Blog archives
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Learning from Paris: what would ‘Kunming-compliant’ look like for development cooperation agencies?
25 February 2021Reflecting on the implementation of the climate Paris Agreement, Dilys Roe discusses what the new global biodiversity framework could mean for development cooperation
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Perspective of LDC youth: what COP26 outcomes will enhance global action on adaptation and resilience?
18 February 2021Young people from the LDCs have the energy and knowledge to drive climate action – but they need collaboration and investment from decision-makers at the national and international level
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CBA15: Can adaptation be a superhero in the 'super year' for climate and nature?
17 February 2021Innovation will be key in bouncing forward from COVID-19 and delivering on the ambitions of the 'super year' – to protect nature, tackle poverty and accelerate climate action. The CBA community will be ready to hold decision-makers accountable on the commitments they make this year
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The Dasgupta Review needed to engage today's finance ministers: here’s how
11 February 2021Paul Steele sets out ways to spur urgent and immediate investment in biodiversity conservation – complementing recommendations from Dasgupta’s landmark review
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Drought management in India: hostage to climate information governance
10 February 2021While communities in India affected by climate change, and the agencies that support them, need access to short and long-term weather forecasts to plan their responses to increasingly erratic rainfall, the current climate information governance system stops this from happening. The system needs reworking
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The Sahelian Great Green Wall: start with local solutions
4 February 2021The regreening of the Sahel region through a 'Great Green Wall' appears to be an ambitious plan to roll back the ‘advancing deserts’ of the Sahara. However, the expertise and interests of local farmers and pastoralists inhabiting the drylands seem to be absent (yet again) from this strategy
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The often forgotten role of small and intermediate urban centres
3 February 2021Much of the world’s urban population lives and works outside large cities, yet often the economic, political and social importance of these urban centres, including their support to rural development and policy innovation, is given too little attention
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Happy new super year! Why is 2021 such a big deal for climate, nature and people?
2 February 2021As the world woke up on 1 January this year, you could be forgiven for not noticing a new year had dawned. With lockdowns and restrictions still in place across many countries, new year celebrations were muted. But here at IIED, even without the midnight countdown, we’re gearing up for an exceptional year in 2021: a year of great ambition and opportunity to drive better outcomes for climate change, nature and people
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Climate justice needs vaccine justice
1 February 2021Andrew Norton reflects on the inequalities faced by developing countries in accessing vaccines and says the world needs fair and inclusive responses to the pandemic in order to effectively respond to climate change and achieve a green recovery
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Secure land rights are now more important than ever
29 January 2021In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, many low-income countries are looking to their untapped natural resources as a way to deliver a swift economic boost. But there are concerns that the drive for urgent solutions could impinge on vital governance safeguards. Nathaniah Jacobs and Tehtena Mebratu-Tsegaye describe an important new initiative that aims to ensure good governance of land-based investments
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Striving for better: following LDC leadership in addressing the climate crisis
26 January 2021Guest blogger Gebru Jember sets out the principles guiding the least developed countries’ initiative on effective adaptation and resilience
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Thorny issues: achieving a fair and equitable Global Goal on Adaptation
25 January 2021The international Climate Adaptation Summit on 25 and 26 January aims to spur worldwide efforts to adapt to climate change. The Paris Agreement established the need for a Global Goal on Adaptation, but a new IIED briefing paper argues that to effectively operationalise the global goal, policymakers need to address some fundamental conceptual and technical challenges.
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Ensuring women’s participation in land governance: “bringing the law home” in Tanzania
20 January 2021Despite Tanzania’s progressive legal framework on land rights and governance, many women are often left out of community decision-making due to social and cultural norms that persist in some areas of the country. Isabella Nchimbi discusses a participatory initiative in Tanzania that’s helping women make their voices heard when it comes to land governance
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Reimagining solutions to India’s water challenge: the art of governance
20 January 2021Clare Shakya and Ritu Bharadwaj explain why India’s water security crisis demands a disruptive, locally led new approach to governance, and offers eight principles that could help shape one
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Locally led adaption to climate change: the start of a 10-year learning journey
12 January 2021In early 2021, a fast-growing group of experts will meet in Gobeshona to define a 10-year learning agenda to advance principles for critical locally led adaption to climate change. Saleemul Huq and Clare Shakya explain the importance of this group and the journey ahead
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Exploring intersectionality: what does it look like for IIED and our partners?
6 January 2021A recent learning lunch at IIED prompted Rosalind Goodrich to reflect on how we and our partners understand and address complex and interconnected inequalities in our research and beyond
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How to green Africa from the grassroots
4 January 2021As COVID-19 prompts rethinks, investing in renewable energy, regenerative agriculture and skills could help Africa handle future crises
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IIED's best of 2020: videos
30 December 2020This year arguably more than ever there was an increased focus on using video to communicate sustainable development issues.
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Where’s the capital for homegrown companies? Why energy access investments in Kenya need to go local
29 December 2020The importance of local investments in energy access in Kenya is the focus of IIED's Kevin Johnstone
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Bridging the gap: how women-led federations are strengthening communities in Patna's informal settlements
23 December 2020Following devastation from COVID-19 and monsoon rains, women collectives have been instrumental in securing crucial infrastructure provisions and service delivery
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Unpacking regulatory chill: the case of mining in the Santurbán páramo in Colombia
21 December 2020Do international investment treaties put a 'chill' on environmental policy? To answer this question, we need to see the state as a complex web of actors, not a unitary whole
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Promoting producer agency in agricultural value chain contracts: peer learning (in a pandemic)
16 December 2020Thierry Berger and Emily Polack summarise highlights from a recent learning event on the role of contracts in promoting the agency of agricultural producers – and reflect on the process of sharing experiences virtually
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What happens when the landgrabbers leave? An account from Kilwa, Tanzania
14 December 2020An encouraging story from Tanzania about how four communities regained control of their lands
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Making natural capital accounting an institution in Uganda
11 December 2020After joining a workshop to hear about some of Uganda’s recently completed natural capital accounts, Rosalind Goodrich reflects on what it takes to make this approach a fixture in government policy and process
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Promoting producer agency in food systems – might new global guidelines offer any hope?
10 December 2020With a new set of guidelines on food systems and nutrition under negotiation, Emily Polack reflects on their potential to give small-scale producers a greater say in food systems governance – one key to a healthier, fairer and more sustainable future for all