Agribusinesses and investors in the food and agriculture sector are increasingly motivated to ensure their operations and investments generate positive social and environmental outcomes. But they need support to translate these aspirations into responsible business practices and responsible investments.  

The RAI Tool for Agribusiness is a reference tool developed by IISD, Cerise+SPTF, and partner organizations with support from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). It aims to help agribusinesses assess their compliance with international principles, such as the Committee on World Food Security’s Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI), the ASEAN Guidelines on Promoting Responsible Investment in Food, Agriculture, and Forestry (ASEAN RAI), and the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Performance Standards. 

The RAI Tool for Agribusiness provides a framework that integrates these high-level principles into the language of agribusiness operations, structures, procedures, and management practices. It is primarily meant to help agribusinesses identify and prioritize gaps as a first step to improving their practices. It has been tested by agribusinesses in Africa and Asia and refined based on their input and feedback.  

About the Event 

Organized by IISD and Cerise+SPTF, this launch event introduced the RAI Tool for Agribusiness to potential users, including financial investors and agribusinesses, international organizations, civil society, think tanks, and development partners.  

During the event, speakers from IISD, Cerise+SPTF, and other organizations involved in the creation and testing of the tool discussed 

• the development of the tool, its intended use, and related initiatives; 
• how to use the tool and its supporting materials; and 
• experiences of using the tool in practice.

These speakers were followed by an interactive discussion with participants to explore options and opportunities for promoting uptake of the tool by agribusinesses, industry associations, financial investors, and others. 

The International Institute for Sustainable Development and Cepei hosted a virtual briefing and Q&A session (in both English and Spanish) on the 2024 High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). What should you expect as the 2024 HLPF approaches, and how is this year’s forum connected to the Summit of the Future?

Each year, countries gather in New York at the UN to report their successes and challenges in bringing the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals to life. This Q&A session with keynote speakers provides an overview of the main themes and issues of this year’s HLPF to help you unpack the main messages circling around the event and how high to set your expectations for meaningful discussion on the interlinked crises our world faces.

At the same time, this webinar explores links with the upcoming Summit of the Future.

Speakers

• H.E. Paula Narváez, President of ECOSOC
• Friedrich Soltau, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNDESA
• Marlon Navarro Álvarez, Vice-Minister of National Planning and Economic Policy, Republic of Costa Rica
• Florence Syevuo, Executive Director, SDG Kenya Forum, and Co-Chair, Coalition for the UN We Need
• Lynn Wagner, Senior Director Tracking Progress, International Institute for Sustainable Development
• Philipp Schönrock, Director, Cepei (moderator)

In 2023, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, in collaboration with the International Senior Lawyers Project (ISLP), published A Guide for Developing Countries on How to Understand and Adapt to the Global Minimum Tax. The guide provides a simplified explanation of the global minimum tax rules, officially known as the Global Anti-Base Erosion Model Rules (Pillar Two), and how they may affect investment incentives.

Since the guide was published, there have been important updates to the rules and some countries have begun to implement the rules, while others are preparing to do so. At the same time, the United Nations is developing a new Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation that may eventually create additional pathways for global tax reform.

IISD and ISLP convened this webinar to take stock of these recent developments, review updates to the rules, and share experiences from developing countries on implementation and adaptation. Panelists also shared perspectives on the impact of the proposed UN Convention on Tax on ongoing global tax reforms.

Download the presentation slides.

Moderator

• Alexandra Readhead, Director, Tax and Sovereign Debt, IISD 

Speakers (more to be confirmed)

• Vikram Chand, Professor, Tax Law and Policy, University of Lausanne
• Mathias Chinanayi, Head of Technical Services, Zimbabwe Revenue Authority
• Sam Loi, Commissioner of Taxation, Internal Revenue Commission, Papua New Guinea
• Kudzai Mataba, Policy Analyst, Tax and Investment, IISD
• Zach Pouga, Partner, Ernst & Young / ISLP Volunteer
• Stephen Shay, Senior Tax Fellow, Boston College Law School/ISLP Volunteer
• Andrea del Pilar Prieto, Advisor on International Taxation, National Tax and Customs Administration (DIAN), Colombia

Adaptation to climate change is a critical development challenge. For many developing countries, it is a far more immediate priority than reducing their already-small greenhouse gas emissions. However, the role of trade and trade policy in advancing adaptation is not as well explored or understood as trade and climate mitigation.

