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The document examines Brazil's role in the FTAA negotiations, highlighting the tension between Brazil's desire for agricultural market access and the US's push for the inclusion of 'Singapore issues' such as investment and intellectual property. It details Brazil's efforts to protect sensitive industrial sectors and its strategic use of Mercosur to avoid isolation as the US pursues bilateral agreements with other Latin American nations. The analysis concludes that the FTAA is shifting toward a flexible 'ALCA-lite' framework with a limited built-in agenda.

The report examines the shift in intellectual property standard-setting from multilateral forums like the WTO and WIPO to bilateral and regional trade agreements. It highlights the risk of "TRIPS-plus" provisions—standards exceeding the WTO's TRIPS Agreement—which erode flexibilities for developing countries. A central focus is the application of non-violation complaints in bilateral deals (e.g., US-Chile, CAFTA), which the authors argue could make WTO discussions irrelevant and restrict the right of states to regulate IP in the public interest. The document also updates activities in the TRIPS Council, WIPO's committees on patents and genetic resources, and various UN agencies regarding traditional knowledge and public health.

Tropical hillside communities in Latin America, Africa, and Asia are highly vulnerable to soil erosion and deforestation, which are exacerbated by climate change. The PASOLAC program in Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador demonstrates that Sustainable Soil and Water Management (SSWM) techniques—such as agroforestry, organic fertilization, and the construction of dams—increase resilience to droughts and heavy rainfall. Key outcomes include improved soil water retention, reduced topsoil loss, and the restoration of year-round water flows. The document argues that integrating human-based approaches, financial instruments like payments for environmental services, and market access is essential for long-term adaptation and livelihood security.

The document argues that the human right to water requires states to maintain regulatory autonomy and flexibility, which may conflict with the trade liberalization goals of the WTO's GATS. It specifically examines how market access commitments, national treatment obligations, and proposed disciplines on domestic regulation could restrict a government's ability to use public monopolies, implement universal service obligations, or maintain environmental zoning and quality standards. The authors propose a 'progressive approach' where trade law is interpreted in deference to national regulatory autonomy to ensure that basic services are not left to the 'whim of markets'.

The document analyzes the intersection of trade, agriculture, and sustainable development in Central America. It highlights a growing trade deficit driven by commercial openness and a reliance on low-value generic exports. Environmentally, the region faces significant water and air pollution due to the intensification of agrochemicals and livestock production. The report argues that while Central American countries have significant room under WTO rules to implement 'Green Box' support measures for sustainable agriculture, they currently lack the fiscal resources and institutional coordination to do so effectively.

The report analyzes the agricultural sector in Central America, noting a trend where imports grow faster than exports and a heavy reliance on external technology for dynamic crops. It identifies significant environmental degradation caused by the high use of pesticides in banana and cantaloupe production and carbon emissions from sugar cane burning. The authors argue that while the region has extensive environmental legislation, it is rarely enforced. To promote sustainable development, the document recommends establishing non-distorting support mechanisms, negotiating special treatment for 'sustainable' products in trade agreements like CAFTA and the FTAA, and creating a General System of Green Preferences (SIGPREVERDE) for developing countries.

Over sixty civil society organizations have called on President George Bush to extend the deadline for the Central America Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA) negotiations to allow for meaningful public participation and transparency. The organizations argue that current negotiations exclude civil society representatives outside the business sector and that the failure to publish negotiating texts hinders democratic input. They specifically express concern that labor issues will be addressed in May 2003 without input from Central American labor unions, and highlight potential threats to agriculture, sustainable development, worker rights, and access to medicines.

The document outlines the efforts of the WTO Working Group on Trade and Transfer of Technology (WGTTT) to increase technology flows to developing countries. It highlights a divide between developing nations, who seek the full implementation of technology transfer clauses and capacity-building, and developed nations, such as the US, which prefer an analytical approach that does not interfere with existing WTO obligations. The briefing also details the role of the TRIPS Agreement, specifically Article 66.2 regarding incentives for least-developed countries, and the differing perspectives of the EU, Canada, Brazil, and China on the mechanisms of technology transfer.

The Reefs at Risk Caribbean project workshop focused on improving a threat assessment model for coral reefs using proxy indicators. Key discussions centered on refining data for coastal development, watershed-based pollution, overfishing, and coral bleaching. Participants recommended incorporating higher-resolution data, adjusting population density metrics for fishing pressure, and treating coral bleaching and disease as separate analysis layers rather than integrated threat model components. The workshop also addressed the need for better mapping of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the economic valuation of reefs.

