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The document examines the challenges in establishing a WTO prohibition on IUU fishing subsidies, focusing on three key areas: the definition of IUU fishing, the entities authorized to determine such fishing, and the procedural conditions governing those determinations. It highlights the tension between the WTO's trade-focused mandate and the sustainability goals of fisheries management, arguing for a process-based review system to ensure procedural fairness without requiring the WTO to manage fisheries resources directly.

The report finds that federal fossil fuel subsidies in Canada for FY 2019/20 totaled nearly CAD 600 million, though this is a conservative estimate due to missing data on tax-related subsidies and specific projects. It highlights a shift in government support from exploration toward infrastructure and exports, particularly for the natural gas sector. Key examples include a CAD 275 million transfer to LNG Canada and ongoing support for the Trans Mountain pipeline. The document also identifies carbon pricing exemptions as effective subsidies for fossil fuel consumption and notes that provincial subsidies generally outpace federal ones. It recommends that Canada include subsidy reform in its next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and complete its G20 peer review by 2020.

The report estimates that Canadian federal fossil fuel subsidies reached nearly 600 million CAD in 2019-2020, though this is considered a low estimate due to missing data on tax expenditures and specific projects like Trans Mountain. The analysis highlights a shift in funding from exploration toward production, infrastructure, and export, with a notable increase in support for the liquefied natural gas (LNG) sector. The authors argue that these subsidies hinder Canada's ability to meet Paris Agreement targets and recommend incorporating subsidy reform into the next Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC).

The report finds that kerosene subsidies in Bangladesh are largely ineffective, as official price cuts are not passed to consumers and many poor households remain unaware of the subsidies. While women are primarily exposed to the health risks of kerosene and biomass cooking, men dominate energy purchasing and decision-making. The study suggests that instead of reforming the kerosene subsidy, the government should shift support toward clean energy alternatives like solar PV and grid electricity, which 69% of households believe would most benefit women.

The report finds that kerosene subsidies in Nigeria were largely ineffective, as most low-income households paid significantly above the official price and women faced long queues and safety risks from adulterated fuel. The 2016 removal of these subsidies further strained women's budgets, pushing many in rural areas back toward biomass for cooking, which increases exposure to indoor air pollution and time spent collecting wood. While women often control daily energy choices, men typically own the electronic appliances. The report recommends against returning to kerosene or LPG subsidies, suggesting instead a shift toward technology-neutral clean cooking support and social protection programs targeted at female heads of households.

The document outlines the ecological and cultural value of the Poplar River First Nation's (PRFN) traditional territory and proposes a framework for Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) to fund nature-based solutions and community economic diversification.

The report highlights that achieving NDC targets in China could prevent between 225,000 and 368,000 premature deaths by 2050, with health co-benefits exceeding the cost of climate policy implementation. It notes that fossil fuel subsidies remain a significant challenge, costing USD 1.79 trillion in externalities and representing a substantial portion of the budgets otherwise allocated to health and environmental protection.

The report evaluates a planned public bicycle sharing (PBS) system in Dwarka, New Delhi, using the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology. While a conventional cost-benefit analysis shows the system is financially deficient, the integrated SAVi analysis reveals positive net values across all demand scenarios. The most significant benefits are derived from time saved, reduced air pollution costs, and increased retail and property values. Over a 20-year period, discounted net benefits are estimated between INR 3.14 billion (~USD 44.4 million) under conservative assumptions and INR 12.19 billion (~USD 172.3 million) in a high-demand scenario. The findings suggest the PBS system supports the Delhi Master Plan 2021 and justifies investment in bicycle and road safety infrastructure.

The report traces the evolution of e-commerce governance at the WTO from the 1998 work programme to the 2017 Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It examines how existing WTO agreements like GATS and TRIPS apply to digital trade and details the ongoing negotiations among 83 members. Key challenges identified include the digital divide between developed and developing nations, disagreements over data flows and localization, and the lack of a consensus on whether to create new rules or revise existing ones.

The document analyzes several proposed WTO disciplines for overcapacity and overfishing subsidies, including list-based, effects-based, hybrid, and capping approaches. It evaluates how these mechanisms interact with special and differential treatment (S&D) for developing nations, emphasizing that long-term development and food security depend on the sustainable exploitation of fish stocks. The author suggests combining different approaches—such as situational prohibitions with quantitative caps—to better align environmental imperatives with poverty reduction and industrial development goals.