This Trade + Sustainability Hub session organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development brought together a diverse group of experts, policymakers, and thought leaders to discuss the adaptation challenges that different regions and sectors faced, and where trade and trade policy could help meet them – as well as where it could not, and other solutions were needed. The conversation also examined these options in light of the unavoidable impact that climate would have on the way we trade and do business.

Participants in the conversation were encouraged to bring their ideas and concerns into the debate, share their thoughts, and help drive the conversation forward.

This engaging and thought-provoking roundtable discussion tackled one of the most critical and complex issues at the intersection of climate policy and international trade – Border Carbon Adjustments (BCAs). As governments responded to the urgent need to reduce carbon emissions and combat climate change, BCAs emerged as a key policy tool to enable ambitious increases in carbon prices, but they also triggered concerns about equity, accessibility, and development.

The session brought together experts, policymakers, and industry leaders in a conversation that unraveled the intricacies of BCAs, their challenges and implications, as well as their role in worldwide efforts to decarbonize industry. The discussion covered the challenges, as well as the opportunities presented by the looming global rise of BCAs and honed in on immediate priorities for international cooperation on this brand new trade instrument.

At the last WTO Ministerial, WTO Members agreed on a ground-breaking new multilateral agreement that disciplines fisheries subsidies where they can be most damaging. The rules prohibit subsidies provided to illegal fishing, to the fishing of overfished stocks, and to unregulated fishing on the high seas. But several difficult issues were not agreed, particularly how to deal with subsidies that contribute to the generation of excessive fishing capacity in the first place and incentivize overfishing before stocks are depleted. These rules were left for later, and that later is now. Members are aiming to finalize negotiations on additional rules at this Ministerial. Join representatives of the Stop Funding Overfishing coalition to learn why these new rules matter, and how close Members are to reaching another historic agreement for the oceans.

Session 1: Perspectives on the Importance of Additional Rules

This session allowed participants to hear a range of perspectives from civil society, the small-scale fishing community, and WTO members on why concluding additional rules on fisheries subsidies is essential for sustainable development. Speakers also offered thoughts on the possible way forward in these negotiations. 

Agenda

13:00 – 13:30: Light lunch.

13:30 – 13:40: Opening remarks.

13:40 – 14:30: Perspectives on the Importance of Additional Rules.

• Sebastian Mathew – Executive Director, International Collective in Support of Fishworkers. 
• Megan Jungwiwattanaporn – Officer, Conservation Support, The Pew Charitable Trusts 
• Daunivalu Luke – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Fiji to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva 
• Matthew Wilson – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Barbados to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva 
• Usha Dwarka-Canabady – Ambassador, Permanent Representative of Mauritius to the United Nations and other international organizations in Geneva 

14:30 – 14:55: Open discussion

14:55 – 15:00: Concluding remarks

Moderator: Alice Tipping – Director, Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD.

Session 2: IISD Analysis of the Draft Fisheries Subsidies Text

The second session walked participants through the draft text circulated by the chair of negotiations on 12 April 2024, providing succinct explanations about the rules and the dynamics that led to certain provisions. The session drew on IISD’s own analysis of the text in its recent publication and highlighted key considerations about the draft text from a sustainable development perspective.

14:00 – 14:05: Opening remarks

14:05 – 14:35: IISD Analysis of the Draft Fisheries Subsidies Text

• Tristan Irschlinger – senior policy advisor, Fisheries Subsidies, IISD    

14:35 – 14:55: Open discussion

14:55 – 15:00: Concluding remarks

Moderator: Alice Tipping – Director, Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD

This is a closed activity for WTO delegates and capital-based officials. Exceptions only apply to WTO staff.

