In this month’s issue...meet IIED's new director, find out about our latest work on artisanal and small-scale mining, and read about our event at World Water Week in August.
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News and blogs
New IIED director Dr Andrew Norton will focus on using the institute's expertise to shift policies and attitudes (Image: Andrew Norton)

IIED welcomes new director

Dr Andrew Norton joined IIED as director this week, during a critical year for environment and development, where the impacts of decisions made by global leaders will be felt by generations to come.

 
An Ethiopian farmer arrives for a field day on climate change adaptation. Ethiopia is the first LDC to submit its intended Nationally Determined Contribution in preparation of the Paris Agreement under the UNFCCC (Photo: ILRI/ZerihunSewunet, Creative Commons via Flickr)

Next steps on the road to Paris


Some progress was made at the Bonn climate negotiations in June, but much remains to be done explains Achala Abeysinghe, principal researcher in IIED's Climate Change Group, in her recent blog.

 
SDG animation image

Animating the universal ambition of the SDGs


The Sustainable Development Goals' (SDGs) aspirational, wide-reaching agenda for change is brought to life in a new animation, commissioned by IIED.

Spotlight on... artisanal and small-scale mining
ortunatus Waziri, a driller, works deep within a tunnel at the Nsangano Gold Mine, Mawemeru village in Geita District, Tanzania (Photo: Brian Sokol/Panos Pictures)
Through a series of multi-stakeholder policy dialogues, IIED is creating a space to share, scope and tackle the complex challenges within the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector.  A sector which supports the livelihoods of 20-30 million people globally yet remains in the margins of international and national development agendas.

All of this work is grounded in local knowledge. We travelled to Geita District, northwest Tanzania to better understand and talk to the wide range of people who depend on gold mining. You can read the human story of gold mining in our photo story, Gold mining, the search for common ground. 

And through a ‘visioning workshop’ earlier this year, bringing together key stakeholders and global voices, we have been able to start to picture the ASM space.  To better understand this landscape we have also generated a new illustration which maps  how these stakeholders depend and link to one another.  The graphic is based on literature reviews, interviews with key actors in the mining sector and our experience and now we want to hear from you, so please take a look and share your ASM challenges and work with us with us by commenting here.

We would also love you to share your wider work on ASM with us, from research and publications to blogs and videos - we are keen to connect with organisations and individuals working in this space.  Please email Abbi Buxton (Abbi.Buxton@iied.org) and Matthew McKernan (Matthew.McKernan@iied.org).
 
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Recent publications
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What's the catch? Lessons from and prospects for Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification in developing countries, assesses barriers and drivers to certification for small-scale developing world fisheries, as well as the environmental and socio-economic impacts of MSC certification. It also outlines future research needed to understand what factors will allow more fisheries to overcome the challenges of achieving MSC certification.
 

Bilateral and multilateral funding support has generated and maintained momentum for both REDD+ readiness and testing at country and project levels. Such initiatives are funded through public and private sources, and most are, in effect, also testing the functionality of carbon markets. REDD+ for profit or for good?, provides a review of private sector and NGO experience in REDD projects.

Kathmandu faces serious urban planning and housing challenges. As settlements densify haphazardly, affordable housing options are increasing, but living conditions, services and crowding are worsening. The potential consequences for low-income residents are disastrous given the danger of an imminent earthquake. This working paper examines four types of settlements in Kathmandu to understand the impacts of densification.

Briefings


The dragon and the giraffe: China in African forests (Also available in French and Chinese)

Inclusive governance of informal markets: the street vendors of Surakarta

Setting a new research agenda for urban crisis and humanitarian response

Events:  World Water Week 2015 
Family farmers growing rice on their plot of land in the irrigated perimeter of Sélingué dam in Mali. Credit: Mike Goldwater / GWI West Africa
IIED along with the International Union for Conservation of Nature, as part of the Global Water Initiative in west Africa are convening a side event at this year’s World Water Week, which runs from 23 - 28 August 2015.

Event: Towards economically viable and socially just dams in West Africa,
Date: Sunday 23 August, 16:00-17:30pm
Room: FH 201

The event will address the gap between the theory and practice of large multi-purpose dams in reducing poverty and achieving food security in West Africa. It will examine how inclusive development and governance practices respect the rights of local men and women, generating positive economic and social impacts.
 
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