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This research paper by David H. Stanger for the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines the development of an international framework for accreditation to facilitate sustainable trade. It details the roles of the International Laboratory Accreditation Cooperation (ILAC) and the International Accreditation Forum (IAF), their respective Mutual Recognition Arrangements (MRAs), and the technical distinctions between laboratory accreditation and certification.

This research paper by Howard Mann of the International Institute for Sustainable Development examines how international trade and investment agreements, specifically NAFTA and WTO rules, impact the management of water as a public good. The author argues that while states retain legal jurisdiction, these agreements can severely limit sovereign control, lock in weak domestic management practices, and prioritize foreign investor rights over local and indigenous needs through secretive arbitration processes.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the difficulties of achieving consistency and coherency in watershed indicators across Canada and in transboundary contexts. Based on activities conducted by the Canadian Sustainability Indicators Network (CSIN) in 2014–2015, including webinars and a workshop, the document identifies systemic challenges such as jurisdictional fragmentation, varying data collection methodologies, and imbalanced institutional capacities. It provides a series of recommendations for developing and improving indicator frameworks to better inform policy and environmental management.

This briefing by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the status of implementation-related issues following the WTO Doha Ministerial Conference. It details the disputes over whether these issues are subject to negotiation or mere discussion, and reviews the failure of various WTO committees to meet deadlines or reach consensus on key trade areas including textiles, subsidies, anti-dumping, and intellectual property.

This briefing, published by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), details the stalemate within the World Trade Organization (WTO) regarding the mandate to strengthen 'special and differential treatment' (S&D) provisions for developing countries as part of the Doha Round.

This report analyzes the relationship between international trade liberalization and sustainable development in Argentina during the 1990s. It examines how economic reforms, including the Convertibility Plan and the creation of Mercosur, influenced the country's export patterns and their subsequent environmental impacts, focusing specifically on the manufacturing sector and the intensification of agricultural production in the Pampas region.

This report analyzes how a potential shift toward absolute demographic decline in the United States, driven by falling net migration and negative natural population growth, could reshape the global balance of power and increase the strategic importance of Africa.

This report describes a conference held on 25 and 26 October 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa, focused on national security and access to information. The event aimed to develop principles for national security and access to information based on comparative law and policy, specifically informing the debate on South Africa's Protection of Information Bill.

This briefing describes the outcomes of the 41st Ordinary Session of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Authority of Heads of State and Government, focusing on the instability in Mali. The regional body proposed a military response through the fast-tracking of the Force Mission in Mali (MICEMA) and a Technical Assessment Mission, while noting the challenges of securing international support and a UN mandate.

This research paper provides an overview of United States contributions to peace and security in Africa, focusing on the current period and immediate future. It defines the nature of instability and insecurity on the continent and outlines the various military, economic, and governance-related measures that Americans believe can attenuate these conditions.

This research paper examines the introduction of private prisons in South Africa as a response to overcrowding and funding shortages within the Department of Correctional Services (DCS). It discusses the opening of the first private facilities in Bloemfontein and Louis Trichardt, comparing the South African model to those in the United Kingdom, United States, and Australia, while suggesting reforms for transparency and the expansion of private sector involvement in community corrections.

The document analyzes the US shift toward supporting an African-led peacekeeping force (the African Crisis Reaction Force) following the costly 1992 intervention in Somalia. It identifies the 1996 diplomatic push for the ACRF as a result of crises in the Great Lakes region, US domestic political pressures under the Clinton Administration, and the 1996 US election cycle.

This case study by the Institute for Security Studies describes a scheme where money laundering syndicates stole US COVID-19 relief funds from child nutrition programmes and laundered them through Kenya, Turkey, and Dubai. It highlights significant failures in Kenya's legal framework and enforcement, noting that despite US convictions, no suspects have been prosecuted in Kenya nor have their Kenyan assets been seized.

The briefing examines the role of the BASIC countries (Brazil, South Africa, India, and China) after the 2009 Copenhagen Accord. It notes that while the BASIC countries helped broker the Accord, they view it as a set of 'building blocks' rather than a replacement for the UNFCCC's formal two-track system. The group continues to push for developed nations to provide financing, technology transfer, and clear emissions targets. The document highlights a strategic alignment between the BASIC countries and the African Union on issues of climate justice and the balance between economic development and emissions reduction.

This report analyzes the contradictions in United States strategy in Somalia between 2001 and 2007, specifically the attempt to combine counter-terrorism efforts with state building in a 'failed state'.

A briefing by the Institute for Security Studies analyzing the political and economic dynamics of Egypt's first free presidential election following the ousting of Hosni Mubarak, focusing on the candidates, the role of the military, and the absence of a constitution.

This research paper examines how arms transfers to Libyan rebels by France and Qatar undermine the United Nations arms embargo and violate end-user certificate agreements, highlighting the lack of international monitoring and enforcement in arms control systems.

This introductory text for Monograph 6, edited by Hussein Solomon, examines the intersection of water scarcity and security, with a specific focus on Southern Africa. It argues that dwindling fresh water resources, coupled with rapid population growth, increase the risk of resource-based conflict, while suggesting that regional cooperation and frameworks like the SADC Protocol on Shared Watercourse Systems offer a path toward stability.

This briefing by the Institute for Security Studies argues that while illegal mining is a pervasive aspect of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), it is a manifestation rather than a root cause. The author contends that focusing solely on regulating the mining sector—through measures like the DRC's 2010-2011 mining ban or the US Dodd-Frank Act—without addressing underlying issues of governance, land, and ethnicity is insufficient for achieving sustainable peace.

This research paper examines the potential for the International Criminal Court (ICC) to prosecute peacekeepers for serious crimes committed in Africa, concluding that the ICC's role will likely be limited due to jurisdictional constraints and the principle of complementarity.