Policy and planning blogs
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Ensuring an Energy Sustainable Development Goal delivers for poor people and the planet
25 March 2014In late February, discussions over the post-2015 development agenda reached a milestone. The co-Chairs of the Open Working Group (OWG), the body tasked with preparing a Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) proposal for consideration by the UN General Assembly in September 2014, issued a "Focus Areas Document".
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What happened when IIED focused on research quality?
13 March 2014IIED publishes an outline of 'our thinking' on research ethics, an output of our most recent strategy's 'research quality' objective
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Time for a new look at social impacts of protected areas
11 March 2014A new framework for assessing the social impacts of protected areas will be key to ensuring conservation is effective, and contributes to human well-being and poverty reduction
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Reading into the future this Christmas
23 December 2013Future generations will thank those of today's leaders who take a longer-term view of the many challenges we face, says Camilla Toulmin.
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Setting the bar too low: is there really progress on UN development goals?
3 December 2013The UN report on progress towards the Millennium Development Goals seems so at odds with realities on the ground, says David Satterthwaite.
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Nepal: Forestry and agriculture and the story of their fake divorce
18 July 2013While many Nepali subsistence farmers happily combine forestry and agriculture on their land, there is little integration between the two sectors in the country’s policy and administration.
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African land deals: Is a policy shift underway?
15 July 2013African governments have played a key role in allocating land to investors. Recent developments hold out promise for more carefully thought out approaches by them in the future.
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New international development goals: score or miss?
5 June 2013The UN Secretary General's High-Level Panel has published their set of recommendations for international development. What is the verdict? How do they ‘score’?
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Rwanda: test case on international commitment to financing climate change adaptation?
6 March 2013Rwanda hopes climate change will provide an opportunity to secure additional climate finance. Will its new finance mechanism succeed?
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Low carbon resilience in the least developed countries: a panacea to address climate change?
22 January 2013Instead of talking about climate change mitigation or adaptation, low carbon resilience has become the new buzzword in climate policy.
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REDD+: What is needed to make it work for the poor?
6 December 2012While REDD+ is aimed at reducing emissions from forests, its effectiveness will depend on how much the benefits trickle down to those living closest to the forest.
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Ensuring small holders aren't squeezed out of agricultural investments
6 December 2012Tipping the Balance, a new report, has discovered that current popular policies can tip the balance away from small farmers. How can we ensure small holder farmers get a better deal?
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China’s leadership transition
27 November 2012China’s new conservative leadership means any changes to help the country's environment will come through the existing policy framework, and not an overhaul of the system.
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Does development assistance have a future?
20 November 2012No one unequivocally and wholeheartedly said development assistance worked at yesterday’s debate on whether it had a future. All three panel speakers saw the need for a radical change in approach.
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ELLA - sharing Evidence and Lessons from Latin America
12 November 2012Read how ELLA’s online Learning Alliances are sharing Latin American experience with sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
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Our research: striving towards excellence
13 September 2012What does excellent research mean? And how can it be achieved?
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MPs: the missing pieces to national action on climate change
1 August 2012While climate change is a global problem, many countries are forging ahead with their own national climate change plans – and MPs are important actors in this process.
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Beyond the Millennium Development Goals
1 August 2012How can we ensure the targets that replace the Millennium Development Goals lead to a future that low-income groups want?
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The mining sector searches for sustainability
13 June 2012It is rare for a controversial industry to engage with its critics, seek advice and pledge positive action for sustainable development.
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Analysing the cost of adapting to climate change
8 May 2012How do you estimate the cost of adapting to the impacts of climate change on vulnerable communities, and involve stakeholders in identifying the costs and benefits of the approaches identified?
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Will a standard for social responsibility make any difference?
11 April 2012But mainstream businesses have worked with standards for a long time – today's International Standards Organisation (ISO) has its origins nearly 100 y
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Three angles on 'green growth'
30 June 2011How can you marry environment and development? Over the past two years, governments and businesses have begun to trumpet ‘green growth’ as one way of boosting economic growth without compromising environmental sustainability.