Financial Alliance For Sustainable Trade

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is an independent think tank founded in 1990 working to shape and inform international policy on sustainable development governance. The institute has three offices in Canada - Winnipeg, Ottawa, and Toronto, and one office in Geneva, Switzerland. It has over 150 staff and associates working in over 30 countries.

IISD is a registered charitable organization in Canada.

History and organization

In 1988 at the United Nations General Assembly, then-Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney announced plans to “establish a centre which will promote internationally the concept of environmentally sustainable development,” to be headquartered in Winnipeg. The new centre would be part of Canada's contribution to preparations for what became the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Rio Earth Summit. Two years later, IISD was formally set up, following the signature of an agreement between then-Canadian Environment Minister Lucien Bouchard and Manitoba Premier Gary Filmon.

In 1992, IISD became the home o
Earth Negotiations Bulletin
ins>, a news reporting service on global environmental and development negotiations. In 2016, IISD launched th
SDG Knowledge Hub
a dedicated site providing news updates, commentary, analysis, calendars, and guest articles on the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.

As of 2022, the Institute's daily work is currently structured around the CREATE framework, which will guide its work through 2025. This framework's pillars are Climate, Resources, Economies, Act Together, and Engage. These pillars are put into practice through IISD's five programs: Economic Law and Policy, Energy, Resilience, Tracking Progress, and Water.

Over the past decade, IISD has expanded its programmatic work to include serving as the secretariat of several intergovernmental forums, networks, and alliances. These include the Intergovernmental Forum (IGF) on Mining, Minerals, Metals, and Sustainable Development and th
National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network
IISD manages the Secretariat International Support Office (SISO) for th
China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED)
On November 11, 2021, IISD announced that it would be the first permanent secretariat of the Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA).

IISD has a 14-member board, chaired by Michelle Edkins, Managing Director at BlackRock. IISD's founding board chair is Lloyd McGinnis. President and CEO of IISD is Richard Florizone (2020–present).

Current Work

IISD's vision is “a world where people and the planet thrive.” The Institute works with intergovernmental organizations, governments, academic institutions, the private sector, and civil society organizations around the world. This collaboration includes developing new research, conducting news reporting and analysis, providing technical assistance and capacity-building support, and convening workshops and other knowledge-sharing events.

To achieve that vision, IISD has structured its work around a framework called CREATE, which underpins the organization's current strategic plan through 2025. The pillars of CREATE are Climate, Resources, Economies, Act Together, and Engage.

Climate

IISD's Climate work addresses two overarching pillars: climate change mitigation and climate change adaptation.

The work on climate change mitigation is undertaken primarily by IISD's Energy program, which helps governments as they embark on energy policy reforms towards achieving a just transition to net-zero economies by 2050, including through the increased uptake of renewable energy sources and the phase-out of fossil fuel subsidies.

IISD's Energy program is also home to th
Global Subsidies Initiative
which provides data, research, and insights into reforming fossil fuel subsidies and fisheries subsidies. As part of IISD's work under its Climate pillar, IISD will serve as the first permanent secretariat of th
Beyond Oil and Gas Alliance (BOGA)
This initiative was announced by a dozen national and sub-national governments at the United Nations Climate Conference in Glasgow in November 2021 and has the objective of phasing out oil and gas production.

The work on climate change adaptation is undertaken by IISD's Resilience program, which works on advising policymakers on how to improve their countries’ resilience to climate-related risks and adapt to climate change impacts. The Resilience program also works on environment, conflict, and peacebuilding; how the arts can support effective climate adaptation action; and how governments can address climate change mitigation and adaptation in tandem, rather than separately. Through the Resilience program, IISD is the secretariat of the NAP Global Network.

Resources

IISD's Resources work covers three main areas: the economic sectors of mining and agriculture, which also fall under the Economies pillar of CREATE, and freshwater health.

