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This situation report analyzes the transition from the Organization of African Unity (OAU) to the African Union (AU), highlighting the structural reforms intended to move beyond rhetoric toward effective intervention, political and socio-economic integration, and the inclusion of civil society.

A statement from the Center for International Environmental Law and other representatives urging the U.S. Congress to strengthen environmental safeguards in the U.S.-Chile and U.S.-Singapore Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) and to reject them as models for future trade initiatives.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law examines how international financial institutions, investment treaties, and trade agreements pressure national governments to privatize water services, potentially compromising the human right to water and limiting regulatory flexibility.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law examines how international trade and investment agreements, along with policies from international financial institutions (IFIs), can lock developing countries into the privatization of water services. It argues that these mechanisms may conflict with the recognized human right to water and limit the ability of national governments to regulate essential services for the public good.

This research paper examines the industrial participation (IP) mechanisms used to offset the costs of South Africa's Strategic Defence Package (SDP), focusing on the Defence Industrial Participation (DIP) and National Industrial Participation Programme (NIPP).

This report analyzes the draft national constitution of Swaziland unveiled by King Mswati III on 31 May 2003. While the draft introduces some legal reforms and human rights acknowledgments, it maintains the monarchy's absolute power and fails to address the legal status of banned political parties.

A statement from various civil society organizations urging the International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD) to incorporate the World Commission on Dams (WCD) recommendations into its new Code of Ethics, coinciding with ICOLD's 21st Congress in Montréal.

A letter from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) to U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Robert B. Zoellick opposing the inclusion of a specific grant of jurisdiction regarding investment agreements and authorizations in the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA).

This research paper examines the dynamics of sex, gender, and power within men's prisons in South Africa, drawing on a study by the Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation (CSVR). It describes a hierarchical system where sexual roles are used to assign gender identities, often through coercion and violence, and discusses how these dynamics are reinforced by prison gangs and the broader societal views on masculinity and femininity.

This document consists of observations submitted by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and a legal team to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in June 2003. It responds to objections raised by the State of Chile regarding the admissibility of a petition filed by Mapuche-Pehuenche families from the Ralco-Lepoy Indigenous Community. The petition alleges that the construction of the Ralco hydroelectric dam by the company Endesa, authorized by the Chilean state, violates fundamental rights including the right to life, personal integrity, property, and the preservation of indigenous culture and spirituality through the flooding of ancestral lands.

This briefing from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research proposes a change to how member country contributions are recorded when countries are in arrears.

This briefing document presents the updated Scientific Agenda of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), as presented during the CE-XVII and CoP-X meetings in June 2003. The agenda defines the IAI's mission to understand the integrated impact of past, present, and future global change on the regional and continental environments of the Americas through four broad research themes.

This executive summary by Dr. Charles Benbrook for the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the economic and environmental impacts of first-generation genetically modified (GM) crops, specifically Roundup Ready (RR) soy, Bt cotton, and Bt corn, with a focus on lessons from the United States and Argentina.

This executive summary by the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation (CAITEC) examines the role of WTO 'Green Box' support measures in China's agricultural transition following its 2001 accession to the WTO. It analyzes how China can utilize non-trade-distorting support to achieve sustainable development and structural adjustment while arguing that current WTO rules are biased toward developed nations.

This executive summary of a Pakistan case study examines the economic and social impacts of complying with international environmental standards in the leather and textile sectors. It argues that while environmental regulations can act as trade barriers, they also provide opportunities for efficiency gains and new market niches, concluding that developing countries must comply to maintain export shares.

This executive summary analyzes the use of agri-environmental and rural development measures within the World Trade Organization (WTO) framework, specifically focusing on the 'Green Box' of the Agreement on Agriculture (AoA). It examines the practices of the 'Quad' countries (EU, Canada, US, and Japan) and evaluates the potential impacts of the Doha Round negotiations on developing countries' ability to support food security and rural development.

This executive summary examines the shrimp farming industry in Bangladesh, focusing on the challenges of implementing Sanitary and Phyto-Sanitary (SPS) standards and the resulting social and environmental risks.

This executive summary analyzes the rapid adoption of transgenic crops in Argentina during the 1990s, focusing on the exceptional success of glyphosate-tolerant (RR) soybeans compared to Bt corn and cotton. It examines the intersection of macroeconomic reforms, the adoption of no-till farming, and specific institutional factors that drove this transition, while highlighting regulatory gaps and the need for national biotechnological research.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) reported 1,306 metric tons of CO2 emissions for fiscal year 2002, a 3.5% decrease from 2001. The main emission sources were purchased electricity (42%) and air travel (40%). While air travel emissions have declined since 2000, electricity emissions have risen by 24% due to shared building energy use. WRI has achieved its net-zero goal early through the purchase of offsets and is now focusing on refining its base year to 2000 and helping other organizations reduce their emissions through published guides and tools.

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the international legal framework for foreign investment, arguing that current treaties and agreements prioritize investor rights and liberalization over environmental protection, social goals, and corporate accountability.