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This document consists of remarks delivered by David Runnalls, President of the International Institute for Sustainable Development, at the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in Bali, Indonesia, on December 8-9, 2007. Runnalls argues that climate change and the multilateral trading system are interlinked, asserting that failure to address climate change constitutes a failure of the trade system. He outlines how trade policy can support climate goals through liberalization of low-carbon goods, the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies, and the facilitation of technology transfer to developing countries.

This research paper, prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, outlines a conceptual framework for developing an Environment Outlook for Canada (EOC). It defines an environment outlook as a forward-looking integrated assessment that analyzes environmental change, causes, impacts, and policy responses to support proactive decision-making. The document details the potential scope, products, and governance structures for an EOC, emphasizing the need for a participatory process to ensure the resulting data is salient, credible, and legitimate.

This research paper, written by Dale S. Rothman of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for Environment Canada, serves as a conceptual document for the development of the Canadian Environmental Outlook (CEO). It defines the CEO as an integrated environmental assessment designed to provide a forward-looking analysis of the interactions between society and the environment to support strategic decision-making and policy formulation in Canada.

This research paper examines commodity income management in Southeast Asian economies, focusing on coffee in Vietnam and palm oil in Malaysia. It analyzes the impacts of price volatility on producers and evaluates various state interventions, including supply management, diversification, and transition schemes, to provide recommendations for stabilizing commodity revenues.

This amicus curiae submission, filed by a coalition of legal and environmental organizations, argues that the investor Biwater Gauff (Tanzania) Limited failed to meet its professional and legal responsibilities during the privatization of water services in Dar es Salaam. The submission contends that the investor's failure to conduct proper due diligence and its potential use of a 'renegotiation strategy'—bidding low to win a contract with the intent to renegotiate terms later—should preclude it from seeking compensation for the contract's termination by the Government of Tanzania.

This report examines how the consolidation and increased market power of global supermarket chains affect global supply chains, specifically focusing on the challenges and opportunities for smallholder farmers in the developing world, with a particular emphasis on the fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) sector in sub-Saharan Africa.

This report, commissioned by Hawai`i County Mayor Harry Kim and authored by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI), provides a whole-system evaluation of the county's 2005 goals. It identifies the loss of local land control to outside investors as the island's most critical challenge and offers specific recommendations to accelerate progress in affordable housing, energy self-sufficiency, and environmental stewardship. The document emphasizes the use of measurable indicators to ensure government transparency and the adoption of 'whole-system thinking' to address root causes rather than symptoms of community stress.

This research paper argues that the U.S. federal Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) of 1976 has failed to effectively manage industrial chemicals, leading many U.S. states to enact their own stricter regulations. The author contends that this state-level activism, combined with international regulatory trends—specifically in the European Union—is creating the necessary political pressure for a comprehensive overhaul of federal chemical policy.

This research paper by John Drexhage of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that global climate governance must evolve beyond a state-centric, environment-department-led model to better integrate environmental and development policies. The author critiques the top-down target-setting of the Kyoto Protocol and proposes a more flexible, sector-based approach to mitigation that engages industry and major economies more realistically. The paper emphasizes that a successful post-2012 regime requires a strong commitment to a development agenda for the Global South, leveraging official development assistance (ODA), foreign direct investment (FDI), and synergies between adaptation and mitigation to alleviate poverty.

This executive summary describes the impact and research findings of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) internship program, which aims to develop the next generation of sustainable development leaders through on-the-job experience and international exposure.

This scoping paper, produced for the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in 2007, examines the multifaceted linkages between trade, investment, and climate change. It analyzes how trade policies influence greenhouse gas emissions, the legal interactions between WTO and UNFCCC frameworks, the physical risks climate change poses to trade infrastructure, and the competitiveness implications of climate regulations.

This scoping paper, produced for the Trade Ministers’ Dialogue on Climate Change Issues in 2007, explores how trade policy tools can support climate change mitigation and sustainable development. It identifies several areas for potential synergy, including the liberalization of trade in low-emission goods, the reform of subsidy rules to support green R&D, the removal of domestic barriers to clean energy investment, the easing of intellectual property restrictions, and the reduction of fossil fuel subsidies.

This guide, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute for the UNEP Global Programme of Action (GPA), provides an analytical framework, guidelines, and checklists to integrate marine and coastal resource management into national planning and budgetary processes. It emphasizes shifting the narrative from purely regulatory pollution control to demonstrating how sustainable coastal management contributes to national development goals, poverty reduction, and economic growth.

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.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Annual Program for 2006/07 outlines a strategic shift toward integrating scientific excellence with policy relevance and adaptation to global change. The plan focuses on consolidating cooperative research networks, enhancing administrative efficiency, expanding capacity building through training institutes, and strengthening partnerships across the Americas to create a 'network of networks' for science and capacity building.

The minutes of the Twelfth Meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP), held in Montreal, Canada, on May 5-6, 2005, detail the administrative, financial, and scientific governance of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research. Key outcomes included the election of Dr. Holm Tiessen as Director, the approval of the 2005-2006 core budget and annual program, and the adoption of new voting rules for the Conference of the Parties.

The 'Modèle d’accord international sur l’investissement pour le développement durable (IIDD)' is a negotiator's guide and model international investment agreement published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). It proposes a new framework for international investment agreements (IIAs) that balances the rights of investors with the obligations of investors and the rights of host and home states, specifically aiming to integrate sustainable development goals into the legal structure of foreign investment.

The Sustainable Development Timeline is a fact sheet published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) that chronicles key environmental, social, and economic milestones from 1962 to 2005. It tracks the evolution of sustainable development through the formation of advocacy organizations, the publication of influential scientific reports, the adoption of international treaties, and the occurrence of major environmental disasters.

This research paper by Mark Halle examines the failures of the current multilateral trading system and proposes how it could be restructured to support a 'Great Transition' toward sustainable development. The author argues that while the fundamental principles of the World Trade Organization (WTO) are sound, the system has become a 'one size fits all' model that primarily benefits rich nations and ignores social and environmental goals. The paper explores three future archetypes—Agoria, Ecodemia, and Arcadia—demonstrating that a rules-based trading system can be adapted to serve any of these diverse socio-economic models if trade is treated as a tool for sustainable development rather than an end in itself.

A statement from North American civil society organizations prepared for the Ninth Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC/GMEF). The document outlines recommendations for global environmental governance, focusing on chemicals management, energy transition, and sustainable tourism, while emphasizing the specific responsibilities of North American governments and the vulnerability of the Arctic region.