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This study analyzes two decades of climate and nuclear policy formation in Sweden to identify factors that facilitate or obstruct policy learning. It finds that while climate policy saw fundamental learning, nuclear policy was more intractable, with learning occurring mostly in agencies and committees rather than ministries. The results suggest that institutional rules, capacities, incentives, and trust-building among agents are more critical for learning than the types of assessments provided.

A statement from the Center for International Environmental Law and WWF European Policy Office to the European Commission requesting the adoption of a policy to support web-casting for all World Trade Organization (WTO) dispute settlement hearings to increase transparency and accessibility.

This report by Ayesha Kajee of the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzes the failure of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Darfur, Sudan. It details the inadequacy of the African Union (AU) peacekeeping mission, the Sudanese government's resistance to UN intervention, and the complex drivers of the conflict, including ethnic tensions and the politics of natural resources.

This report analyzes the experience of the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) from 1995 to 2005 in developing and sustaining international development networks. It defines network sustainability not as indefinite existence, but as the ability of a network to function until it achieves its goals, becomes irrelevant, or members are no longer willing to continue. The document identifies four dimensions of sustainability—time, resources, relationships, and relevance—and outlines critical management capacities (strategic, internal, external, and financial) and adaptive capacity required for networks to survive growth and decline phases.

This research paper examines the relationship between gender equality and peace processes in Africa, arguing that conflict can serve as a catalyst for transforming patriarchal gender roles. Through a comparative analysis of UN peacekeeping missions in South Africa (UNOMSA) and the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUC), the author contends that the inclusion of a critical mass of women in peacekeeping enhances mission effectiveness and challenges traditional gender stereotypes.

This guide by the World Resources Institute provides office- and retail-based companies with a framework for procuring renewable energy. It details the business case for switching to green power, explains three primary delivery options—retail programs, Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), and on-site generation—and offers strategies to minimize costs and account for greenhouse gas emissions.

This briefing records a discussion on the liberalisation of trade in services within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It examines the current fragmented legal landscape, the role of South African foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region, and the challenges of creating a unified regional framework for services trade to improve economic integration and global competitiveness.

This 2006 fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute details the significant role of buildings in U.S. energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, the energy profile of federal buildings, and examples of energy-efficient building projects globally.

A 2006 report by a coalition of NGOs critiquing the World Bank's energy investment framework, arguing that it continues to fund fossil fuels and large-scale projects while neglecting renewable energy and the energy needs of the poor.

This monograph by Rocky Williams examines the historical impact of guerrilla armies on the formation of South Africa's national defence forces, specifically comparing the influence of the Boer Commandos on the Union Defence Force (UDF) in 1912 and Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK) on the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 1994.

This briefing from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the aftermath of the Democratic Republic of Congo's first democratic elections in 40 years, held on 30 July 2006. It evaluates the security situation across various provinces, the logistical challenges of the vote-counting process, and potential political scenarios and alliances should a second round of presidential voting be required.

This briefing discusses the volatile political atmosphere in the Democratic Republic of Congo following its first free elections in over four decades, focusing on the lead held by incumbent President Joseph Kabila over Jean-Pierre Bemba and the potential for renewed conflict.

This record of discussion from the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the challenges and future directions of South Africa's trade strategy. The briefing covers the gridlock in the WTO Doha Round, the potential for unilateral trade liberalisation, the strategic value of Free Trade Agreements (FTAs), and the complexities of regional integration within SADC and SACU.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes proposals from the European Communities (EC) and the NAMA-11 group to establish a 'facilitative mechanism' for resolving non-tariff measures (NTMs) within the WTO. The author argues that such a mechanism would move the WTO away from its rules-based dispute settlement system toward a confidential, non-binding process focused solely on trade impacts, potentially undermining environmental and public health regulations and leaving developing countries vulnerable to power politics.

This research paper argues that South Africa and other developing nations should accept a 'bad deal' in the Doha round of WTO negotiations to prevent the collapse of the multilateral trading system and avoid the risks of bilateral trade agreements dominated by wealthy nations.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies examines the state of Sudan eighteen months after the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) on 5 January 2005. It analyzes the fragility of the alliance between the National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Movement (SPLM), the impact of Dr. John Garang's death on the 'New Sudan' vision, and the critical challenges regarding the demarcation of the Abyei boundary. The document highlights how peripheral regions like Darfur and the Beja area continue to experience instability, threatening the overall implementation of the peace process.

This report details the proof of concept testing (POCT) of the Canadian Biodiversity Index (CBI), a tool designed to consistently assess and convey biodiversity status and trends across Canada. The testing applied the CBI framework to two distinct ecounits—Netley-Libau Marsh in Manitoba and Banks Island in the Northwest Territories—to evaluate the index's methodology, the effectiveness of its normalized scoring scale, and the challenges of data availability.

This amicus curiae brief submitted to the WTO Panel argues that Brazil's import ban on retreaded tires is justified under GATT Article XX. The document contends that a life-cycle approach to product analysis reveals that importing retreaded tires increases waste and public health risks in developing countries, and that such measures are supported by multilateral environmental agreements, human rights law, and the international environmental law principle of prevention.

This briefing summarizes legal opinions from the ISEAL Alliance and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) regarding the use of voluntary international standards in government technical regulations and their relationship to the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT). It specifically examines whether non-product related Process and Production Method (npr PPM) standards, such as social and environmental standards, fall under the TBT Agreement's scope and how governments can legally reference such standards.

This briefing, produced by the ISEAL Alliance and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), summarizes legal opinions on the ability of governments to reference voluntary international standards, specifically non-product related Process and Production Method (npr PPM) standards such as social and environmental criteria, in government procurement under World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.