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The IISD Guide to Negotiating Investment Contracts for Farmland and Water is a comprehensive tool designed for governments and communities to manage foreign investments in agricultural land. It emphasizes the primacy of domestic law over investment contracts and international treaties, while providing a model contract to fill gaps where domestic laws are weak. The guide outlines a preparatory phase involving investor screening, community engagement, and impact assessments, and proposes specific contractual provisions covering tenure, financial obligations, social development, and environmental protections. It strongly advocates for transparency, the avoidance of stabilization clauses, and the use of domestic courts for dispute resolution to protect the national interest and ensure long-term project viability.

The assessment finds that the Dominican Republic has a medium level of preparedness in legal environment, financial benefit optimization, environmental management, and post-mining transition, but a low level of preparedness in socioeconomic benefit optimization and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While environmental laws are comprehensive, the primary mining law (Law No. 146) is outdated, and there is a significant lack of transparency in revenue distribution and a need to formalize the ASM sector.

The evaluation finds that the Dominican Republic has a strong environmental management framework but suffers from an outdated primary mining law (Law No. 146 from 1971) and significant gaps in socio-economic benefit optimization and the formalization of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While the government demonstrates political will and professional capacity, the report highlights a lack of transparency in the distribution of mining revenues to municipalities and insufficient integration of mining into national development strategies.

The report explores diverse strategies to advance international climate policy, including the adoption of a 'green growth' narrative, the application of social psychology to fairness and equity, and the use of 'clubs' or public-private technology pools to bypass traditional negotiation impasses. It specifically examines the legal interpretation of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR), the potential of green bonds to mobilize private finance, and the 'Quisqueya Platform' for creating synergies between mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

The document explores diverse strategies to advance international climate policy, including the adoption of a 'green growth' narrative, the application of social psychology to fairness and equity disputes, and the use of 'clubs' or public-private technology pools to bypass traditional negotiation impasses. It specifically examines the legal interpretation of 'common but differentiated responsibilities' (CBDR), the potential of green bonds to mobilize private finance, and the 'Quisqueya Platform' for creating synergies between mitigation and adaptation in developing countries.

The IAI Executive Committee has established an ad hoc committee to draft terms of reference for a new Advisory Committee on Science-Policy Liaison, aimed at integrating global change science into decision-making. The EC is also exploring strategies to increase member country involvement and funding, including reviewing the IAI Strategic Plan. Additionally, the IAI participated in the ENSOCIO-LA consortium to foster EU-Latin American cooperation on climate change and resource efficiency, and co-organized a World Climate Research Program (WCRP) conference in Montevideo to define a regional research agenda for climate services.

The IAI Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) report for 2013-2014 details the implementation of the CRN3 project process, including 17 international teams and various integration projects. The SAC is promoting a shift toward interdisciplinarity between human and natural sciences in global change research, emphasizing co-designed research and capacity building. Key strategic activities include evaluating science impact beyond publishing, exploring roles within Future Earth and IPBES, and developing a framework for a Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC). The report also highlights a need for the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to address SAC membership vacancies to maintain the required 10-member count.

The SAC report for 2013-2014 details the implementation of the CRN3 project, the promotion of interdisciplinary research between social and natural sciences, and the evaluation of scientific impact. It outlines strategic goals including the integration of Future Earth as an organizing theme, the development of capacity-building programs, and the need to involve indigenous peoples of the Americas in regional scientific efforts.

The report details a rapid foresight exercise and backcasting analysis conducted with 18 practitioners from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) to identify gaps in sustainable development planning. It emphasizes the need to transition from siloed, sector-based planning to integrated, multistakeholder processes that align national visions with subnational implementation. The document outlines a capacity-building agenda for 2014-2015 focusing on vertical and horizontal collaboration, cross-cutting policies for water, energy, and food security, and the shift from expenditure-based reporting to objective-based monitoring, evaluation, and reporting (MER). It also maps existing regional networks, such as REDEPLAN and CLAD, to coordinate knowledge sharing and avoid duplication of efforts.