The document traces the evolution of e-commerce in the WTO from the 1998 Work Programme to the 2017 Joint Statement Initiative (JSI). It analyzes how existing WTO rules like GATS and TRIPS apply to digital trade and details the ongoing negotiations among 83 members. Key challenges identified include the digital divide between developed and developing nations, disagreements over data flows and localization, and the lack of consensus on whether to create new rules or revise existing ones.

The document examines the evolution of investment facilitation discussions at the WTO, from the early 'Singapore issues' to the current structured discussions involving 98 members. It analyzes a July 2019 working document that proposes a framework focused on transparency, administrative simplification, and international cooperation, while explicitly excluding market access, investment protection, and investor-state dispute settlement. The report also discusses the potential legal forms of such an agreement—whether as a standalone accord or a plurilateral agreement—and the broader institutional challenges facing the WTO, such as the crisis in the Appellate Body and debates over special and differential treatment.

The document examines the efforts of 98 WTO Members to establish a multilateral framework for investment facilitation. It traces the issue from the 'Singapore issues' of the 1990s to the 2017 Joint Ministerial Statement in Buenos Aires. The brief analyzes the July 2019 Working Document, which proposes articles on transparency, administrative streamlining, non-discrimination, and special and differential treatment, while explicitly excluding market access and investor-state dispute settlement.

The report assesses a proposed Public Bicycle Sharing (PBS) system in Dwarka, New Delhi, using the SAVi methodology to value nine externalities. While a conventional cost-benefit analysis shows the project is financially deficient due to high capital and operational costs relative to user fees, the integrated SAVi analysis reveals significant societal net benefits across three demand scenarios. These benefits include improved public health, reduced air and noise pollution, lower CO2 emissions, and increased retail and property values. The findings suggest that the PBS system is a worthwhile investment from a societal perspective and provides benchmark values for the municipality to invest in supporting bicycle and safety infrastructure.

The document defines sustainable material management infrastructure as assets that reduce waste generation by promoting recovery, reuse, and recycling. It distinguishes between 'grey' infrastructure (e.g., unregulated landfills, incineration without energy recovery) and 'green' infrastructure (e.g., sorting facilities, composting, waste-to-energy). The guide details the environmental, economic, and social shortcomings of business-as-usual (BAU) scenarios—such as GHG emissions, resource scarcity, and public health risks—while highlighting the benefits of green investments, including carbon footprint reduction and green job creation. It also analyzes risks to project financing, such as volatile commodity prices and regulatory uncertainties, and provides a comprehensive overview of policy interventions, measurement indicators, and a detailed breakdown of costs and revenues for various waste management technologies.

The report finds that donors must double their current annual contributions to food security, adding 14 billion USD per year, while low- and middle-income countries must provide an additional 19 billion USD annually through taxes. These combined investments of 33 billion USD per year would prevent 490 million people from hunger and double the incomes of 545 million smallholders. The analysis emphasizes that Africa has the highest need for these funds and recommends a balanced investment strategy across three categories: enabling inclusion, on-farm productivity, and post-harvest food systems.

The report finds that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) targets by 2030 requires an additional 33 billion USD per year in public spending. This total is split between an additional 14 billion USD from international donors and 19 billion USD from low- and middle-income countries through increased taxation. These investments, focused heavily on Africa, would prevent 490 million people from suffering from hunger and double the incomes of 545 million small-scale producers while adhering to Paris Agreement climate commitments. The proposed funding is distributed across three intervention categories: empowering the excluded, on-farm productivity, and food movement.

The report finds that donors must provide an additional USD 14 billion per year, and low- and middle-income countries must provide USD 19 billion per year, to achieve SDG 2 targets by 2030 while respecting climate commitments. This investment would prevent 490 million people from experiencing hunger and double the incomes of 545 million small-scale producers. The authors emphasize that Africa has the greatest need for these resources and that a balanced portfolio of interventions—spanning social protection, on-farm productivity, and market access—is essential for success.

The executive summary highlights that current WTO disciplines fail to significantly limit the agricultural subsidies of major providers like the US and EU, nor do they adequately address the growing support from emerging economies like China and India. It suggests that reforming these rules is essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goal 2 (Zero Hunger) and ensuring global food system stability, especially amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors propose simplifying rules by introducing a minimum level of trade-distorting support based on a percentage of production value, implementing stricter transparency requirements, and establishing new, gradually decreasing global limits on internal support to correct international inequalities.

Argentina ranks second among G20 non-OECD countries due to relatively low support for fossil fuel use and good transparency, though it provides significant annual funding for oil and gas production, primarily through state-owned enterprise investments.