A mining company may undertake multiple projects and/or several activities along the mining value chain or be engaged in other commercial or investment activities. The manner in which its revenue and expenses are treated for tax purposes, if they are consolidated or ring-fenced from different projects and activities is an important policy consideration for governments. 

This practice note aims to clarify what ring-fencing means in the context of mining taxation, the advantages of adopting ring-fencing rules, and how to mitigate potential challenges through robust tax policy design and effective tax administration practices. It describes and evaluates the different options for designing ring-fencing rules based on the experience of resource-rich countries and highlights key implementation issues that have emerged. 

This practice note seeks to help governments of resource-rich countries decide if ring-fencing rules are necessary and, if they are, how to design them to safeguard the timing of government revenues. Each resource-rich country will have to consider, prior to implementation, the appropriateness, including the positive and negative aspects of a ring-fencing regime as a policy option given their fiscal conditions and taxation framework.

This publication provides an analysis of the UN FCITC, focusing on its role in shaping a more inclusive and effective global tax architecture. It examines the two early protocols selected for immediate development: the taxation of income derived from cross-border digital services, reflecting the challenges of an increasingly digitalized economy; and the prevention and resolution of tax disputes, which remain a significant hurdle in international tax governance. 

The report also addresses a broader set of priority and potential protocols that the Convention seeks to develop, including measures targeting digital taxation, tax-related illicit financial flows, the taxation of high-net-worth individuals, environmental tax cooperation, exchange of information for tax purposes, mutual administrative assistance, and combating harmful tax practices. 

For each protocol, the report delves into why the issue is critical for international tax cooperation, assesses ongoing national, regional and global initiatives, and evaluates the challenges and shortcomings faced by existing frameworks. It further offers preliminary insights into how the UN Framework Convention and its protocols could fill gaps and strengthen mechanisms to address aggressive tax avoidance and evasion. 

This roadmap aims to inform negotiators, policy-makers, and tax authorities about the strategic considerations necessary to advance global tax governance in a manner that is effective and inclusive.

The rivers and wetlands in Cape Town, South Africa, provide important services for the city's residents. They supply freshwater from nearby Table Mountain, regulate water flow, improve water quality, support biodiversity, and offer spaces for recreation, tourism, and fishing. 

However, urban development, land-use change, and pollution have severely degraded these waterways, reducing their ability to manage and supply clean water. Climate change is also making rainfall more unpredictable, with droughts and floods expected to become more frequent and severe. 

To respond to these challenges, the City of Cape Town has developed a Water Strategy, aiming to become a water-sensitive city by 2040. The city has also launched the Green Infrastructure Programme and the Liveable Urban Waterways Programme; the latter focuses on restoring urban waterways and catchments through water-sensitive design and nature-based solutions. 

The study area for this project lies in two adjacent catchments of the Liveable Urban Waterways Programme: the Diep/Sand River and Zeekoe catchments. Our report analyzes the socio-economic and environmental impacts of the sought interventions. Namely, creating retention ponds, extending and establishing wetlands, setting up community gardens and educational areas, designing and upgrading walkways, installing litter traps, revegetating and landscaping riverbanks, and removing invasive species and replacing them with appropriate indigenous alternatives. 

In partnership with the C40 Cities Finance Facility and the City of Cape Town, we evaluated two scenarios: one in which no further action is taken, and one in which NBI interventions are implemented. This comparison helps communities and decision-makers understand the costs of continued ecosystem decline and the benefits of investing in nature-based solutions. 

The results show that NBI interventions generate significant net benefits compared to the business-as-usual scenario, in which the ecosystems continue to degrade. 

We found that in the Diep/Sand River catchment, for every ZAR 1 invested in the NBI, about 2 ZAR could be returned over a 25-year period, amounting to net benefits of ZAR 121 million from avoided costs and added environmental, social, and economic benefits. Among other things, the NBI reduces flood damages, avoids impacts of ecosystem deterioration on tourism and properties, creates jobs, and avoids the costly dredging of lakes. 

