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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.

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.

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.

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.

The report analyzes the impact of bilateral trade agreements on copyright and access to knowledge, noting that agreements involving the U.S. often impose protections (such as 70-year terms and anti-circumvention of TPMs) that exceed multilateral standards. It also summarizes IP disputes in the WTO regarding pharmaceutical compulsory licensing and genetic resource disclosure, as well as tensions at WIPO over the Substantive Patent Law Treaty.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs evaluates the potential for a free trade agreement (FTA) between the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and Mercosur. It argues that while static economic gains from tariff reduction are limited and may reinforce South Africa's reliance on primary product exports, significant dynamic opportunities exist through intra-industry specialization, institutional collaboration, and the disciplining of dominant domestic firms to benefit downstream manufacturing.

This background paper, produced by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for a 2004 MISTRA workshop in Malmö, Sweden, proposes a research agenda for Nordic countries on the intersection of trade and environment. Based on a survey of 315 publications from 2002 to 2003, the document identifies significant research gaps, particularly regarding the Doha Development Agenda and southern perspectives, and suggests priority areas for future academic and policy research to support sustainable development.

The action list from the first day of the Eleventh Meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties (CoP) on June 30, 2004, details the election of the Bureau, agenda modifications, and the accreditation of 16 member delegations.

The Action List from the Eleventh meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 30 and July 2, 2004, records the administrative and governance decisions made by the member countries. Key outcomes include the election of the Bureau and Executive Committee, approval of the 2004/2005 Annual Program and budget, and the establishment of a recruitment process for the IAI Director.

This document is a list of actions and decisions recorded during the Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on June 30 and July 2, 2004.

This research paper, written for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, examines the conceptual and methodological frameworks for full cost accounting (FCA) in agriculture. It defines FCA as the process of valuing environmental and social costs and benefits external to the market, aiming to provide policy makers and farmers with better information for decision-making. The document details various valuation methods—including market-based, circumstantial, and survey-based approaches—and discusses ecosystem frameworks like those from the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment. It applies these theories to case studies in the UK, Japan, and other regions to illustrate how agricultural externalities, such as water pollution and biodiversity loss, can be quantified.

This briefing outlines the actions taken during the first day (June 30, 2004) of the Eleventh Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI).

Minutes from the 18th Meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on December 4-5, 2003, in San José, Costa Rica. The meeting focused on the institute's financial instability due to member state arrears, the approval of scientific grants, and strategic planning for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the Montevideo Agreement.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research report for the 2003/04 fiscal year shows a positive balance of $48,494, with 94% of expected country contributions collected. The Institute achieved approximately $100,000 in savings against its approved budget, primarily through reduced salary and benefit costs. The report also details the winding down of the Collaborative Research Network and Small Grants Program I, and the launch of Small Grants Program II.

This report provides a chronological summary of the first decade of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), from its establishment in 1992 to 2002. It details the institute's institutional structure, the evolution of its Science Agenda, and the various funding programs—including Start-up Grants, Initial Science Programs, and Collaborative Research Networks—designed to build scientific capacity and promote multinational research on global environmental changes across the Americas.

The Financial and Administrative Committee (FAC) report for the 2003-2004 fiscal year details two primary meetings held in Costa Rica and Brazil. The report focuses on the IAI's financial stability, the review of external audits by KPMG, the development of personnel manuals and performance plans, and the scrutiny of the proposed 2004/2005 basic budget.

This document consists of separate comments submitted by four members of the Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee (TEPAC) regarding the investment chapter of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The authors express approval that the agreement lacks an investor-state dispute mechanism but argue that the substantive investment provisions remain problematic, fail to comply with the Trade Act of 2002's "no greater substantive rights" mandate, and pose threats to environmental regulation and public governance.

Separate comments from TEPAC members argue that the environment chapter of the U.S.-Australia Free Trade Agreement (FTA) weakens public participation, cooperation, and remedies for environmental harm compared to other recent U.S. FTAs.

This briefing analyzes Brazil's strategic position and challenges within the Free Trade Agreement of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations as of February 2004. It details the friction between Brazil and the United States over agricultural subsidies, non-tariff barriers, and the 'Singapore issues,' while examining how the US strategy of bilateral agreements and the outcomes of the WTO Cancun summit have influenced the shift toward a more flexible 'ALCA-lite' framework.

The 'Standards for Sustainable Trade' project, implemented by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) for the European Commission, investigated how regional cooperation can reduce technical barriers to trade (TBT) and sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) measures for developing countries. The report concludes that while regional centers of excellence can offset national capacity gaps, the WTO's TBT Agreement is often unrealistic for developing nations, which act as 'standards takers' rather than 'makers' due to a lack of institutional and scientific resources.