Energy storage is a key part of future energy systems, and grid batteries have been improving in terms of capabilities and cost with rapid technological development.

This webinar provides an exclusive first look at new research on grid-located batteries in South Africa and examines how to maximize benefits, minimize environmental and safety risks, and solve challenges to deployment.

A diverse panel, including representatives from Eskom, municipal government, project development, and finance and research institutions, provides an in-depth discussion on the challenges and opportunities for South Africa.

The research, conducted by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, included interviews with over 70 stakeholders covering a wide range of experience and knowledge on grid-battery topics and the energy landscape in South Africa.

Agenda

Welcome and Housekeeping

Opening Remarks

Report Presentation: Watts in Store, Part 2

Richard Halsey, Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development

Panel Discussion

Swasti Raizada, Policy Advisor, International Institute for Sustainable Development

Mari-Louise van der Walt, Principal Consultant, Alakriti Consulting

Monde Soni, Chief Engineer, Network Planning, Eskom

Sherwin Harris, Engie

Vincenzia Leitich, Executive Energy and Infrastructure, Standard Bank

Bashkaran Vandeyar, Head of Green Energy, City of Cape Town

Q&A

Closing Remarks

If we were building the investment treaty regime from scratch today, what policy problems should the regime seek to solve, and how should it contribute to solving them? 

This was the question at the heart of this IISD webinar on international investment treaties. Instead of scrutinizing existing flaws in existing treaties, the webinar aimed to guide policy-makers on how to reevaluate investment treaties to tackle the burning environmental, social, and climate change issues of the 21st century.

The webinar was based on a fresh report from IISD, Rethinking Investment Treaties, which sets out a detailed roadmap for how the international investment treaty system can be redesigned to accelerate—rather than obstruct—genuine sustainable development.

The report authors, Josef Ostřanský and Jonathan Bonnitcha, and leading experts from academia and international institutions discussed the report's key findings and further unpacked how investment treaties could be redesigned to improve international cooperation on investment governance, align financial flows with the Paris Agreement, ensure that host states benefit from investment projects, and ensure strong human rights and environmental standards in investment projects.

Read the first paper in our Rethinking series, Rethinking National Investment Laws.

Speakers

Alessandra Mistura, policy analyst, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)

Chantal Ononaiwu, director of external trade, Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Secretariat

Dafina Atanasova, economic affairs officer, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)

J. Benton Heath, associate professor of Law, Temple University

Jonathan Bonnitcha, senior associate, IISD

Josef Ostřanský, policy advisor, IISD

Joshua Paine, senior lecturer, University of Bristol

Roslyn Ng'eno, Senior Investment Expert, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat

Yuanita Ruchyat, senior officer for investment, Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Secretariat

The discussion was moderated by Suzy H. Nikièma, Director of Investment, IISD.

Before 2018, only 17 FTAs had ever referenced voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs). By 2023, that figure had more than doubled. What is driving this trend? Will it lead to more sustainable trade?

IISD and ISEAL hosted a webinar for different actors engaged in trade policy to learn about the ways that VSSs have been integrated into trade policy to advance sustainability. Focusing on the specific example of FTAs, IISD experts presented recent research and discussed with panelists on why more and more FTAs are referencing VSSs and how this integration has played out in practice.

Speakers:

• Mario Abreu, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability, Ferrero
• Steffany Bermúdez, Policy Advisor, IISD
• Manuel Chacón, Director of Commercial Relations, Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism, Colombia
• Dominik Ledergerber, Advisor, Free Trade Agreements/European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Division, Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
• Seul Lee, Associate Economic Affairs Officer, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
• Lauro Locks, Counsellor, Trade and Environment Division, World Trade Organization (WTO)
• Cameron Plese, Head of Government Affairs (North America and Europe), Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)
• Florencia Sarmiento, Policy Advisor, IISD
• Alice Tipping, Director, Trade and Sustainable Development, IISD
• Joshua Wickerham, Manager, Outreach and Engagement, ISEAL