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The document presents the 'Seven Questions to Sustainability' framework, developed by MMSD North America to evaluate the long-term sustainability of mining and minerals projects. The framework covers engagement, people, environment, economy, traditional activities, governance, and synthesis. It is intended for use across all project phases—from exploration to post-closure—to aid in appraisal, planning, financing, and reporting for stakeholders including industry, governments, and indigenous groups.

This brochure describes the development of a framework consisting of seven questions designed to assess the sustainability of mining and quarrying activities. Developed under the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) program, the framework aims to evaluate whether a project's overall contribution to sustainability is positive or negative over the long term.

The project, a partnership between IISD, MYRADA, and DFID, aimed to build capacity in Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to design sustainable development projects in rural India. It exceeded its initial targets, training 804 people from 70 organisations and engaging approximately 500 community-based organisations (CBOs) representing 10,000 people. Key outcomes included the mainstreaming of AI within MYRADA, the creation of a field-guide and training video, and the development of community visions focusing on gender equity, environmental improvement, and livelihood security. The report concludes that AI is a robust, motivating tool that complements existing participatory techniques like Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA).

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and IUCN propose the Standing Conference on Trade and Environment (SCTE) to bridge the gap between trade liberalization and sustainable development. The proposal argues that neither trade organizations like the WTO nor existing environmental bodies have successfully articulated a coherent environmental agenda for trade. The SCTE is envisioned as a non-permanent, 'light structure' gathering governments, international organizations, and civil society to formulate realistic policy recommendations. It aims to prevent the environmental community from undermining the WTO by creating a formal channel for environmental priorities, specifically addressing the needs of developing countries and the management of environmental risks in international trade.

The Sustainable Development Timeline tracks the evolution of environmental and development milestones, starting with the 1962 publication of Silent Spring. It documents the rise of influential NGOs like Greenpeace and the Environmental Defense Fund, the establishment of international frameworks such as the Montreal Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol, and the emergence of critical scientific warnings regarding ozone depletion and climate change. The timeline also highlights the intersection of social equity and environmentalism, noting the role of the Global South, the impact of the Millennium Development Goals, and the economic arguments for climate action presented in the Stern Report.

The document examines the complex interactions between international trade, development aid, and security, specifically focusing on how the exploitation of natural resources can fuel violent conflict. It argues that current trade and aid frameworks often exacerbate instability in the 'South' due to inequitable rules, the 'resource curse', and the misuse of assistance. To counter this, the authors propose six policy objectives: designing conflict-sensitive trade and aid policies, restricting the trade of 'conflict resources', fostering responsible business practices, improving domestic governance, and enhancing the management of natural resource and aid revenues.

The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN), launched in 1997 and coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), works to build long-term capacity to incorporate sustainable development into national, bilateral, regional, and multilateral trade policies. Its primary objectives include producing country- and region-specific research, engaging trade policy-makers, building the capacity of partner organizations through training and cooperative research, and facilitating the global exchange of best practices. The network comprises partners across various developing and developed nations, including organizations in Argentina, Chile, China, India, Bangladesh, Costa Rica, Canada, Vietnam, Mexico, El Salvador, the USA, Pakistan, and South Africa, with funding support from entities such as the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).

The document argues that the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) requires a dedicated hemispheric framework to ensure trade liberalization supports sustainable development. It reviews sub-regional models—including Mercosur, CARICOM, the Andean Community, the Central American Alliance for Sustainable Development, and NAFTA—to identify best practices in environmental management and civil society participation. The authors propose a new Americas Environmental Accord (AEA) based on the 2001 Mercosur Framework Agreement on the Environment, suggesting it include shared objectives for environmental protection, dispute settlement mechanisms, and protocols for natural resource management. Additionally, the paper recommends conducting ex-ante sustainability impact assessments (SIA) for the FTAA and establishing a Public Advisory Committee to foster inclusive dialogue between governments and civil society.

This document is an introductory announcement and table of contents for the Great Transition Initiative (GTI) paper series, a collective project by scholars and activists aimed at imagining a global future characterized by human solidarity, enriched lives, and a healthy planet.

The author contends that the environment has secured an established place in the WTO, not through the Committee on Trade and Environment or Doha Round negotiations, but via the Appellate Body's role in filling legal gaps and clarifying ambiguities. The document highlights how the Appellate Body has integrated international environmental law into trade disputes, provided a framework for the precautionary principle, and allowed for certain Process and Production Methods (PPMs) distinctions under General Exceptions. While developing countries remain cautious due to fears of protectionism, the author suggests that the WTO's dispute settlement mechanism has effectively bridged the gap between trade liberalization and sustainable development.

