The IIED blog
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We need to safeguard biodiversity and promote diverse diets
22 May 2018Coinciding with this year’s International Day for Biodiversity, a new report from IIED and Hivos explores how we can reverse the alarming loss of biodiversity in agriculture and foster diverse diets.
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Can blockchain unblock climate finance?
20 May 2018Funders’ perceptions that there is too much risk in investing at the local level prevents climate finance from making a real difference. Sam Greene discusses whether new technologies can benefit local communities while delivering the confidence donors and investors need to put their money where it matters.
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Is urban development too complicated for us?
17 May 2018Aid agency staff find it difficult to work in informal settlements. There is little or no data about their residents. For many, there are no maps or street names. There are often complex political struggles that frustrate development projects. But this can be addressed by working with grassroots organisations and federations – as they have the knowledge and it is their needs that aid is meant to be addressing.
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Devolved climate finance approach forges new ways of working between citizens and state
9 May 2018Devolved climate finance programmes incorporate local knowledge and community priorities into decisions about how climate finance is planned and budgeted. At CBA 12, practitioners will discuss the different components of these programmes, exploring the environment when they are most effective and why, and sharing experiences from several contexts.
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Breaking barriers to local climate finance for the triple win
2 May 2018Ingenious and cost-effective solutions to climate change developed by vulnerable communities are hugely underfinanced. IIED is exploring further what’s blocking climate finance from reaching the local level and developing new insights for getting money to those on the front lines of climate action.
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The Talanoa dialogue: sharing stories in Bonn to inspire ambitious climate action
2 May 2018As the spring UN climate change conference in Bonn gets under way, IIED director Andrew Norton offers his thoughts on the Talanoa dialogue – an unprecedented consultation process designed to bring together different voices to strengthen countries’ climate pledges and keep the Paris Agreement on course.
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Technologies for sustainable development: mind the gender gap
30 April 2018New technologies are advancing sustainable development in Malawi. But these technologies must be designed to meet the needs of the group most likely to use them: women.
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How people are providing evidence, and influencing to get food policies that work for them
25 April 2018Food policies that are based on evidence and advocacy delivered by citizens are more likely to benefit those whose lives they affect most. An event this week heard how connecting people to policy can help secure healthy and more sustainable diets for everyone.
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Understanding governance and equity in conservation
23 April 2018A successful multi-stakeholder self-assessment in Uganda’s Lake Mburo National Park enabled local people to judge what does and doesn’t work, and draws out their ideas for action.
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Climate diplomacy in the age of Trump: updating our theory of change
11 April 2018We're incorporating feedback to sharpen our theory of how the Least Developed Countries can extend their influence in international climate change decision making
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Harnessing #MeToo momentum to drive climate action
9 April 2018Guest blogger Christiana Figueres calls upon women and girls across the world to channel the energy behind the #MeToo movement to bolster the global fight against climate change
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Supporting Least Developed Countries on climate technology transfer
4 April 2018In March, experts on technology development and transfer gathered in Copenhagen and Bonn to take forward the work of the UN climate negotiations. IIED supported representatives of the Least Developed Countries to present proposals that would work for them
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Legal activism key to securing land rights in new investment phase
28 March 2018In the face of rapid changes, how can people in low- and middle-income countries ensure they get the best deal to protect their land?
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Global to local: supporting cities to meet the New Urban Agenda
23 March 2018The New Urban Agenda sets ambitious sustainability objectives for cities of all sizes. At the 9th World Urban Forum, IIED worked with local governments on how to deliver against the wide-ranging goals. Alexandra Norodom reflects on the power of inclusive processes
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Mass mobilisation: boosting businesses and protecting forests
20 March 2018As Phase I of the Forest and Farm Facility partnership closes, Duncan Macqueen reflects on its impressive achievements and the role that the mass mobilisation of forest and farm producers has played in its success
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Creating a global 'land rights family': from knowledge to action
14 March 2018Community land rights are the focus of two new initiatives. The first, launched with an 'action shop' in Kenya, enables civil society organisations to share knowledge and chart new paths; the second supports communities to seek legal redress for violated rights
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Shining a light on energy consumers in rural Tanzania
12 March 2018Chih-Jung Lee examined what's driving energy use for villagers in Tanzania. In this blog, Lee shares her findings and offers insights to mini-grid developers for meeting diverse consumer demand
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Moving past the token 'woman' word
7 March 2018Does having women speakers and representation influence international events' overall focus on gender, and will having a woman at the top of UN-Habitat change how gender is considered in the agency's activities? Or do we still have further to go in integrating gender into events?
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Can one billion people in informal settlements be protected from climate change?
6 March 2018As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change convenes an international scientific conference in Canada this week to explore how to strengthen cities' ability to withstand climate change, David Satterthwaite urges them not to forget the people living in informal settlements
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Getting community voices heard in investor-state arbitration
5 March 2018During investor-state arbitrations, the rights and interests of local communities are often overlooked. A recent webinar discussed mechanisms that are getting the concerns of local communities on the table
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To save Africa's wildlife, conservation needs a radical shake-up
3 March 2018To mark World Wildlife Day on 3 March, Dilys Roe and James Mayers highlight that, despite over 100 years of international investment in conservation in Africa, wildlife is in serious trouble. Clearly, conservation needs a rethink
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Sending out the right messages
28 February 2018Ahead of the introduction of new data legislation, Clair Grant-Salmon explains what GDPR means for IIED and the people the organisation deals with, and how it's an opportunity for better communication
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Using dialogue to extract sustainable solutions for artisanal and small-scale mining
26 February 2018Fitsum Weldegiorgis shares challenges and successes from IIED's artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) dialogues in Ghana, Madagascar and most recently in Tanzania
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Providing shelter in East African cities: what works?
22 February 2018Diane Archer introduces a new project that aims to identify the key determinants of access to shelter in East Africa's fast-growing urban areas
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Getting Lebanon’s water flowing: using new SDG data in an urban crisis
19 February 2018Anna Walnycki explains how reliable, disaggregated data on water access – supported by the framework of the SDGs – could help tackle the challenges facing Lebanon's water sector