International Institute for Sustainable Development

For the Anishnaabe, wild rice holds important cultural significance: it’s a gift from the creator that’s alive and interwoven with their identity, journey and relationship to the land. It traditionally grows in lakes and wetlands where it’s harvested by hand, with people knocking the rice off the plant. The harvest of wild rice is a significant tradition in Anishnaabe culture where communities come together to not only work but also share knowledge and teachings. But this way of growing and harvesting wild rice often isn’t how it ends up on our plates. In fact, the wild rice that’s widely commercially available isn’t even wild. IISD Experimental Lakes Area wants to make wild rice more sustainable and abundant. And it is working with Indigenous communities to make that happen. Learn more ▶️ https://lnkd.in/gSiEAMsw

💡 Reforestation across 30,000+ hectares in Kasese, Uganda would generate total net benefits of USD 69.1 million, with every dollar invested yielding over USD 5 in returns for society. Read our new study from Nature-Based Infrastructure Global Resource Centre 👇

📣 #HIRING: Our team is growing! IISD Experimental Lakes Area is recruiting for a Manager, Educational Programming and Indigenous Engagement, to oversee the development and delivery of educational programming for one of the world’s most influential freshwater research facilities. Responsible for the creation of effective learning programs and experiences that support and promote IISD-ELA’s mission and mandate, this position will organize, manage, and evaluate programs to ensure that objectives are achieved. Interested? Apply now! https://lnkd.in/gqfXBNny #greenjobs

📑 🌐 "Trade policymaking is becoming more holistic and more complex—as it should be." - IISD CEO Patricia Fuller in a recent interview in the latest edition of #TradeForum by the International Trade Centre. 🏛 As policymakers recognize the broader impacts of economic policies, Patricia emphasizes #tradepolicy can’t be tackled in isolation. Policymakers, businesses, and civil society actors must lean into climate adaptation and design trade policy that serves a wider purpose. 👉 Read the full interview to learn more about how IISD is playing a part in the changing landscape of international trade: https://lnkd.in/g4D4GAv7 🎂 View ITC’s special full issue celebrating “60 Years of Trade and Development” here: https://lnkd.in/g6F9hHnr

Against a troubling geopolitical backdrop, the annual session of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will convene under the theme “Reinforcing the 2030 Agenda and eradicating poverty in times of multiple crises" while 38 countries will present SDG progress reports. What should you expect when government leaders, civil society advocates, and stakeholders gather at the UN to review progress and regress on the Sustainable Development Goals at #HLPF2024? Join our virtual briefing and Q&A co-hosted with Cepei Think Tank ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ghHfkCEf

It's often said there is not enough data to make good decisions in climate change adaptation... But is that true? Not necessarily! Our new ODI and International Institute for Sustainable Development paper 🌍🔍 Mapping the Information and Learning Landscape for Adaptation in SIDS 🌴📚shows it's mostly about needing more accessible, more comprehensive and better presented data. And more learning from peers' lived experience, not just data. Key takeaways: ➡ Data issues: SIDS stakeholders are in dire need of comprehensive, accessible, and well-presented information. Climate risks and impact data, especially disaggregated date about /for vulnerable groups, is still missing. ➡ Peer Power: Learning from lived experiences and local solutions is gold. SIDS communities have tons to share, and peer learning is the way to go. ------👉 Check out the NAP Global Network and the Coalition of Atoll Nations on Scaling Up Climate Change Adaptation recent peer learning efforts: https://shorturl.at/m8DDR ➡ Cross-scale MEL Magic: Effective knowledge management systems are crucial. They need to be SIDS-led, sustainable, and non-duplicative. ------👉 For more on MEL systems for adaptation, have a look at the NAP Global Network's  Toolkit for MEL for national #adaptation plan processes 🛠️📒: https://bit.ly/4burAxt Why does this matter? Because without the right data and peer learning processes, SIDS are left at a disadvantage when trying to plan, adapt, and thrive in the face of climate changes. #climatejustice Mairi Dupar Courtney O. Lindsay (PhD, PMP) Orville Grey Christian Ledwell Angie Dazé Emily Wilkinson Thibyan Ibrahim Olivia Fielding Tiffany van Ravenswaay Choi Yeeting Filimone Tuivanualevu Gerty Pierre Delusca Kenel Adrian Estanol ODI International Institute for Sustainable Development NAP Global Network #ClimateChange #Adaptation #SIDS #PeerLearning #MEL #ClimateData #Sustainability #ClimateAction

New agreement from 26 EU member states will clarify the common understanding that the Energy Charter Treaty does not and never did apply within the EU. This marks an important first step in addressing the #ECT legacy but more needs to be done to fully prevent the risk of future arbitrations under the treaty.  Here’s why: After the EU withdrawal from the treaty the so-called survival clause still allows a wide range of fossil fuel companies and other investors with existing investments to sue states for a period of 20 years on the grounds that their profits could be hurt by climate policies. This clause applies to investors from the EU with investments in other treaty member countries or investors from other treaty member countries with investments in EU.  The EU and other non-EU Contracting Parties of the ECT can minimize the impact of this unusual, far-reaching clause through a further agreement modifying the ECT. IISD will publish model text options for such an agreement shortly. Read our full reaction here: https://lnkd.in/gyVgPA_d 

🐟 35% of assessed marine fish stocks are overfished, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. Overfishing threatens the environment and the many millions whose livelihoods depend on the fishing sector.   Concluding the WTO Fisheries Subsidies Agreement was essential, but it now needs to be strengthened with broader rules. IISD expert Tristan Irschlinger explains the state of current negotiations: https://lnkd.in/deShQc4e #overfishing #fisheriessubsidies   Tristan Irschlinger | Alice Tipping

Women are disproportionately affected by #ClimateChange, as they are responsible for securing food and water due to traditional #gender roles, which invariably results in a greater dependency on natural resources.    #SUNCASA recognizes such differences; that's why our goal is that at least 50% of our beneficiaries are women. We also aim to increase men's and decision-makers’ understanding of the need for gender-responsive approaches to #NatureBasedSolutions, reducing barriers and norms that prevent women's meaningful participation in the climate policy-making process.    Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gw2fP-GA

At the (supposedly) final meeting of the Open-ended Working Group on a Science-Policy Panel to Contribute Further to the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste and to Prevent Pollution (#OEWG3), delegates were expected to finish recommendations to design this new science-policy panel. In the end, they were unable to do so. UN Environment Programme Executive Director Inger Andersen lowered the bar on the final day, urging agreement on the “essence” of the panel. Still, this bar was ultimately too high. Analysis from the Earth Negotiations Bulletin team which followed negotiations in Geneva traces two principal reasons why the negotiations largely stalled. First, negotiators struggled most when tailoring the panel to the realities of chemicals and waste problems and their governance. Second, deep divisions emerged around issues determining who would shape the panel and who it would serve. Read more: https://lnkd.in/g2fe_nwt