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The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent policy research organization that operates across six primary programs: Economic Law and Policy, Energy, Water, Resilience, SDG Knowledge, and Reporting Services. The organization focuses on creating holistic, interconnected solutions to global challenges, providing technical support to developing countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and tracking the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its work spans nearly 100 countries, ranging from supporting solar power transitions in India to phasing out fossil fuel subsidies in Indonesia.

The report inventories Swiss fossil fuel subsidies according to the ACCTS framework, detailing specific exemptions, measures aligned with the Standardized Carbon Price Measure (SCPM), and non-exempt subsidies. It highlights that the ACCTS provides the first legal definition of fossil fuel subsidies, focusing on mechanisms that promote production or consumption rather than just trade distortion.

This report by the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) provides preliminary estimates of global energy subsidies by source for 2007, detailing the assumptions and calculations used for nuclear energy, renewable energy, biofuels, fossil fuels, and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).

The document analyzes how Saudi Arabia, China, and South Africa have implemented various taxes on fossil fuel consumption to address budget deficits and fund renewable energy. It highlights China's Renewable Electricity Surcharge, which raised USD 16 billion in 2016, and South Africa's multi-layered approach including fuel and electricity levies. Saudi Arabia's 2018 introduction of a 5% VAT is noted as a move to diversify revenue away from oil dependency.

The 2022 WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies, which entered into force in September 2025, prohibits subsidies for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and overexploited stocks. However, it does not address the broader structural causes of overcapacity. The upcoming MC14 in Yaoundé, Cameroon, is a critical juncture for negotiating 'Phase 2' disciplines. Failure to adopt these additional rules by September 2029 will trigger a sunset clause, potentially terminating the entire 2022 agreement.

The document analyzes the tension between the WTO's multilateral and plurilateral paths for regulating digital trade. It focuses on the Work Programme on Electronic Commerce (WPEC), the ongoing moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions, and the Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on E-commerce. The author highlights the divide between developed nations seeking permanent rules and developing nations concerned about the digital divide and loss of tariff revenue, noting that decisions at MC14 in March 2026 will shape global digital governance.

The IISD-Europe program on sustainable procurement provides policy advisory and research services to scale up green industrial growth through "whole life value" procurement. The institute advises governments on Sustainable Public Procurement (SPP) and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP), and leads the International Initiative on Procurement and Green Growth. IISD argues that because public procurement accounts for 12–15 per cent of GDP in the EU and US, governments can use their purchasing power to trigger markets for sustainable goods and services and incentivize private sector investment in green technology.

The Fourth Conference of the Parties (COP-4) in Buenos Aires resulted in the 'Buenos Aires Plan of Action,' a work program with deadlines to resolve six key issues necessary for the Kyoto Protocol's implementation. While the talks were characterized by deadlock and high-level closed-door negotiations, significant developments included a breakthrough in Global Environment Facility (GEF) funding for developing countries and Argentina's decision to voluntarily commit to greenhouse gas emission reductions. However, deep divisions remained regarding the capping of Kyoto mechanisms and the formalization of technology transfer.

The document examines the complex relationship between international trade and the environment, detailing how trade liberalization can either harm or benefit ecosystems depending on accompanying policies. It analyzes the legal frameworks of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), exploring conflicts and synergies between them. Key areas of focus include the impact of processes and production methods (PPMs), intellectual property rights (TRIPS), agricultural subsidies, and the role of regional trade agreements. The handbook emphasizes the need for integrated assessments, capacity building in developing countries, and greater openness in trade policy-making to achieve sustainable development goals.

The document analyzes how trade liberalization affects the environment through product, scale, structural, and direct effects. It examines the legal tensions between World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), specifically focusing on Process and Production Methods (PPMs), intellectual property rights (TRIPS), and agricultural subsidies. It argues that trade liberalization does not automatically harm or help the environment, but its outcome depends on the integration of economic and environmental policies.