Similarly, in the Zeekoe catchment, every 1 ZAR invested in NBI can yield ZAR 1.56 in benefits for society, amounting to net benefits of about ZAR 68 million over 25 years when using an 8% discount rate and an optimistic climate scenario with relatively little flooding. 

We analyzed the performance of the NBI under different climate change scenarios and found that the NBI is particularly valuable under pessimistic climate scenarios with high avoided flood damages. The study also demonstrates that the NBI interventions benefit local communities by creating jobs and preserving valuable ecosystems and spare the City of Cape Town from large spending on grey infrastructure.

The digital marketplace is rapidly reshaping global commerce, offering significant opportunities for businesses and consumers alike. In 2023, the global business-to-consumer e-commerce market was valued at USD 5.47 trillion and is projected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of approximately 19% through 2030. However, this growth also presents emerging challenges—particularly for developing countries seeking to participate effectively in the global digital economy. Central to addressing these challenges is the need to build consumer trust through robust consumer protection frameworks. 

The policy primer introduces foundational consumer rights and principles, explores their evolution in digital contexts, and examines the integration of online consumer protection provisions in trade agreements, including regional trade agreements (RTAs) and the World Trade Organization Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) on Electronic Commerce. The paper also highlights the current state of consumer protection policies and challenges in developing countries, concluding with practical recommendations to guide policy-making in this area.

This report is part of a policy primer series, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), aimed at deepening understanding of the key policy and regulatory foundations that shape today's digital economy.

This is the first report of the Building Blocks of Digital Trade Regulation series. You can continue exploring the series here:

• Report No. 2: Cybersecurity and International Trade: Understanding the policy landscape
• Report No. 3: Setting International Technical Standards to Shape Digital Trade Policy: Approaches, challenges, and opportunities for developing countries
• Report No. 4: Data and Digital Trade Law: Balancing rules, policy space, and development

World governments adopted the historic Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies in 2022 at the WTO's 12th Ministerial Conference. This landmark deal prohibits fisheries subsidies where they pose the greatest threat to sustainability. Building on that foundation, WTO members are now working to strengthen the agreement through additional disciplines aimed at tackling subsidies that encourage overfishing and overcapacity more broadly. 

The aim of these proposed rules is to ensure that government financial support to the fishing industry does not drive unsustainable levels of fishing. If adopted, these disciplines could play a vital role in safeguarding marine ecosystems and supporting the livelihoods, food security, and development prospects of communities that rely on healthy fish stocks. Despite falling short of finalizing these new rules in 2024, members made significant progress and came closer than ever to consensus on this vital sustainable development priority. 

As discussions continue, this update offers an overview of the rules under negotiation, as reflected in the latest draft text circulated by Ambassador Gunnarsson of Iceland, chair of the WTO's Rules Negotiating Group, in November 2024. The update first reviews recent developments in the negotiations and the current state of play, then provides a concise explanation of the new disciplines being proposed. It also includes contextual insights to help readers understand the rationale behind specific provisions. For each main element of the proposed disciplines, summary boxes are included to highlight key features. The update concludes by drawing attention to several important sustainable development considerations related to the draft text.

BCA is a hot topic in global trade and climate policy, driven in part by the European Union's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism coming into force, and with similar regimes pending in the United Kingdom and Norway. Additionally, BCA is increasingly being explored in other countries such as Australia, Canada, Chinese Taipei, and the United States. 

If adopted in multiple countries, BCA would have major impacts not only on climate ambition but also on trade flows and development prospects. Yet there is no internationally agreed upon guidance on how to design and implement BCA in a way that advances both climate and development objectives. This leaves national policy-makers creating BCA regimes without a shield to defend against domestic vested interests and leaves affected countries and firms without a yardstick by which to assess proposed BCA regimes. 

This guidance—the product of in-country research and consultation in five countries and more than a year of deliberation by a diverse global group of experts—aims to fill that gap. It offers detailed recommendations on BCA design questions, such as:

1. How to measure greenhouse gas emissions embodied in goods?
2. What goods and emissions to cover?
3. What to do with the revenues?
4. Whether and how to credit carbon prices paid in the country of export?
5. Whether and how to adjust the carbon price for exports?
6. What special treatment and exemptions should be granted?

