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The document examines the intersection of biodiversity conservation and indigenous rights, arguing that effective partnerships require a shift from top-down mandates to community-led resource management. Through case studies in Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia, Papua New Guinea, and Namibia, it highlights the risks of 'culture brokers' and the necessity of secure land tenure. It concludes that sustainable conservation is only possible when indigenous peoples are recognized as legitimate stakeholders with the authority to manage their ancestral territories.

Between January and March 2000, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) partnered with the Skownan First Nation to identify community values using 'appreciative inquiry'. The project involved training a local six-person team, conducting 35 interviews with community members, and analyzing the data to create a preliminary community vision. Key identified values emphasize the forest as a source of protection, medicine, and spiritual connection, with Chitek Lake serving as the 'heart of the homeland'. The project aims to use these findings, alongside video documentation, to facilitate focus-group discussions with government and industry representatives to influence resource management decisions.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), representing COICA and the Amazon Coalition, requests the reexamination of U.S. Plant Patent No. 5,751 for the 'Da Vine' cultivar of Banisteriopsis caapi. The request argues that the patent is invalid because the plant's characteristics—specifically its rose-colored flowers—are typical of the species and documented in prior art from U.S. herbaria. Furthermore, the document asserts that the plant is found in an uncultivated state and that granting a patent over a sacred plant used in indigenous Amazonian religious and medicinal traditions violates public policy and international principles like the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The document outlines public interest concerns regarding the expansion of intellectual property rights, specifically the 1999 WTO review of Article 27.3(b) of the TRIPS Agreement. It argues against requiring WTO members to recognize patents on plants and animals, citing risks to biodiversity, indigenous rights, and market competition. The author contends that the current system favors industrialized nations and corporate interests, calling for a more democratic, socially managed approach to intellectual property that considers ethical and environmental impacts before further expanding patent requirements.

The Lima Workshop on Mining and Sustainable Development in the Americas brought together 76 representatives from 11 countries to establish a shared vision for the industry. The participants identified five strategic objectives—improved living conditions, sustainable technology and economic development, transparent policies, social consensus, and democratic participation—and formed working groups to implement them. The report details lessons learned from various multi-stakeholder dialogue cases across the region, emphasizing the need for transparency, early community engagement, and the building of negotiation capacity within local communities.

The Lima Workshop on Mining and Sustainable Development in the Americas brought together 76 representatives from 11 countries to address the environmental and social impacts of mining. Participants identified five strategic objectives for a vision of "Balanced, Harmonious and Sustainable Development": improved living conditions, sustainable technologies and economic development, transparent regulations and policies, internalized social consensus, and democratic participation of stakeholders. The workshop focused on the mechanics of multi-stakeholder processes, analyzing what facilitates successful consensus (such as third-party facilitators and early stakeholder involvement) and what hinders it (such as unrealistic expectations and short timelines). The event concluded with the formation of five working groups to develop concrete actions for each strategic objective, coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

The World Bank Inspection Panel was established in 1993 to provide a mechanism for citizens adversely affected by Bank projects to seek independent analysis of policy compliance. While the Panel has the potential to shift the Bank from a "culture of approval" to a "culture of results" by amplifying local voices, the document argues that its impact is limited by Bank Management's adversarial responses, the Board of Directors' reluctance to authorize full investigations, and a divide between donor and borrowing countries. The authors highlight systemic violations of policies regarding project supervision and involuntary resettlement, noting that claimants often face significant risks, including violence, when seeking accountability. The paper recommends empowering the Panel to set its own terms of reference, involving claimants more deeply in the process, and utilizing independent legal counsel to avoid conflicts of interest.

The Convention on Biological Diversity is presented as a pioneering effort to balance economic and environmental issues within a single legal instrument. It is characterized as a sustainable trade agreement that requires trade in genetic resources to occur within a framework ensuring sustainable production processes. The document highlights the Convention's role in protecting the traditional knowledge and customary resource uses of indigenous communities, contrasting this with international trade law's historical lack of consideration for environmental protection and indigenous rights.

