International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
This month watch new animations from GWI, download the Urban Crises toolkit and read full coverage from CBA11.
July 2017
Third GWI animation opening image

Deals that keep large dam building fair
The Global Water Initiative (GWI) West Africa has released a new animation explaining how agreements between government and affected communities can be put in place to ensure large dams bring benefits to all.

'Negotiating fair agreements between government and communities affected by dams' is the third and final instalment in the GWI collection of animations exploring the interactions between local communities and dams. All three animations are available to view in English and in French (en francais).

News and blogs
G20 leaders gathered in Hamburg but left divided over climate by the US (Photo: Office of the Russian president via Creative Commons)

The G20 – on climate change, better than we feared but short of what we need
IIED director Andrew Norton reflects on this month's G20 meeting, suggesting that efforts to rally 19 countries to the Paris Agreement were successful, but deeper ambition feels further away.
The foothills of the Rwenzori Mountains have a cool tropical climate that allows smallholder farmers to grow Arabica coffee (Photo: Els Lecoutere, IOB, University of Antwerp, Creative Commons via Flickr)

11th International Conference on Community-Based Adaptation (CBA11)
The CBA11 conference took place in Kampala, Uganda from 26-29 June with 300 attendees from 60 countries.

Full coverage of the event with photos, speeches, blog posts and more is now online. 
A street in Beirut. The UNHCR estimates that Lebanon's capital city, Beirut, is hosting approximately 280,000 Syrian refugees (Photo: Samer Saliba)

Spotlight on... Stronger Cities Initiative
Urban crises challenge the traditional ways of working for humanitarian organisations. IIED leads the Urban Crises Learning Fund which aims to build knowledge and capacity of humanitarian actors working in urban areas, and of urban actors facing humanitarian crises.

The learning partnership comprised of the International Rescue Committee, Norwegian Refugee Council and World Vision worked together to develop a suite of tools and practical guidance notes to promote improved responses to urban crises.

New publications this month
Advancing indigenous peoples’ rights through regional human rights systems: The case of Paraguay
Advancing indigenous peoples’ rights through regional human rights systems: The case of Paraguay describes the experience of Paraguayan organisation Tierraviva in working with communities to bring territorial rights cases to the Inter-American Human Rights System (IAHRS).

The report discusses structural discrimination; examines the work undertaken by Tierraviva alongside communities; and shares key lessons from the experience. It is also available in Spanish (en Español).
Governing the high seas: priorities for the Least Developed Countries
The United Nations has resolved to develop a new international and legally binding agreement for international waters.

Governing the high seas: priorities for the Least Developed Countries sets out the Least Developed Countries’ priorities for a new agreement, and their views on institutional arrangements for a suitable governance structure.
Urban area-based approaches (ABAs) in post-disaster contexts
Urban area-based approaches (ABAs) in post-disaster contexts presents ten principles for enacting post-disaster urban ABAs. 

ABAs have gained traction in recent years among humanitarian aid agencies seeking to provide better responses in urban areas following natural disasters. This publication is part of the collection of the Stronger Cities Initiative (see above). 

Briefings
Cash transfers during urban crises: lessons for women’s economic empowerment

Urban refugees in Delhi: self-reliance can’t be exclusively entrepreneurial

Aid in context: the importance of market-based approaches to aid delivery in northern Syria
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