Governance blogs
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Starting a journey – reflections on race and racism and the work to do in our organisations and our sector
15 December 2021Andrew Norton reflects on deep challenges of enduring racism within the sustainable development sector and IIED’s ongoing work to contribute to progress
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Food Systems Summit: implications for global food governance
30 September 2021Last week's Food Systems Summit raised questions about global governance models in a policy area fundamental to everyone’s lives. Lorenzo Cotula argues that, without clear decision-making rules and effective structures to manage power differentials, bringing diverse actors together produces ‘capture’ rather than inclusion
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Nature-based solutions: building blocks for green recovery and climate action in least developed countries
31 August 2021As international climate and biodiversity talks continue and conservation experts gather this week at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Ebony Holland shares recent research outlining how nature-based solutions are being placed front and centre by least developed countries
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Reviewing climate action: the hidden key for greater ambition
24 August 2021As countries prepare to negotiate the last components of the Paris Agreement’s enhanced transparency framework, Fernanda Alcobé looks at the review process, explores some significant challenges ahead and provides recommendations for designing a more efficient and inclusive system
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COP26 hangs in the balance if G20 fails to show solidarity with climate-vulnerable countries by delivering action
8 July 2021This week, G20 ministers come together for two major meetings. Following commitments they made to climate-vulnerable countries at the Climate and Development Ministerial in March, Alex Scott and Ebony Holland reflect on progress to date and how critical it will be for the G20 to maintain momentum and fill the gaps left by the G7
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Delivering an inclusive COP26 in the age of COVID-19 requires more than vaccines
7 July 2021The UK government announced last week that it would make vaccines available to people attending COP26 in Glasgow. But even vaccinated, negotiators from vulnerable nations face logistical and financial barriers to travel to Glasgow amid border closures and quarantine measures
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It’s got to be virtual and in person – key steps for a successful COP26
23 June 2021In a moment of reflection, with the first round of virtual climate negotiations and the G7 Summit all concluded, Anna Schulz asks where are we now and what steps can be taken to ensure success at COP26?
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UN Food Systems Summit: it’s time to listen to civil society’s concerns
22 June 2021Guest blogger Molly Anderson kicks off a new blog series leading up to the UN’s first ever Food Systems Summit. Here, Anderson sets out practical ways for the summit’s convenors to regroup after getting off to a rocky start
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Reporting greenhouse gas emissions: LDCs’ 20-year journey
1 June 2021As the least developed countries (LDCs) prepare to meet the demands of a more stringent climate reporting framework, an IIED report examines the LDCs’ reporting history and distils recommendations for meeting the new requirements
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A new COP26 decision for long-term strategies: what’s in it for LDCs?
31 May 2021After months of delay, the formal UN climate negotiations are resuming and countries face a packed agenda. Gabrielle Swaby sets out why the least developed countries (LDCs) should make long-term strategies central to the discussion
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Sleepwalking into COP26 collapse – why the UK must drop its aid cuts
5 May 2021Britain's decision to trim its aid budget sends entirely the wrong message to world leaders – that under-delivering for vulnerable countries is OK
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Biden’s climate summit needs to show leadership for the most vulnerable – here’s how
21 April 2021As US President Biden hosts a virtual climate leaders summit, Andrew Norton focuses on adaptation, resilience and loss and damage challenges and how the summit can continue the momentum for solutions
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Towards COP26: can the Adaptation Committee progress in time?
15 April 2021After a year of virtual meetings, the Adaptation Committee – the principal body set up under the UNFCCC to provide guidance on adaptation – is zeroing in on a series of key inputs for COP26. Consensus among members is vital and inclusive processes are critical. Can it deliver all key adaptation items in time?
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Producer agency and voice in certification schemes
26 March 2021A recent IIED webinar explored how to genuinely promote producer voice and agency in standards setting worldwide
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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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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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Engulfed by the sea: the loss and damage from climate change
18 November 2020People from the Solomon Islands are experiencing profound loss and damage from climate change every day. Guest blogger Gladys Habu calls on the global community to recognise these losses, and act
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Can the Adaptation Committee find opportunity in adversity?
21 October 2020The COVID-19 pandemic has forced a pause in climate negotiations, but it need not be time wasted. Binyam Gebreyes and Emilie Beauchamp consider how the Adaptation Committee is seizing the moment to tackle existing challenges, and how it could go further
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An indivisible whole: negotiating the fate of the ocean
5 September 2019Critical differences of opinion over how, or even whether, the high seas should be subject to a governance regime led to sluggish progress at times at international negotiations in New York recently. Essam Yassin Mohammed spells out how he thinks things need to change
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Investor-state arbitration: an opportunity for real reform?
7 December 2018An ongoing multilateral process could provide a unique opportunity to reform a contentious area of global economic governance – but only if it properly identifies the key problems
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CBD COP14: a breakthrough on understanding and assessing equity in conservation
27 November 2018A new international decision recognising the importance of equity in conservation could help tackle the underlying drivers of biodiversity loss
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First steps towards a global agreement
21 September 2018IIED director Andrew Norton responds to the end of the first session of negotiations of new laws for the high seas, calling for a greater presence of the views of those most affected to ensure a fair and inclusive treaty
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How can insights from CBA12 inform global discussions on the SDGs and resilience?
16 July 2018Delegates to this week's UN High Level Political Forum on sustainable development will be considering the subject of resilience. Clare Shakya highlights some of the insights from CBA12 in Malawi that are relevant
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Long-term strategies under the Paris Agreement – key principles for good governance
13 July 2018The Paris Agreement calls for Parties to communicate their long-term, low greenhouse gas emission development strategies by 2020. Achala Abeysinghe looks at how to ensure good governance for these strategies
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Understanding governance and equity in conservation
27 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