This publication traces the first 25 years of IIED, from its origins around the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm and the formative influence of Barbara Ward, to its emergence as an international organisation working at the intersection of environment, development and human needs.
It highlights IIED’s work across sustainable agriculture, forests and land use, human settlements, drylands, climate change, environmental economics and development assistance, alongside its pioneering role in environmental communications, participatory approaches and the 1992 Earth Summit.
The publication also describes IIED’s distinctive action-oriented approach: combining rigorous research with practical experience and working through partnerships and networks spanning communities, governments, NGOs, international agencies and the private sector.
Looking ahead, it sets out ambitions to strengthen global collaboration, local participation and institutional capacity while continuing to develop practical policies and tools for sustainable development.
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Available at https://www.iied.org/22757iied