IISD's work on agriculture is organized around responsible agricultural investment and trade. Among other projects, IISD is one of the partners supporting the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Network of Parliamentarians on Gender Equality and Investments in Agriculture and Food Security, together with Oxfam, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), and Women in Law & Development in Africa (WiLDAF). IISD has also partnered with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and Cornell University on research to determine the costs of ending hunger sustainably by 2030 and the policy interventions that could support meeting that objective, in line with Sustainable Development Goal 2. In addition, IISD's agriculture team advises governments on laws, contracts, policies, and legal frameworks for agricultural investment.

IISD's work on mining, in addition to its role as the host of the IGF secretariat, includes research, analysis, and training on tax base erosion and profit shifting (BEPS) and what it means for resource-rich developing countries and their tax revenues from the mining sector. Among other areas, this work covers the recent agreement for a global minimum tax, looking at its overall and sector-specific impacts for developing countries.

IISD's work on freshwater takes place under its Water program, which undertakes scientific research and policy outreach on how to improve the health of our global freshwater supplies. Through its Water program, IISD is the home of the IISD Experimental Lakes Area, based in Kenora, Ontario. Since 2020, IISD has partnered with the African Center for Aquatic Research and Education to look at how to address environmental challenges affecting the African Great Lakes.

Economies

IISD's Economies work seeks to provide policymakers and others involved in the policy process with the research, analysis, news reporting, and training to help them craft laws, policies, and frameworks for fair, sustainable economies. The topics that IISD's Economies work covers include trade law and policy, international investment law and policy, international taxation law and policy, and sustainable infrastructure finance and procurement.

Through its work on sustainable infrastructure, IISD is now the home of the Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre, established in 2021 jointly with the Global Environment Facility, the MAVA Foundation, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO).

Act Together and Engage

The Act Together and Engage pillars cut across IISD's various programs of work and are also the primary focus of IISD's Tracking Progress team. Tracking Progress works on supporting communities, domestic policymakers, and international decision-makers in their efforts towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Tracking Progress program undertakes research on global environmental governance and is the home of IISD's Reporting Services work, including Earth Negotiations Bulletin and the SDG Knowledge Hub. The program also works with communities on establishing “Tracking-Progress” sites to monitor their advances towards fulfilling sustainability targets, linked to indicators for assessing community wellbeing.

Through the Tracking Progress program, IISD is the co-convener of the Geneva 2030 Ecosystem, together with th
SDG Lab
led by UN Geneva v( the United Nations Office at Geneva). The Geneva 2030 Ecosystem works to establish partnerships and encourage joint research and outreach among different organizations in Geneva working on the Sustainable Development Goals.

IISD is also a member of several international networks working on environmental issues. Its European office is part of th
Geneva Environment Network
and Think Sustainable Europe.

Flagship Initiatives

IISD Experimental Lakes Area

IISD Experimental Lakes Area (IISD-ELA) is a natural laboratory consisting of 58 small lakes and their watersheds set aside for scientific research. By manipulating these small lakes, scientists are able to examine how all aspects of the ecosystem—from the atmosphere to fish populations—respond. Findings from these real-world experiments are often much more accurate than those from research conducted at smaller scales, such as in laboratories. These findings are used to inform policy outreach and are regularly published in top-tier science journals, including Nature. Opened in 1968, the Experimental Lakes Area was previously operated by the Canadian federal government. IISD took over operation of the Experimental Lakes Area in 2014 after signing agreements with the Canadian federal government and the government of Ontario. The site was subsequently renamed IISD-ELA.

IISD Reporting Services

IISD Reporting Services (IISD-RS) provides independent coverage of intergovernmental policy-making efforts related to the environment and sustainable development, including daily reporting, analysis and photos of international environment and development negotiations and events. IISD Reporting Services’ flagship publication, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB), aims to provide a balanced, timely and independent reporting of daily information regarding multilateral environmental and sustainable development negotiations.

The Earth Negotiations Bulletin was first published during the preparations for the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), and has been published on most follow-up negotiations since then. IISD-RS also reports on workshops and international forums that seek to contribute to intergovernmental policy making and manages a suite of knowledge bases that report on activities that seek to contribute to or implement decisions taken at the intergovernmental policy making level.

