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The report examines a draft WTO text designed to complement the 2022 Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies by prohibiting subsidies that drive overcapacity and overfishing. It details a 'hybrid' approach combining a broad prohibition with management-based exemptions and special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing nations. The text also proposes stricter rules for distant-water fishing and enhanced transparency requirements, including notifications on forced labour and aggregate subsidy levels. While not a final agreement, the report argues the draft represents a significant compromise to align global fishing subsidies with sustainable development goals.

The report tracks the progress of the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) toward a stabilized negotiating text for a WTO Agreement on Investment Facilitation for Development, noting that very few outstanding issues remain.

In June 2022, the WTO's 164 members reached a historic agreement to tackle harmful fisheries subsidies, marking the first multilateral trade deal centered on environmental sustainability. The process involved over 20 years of negotiations and was supported by a combination of impartial technical policy advice from the IISD and high-ambition advocacy from The Pew Charitable Trusts. To create external pressure, the 'Stop Funding Overfishing' campaign was launched, eventually gathering 182 signatories, including the World Wildlife Fund and Oceana. The final agreement, adopted at the Twelfth Ministerial Conference (MC12), includes prohibitions on subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, fishing of overfished stocks, and fishing on the unregulated high seas. To ensure future progress, the deal includes a clause stating the agreement expires if a more comprehensive deal is not reached within four years of entry into force.

The 2022 report outlines the achievements of the WHO-Civil Society Working Group, including coordinated submissions to the UNFCCC, a joint call for a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty, and the establishment of a health pavilion at COP27. It also details efforts to integrate climate change into health professional curricula and plans for a new WHA resolution in 2024.

The Council on Strategic Risks emphasizes the urgency of international cooperation within the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BWC) to counter biological threats. The organization identifies three priority areas for future work: engaging the private sector to manage risks from synthetic biology and the bioeconomy, establishing shared standards and transparency for high safety-level laboratories (BSL-3 and BSL-4), and improving early warning and rapid response capacities for biological threats from all sources, drawing on models from the Chemical Weapons Convention and Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.

The report details a workshop evaluating South Africa's use of the INSPIRE framework to prevent violence against children (VAC). It identifies progress in research and policy, such as the Western Cape government's Safety Plan and the National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. However, it highlights critical gaps, including the lack of a government focal point to maintain 'Pathfinding' momentum and poor coordination between government and NGOs. The document recommends the reappointment of an INSPIRE champion and the adaptation of the INSPIRE Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) to the South African context.

The WSIS Civil Society Declaration argues that information and communication technologies (ICTs) must be grounded in human rights, social justice, and gender equality rather than profit-driven market motives. It advocates for universal access to information, the protection of the public domain of knowledge, and the use of Free Software to empower marginalized communities. The declaration emphasizes the need for multistakeholder governance of the Internet and the implementation of environmentally sustainable ICT solutions, particularly in Africa.

The document assesses the potential for a cross-sector collaboration space in Geneva to support the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It identifies Geneva's strengths, such as the high density of international organizations and NGOs, but notes barriers including bureaucratic processes and a lack of accessible collaborative spaces in the Nations area.

The report identifies Geneva's high density of international expertise and neutrality as key strengths for SDG implementation, but notes that collaboration is hindered by bureaucratic processes, institutional silos, and a lack of accessible, informal gathering spaces. It recommends the establishment of a curated, inclusive, and inspiring physical space in the Nations area to facilitate networking, skills development, and the showcasing of innovations across the public, private, and academic sectors.

The Indo-Pacific Economic Framework for Prosperity (IPEF) is a flexible economic initiative launched by the United States in May 2022 with 13 partner countries. Organized into four pillars—connected economy, resilient economy, clean economy, and fair economy—the framework avoids traditional tariff liberalization to prevent domestic political backlash. Early analysis suggests waning enthusiasm among partners, with some countries requesting transition periods for binding commitments and critics arguing that the lack of U.S. concessions on market access reduces the framework's credibility. While the U.S. aims to reassert influence in the region through technical assistance in decarbonization and digital standards, the durability of the IPEF remains uncertain as partners await tangible outcomes.