The research project examined SD strategies in 19 countries and the European Union, concluding that while innovations exist in strategy types and participation, no country has achieved a truly strategic approach due to fragmented management cycles and weak feedback processes. Key findings highlight that SD strategies often remain peripheral to national budgeting and struggle with 'the administrative trap' of vertical government structures. The document identifies four main strategy types: comprehensive and multi-dimensional, cross-sectoral, sectoral, and integration into existing planning. Specific innovations are noted, such as Sweden's environmental tax shifting and Switzerland's constitutional elevation of sustainable development to a national goal.

The assessment concludes that the onshore wind portfolio is a more resilient and profitable investment than a comparable gas-fired power plant when climate risks and externalities are internalized. While the wind portfolio's performance slightly diminishes when externalities are monetized, the gas-fired plant becomes financially unattractive, with its internal rate of return (IRR) turning negative under a carbon tax scenario.

The document details the transition of public finance institutions away from fossil fuel investments, highlighting the role of G20 governments and multilateral development banks in implementing restrictions on coal, oil, and gas financing to align with the Paris Agreement.

The research tested a semantic clustering technique to identify coordinated manipulation on Wikipedia, focusing on the Russo-Ukrainian war and 48 related pages. While the method did not consistently distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate editors globally, it successfully identified several dense clusters of sock-puppet accounts and coordinated IP-based editing. The study concludes that semantic clustering is a useful tool for grouping accounts with highly similar editing patterns, which can then be targeted for human-led investigation.

The document examines the breach of arms control systems during the Libyan conflict, specifically focusing on France and Qatar's admission of supplying arms to rebels. It highlights the failure of end-user monitoring and the potential violation of contractual obligations, noting that Qatar may have re-exported arms sourced from the US and other nations, including Swiss ammunition. The author notes the inconsistent international response and the silence of South Africa regarding these transfers despite its own claims of being a responsible arms exporter.

Opening remarks by Kofi Annan on 10 May 2013 in Cape Town for the launch of the African Progress Panel's report, "Equity in Extractives: Stewarding Africa’s natural resources for all". The remarks address the potential for Africa's natural resource wealth to reduce poverty and the necessity of governance reforms and global cooperation to prevent the squandering of these resources.

The document examines how the 2010 FIFA World Cup created opportunities for corruption and conflicts of interest in South Africa. It details irregularities in stadium tenders in Johannesburg, Durban, and the Eastern Cape, and critiques the lack of transparency in FIFA's global operations and its relationship with exclusive suppliers like Match Event Services. The report argues that the pressure to meet FIFA's stringent requirements often led the South African government to prioritize the interests of the event organizers over the long-term public interest and developmental needs of the host cities.

The report examines how private equity firms profit from the U.S. education market, which was estimated at $1.1 trillion in 2020. It details the consolidation of curriculum and testing services by firms like Veritas Capital, the rise of outsourced staffing through companies like Education Solutions Services, and the risks associated with student data management by firms such as Vista Equity Partners. The document also analyzes the negative outcomes associated with private equity-owned for-profit colleges, charter schools, and early childhood education centers, arguing that a profit-driven model often conflicts with student interests and public good.

The author argues that while globalisation drives unprecedented economic growth through comparative advantage and market efficiency, it creates a 'race to the bottom' where nations compete for volatile capital by slashing corporate taxes and deregulation. This process potentially erodes public funding for welfare, labour protections, and environmental standards. While the author finds evidence of a downward trend in global corporate tax rates, they note that reputational risks and NGO watchdogs may moderate the degradation of labour and environmental standards. The document concludes that managing these negative effects requires stronger, more democratic global governance, including the potential creation of a World Tax Authority and an International Financial Stability and Harmonisation Authority.

The research argues that transnational ethnic ties increase the risk of civil war, but this effect is conditional on the domestic demographic size of the marginalized group. Using a triadic model and geocoded data, the authors find that larger excluded groups with kin in neighboring states are significantly more likely to engage in conflict than those without such ties, while the governmental status of the external kin group does not have a statistically significant impact.