The report investigates how SPCs can lead in energy transition initiatives. To date, discussions on this role have favoured developed economy examples. The report aims to address this gap by analyzing the dynamics of decarbonization facing four of the world’s largest SPCs (outside of China), focusing each case study on one specific element of energy transition. The case studies are: 1) Eskom in South Africa on just energy transition initiatives, 2) NTPC in India on deployment of renewable energy, 3) Vietnam Electricity (EVN) in Viet Nam integrating renewable energy generation, and 4) Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN) in Indonesia on early retirement of coal power plants.

Manitoba's fisheries supply fish to domestic and international markets. While 20% of Manitoban fish is consumed within Canada, 80% goes to international markets, predominantly the United States and Europe. The present report analyzes European and U.S. market trends in the certified sustainable fish and seafood sector with the goal of unpacking the implications for Manitoba commercial fishers. Additionally, it provides guidance on how to communicate the benefits of eco-certification to Manitoba commercial fishers. 

This report builds on the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s 2024 report, The Case of Eco-Certification in Manitoba’s Commercial Fisheries, which reviewed the potential benefits of pursuing eco-certification for Manitoba's commercial freshwater fisheries. It concluded that Manitoba's commercial fisheries stand to benefit both directly and indirectly from acquiring eco-certification, with the direct benefits being greater for larger fisheries. Specifically, it identified the following market benefits for eco-certification:

1. Eco-certification can lead to an avoided loss of markets valued at CAD 250 for every CAD 1 invested for large lakes, or CAD 16 for every CAD 1 invested for small lakes. This means that for every CAD 1 invested in eco-certifying a fishery, CAD 16 of that fisheries' value is protected from market loss.
2. Eco-certification provides a greater opportunity for brand building for Manitoba fisheries as a sustainable option for the eco-conscious consumer.
3. Eco-certified lakes tend to have more stable fish stocks over the long term and are less vulnerable to stock collapse. This makes the supply of fish to markets more reliable. 

This follow-up report aims to elaborate by examining market trends at the consumer end of the supply chain in both the United States and Europe, thereby providing further information on the potential benefits of eco-certification for fisheries. This is an important point to address because 80% of Manitoba's fish is sold to international markets, especially in the United States and Europe.

Many countries noted continuing challenges in maintaining SDG momentum due to the lingering effects of conflicts, climate impacts, and economic instability. The two first-time VNR presentations in 2024 were by South Sudan and Yemen, both grappling to rebuild their economies and fragile governance following years of conflict and humanitarian crises. 

While it is not designed to provide a comprehensive review of official reports, this annual "fact-check" by a coalition of civil society organizations (CSOs) aims to support more iterative and accountable SDG monitoring and review processes. Progressing National SDG Implementation highlights where countries are making steady gains, while also identifying remaining gaps and challenges in achieving SDG aspirations, especially from a social inclusion perspective. As such, this report aims to contribute to joint learning by both governments and non-state actors on how to contribute to transformative change while leaving no one behind. 

This report is published in partnership between Action for Sustainable Development, the Arab NGO Network for Development, Bond, CSO Partnership for Sustainable Development, Cooperation Canada, Forus, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Save the Children, and Sightsavers.

Watch the publication launch webinar

The Hudson Bay Lowlands is partially located in northeastern Manitoba, encompassing 67,000 square kilometres, which is nearly 10% of the province. This region is one of the world’s most ecologically intact landscapes and provides millions in economic value every year. The region also holds immense value due to its rich Indigenous heritage, globally significant carbon stocks, and diverse wildlife, making it an excellent candidate for conservation. 

The Hudson Bay Lowlands provides nearly CAD 250 million in ecosystem goods and services per year through the value of biodiversity conservation, hunting, tourism, and mental health benefits. This vast landscape also stores an estimated 7 billion tonnes of soil organic carbon (a value of CAD 1.2 trillion)—and that's just in Manitoba.