The document describes a stakeholder negotiation exercise regarding Conoco, Inc.'s proposal to develop Block 16 in the Ecuadorian Amazon. It details the environmental and social risks associated with oil extraction in the region, including deforestation, colonization, and threats to the Waorani people. The text outlines Conoco's proposed environmental management plan, which includes diagonal drilling and waste reinjection, and provides a financial analysis of the project's profitability against its environmental costs. It further contextualizes the conflict within Ecuador's broader economic dependence on oil and the biological importance of Yasuni National Park.

The document is a curated bibliography compiled by David Downes for the Center for International Environmental Law in 1992. It lists legal precedents, international directives, and scholarly articles that explore the relationship between human rights and the environment, with a particular focus on indigenous peoples' rights, the role of international development banks, and the emerging concept of a right to a healthy environment.

The document is a letter from a coalition of Canadian organizations supporting the Pan-Canadian Framework on Climate Change and Clean Growth. The authors argue that Canada's long-term prosperity depends on investing in a low-carbon economic transformation to remain competitive in a global clean technology market. They emphasize the necessity of 'just transition measures' to support workers and communities affected by the shift away from high-carbon sectors. The coalition offers specific support for implementing the framework, including prioritizing engagement with Indigenous communities based on the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, establishing a robust federal backstop for carbon pricing, and modernizing electricity and transportation systems to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment and other health organizations call for a green and just economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. They advocate for investments in renewable energy, sustainable transportation, and nature protection to meet Paris Agreement targets, arguing that such actions would save over 112,000 lives by 2050 and increase clean jobs to 1.5 million. The letter emphasizes the need for a recovery that addresses the disproportionate impacts of climate change and systemic racism on Indigenous Peoples.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) recommends amending Bill C-12 to include a 2025 emissions target, establish a truly independent scientific advisory body reporting to Parliament, and ensure explicit alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). CAPE frames climate change as a critical health threat, noting that Canada is the only G7 country whose emissions have risen since the 2016 Paris Agreement.

The document outlines a collaborative journalism initiative focused on the climate emergency, providing a list of republishable stories, social media strategies, and guidelines for partner outlets.

The document provides legal arguments to support a lawsuit against the Panamanian National Environmental Authority (ANAM) regarding the Barro Blanco Hydroelectric Project. It contends that the project's EIA was approved without adequate consultation or the free, prior, and informed consent of the Ngäbe people, violating international human rights and environmental law. The brief highlights specific failures, including a single public forum conducted only in Spanish and the omission of critical data regarding indigenous territories adjacent to the Ngäbe-Buglé Comarca.

A public statement issued by FENACOCA in August 2007 opposing hydrocarbon exploration in proposed Cacataibo territorial reserves to protect the lives and integrity of Cacataibo people in voluntary isolation.

The document advocates for the legal recognition of community-based property rights (CBPRs) in the Global South, arguing that such rights are distinct from Western individual property concepts and state-led decentralization. It posits that recognizing CBPRs—particularly for indigenous peoples—helps protect ancestral territories, prevents resource commodification, and fosters environmental justice. However, the text notes that property rights alone are insufficient for sustainable development and must be paired with technical assistance, credit programs, and strong procedural rights.

The report uses a case study of Costa Rica's JI pilot projects to identify challenges in quantifying and verifying carbon sequestration, such as baselines and leakage. It argues that the CDM must integrate strong environmental and social safeguards, including public participation and benefit-sharing with local communities, to ensure sustainable development. The author proposes a phased evolution for the CDM, moving from project-specific credits to national baselines, and suggests limiting the use of Certified Emission Reductions (CERs) to 1% of Annex I Parties' assigned amounts initially to prioritize domestic reductions.

The report argues that the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement requires the systematic integration of human rights and social principles—including those of indigenous peoples, gender equality, and a just transition—into four key mechanisms: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), adaptation communications, the transparency framework, and the global stocktake. It emphasizes that these principles are not new constraints but are existing international obligations that, when integrated, enhance the legitimacy, sustainability, and effectiveness of climate policies. The document details the specific risks climate actions can pose to vulnerable populations, such as forced displacement from renewable energy projects, and calls for participatory processes and transparent reporting to safeguard these rights.

The document emphasizes that the Paris Agreement's success depends on a rights-based implementation framework. It identifies key principles from the Agreement's preamble—including indigenous rights, gender equality, food security, and a just transition—and provides specific recommendations for incorporating these into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Transparency Framework, and the Global Stocktake.