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The report examines the shift from traditional state-centric security to 'human security,' noting that modern conflicts are increasingly linked to poverty and occur within poor states. It argues that while trade and aid can theoretically promote stability, in practice, unfair trade rules and misused aid often exacerbate instability. The author proposes six objectives for the international community and the Commonwealth to ensure these policies 'do no harm' and support enduring peace.

The report examines the remittance landscape for immigrants in Norway, comparing 42 services across 21 mechanisms, including banks, money transfer operators (MTOs), and informal hawala systems. It highlights a restrictive regulatory environment that often drives users toward illegal services, particularly for transfers to Somalia and Iraq. The analysis reveals that real costs are often hidden through exchange rate spreads, with typical costs for NOK 1,000 transfers ranging from 5% to 25%. While bank transfers can be cheaper for larger amounts, they are often slower and less predictable than MTOs. The report argues that improving financial literacy and regularizing informal services could enhance the development impact of remittances and improve immigrant integration.

The report examines the implementation of the Montreal Protocol through the lens of the Swedish Ozone Layer Protection programme (OLP), identifying country ownership, capacity building, and stakeholder participation as critical governance factors for success. It argues that a shift from top-down regulation to bottom-up governance is necessary for sustainable national implementation of MEAs.

The study evaluates twenty-one jurisdictions on six governance elements: strategy coordination, placement of responsibility, legislative underpinning, integration with budgeting, stakeholder involvement, and local linkages. While most jurisdictions pursue top-down strategies and use advisory councils, the report finds significant weaknesses in legislative mandates and integration with national planning and budgeting processes. Norway is highlighted as a leading example of integrating SD into national budgets, while Sweden is noted for creating a dedicated Ministry of Sustainable Development. The authors argue that the most effective governance occurs when NSDS are seamlessly integrated into government accountability systems managed by finance departments.

The document outlines various ocean energy technologies, including tidal dams, fences, turbines, wave energy converters, and Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion (OTEC). It highlights existing installations in France, China, and Canada, and notes that while these resources are renewable and pollution-free, they face challenges such as high capital costs, specific site requirements, and potential impacts on sea life migration.

The report evaluates a project that engaged young researchers from seven developing countries to bridge the policy gap between the information society (IS) and sustainable development (SD). It identifies key success factors for youth engagement, such as 'learning by doing' and a 'sense of ownership,' while highlighting the critical need for robust institutional and intellectual support. The document details how researchers in countries like South Africa and Kenya directly influenced national ICT strategies and emphasizes the necessity of gender-disaggregated data and specialized recruitment to effectively integrate young women into the policy process.

The report argues that China's pursuit of high GDP growth has led to severe environmental degradation, which in turn triggers internal security risks such as violent protests and mass migration. Internationally, China's need to secure energy, water, and timber resources drives an assertive foreign policy, leading to territorial disputes and the 'export' of environmental degradation to trading partners. The document highlights critical scarcity in water and energy, deteriorating air quality contributing to the 'Asian Brown Cloud', and the impact of domestic logging bans on international timber trade.

The paper argues that resource rights—whether private or communal—are critical determinants of disaster vulnerability and recovery. In the pre-disaster phase, secure rights encourage investment in resilience and sustainable resource management, such as protecting mangrove buffers. Post-disaster, the loss of documentation and titleholders often delays reconstruction and compensation, potentially leading to opportunistic land grabs or social conflict. The authors emphasize that equitable re-allocation of resource rights is essential for restoring sustainable livelihoods and reducing long-term vulnerability.

The report investigates stewardship planning for the Saskatchewan government, focusing on two modes of influence: internal operations (e.g., green procurement, energy use) and external influence (e.g., legislation and policy). It analyzes case studies from the United Kingdom, Canada, Manitoba, and Oregon, as well as corporate reporting frameworks like the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) and PotashCorp. Key findings emphasize the need to integrate stewardship planning with existing budgeting and accountability frameworks to ensure effectiveness and organizational capacity.

The document critiques the 'biotechnological revolution' in agriculture, specifically the role of Monsanto and the ISAAA in promoting GM crops. It argues that the industry has used deceptive marketing, bribery, and political influence to bypass regulations and establish dominance over the global seed market. The report claims that GM crops have not reduced poverty or hunger, have increased pesticide use, and have led to land concentration and the erosion of farmers' rights, particularly in the Global South.

The report examines how trade liberalization, specifically through the WTO's Doha Round and NAMA negotiations, facilitates the privatization of natural resources and harms marginalized populations. It provides case studies on the depletion of fisheries in the Philippines and Seychelles, deforestation in Indonesia and Central America, and the impact of industrial pig farming and soy expansion in Denmark and Argentina. The document advocates for food and energy sovereignty and the recognition of water as a human right over a tradable commodity.