The Council on Strategic Risks (CSR) expressed support for the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) during its 2022 Preparatory Committee meetings, warning that norms against weapons of mass destruction are weakening while biological threats rise. CSR proposed new initiatives to strengthen the BWC, including the creation of a rapid response force for emerging biological events and mechanisms to manage the risks associated with the global expansion of high-containment biological laboratories.

The WTO dispute settlement system is currently in crisis because the United States has blocked the appointment of members to the Appellate Body, leaving many disputes unresolved as panel reports are appealed "into the void". While U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai has suggested that the system should better facilitate the settlement of disputes over litigation and support the WTO's negotiating and monitoring functions, the author argues these are general concerns lacking specific proposals. The document concludes that the U.S. must offer concrete solutions and new language for reform to prevent the system from further decay and to avoid its own isolation as other members pursue alternatives like the Multi-Party Interim Appeal Arbitration Arrangement.

The WHO-Civil Society Working Group to Advance Action on Climate and Health reports on its 2021 efforts to mobilize the health sector for climate action. Key achievements include conducting regional consultations across six WHO regions involving over 135 countries, launching the 'Healthy Climate Prescription' open letter signed by organizations representing 46 million health workers, and publishing a report on climate and health research gaps. The group also supported the Global Climate and Health Conference and the WHO Health Pavilion at COP26 to increase the visibility of health in climate negotiations.

The report maps 103 multistakeholder initiatives (MSIs) to demonstrate how transnational corporations and mega-philanthropies are displacing traditional state-led multilateralism. It identifies a pattern where the World Economic Forum (WEF) and large foundations like the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation drive a 'stakeholder capitalism' agenda, often using the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as legitimacy. The analysis reveals a significant democratic deficit, with affected communities and Global South governments largely excluded from decision-making, while the UN system often acts as a strategic partner that legitimises these corporate-led mechanisms.

The briefing analyzes the challenges facing WTO agriculture negotiations at MC12, noting that deep divisions among members on domestic support, market access, and public stockholding likely mean that substantive outcomes will be limited to work programs for post-conference talks. The author identifies a potential positive outcome regarding an exemption for World Food Programme (WFP) food purchases from export restrictions and suggests that some progress on transparency may be achievable, though substantive issues like trade-distorting subsidies in cotton remain unresolved.

The document assesses Norway's cautious and ambiguous approach to regulating lethal autonomous weapon systems (LAWS) and military AI. It highlights the tension between Norway's NATO commitments and the need for arms control diplomacy in the face of technological advancements by Russia and China. The brief identifies significant legal and ethical challenges, such as the lack of accountability for AI-driven actions and the risks associated with dual-use technologies, while noting that definitional ambiguities and the consensus-based structure of the UN CCW have hindered international regulatory progress.

The report examines the shift from in-person to virtual negotiations within the UNCITRAL Working Group III on ISDS reform and the WTO Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on investment facilitation. While virtual formats reduce costs and increase the participation of capital-based and junior officials, they significantly hinder informal communication, coalition building, and the ability of negotiators to focus due to competing day-to-day work priorities. The authors recommend a hybrid approach for future negotiations, using virtual tools for technical preparatory phases and in-person meetings for substantive compromise-seeking.

The IISD welcomes Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala as the first woman and first African to lead the WTO, noting her diverse experience in finance, health, and development. The organization identifies critical early priorities for her term, including fisheries subsidies and humanitarian food aid exemptions, while advocating for a trade system that supports sustainable development and the SDGs in a post-COVID reality.

The 2020 report outlines the progress of the WHO-Civil Society Working Group, highlighting its role in advocating for a 'healthy recovery' from COVID-19 and placing health at the center of UNFCCC dialogues. Key achievements include a mobilization of over 40 million health professionals, the delivery of a health-focused webinar for students in Portugal, and the initiation of a literature review to update research gaps in climate and health. The group aims to further align health civil society efforts leading up to COP26 in Glasgow.

The report examines the mechanism of Common African Positions (CAPs) used by the African Union to articulate collective interests on the global stage. While highlighting successes such as the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Position on Asset Recovery, it identifies critical weaknesses including a lack of member state ownership, over-dependence on external funding, and a disconnect between AU headquarters in Addis Ababa and multilateral diplomatic hubs. The author argues that for CAPs to be effective, the AU must move toward more inclusive, participatory processes and ensure that member states, rather than AU bureaucracy, drive the advocacy and implementation of these positions.