This guide by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) examines the technical, operational, and institutional barriers that prevent disaster risk assessments from effectively informing public policy and investment decisions. Drawing on research from Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as case studies from Ghana, India, and Pakistan, the document provides a framework for improving the 'uptake' of risk information to support the successor to the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA2).

The document identifies significant gaps between the production of disaster risk assessments and their application in policy, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean. It argues that risk assessments often fail because they are treated as one-off projects rather than continuous processes, lack alignment with political timescales, and are presented in overly technical language. To improve uptake, the guide recommends engaging end-users in design, targeting sectoral agendas, and building local technical capacity.

The IISD has developed a six-step methodology to evaluate national mining policy frameworks against the IGF Mining Policy Framework (MPF). The process involves desk-based research, the use of a detailed scoring template, stakeholder consultations, and a validation meeting to identify strengths, weaknesses, and gaps in implementation. The methodology is designed to be adaptable to other frameworks, such as the Africa Mining Vision, and aims to inform capacity-building efforts for governments.

The government of St. Maarten established the Man of War Shoal Marine Park, protecting 1,500 hectares of coral reefs and sea grasses, after the St. Maarten Nature Foundation used a WRI tool to demonstrate that these ecosystems contribute US$58 million annually to the economy through tourism and fisheries.

The report identifies Pakistan as highly vulnerable to climate change due to its geography, economic dependence on agriculture, and high poverty levels. It evaluates the 2013 National Climate Change Plan (NCCP) and the impact of the 18th Amendment, which devolved environmental responsibility to provinces. The document proposes ten priority action areas across policy, governance, technical capacity, and capacity building, while drawing lessons from adaptation planning in Kenya and the Dominican Republic.

The document is a participant list for the 21st Conference of the Parts, held June 12-13, 2013, in Montevideo, Uruguay. It details representatives from various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay, and the USA, as well as observers and staff from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Ministry of Housing, Territorial Planning and Environment (MVOTMA/DINAMA).

The speech emphasizes that climate change is no longer a specialized environmental issue but a cross-sectoral risk affecting national security, health, and infrastructure. It highlights the need to rethink worst-case scenarios as temperature increases may exceed previous estimates, and argues that Canada requires a national adaptation approach to move beyond piecemeal provincial efforts. The author calls for 'climate proofing' infrastructure and using tax policy lessons from the fossil fuel sector to attract private investment into resilience.

The report identifies significant climate risks in the Yaque del Sur watershed, where high exposure to hurricanes, floods, and droughts intersects with high poverty and low adaptive capacity. Modelling suggests that by 2050, the annual water deficit could reach 519 million m3, threatening key crops like maize and tomatoes. While the Dominican Republic has established disaster risk and climate change frameworks, the report finds a lack of coordination between these structures and deficiencies in data sharing. Recommended priority actions include shifting to drought-resilient crops (sorghum and mangoes), increasing irrigation efficiency from 20% to 45%, and implementing payment for ecosystem services to promote reforestation in the upper watershed.

The report analyzes the intersection of climate threats and socio-economic vulnerabilities in the Yaque del Sur basin, the Dominican Republic's third-largest basin. It finds that the region faces severe water deficits and high vulnerability due to poverty and dependence on climate-sensitive agriculture. Projected climate trends include rising temperatures and decreasing precipitation, which could lead to an annual water deficit of 390 million m3 by 2050. The document identifies critical gaps in institutional coordination between disaster risk management and climate change adaptation bodies. To mitigate these risks, it recommends seven priority actions, including switching to drought-resistant crops like sorghum and mangoes, increasing irrigation efficiency from 20% to 45%, and implementing payment for ecosystem services to promote reforestation in the upper basin.

The report examines the intersection of climate variability and public health in Nicaragua, identifying key vulnerabilities and proposing a comprehensive risk management framework.

The document details CDKN's support for Pakistan's climate action, including the development of a work programme for climate compatible development, the creation of a climate change fund, and specific projects on disaster risk insurance and resilient shelter design. It highlights Pakistan's high vulnerability to climate change despite low global emissions and emphasizes the need to align adaptation planning with national development goals.