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The 1992 Agreement Establishing the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research creates a regional network of cooperating research entities dedicated to studying the natural and human-induced alterations of the Earth system. The Institute focuses on interdisciplinary research, the exchange of scientific data, and providing information to governments to support public policy regarding global change.

The 1992 Agreement establishing the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) creates a regional network of research organizations dedicated to studying global-scale changes. The Institute focuses on interdisciplinary research across earth, ocean, atmospheric, environmental, and human sciences, with a specific emphasis on the Americas. It is governed by a Conference of Parties, an Executive Council, a Scientific Advisory Committee, and an Administrative Directorate.

The Declaration of Montevideo, signed between 12-14 May 1992, establishes the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) as a regional network to coordinate scientific and economic research on global change in the Americas.

The Declaration of Montevideo, signed between May 12 and 14, 1992, establishes the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) as an international instrument to promote scientific and economic research cooperation on global change across the Americas.

This document is testimony provided by Robert Housman, a Senior Attorney for the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), to the Trade Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Committee on Ways and Means on June 21, 1995. The testimony argues for the inclusion of environmental protections in the fast track authority for Chile's accession to the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), asserting that environmental standards are necessary to prevent trade distortions and establish a sustainable template for broader hemispheric integration.

This guide, prepared for the UNCTAD Biotrade Initiative in collaboration with the CAF and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN), provides a legal framework and recommendations for national biotrade programs in the Andean Region. It analyzes the international legalities surrounding the trade of biodiversity-related tangibles (genetic resources, endangered species, agricultural products) and intangibles (traditional knowledge, intellectual property, environmental services, and carbon emissions).

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 outputs of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's focus on gender-responsive adaptation, the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized women, and recommendations concerning fossil fuel extraction and climate finance.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 activities of the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) regarding climate change and environmental protection.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 activities of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change. It details the CRC's use of State review procedures to hold governments accountable for children's rights in the face of climate crises and analyzes the Committee's General Comment No. 26 (2023), which establishes the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as implicit in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy critiques the draft IPR chapter of the FTAA, noting that it fails to prohibit patents on life and includes proposals that tighten TRIPs standards. The statement highlights the removal of language regarding technology transfer and transparency, and notes the US push for UPOV implementation for plant patents.

This research paper by the Center for International Environmental Law and the International Rivers Network analyzes the establishment of the World Bank's Inspection Panel on September 21, 1993. The authors evaluate whether this new mechanism for citizens and NGOs to request investigations into Bank-funded projects truly increases accountability, highlighting concerns regarding the panel's independence from Bank leadership and its lack of public transparency.

This document is a cover letter dated April 4, 2007, accompanying an amicus curiae brief submitted to the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) regarding the case Suez, Sociedad General de Aguas de Barcelona, S.A. and Vivendi Universal, S.A. v. Argentine Republic (Case No. ARB/03/19).

A joint statement by five civil society organizations requesting transparency and the ability to participate as amicus curiae in ICSID Case No. ARB/03/19. The case involves a dispute between the Republic of Argentina and several companies, including Aguas Argentinas S.A., regarding economic measures adopted during the 2002 crisis that affected water and sanitation services.

This research paper, published in November 1999 by WWF-World Wide Fund for Nature and authored by experts from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), examines the conflict between World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and trade measures used in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The authors argue that uncertainty regarding WTO consistency is used by some nations to 'chill' the development of effective environmental laws, specifically citing the Biosafety Protocol and the POPs Agreement. The paper recommends that WTO members adopt a political statement of consistency and negotiate a separate agreement to grant MEAs equal status with WTO rules.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in November 1997, provides instructions for citizens on how to utilize the World Bank's Inspection Panel. It explains the Panel's role as an independent mechanism to hold the World Bank accountable for violations of its own operational policies and procedures, particularly regarding social and environmental impacts.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law outlines several reform options for Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) to be considered by UNCITRAL Working Group III. The document argues that current ISDS mechanisms are asymmetrical, often ignoring state obligations and public interest, and proposes alternatives such as multilateral treaty termination, the allowance of state counterclaims, public interest carve-outs, 'clean hands' clauses for investors, the requirement to exhaust local remedies, and expanded third-party access to proceedings.

The Healthy NDC Scorecard is a visual tool designed to evaluate whether national climate commitments (NDCs) are sufficient to protect human health, measuring them against the Paris Agreement and science-aligned targets.

The 'Common Position of Latin America and the Caribbean on Climate Change and Health' is a report by the Global Climate and Health Alliance and various regional signatories. It outlines the specific vulnerabilities of the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region to the climate crisis, emphasizing the intersection of environmental degradation, extreme poverty, and health inequities. The document proposes a framework of six key pillars—protecting health, mitigation with health benefits, climate justice, adaptation, leadership/governance, and financing—to guide regional governments and the international community toward a health-centered climate response, particularly in preparation for COP30 in Belém do Pará, Brazil.

This common position document, authored by a broad coalition of health and environmental organizations, outlines the critical intersection of climate change and public health in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It details the region's high vulnerability to extreme weather, the disproportionate impact on marginalized and indigenous populations, and the urgent need to integrate health into national climate policies (NDCs) and adaptation plans. The document advocates for a 'just transition' that eliminates fossil fuel dependency, transforms unsustainable food systems, and strengthens primary healthcare to build climate resilience ahead of COP30 in Belém, Brazil.

This guide from the Climate Policy Initiative explains debt-for-climate swaps, which are financial mechanisms that cancel, exchange, or refinance sovereign debt in return for commitments to invest the savings into climate mitigation, adaptation, or conservation. The document details the different types of swaps (bilateral and tripartite), the internal and regulatory capacities required by Ministries of Finance to implement them, and the financial market conditions that influence their viability. It also outlines the risks, pricing drivers, and common challenges associated with these instruments, while providing examples of successful implementations in countries like Ecuador, Belize, and Seychelles.