Telling Our Stories. Writing Our Future. 2013-2014 Annual Report Table of Contents Mission and Vision .......................................................................... 3 From the Chair ................................................................................. 4 From the President .......................................................................... 5 International Trade Law Reform .................................................... 6 Our vision: Better living for all—sustainably Indicator System Demonstrates Well-being ............................... 10 Comprehensive Standards Reporting .......................................... 14 Our mission: To champion innovation, enabling societies Water Policy Accessibility for Youth ............................................ 18 Coverage for Transparency in Global Process ............................ 22 he International Institute for Sustainable Development Tools to Build Climate Change Resilience .................................. 26 to live sustainably (IISD) contributes to sustainable development by Practicing Internal Sustainability ..................................................30 advancing policy recommendations on international trade IISD Board of Directors ................................................................ 34 and investment, economic policy, climate change and IISD Staff ......................................................................................... 35 Conceptual Framework for IISD’s Strategic Plan ........................36 Tenergy, and management of natural and social capital, as well as Summary of Consolidated Financial Statements ....................... 38 the enabling role of communication technologies in these areas. We report on international negotiations and disseminate knowledge gained through collaborative projects, resulting in more rigorous Head Office Ottawa Office research, capacity building in developing countries, better networks 161 Portage Avenue East, 75 Albert Street, Suite 903 spanning the North and the South, and better global connections 6th Floor Ottawa, Ontario, Canada among researchers, practitioners, citizens and policy-makers. Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada K1P 5E7 R3B 0Y4 Tel: +1 613 238-2296 IISD is registered as a charitable organization in Canada and has Tel: +1 204 958-7700 Fax: +1 613 238-8515 501(c)(3) status in the United States. IISD receives core operating Fax: +1 204 958-7710 [email protected] IISD Reporting Services support from the Government of Canada, provided through the www.iisd.org 300 East 56th Street #11D International Development Research Centre (IDRC), from the New York, NY 10022 USA Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and from the Province of Geneva Office Tel: +1 646 536-7556 Manitoba. The institute receives project funding from numerous International Environment Fax: +1 646 219-0955 governments inside and outside Canada, United Nations agencies, House 2 www.iisd.ca 9 chemin de Balexert foundations and the private sector. 1219 Châtelaine Geneva Switzerland Tel: +41 22 917-8683 Fax: +41 22 917-8054 © International Institute for Sustainable Development Telling our stories. Writing our future. 3 Printed in Canada From the Chair From the President Year of Renewal to cut emissions, but there is much work to be done Continuity and Transformation his year has seen IISD concentrate on in the run up to COP 21 in Paris in 2015. IISD’s work his has been an important year for IISD. Another milestone has been our increased work in our strengths and reconfigure ourselves in reducing harmful subsidies for fossil fuels will Our five-year strategic plan has been China, a country with both extraordinary challenges to successfully promote sustainable prove crucial, as will our climate change mitigation updated, with the overarching objective in environmental quality and extraordinary examples of policy commitment and innovation. With the development in policy and practice. Thanks policy analysis. Tools we are developing, such as in of driving integration and forwarding opening of an office in Beijing, IISD has deepened to President Scott Vaughan and our dedicated staff, our Climate Resilience and Food Security in Central coherent, compelling and holistic solutions partnerships to help integrate sustainability criteria Tassociates and partners, we’ve been able to put into America (CREFSCA) project, are already empowering Tto sustainability challenges. Decades after sustainable development was articulated, too often science, into financial markets through green bonds, to improve action our plan for renewal. This has been the case communities in the most vulnerable areas of the planet economic policy, business approaches and international accountability through environmental auditing systems regarding our longstanding areas of work, but was to improve their climate resilience. regimes work separately or with growing antagonism. and to assess how international investment instruments also demonstrated by the tireless and spirited drive Our team and partners Too often, policy incoherence prevails. For example, or green procurement can become policy platforms to throughout a successful negotiation process that led to We can never underestimate the value that our talented promised policies to constrain carbon pollution propel sustainability. The key partnerships include the IISD’s acquisition of the renowned Experimental Lakes and dedicated team of staff, researchers and associates are overwhelmed by the billions of dollars national Development Research Center of the State Council, Area freshwater research facility. brings to IISD. This is in addition to the steadfast treasuries spend to pump up the fossil fuel sector several state ministries, and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Strong leadership, a dedicated team and a refocusing support of the Board of Directors, which added Leiv with wasteful subsidies. Too often, governments miss Development (CCICED). of our energies will ensure that we utilize our position Lunde this past year. Patricia Moles-Rivero now serves obvious opportunities that could advance sustainability, as one of the world’s leading think tanks to tackle the as our international vice-chair and Michael Vukets is our such as aligning huge pools of public spending on In the fall of 2013, IISD was proud to partner with procurement to green standards like low-carbon, clean most pressing economic, environmental and social Canadian vice-chair. The role of corporate secretary is the United Way of Winnipeg to launch Peg—a next- energy systems. challenges currently facing our world. now filled by Janice Gair, who brings to her appointment generation set of urban sustainability indicators that a vast institutional knowledge from over two decades The IISD five-year strategic plan builds on core provides a mirror for the state of social, economic and Issue spotlight environmental conditions in one of Canada’s largest at the institute. 2013-14 marks the last year of service strengths that have made our work respected cities (Winnipeg—the headquarters of IISD). Given the As we near 2015, we find ourselves at a critical on the Board for Emőke Szathmáry, Michel De Broux, worldwide, while matching continuity with key critical importance of evidence to guide key community- juncture. The international development community Maurice Biron, Pedro Moura Costa, Jiahua Pan, emerging areas of work like financial market reform, is already reflecting on the efficacy and legacy of the transformative energy systems, resilience and based decisions—from public health and educational Emmanuelle Sauriol, Bruce Schlein and Vicky Sharpe. achievement levels to green spaces—IISD is actively United Nations Millennium Development Goals freshwater management. We are grateful for their substantial contributions. working to replicate Peg within Canada and elsewhere, (MDGs) as their 2015 conclusion fast approaches. A milestone of the year has been the agreement for Finally, I would like to recognize all of our partners, including China and Mexico City. We are proud of our We now have the opportunity to set the path that we IISD to assume management of the Experimental Lakes partnership with the United Way in this initiative. want to see the sector take as a new set of Sustainable such as the European Union, the governments of Area (ELA). It is a unique whole-lake, whole-ecosystem Development Goals (SDGs) are established that will Denmark and Switzerland, Canada’s International scientific research facility located in Canada. For 45 To support these and other actions, IISD continues build upon the MDGs and converge with the post-2015 Development Research Centre and the provinces of years, the facility has been instrumental in shaping to review and update key support systems like communications, information technologies and project development agenda. Our Reporting Services team is Ontario and Manitoba, for their continued support. We environmental and human health policies related to management, with the single goal of making these as there on the ground at all of the important meetings to value our privileged relationships with private sector fresh water. As IISD begins a new chapter in our 25- innovative, rigorous and integrated as the substantive cover the processes and ensure that interested parties actors, foundations and individual donors and are year history by taking over the ELA, we are inspired by committed scientists, donors and policy-makers across areas of our work. I am pleased to welcome