The document analyzes how specific design choices in global environmental reporting—such as framing, governance, participation, and communication—influence the effectiveness of these systems, measured by saliency, credibility, legitimacy, and awareness. Using the Global Environment Outlook (GEO) as a case study, the author argues that while GEO is a successful model for integrating environmental and development data across scales, its effectiveness can be further enhanced through more substantive early stakeholder participation, rigorous anonymous peer review, and long-term capacity development strategies for collaborating centers, particularly in developing regions.

The report finds that Sida's support for Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA) has been fragmented and ad hoc, heavily prioritizing mine clearance (85% of funding) over other essential components like impact assessment and survey. While Sida has been a major global donor, its funding trended downward after 1998. The evaluation highlights a 'quiet revolution' in HMA, shifting from output-based measures (mines removed) to impact-based measures (societal effect), and argues that Sida must institutionalize impact assessment to ensure sustainable, development-oriented assistance. It analyzes various implementation channels, noting that NGOs are flexible and innovative but struggle with long-term sustainability, while government/military channels offer better sustainability but may lack humanitarian sensitivity. The report also critiques Sida's R&D and technical initiatives, such as the Mine Detection Dog project in Cambodia, for failing to base needs on local stakeholders and lacking sustainability.

The report details the proceedings of the Regional Forum on Trade and Environment (July 1999), arguing that Central American countries must move beyond passive trade openness to a proactive regional strategy. It identifies the region's high biodiversity and renewable energy potential as competitive advantages that can be leveraged through organic agriculture, certified forestry, and environmental services. The document emphasizes the need for a unified position within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) to prevent unilateral environmental restrictions and to promote sustainable development. Key recommendations include shifting from traditional agriculture to agroforestry, adopting organic production, and creating a regional certification system.

The document examines the emergence of markets for global environmental services in Central America, focusing on Costa Rica's leadership in carbon credit mechanisms and El Salvador's potential to leverage shade-grown coffee for biodiversity and carbon sequestration. It highlights the critical role of institutional frameworks in successfully transitioning to a 'service-based' environmental economy and discusses potential conflicts between these mechanisms and World Trade Organization (WTO) rules.

The document is a participant list for the Sixth Meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Ottawa, Canada. It details representatives from member countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and the USA, as well as observers from Bolivia, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, and various international organizations such as the WMO, OAS, and CARICOM. It also lists IAI staff and Canadian support personnel.

The document examines how Costa Rica and El Salvador can leverage global environmental service markets. Costa Rica is presented as a leader with a robust institutional framework for carbon trading and payments for environmental services. El Salvador is analyzed through the lens of its shade-grown coffee plantations, which provide critical biodiversity and carbon sink services despite the sector's economic decline.

The document highlights that just 1% of Honduras's estimated superhot rock geothermal resource could provide 109 GW of energy capacity, far exceeding the country's 2021 electricity consumption of 11,117 GWh. This resource could theoretically replace all fossil fuels used for electricity production, reducing emissions by approximately 3 megatonnes of CO2eq, which represents 66% of Honduras's 2030 NDC goal. Additionally, the technology is noted for its low land footprint—requiring roughly 12 km² per 1 GW—and its ability to provide 24/7 firm power, reducing reliance on energy imports, particularly coal from the United States.

The report documents a global pattern of violence and legal harassment against land and environmental rights defenders in 2013. It argues that these individuals, often representing vulnerable indigenous or rural communities, are targeted by governments and corporations during conflicts over natural resources and large-scale development projects. The document provides specific case studies from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, detailing arrests, assassinations, and forced displacements linked to opposition to mining, hydroelectric dams, agribusiness, and oil exploration.

The document synthesizes the work of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) in addressing climate change, specifically focusing on Concluding Observations issued to States. It highlights that while climate change is not explicitly in key human rights treaties, HRTBs increasingly use their monitoring roles to argue that protecting human rights requires specific climate action. The report details recommendations across several themes, including the disproportionate impacts on women, children, and indigenous peoples, the need for gender-sensitive and child-sensitive climate strategies, and the obligation of some States to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and fossil fuel extraction to meet human rights standards. It provides detailed analysis of the three most active bodies: CEDAW, CESCR, and CRC.

The document serves as a practical guide for indigenous and local community leaders to navigate the human rights implications of REDD+ initiatives. It explains the mechanism's goals, the seven UNFCCC safeguards, and the specific collective rights—such as self-determination, land tenure, and Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)—that are often at risk. The guide provides strategic advice for negotiations and lists national and international grievance mechanisms, including the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and World Bank inspection panels, to address rights violations.

The document outlines the basic concepts of REDD+, the associated safeguards agreed upon under the UNFCCC, and the specific human rights—such as self-determination, land tenure, and free, prior and informed consent (FPIC)—that may be impacted by forest governance initiatives. It provides practical advice for community leaders on negotiating REDD+ activities and lists national and international mechanisms for seeking justice and reporting rights violations.