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** What's new in sustainable development
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** INC-5.3: Where the Global Plastics Treaty Talks Stand
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Last year’s plastics treaty talks concluded without agreement on core measures needed to address pollution. In the months that followed, the chair of negotiations, Ambassador Luis Vayas Valdivieso of Ecuador, stepped down.

To restart negotiations, governments will gather in Geneva on February 7 to select a new chair to guide negotiations, hopefully rebuilding trust among countries in the process. In our new article ([link removed]) , we answer the most-asked questions to get you up to speed with where global plastics treaty talks stand and why this meeting matters.
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** South Africa’s Energy Subsidies Are Structural and Costly—What Would It Take to Change This?
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In 2025, South Africa’s energy subsidies totalled ZAR 198 billion, with direct support for fossil fuels tripling to ZAR 110 billion since 2018. Much of this spending now supports Eskom bailouts, while key policy tools like the carbon tax and Free Basic Electricity are falling short. New IISD analysis ([link removed]) calls for a clear, time-bound roadmap to reform energy subsidies and better align public spending with energy security, affordability, and a just transition.

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** Arbitration and the UN Framework Convention on Tax: Risks and lessons from ISDS
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The UN Framework Convention on Tax could shape cross-border tax dispute resolution across the world for decades to come. As policy-makers meet in New York for the fourth negotiation round, our new policy brief ([link removed]) explains why the convention should not import the investor–state dispute settlement (ISDS) model into tax-dispute resolution and should instead learn from its failures to inform the debate over alternative options.

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** The EU CBAM is Set to Get Bigger—What Does This Mean for Global Trade?
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The European Union (EU) Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism has only recently entered into force, yet plans are already underway to expand its scope. With implications for both carbon pricing at the EU border and global industrial value chains, our experts explore what the mechanism could mean for global trade in this new explainer ([link removed]) .

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** How a Rwandan City Is Doubling Its Investment With Nature-Based Solutions
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Floods and landslides regularly damage homes, roads, and public infrastructure in Kigali, Rwanda. As climate change intensifies, nature-based solutions can reduce these risks by keeping hillsides in place, storing carbon, and offering a slew of co-benefits. Our new report ([link removed]) shows how much a city can save by partnering with nature.

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** Unpacking Exxon/Shell’s Investor–State Claim Against the Netherlands
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Read about the latest twists ([link removed]) in Exxon and Shell’s joint investor–state claim against the Netherlands for its closure of the Groningen gas field, how investment arbitration has undermined ([link removed]) Indigenous rights in Peru, why damages in investment arbitration cases ([link removed]) have become so inflated, and more—all in the latest edition of Investment Treaty News ([link removed]) .

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** Attracting Sustainable Investment Doesn't Have to Strain Public Budgets: Laos shows the way forward
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For years, Laos relied on broad tax incentives to attract foreign investment. But many were too generous and failed to deliver the expected benefits, draining public revenue and limiting funds for health, education, and development. Our new story ([link removed]) explores how the government revised its Investment Promotion Law to attract sustainable investment.

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** Why Local Content Policies Matter in Mining
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For many resource-rich countries, local content policies represent a key opportunity to broaden economic benefits from mining. The IGF’s latest report ([link removed]) sets out how countries can consider strengthening their local content policies.

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** Does Renewable Energy Take Up Too Much Land?
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Renewable energy is becoming increasingly accepted by the public—and it is cost effective. But the larger land footprint (on average) of these systems compared to fossil fuels has raised concerns that a rapid clean energy transition could compete with other land uses. Our recent report ([link removed]) shares proven best practices that avoid degrading land—in fact, they improve land, food security, biodiversity conservation, and local livelihoods.

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** Building a Deforestation-Free Supply Chain
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As global forests face unprecedented pressure from agricultural expansion and market demand for commodities like beef and palm oil, the search for scalable solutions has never been more urgent. Our new report ([link removed]) explores how voluntary sustainability standards and private sector frameworks can utilize a "Plan, Respond, Recover, and Adapt" model to build transparent, equitable, and regulation-aligned value chains.


** New Video: Integrating Gender and Social Considerations in the NAP Process
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Climate change doesn’t affect everyone the same way—so why do we plan adaptation as if it does? Learn how integrating gender, equality, and social inclusion considerations can help governments advance adaptation action that is fairer, more effective, and better targeted to real needs.
Job Opportunities at IISD ([link removed])
At IISD, we believe in investing in people who are passionate and talented at what they do. Help enhance our work across all of our focus areas and make an impact on the planet and its people.
* Head of Secretariat, National Adaptation Plan Global Network, Ottawa, Canada ([link removed])
* Consultant – Nickel Pricing for Taxation Purposes, Chicago, U.S. (Remote) ([link removed])
* IGF Mining Academy Manager, IGF, Winnipeg, Canada (Hybrid) ([link removed])
* Senior Policy Analyst, Legal, Economic Law and Policy, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, or Uganda (Remote) ([link removed])
* Research Analyst, Legal, Economic Law and Policy, Winnipeg, Canada (Hybrid) ([link removed])
* Policy Advisor – Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining, Economic Law and Policy, Multiple Locations ([link removed])
* Policy Advisor – Carbon Pricing, Economic Law and Policy, Winnipeg, Canada (Hybrid) ([link removed])
* Program Financial Analyst, Finance, Winnipeg, Canada (Hybrid) ([link removed])
* Pacific Advisor on Climate and Health (Consultant), International Environmental Governance, Samoa (Remote) ([link removed])

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