biodiversity is growing louder each day, and more people are aware that conservation is a way to fend off poverty and ensure a better quality of life. This issue of Américas takes you to see a vast network of traditional water channels, or...