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This research paper examines the role of transnational organised crime networks and 'middlemen' in fueling African conflicts through the illicit trade of weapons and natural resources. Using the case studies of Leonid Minin and Victor Bout, the document highlights the sophistication of these networks, their use of front companies and tax havens, and the systemic failures of international law enforcement and national legislation to prosecute sanctions-busting activities.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute evaluates the Swedish Ozone Layer Protection programme (OLP), a bilateral initiative from 1999 to 2006 designed to support the implementation of the Montreal Protocol in developing countries and economies in transition. The report identifies country ownership, capacity building, and stakeholder participation as critical governance factors for the successful national phase-out of ozone-depleting substances (ODS). It argues that a shift from top-down regulation to bottom-up governance is necessary for sustainable implementation and provides recommendations for reforming the incentive structures of implementing agencies and the status of national ozone units.

This December 2003 report by Friends of the Earth International argues that International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including multilateral development banks and bilateral export credit agencies, should phase out funding for the extractive industries. The document contends that IFI-supported oil, gas, and mining projects frequently lead to environmental disasters, human rights abuses, and the marginalization of indigenous peoples, while failing to alleviate poverty in resource-rich developing nations.

This report by Friends of the Earth International argues that international financial institutions (IFIs) should cease funding extractive industries—specifically oil, gas, and mining—due to their devastating impacts on local communities, human rights, and the global environment. Through multiple case studies across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, the document illustrates how public funding for these projects often exacerbates poverty, fuels corruption, and contributes to climate change, while providing minimal economic benefit to host countries.

This research paper describes the development and application of a set of six criteria used to assess 'good practices' in climate change mitigation policies and measures (PAM) across six Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. Led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC), the project aimed to help economies in transition find low-emission development paths and build institutional capacity to meet UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol obligations.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law, prepared for the United Nations Environment Programme, evaluates the effectiveness of trade and positive measures within the Montreal Protocol. It analyzes how these mechanisms—ranging from import/export bans on ozone-depleting substances (ODS) to financial assistance for developing nations—have driven near-universal ratification and compliance to reduce global emissions of controlled substances.

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.

This report by Sandbag assesses the 2017 Effort Sharing Regulation (ESR) deal, which sets emission reduction targets for non-ETS sectors in the EU for 2021-2030. The authors argue that the current -30% target is insufficient for Paris Agreement goals and advocate for project-based cooperation between Member States to achieve reductions cost-effectively and avoid carbon lock-in in lower-income countries.

This research paper evaluates the impact of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and Joint Implementation (JI) on nitrous oxide (N2O) abatement in the adipic acid sector. While the carbon market successfully incentivized abatement levels of 98% to 100%, which exceed previous technical benchmarks, the authors find that the CDM created significant economic incentives that led to carbon leakage. Specifically, production shifted from non-CDM plants to CDM plants during the 2008-2009 economic downturn, resulting in an estimated 13.5 MtCO2e of issued credits that did not represent real emission reductions.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the economic trade-offs of low-greenhouse-gas (GHG) consumption strategies in high-income countries, specifically focusing on the potential negative impacts on lower-income countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs). Using the United Kingdom as a primary example and a multi-regional input-output (MRIO) model, the authors find that shifting consumption from high-GHG goods to low-GHG services can reduce emissions but may disproportionately harm the GDP of poor exporting nations.

This report provides a regional summary of the capacity and needs of six Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries to implement national systems for inventories and Kyoto Mechanisms to comply with the Kyoto Protocol.