The paper assesses the evolution of sustainable development indicators (SDIs), noting a shift from long 'menus' of indicators toward core 'headline' sets and goal-oriented measures like the Millennium Development Goal Indicators (MDGIs). It critiques the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development's (UNCSD) previous approach, which provided a broad list of indicators that lacked a common global framework and strong policy linkage. The authors argue that SDIs often remain 'environmental add-ons' rather than integrated policy tools due to institutional, methodological, and technical challenges, particularly data gaps. To address this, the document proposes a 'Synergy World' scenario, advocating for a gradual, evolutionary approach that aligns SDIs with the System of Integrated Environmental and Economic Accounting (SEEA) and the MDGIs, focusing on a small set of high-priority indicators linked to capital maintenance and specific policy targets.

The document introduces 'communication rights' as a broad conceptual umbrella that extends beyond freedom of expression to include democratic media governance, linguistic rights, and access to knowledge. It presents the Communication Rights Assessment Framework (CRAFT), which organises these rights into four pillars: Communicating in the Public Sphere, Communicating Knowledge for Creativity and Equity, Civil Rights in Communication, and Cultural Rights in Communication. The handbook details how to apply this framework through research, stakeholder verification, and follow-up advocacy, drawing on pilot projects conducted in Brazil, Colombia, Kenya, the Philippines, and the European Union.

The document examines the ongoing WTO negotiations on environmental goods, noting that current proposed lists of goods for liberalization primarily benefit developed countries, who account for 79 per cent of exports. To create a more balanced outcome, the author suggests expanding the definition of environmental goods to include environmentally preferable products (EPPs) of export interest to developing countries—specifically non-timber forest products and natural fibre products—and implementing Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) provisions such as delayed compliance and less-than-full reciprocity.

The document provides a comprehensive framework for using international human rights, labor, environmental, and health laws to safeguard children's health. It details specific treaties, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Stockholm Convention, and explains the roles of global institutions like the WHO and UNEP. The guide outlines six primary functions of international law: providing blueprints for action, resolving disputes, promoting compliance, providing fora for discussion, building capacity, and promoting cooperation. It also includes case studies on housing rights in the Philippines and the Yacyretá Hydroelectric Project to demonstrate practical application of these legal tools.

This report by Friends of the Earth International examines the consequences of shifting the management of natural resources from public to private control. It focuses on the privatization of water and biodiversity, highlighting how neoliberal policies promoted by international financial institutions (IFIs) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) often lead to increased costs for the poor, environmental degradation, and the appropriation of indigenous knowledge. Through 34 case studies, the document illustrates the negative outcomes of these policies and advocates for community-led management and the recognition of water as a human right.

The report defines food security as food that is available at all times, accessible to all, nutritionally adequate, and culturally acceptable. It argues that while global food supply has generally kept pace with demand, food insecurity persists due to failures in distribution and individual access. The document evaluates four policy paths: food self-sufficiency (now largely seen as unrealistic), trade liberalization (which offers supply stability but can undermine local producers), food sovereignty (which emphasizes national policy autonomy and peasant rights), and multi-functional agriculture (which integrates environmental sustainability and non-commodity public values into farming). It concludes that a pragmatic, flexible approach is necessary to reconcile economic, social, and ecological objectives.

The report argues that while fuel cells have high initial capital costs, they can be cost-effective by capturing 'distributed benefits' such as deferring utility distribution investments, providing premium reliability for the digital economy, and meeting strict urban emission standards. It proposes a commercialization path starting with grid-connected systems in commercial buildings and semiconductor fabs, eventually integrating with fuel-cell vehicles through vehicle-to-grid (V2G) systems.

The document criticizes a 2002 White House directive that allows "intermittent, low levels" of experimental GM genes in the food supply. It contends that the USDA, FDA, and EPA are implementing policies that lack mandatory safety testing, clear contamination limits, or rigorous oversight. The author highlights the risks of allergenicity, toxicity, and pharmaceutical contamination, noting that US exports and food aid spread these contaminants globally. The briefing calls for a return to a "zero tolerance" policy to protect human health and prevent the environmental amplification of GM traits.

The document argues that while trade and aid are intended to foster development and security, they often exacerbate conflict through the exploitation of natural resources, volatile aid flows, and unbalanced trade liberalization. It calls for an integrated approach that incorporates security as a primary goal, improves governance, and utilizes mechanisms like commodity price stabilization and product certification to mitigate the 'dark sides' of commerce and assistance.