The IISD argues that trade liberalization and sustainable development are not inherently incompatible, but that the current 'monothematic' approach of the WTO excludes critical environmental and development concerns. The document calls for a shift in the international trade system to place development at the center, rebuild trust with developing nations, and integrate environmental and social equity into trade policy to avoid 'green protectionism' and ensure sustainable growth.

The document argues that watershed indicator systems can resolve planning barriers such as data gaps and jurisdictional fragmentation by providing a common reference point for stakeholders. IISD offers services in indicator selection, data architecture, and visualization. The text highlights two case studies: a sustainability indicator system for the Lake Balaton Region in Hungary involving ecological, social, and economic measures, and 'Peg,' a community indicator system for Winnipeg, Canada, focusing on well-being and sustainability across eight theme areas.

The Investment Facilitation for Development (IFD) Agreement aims to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing economies and least-developed countries by improving transparency, simplifying administrative procedures, and promoting sustainable investment. While 117 WTO members have participated in the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) to finalize the text, the agreement faces significant hurdles for formal integration into the WTO system. Opponents, including India and South Africa, argue that such plurilateral initiatives undermine the WTO's consensus-based mandate and distract from the Doha Development Agenda. Proponents view the agreement as a way to modernize the WTO's negotiating function through 'variable geometry.' The agreement includes special and differential treatment (S&DT) for developing nations, allowing for flexible implementation timelines and capacity-building support.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues that the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) should integrate sustainable development into its New Delhi agenda. The proposal highlights the ICT industry's carbon footprint, the need for inclusive participation of the world's poor, and the potential for multi-stakeholder governance models to improve global environmental governance. It cites increasing global attention to climate change and the role of ICTs in both contributing to and mitigating environmental degradation as key drivers for this thematic shift.

The IISD Impact Centre aims to act as a catalyst for sustainable development by leveraging the International Institute for Sustainable Development's (IISD) networks to scale field-tested innovations. Rather than creating new formal structures, the Centre focuses on increasing the impact of existing projects through strategy, capacity building, and knowledge sharing. It targets areas including climate change, energy, and trade, and seeks to become self-sustaining within three years through a "Circle of Friends" partnership model. Current demonstration projects include the CRiSTAL Tool for climate change adaptation and economic valuation training for the United Nations Environment Programme.

The document examines the complex relationship between international trade and the environment, detailing how trade liberalization can either harm or benefit ecosystems depending on accompanying policies. It analyzes the legal frameworks of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), exploring conflicts and synergies between them. Key areas of focus include the impact of processes and production methods (PPMs), intellectual property rights (TRIPS), agricultural subsidies, and the role of regional trade agreements. The handbook emphasizes the need for integrated assessments, capacity building in developing countries, and greater openness in trade policy-making to achieve sustainable development goals.

The document examines the complex interactions between the multilateral trading system, primarily the World Trade Organization (WTO), and international environmental governance, including Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). It analyzes how trade liberalization can both benefit and harm the environment through scale, structural, and product effects. The text details the legal tensions surrounding Process and Production Methods (PPMs), intellectual property rights (TRIPS), and agricultural subsidies, while advocating for the 'mutual support' of trade and environmental goals. It also explores the role of regional trade agreements as laboratories for innovative environmental governance and emphasizes the importance of capacity building and environmental impact assessments in trade policy.

The document analyzes how trade liberalization affects the environment through product, scale, structural, and direct effects. It examines the legal tensions between World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), specifically focusing on Process and Production Methods (PPMs), intellectual property rights (TRIPS), and agricultural subsidies. It argues that trade liberalization does not automatically harm or help the environment, but its outcome depends on the integration of economic and environmental policies.

The ENVSEC Initiative, a partnership between the OSCE, UNEP, and UNDP, investigates how environmental factors and natural resource management intersect with security in South Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The project aims to provide regionally-appropriate definitions of environment-security links, map risks and opportunities, and promote sustainable environmental cooperation as a means of peace-building and regional integration.

The report examines the limitations of traditional mining taxation—primarily corporate income tax and royalties—and suggests ten alternative policy mechanisms to improve revenue mobilization. These include minimum profit shares, production sharing contracts, state equity participation, commercial state-owned enterprises, variable royalties, the 'Sixth Method' for related-party pricing, carbon pricing to mitigate EU CBAM impacts, development turnover taxes for communities, competitive bidding for licenses, and remote monitoring for quarry production. It emphasizes the need for these tools to be adapted to local administrative capacities and the evolving demand for critical minerals.