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the tyranny of free trade wasted natural wealth and lost livelihoods
This report by Friends of the Earth International argues that World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations and regional free trade agreements prioritize corporate profit over environmental sustainability and human rights, leading to the loss of livelihoods for millions of small-scale farmers, fishers, and indigenous peoples. The document details how trade liberalization facilitates the privatization of natural resources, undermines food sovereignty, and exacerbates climate change and desertification across various global regions.
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Document type: Report
Disclosure Requirements: Ensuring mutual supportiveness between the WTO TRIPS Agreement and the CBD
This report examines the potential for integrating disclosure requirements into the global intellectual property (IP) system to ensure mutual supportiveness between the WTO TRIPS Agreement and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It focuses on requiring patent applicants to disclose the origin of genetic resources and traditional knowledge, as well as providing evidence of prior informed consent (PIC) and benefit-sharing, to prevent 'biopiracy' and ensure equitable returns to provider countries and indigenous communities.
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Document type: Report
The Standstill in Subsidies Update
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides an update on the status of subsidy negotiations within the WTO's Doha Round as of November 2005. It analyzes the slow progress across agriculture, fisheries, services, and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM), noting that while fisheries have seen some conceptual movement, other sectors remain stalled due to technical complexities, political disputes, and a lack of consensus on definitions.
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Document type: Report
Follow-up to Oral Testimony ‘Hearing to Examine the Rise of Domestic Energy Prices’
This statement from the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) to Senator Olympia Snowe proposes a series of short-term measures to reduce U.S. demand for conventional crude oil by 5% to 9%. RMI argues that such a reduction would stabilize global oil prices by increasing excess capacity to between 2.5 and 3.8 million barrels per day, thereby mitigating the impact of price shocks and speculation.
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Document type: Statement
The Relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the CBD: The Case for Disclosure Requirements
This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law argues for the introduction of disclosure requirements within the TRIPS Agreement to align intellectual property rules with the objectives of the Convention for Biological Diversity (CBD), specifically to prevent the misappropriation of biological resources and traditional knowledge.
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Document type: Report
Weaning states off subsidies
This research paper examines the impact of European Union (EU) sugar subsidy reforms and World Trade Organisation (WTO) rulings on African, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) sugar-producing countries. It argues that while developed-country subsidies distort global trade, the rapid removal of preferential access threatens the livelihoods of vulnerable farmers and requires more substantial adjustment assistance and a phased transition to ensure sustainable development.
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Document type: Research paper
Where Are We in the Doha Round?
This report, prepared for the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, assesses the status of the Doha Round of multilateral trade negotiations as of August 2005. It highlights the central role of agricultural liberalization and the significant deadlock between the US, EU, and developing nations, arguing that the round has failed to live up to its designation as a 'Development Agenda'.
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Document type: Report
PROTECTING TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE: MISAPPROPRIATION, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, AND THE FUTURE OF THE IGC
This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes draft provisions for the protection of traditional knowledge (TK) and traditional cultural expressions/folklore against misappropriation, specifically within the context of the World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee (IGC). The document argues that current draft provisions lack sufficient focus on the intellectual property (IP) system, which is where misappropriation primarily occurs. It advocates for a legally binding international instrument and specific IP-related measures—such as disclosure requirements and stricter patentability criteria—to prevent the illegitimate granting of IP rights over TK.
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Document type: Briefing
Environmental Goods Negotiations
This research paper by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) analyzes the ongoing WTO negotiations on environmental goods. It argues that current lists of goods for liberalization are dominated by developed countries and proposes including environmentally preferable products (EPPs) and implementing Special and Differential Treatment (SDT) to ensure a balanced distribution of trade gains for developing nations.
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Document type: Research paper
Twelfth Meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties Action List
This action list documents the decisions and elections made during the Twelfth Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Conference of the Parties (CoP), held on May 5-6, 2005, in Montreal, Canada.
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Document type: Briefing
A proposal for alternative Core Budget contributions
This briefing from the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) proposes alternative methods for calculating member country contributions to its Core Budget, comparing the current Organization of the American States (OAS) scale against United Nations (UN) and International Council for Science (ICSU) scales.
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Document type: Briefing
Decisions
This document records the decisions made during the Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Montreal, Canada, on May 5-6, 2005. The meeting focused on administrative elections, budget approvals, procedural rule changes, and the appointment of a new IAI Director.
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Document type: Report
20th IAI Executive Council (EC) Meeting / 20a Reunión del Consejo Ejecutivo (CE) del IAI
This document is a list of participants for the 20th Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Council (EC) Meeting, which took place in Montreal, Canada, on May 2-3, 2005.
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Document type: Briefing
Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries
This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) of the Kyoto Protocol, focusing on its ability to provide a "development dividend"—socio-economic and environmental benefits for developing countries beyond greenhouse gas reductions. The analysis finds that the emerging CDM market is skewed toward a few large developing countries and dominated by low-cost industrial projects (such as HFC23 decomposition) that offer minimal sustainable development benefits. The report recommends reforming the CDM Executive Board, shifting from project-by-project to sectoral or policy-based approaches, and increasing support for small-scale projects to ensure more equitable and impactful development outcomes.
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Document type: Report
Realizing the Development Dividend: Making the CDM Work for Developing Countries
This executive summary evaluates the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol, focusing on its ability to provide a "development dividend"—benefits to developing countries in economic growth, technology, poverty alleviation, and health beyond climate mitigation. The authors argue that the current project pipeline is under-performing, skewed toward a few countries, and dominated by low-development-benefit industrial gas projects, necessitating reforms in project cycles, rules, and international financing to ensure sustainable development goals are met.
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Document type: Executive summary
Report of the IAI Directorate
The Report of the IAI Directorate, presented in May 2005, outlines the activities of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research from July 2004 to May 2005. It emphasizes a strategic shift toward 'regional relevance' by bridging the gap between scientific research and policy-making, while detailing administrative updates, the transition to a second round of Collaborative Research Networks (CRN-II), and the implementation of training institutes in Mexico and Costa Rica.
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Document type: Report
Informe de la Dirección Ejecutiva del IAI
The Executive Directorate report of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), covering July 2004 to May 2005, details the transition between Directors Gustavo V. Necco and John W. B. Stewart. The report emphasizes a strategic shift toward increasing regional relevance by bridging the gap between scientific excellence and practical policy application, while outlining administrative updates, the status of research networks (CRN-I and CRN-II), and the execution of capacity-building institutes in Mexico and Costa Rica.
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Document type: Report
Report of the CRN-I Program
The Report of the CRN-I Program details the outcomes of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research's (IAI) Collaborative Research Network (CRN) program, which operated from 1999 to 2003. The program invested approximately US$10 million across 14 grants to foster multidisciplinary, international research networks focused on global change phenomena in the Americas, with a strong emphasis on scientific capacity building and policy relevance.
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Document type: Report
Core Budget Request for the Fiscal Year 2005-2006
The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) presents its Core Budget Request for the 2005-2006 fiscal year, proposing a total budget of $1,012,405. This represents a net increase of $74,086 over the previous year's expenses, driven primarily by rising personnel costs and inflation in Brazil.
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Document type: Report
Financial and Administrative Committee (FAC) Report Fiscal Year 2004-2005
The Financial and Administrative Committee (FAC) Report for Fiscal Year 2004-2005 details the committee's oversight of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), focusing on external audits by KPMG, revisions to administrative manuals, and the management of the Core Budget and staff compensation.
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Document type: Report