Intergovernmental processes covered by Earth Negotiations Bulletin include, but are not limited to: the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD); the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD); the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD); the United Nations Forum on Forests; the chemicals conventions (Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam); the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer; the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES); the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS); and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGR). The Earth Negotiations Bulletin archives link to all of the processes and ENB reports covered by IISD RS.

National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Global Network

IISD hosts the Secretariat for th
NAP Global Network
which was initiated by adaptation policy-makers and practitioners from 11 developing and developed countries in December 2014 during a side event at the United Nations Climate Conference in Lima, Peru. This decision was based on the recognition that the NAP process of developing national adaptation plans (NAPs) for countries to submit to the United Nations Framework on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will require sustained dialogue and coordination to leverage and learn from each other's approaches, experiences, and programs. It The NAP Global Network aims to enhance national adaptation planning and action in developing countries through coordination of bilateral support and in-country actors. The Network also facilitates international peer learning and exchange. It brings together individuals and institutions representing developing country adaptation policymakers and bilateral international development agencies.

Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF)

The Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development was set up following the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. It was originally established in 2005 by the Canadian and South African governments to house the Global Dialogue on Mining/Metals and Sustainable Development. IISD became the IGF Secretariat as of October 2015. The current Director of the IGF is Greg Radford, who was appointed to the post in 2016.

The IGF has over 75 members and holds its Annual General Meeting (AGM) every October, bringing together delegates, intergovernmental organization officials, civil society members, and academics for several days of sessions on mining and sustainable development. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the AGM was held at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, in collaboration with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Since 2020, the AGM has been held virtually.

SDG Knowledge Hub

The ''SDG Knowledge Hub'' is an online resource center for news and commentary regarding the implementation of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.

The SDG Knowledge Hub was launched in October 2016 and contains news, original commentary from IISD experts, and guest articles. The SDG Knowledge Hub also provides a calendar of upcoming events related to the 2030 Agenda.

The Hub's coverage of the 2030 Agenda tracks the efforts underway in this area at all levels of governance, from communities to intergovernmental bodies. Its articles examine how this range of actors is pursuing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, along with the challenges they face and the opportunities for collaboration that exist. It also looks to set the stage for the post-2030 discussion.

State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI)

The State of Sustainability Initiatives (SSI) provides in-depth research and advisory services to support sustainable production and consumption, with a focus on agricultural commodity sectors. It does this by examining the characteristics and performance of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) such as Fairtrade, Rainforest Alliance, and UTZ, with the aim of enhancing their effectiveness as tools for sustainable development.

Nature-Based Infrastructure (NBI) Global Resource Centre

The NBI Global Resource Centre was launched in 2021 by IISD, together with the Global Environment Facility, the MAVA Foundation, and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization. IISD serves as the executing agency for the Centre.

The Centre will undertake 40 assessments of NBI projects during its initial four years of operation, with the assessments looking at how these infrastructure projects perform over their entire lifecycle relative to traditional, grey-built infrastructure alternatives. The assessments will use IISD'
Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi)
a methodology that blends systems dynamics and project finance modelling. This combination is designed to provide a comprehensive analysis that assesses project performance not only against financial indicators, but also by accounts for environmental, social, economic, and governance risks and externalities. Including these risks and externalities allows for simulating real-world conditions and the contribution that these projects will make to environmental, social, economic, and governance objectives.

Along with these 40 project assessments, the Centre will also host an interactive public database to support policymakers and investors alike as they conduct their own assessments, as well as a massive open online course (MOOC).

References

External links

*
Azimuth Project IISD Profile
* ttp://www.newswise.com/articles/iisd-s-enb-marks-20-years-of-world-leading-coverage-of-earth-negotiations-and-meetings Earth Negotiations Bulletin Celebrates 20th Anniversarybr>Treehugger.com - Ramsar Wetland Convention Meeting in Korea: Getting The News From International ConferencesPanos London Blog - Earth Summit's Special Correspondent"Finance Alliance for Sustainable Trade"

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International sustainability organizations
1990 establishments in Manitoba
Organizations based in Winnipeg
Development charities based in Canada
Publishing organizations
Research institutes of international relations
Organizations established in 1990