MDP Student Spotlight: Marlon Márquez Guardo
The Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) is a two-year graduate program that trains practitioners to understand, design, and manage integrated approaches to sustainable development challenges. The program equips students with critical knowledge, practical skills, and the mindset needed to drive change in both developing and developed societies.
The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) is pleased to spotlight Marlon Márquez Guardo, a Leopold Bachmann Foundation (LBF) Scholar, pursuing his Master’s in Development Practice at the University of Los Andes in Colombia. We asked Marlon five questions about his journey and his experience with the Global MDP Association.
Which SDG are you most passionate about?
It is very difficult for me to choose just one SDG because I work intrinsically with both. My passion for reducing inequalities (SDG 10) and for creating inclusive cities (SDG 11) go hand in hand, as sustainable communities cannot be achieved without first addressing the injustice and exclusion that divide them. For me, true urban sustainability is only achieved when it is ensured that everyone, without exception, can access functional capabilities and opportunities, as Amartya Sen would say.
What is the best part about working on your MDP degree program?
For me, the most valuable aspect is that it has allowed us to envision more tangible and contextual development models, enabling me to dream of (and hopefully, in the future) designing projects that not only foster economic growth but also interconnect social fabrics and protect the environment. So far, it has been about learning (and unlearning) how to build a future where communities thrive with social justice and in harmony with their territory, which is, after all, the very essence of sustainability.
What is something that you are proud to have accomplished while working on your current MDP degree program?
I am deeply proud to be leading the Micorrizas project in Cartagena, together with the World Economic Forum and Global Shapers Cartagena, where we transformed a school space into a regenerative community garden. We not only provide some vegetables to the school’s community cafeteria, but we also implemented an irrigation system using recycled water from air conditioners, closing waste cycles and replicating the natural symbiosis that gives the project its name. For me, this is about bringing development theory into action: creating concrete solutions that heal both the social and environmental fabric simultaneously.
How is the Leopold Bachmann Foundation helping you advance your career and aspirations?
The Leopold Bachmann Foundation has given me the opportunity to visit and revisit my vital relationship with ecosystems, and it has also allowed me to dream from the conviction of working in a private sector that can and must be a powerful driver of transformation toward a just and regenerative future.
What is a fun fact about you? Something others might not know?
I’m afraid of pigeons. At the same time, I’m very good at graphic design (I’ve never formally studied it, and almost no one knows about it).
Marlon’s journey reflects how the MDP program empowers students to blend innovation, tradition, and personal passion in the pursuit of sustainable development. Learn more about the MDP Program and read our other MDP Student Spotlights.
