** What’s new in sustainable development
------------------------------------------------------------


** Inside the UN
Biodiversity Conference
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]

Next week, governments and negotiators will gather in Yerevan, Armenia, for the 17th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP 17).

Four years after countries agreed on a global plan to halt and reverse biodiversity loss, COP 17 will host the first global review of collective progress under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), assessing where implementation is advancing, where gaps remain, and what needs to happen next.

With just 4 years remaining until 2030, the focus must now shift from commitments to delivery. Nature and a stable climate underpin global health, food systems, livelihoods, economies, and security. Protecting biodiversity and ecosystem services while adapting to climate change should therefore be a growing priority for governments, communities, and the private sector.

Our experts will be on the ground supporting the discussions and organizing events, while our Earth Negotiations Bulletin team will provide independent reporting from the conference.

Explore our dedicated COP 17 page for insights and resources:
Inside COP 17 ([link removed])

Ahead of the conference, Elsa Tsioumani, Earth Negotiations Bulletin Lead, laid out what to watch for as negotiators meet in Yerevan. Here’s a sneak peek.

Why is the global report on progress so important?

It’s the first one in the history of the CBD. For those more familiar with the climate process, it’s the equivalent of the global stocktake under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Most parties have set national targets, which is good, but these targets collectively fall short of the ambition required to implement the GBF. Progress is inadequate and uneven between regions and countries.

The availability of means of implementation—the resources and support countries need to put the framework into practice—has not increased at pace with the needs. That is why the finance gap remains huge.

What is not clear yet is what parties will do with this report, how they will decide to proceed, and how it will inform national action.

Where do you expect the biggest divide between countries?

Resource mobilization will probably be the most controversial item in Yerevan.

Target 19 of the GBF refers to mobilizing USD 200 billion per year (for biodiversity) from all sources, and we are still far from reaching that. That is why the global report recognizes finance as the biggest gap in implementation.

The discussion also reflects a lengthy historical controversy between developed and developing countries over two major issues: the level of funding and the Global Environment Facility as the financial mechanism of the CBD.

The Global Environment Facility has served as the interim financial mechanism since the first COP, and no agreement has been reached on a permanent arrangement. This was one of the reasons COP 16 in Cali was suspended and had to resume some months later.

For the complete breakdown, read the full Q&A:
Read more ([link removed])

[link removed]


** Nature-Based Infrastructure Has Proven Its Returns. What’s Holding Back Investment?
------------------------------------------------------------

Nature-based infrastructure (NBI) returns USD 3.21 for every dollar invested, delivering flood protection, water regulation, and climate resilience, plus co-benefits like biodiversity, livelihoods, and public health. So why doesn’t it receive the investments the evidence supports? Our new report ([link removed]) draws on 45 assessments across 29 countries to demonstrate NBI’s impact and sets out how to finance it at scale.

[link removed]


** What Does Successful Nature-Based Solution Implementation Look Like?
------------------------------------------------------------

Drawing on 3.5 years of work across seven countries, the Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas Initiative is sharing practical lessons ([link removed]) on what worked, what proved challenging, and how to make NbS more locally owned and sustainable.

[link removed]


** Can Resource-Rich Countries Collect a Fair Share of Financial Benefits in the Critical Minerals Boom?
------------------------------------------------------------

As countries across the Global South ramp up critical mineral production, many see an opportunity to leverage their mineral resources for economic growth and sustainable development. But can they truly collect a fair share of financial benefits from their resources, without losing precious domestic revenue to tax avoidance? Our latest deep dive ([link removed]) breaks down the most common forms of tax base erosion and profit shifting and other causes of revenue losses in the mining sector, the scale of the problem, and what resource-rich countries can do about it.

[link removed]


** How Reliable Are Sustainability Claims?
------------------------------------------------------------

As consumers and markets shift to favour sustainably produced products, sustainability standards and initiatives (SSIs) can play an important role in supporting sustainability claims—but their presence alone does not indicate how reliable a claim is. Our report ([link removed]) introduces a new framework to assess how reliable sustainability claims based on compliance with SSIs can be. It also shares practical checklists for standard-setting organizations, policy-makers, and consumers to assess claim reliability.

[link removed]


** Changing Funding Systems for a Changing World
------------------------------------------------------------

How can funders support meaningful, long-term systems change when the path forward is uncertain? This new piece ([link removed]) explores how trust, flexibility, and learning can help create the conditions for organizations to adapt, take thoughtful risks, and respond to emerging opportunities. It argues for a shift from transactions to relationships, from certainty to learning, and from short-term outputs toward the conditions that allow meaningful change to take root.

[link removed]


** How Education and Climate Change Actors Can Work Together for a Climate-Resilient Education System
------------------------------------------------------------

Climate change is taking place at an unprecedented pace and is impacting the education sector. While this sector is highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, it is also critical to building community resilience. Here’s why national adaptation plan processes matter and the potential roles for education ministries at each stage of adaptation planning ([link removed]) .

[link removed]


** Watch Now: Trade policy in support of climate change adaptation
------------------------------------------------------------

Earlier this month, our Trade and Adaptation teams hosted a webinar exploring results from the Trade in Support of Climate Resilience project that examines how trade policy can support climate change adaptation in Viet Nam and the Pacific. Experts presented evidence on trade barriers to climate adaptation goods and services and made recommendations for governments, negotiators, and development partners. Watch the recording ([link removed]) .

[link removed]


** How Governments Can Start Measuring Progress Beyond GDP
------------------------------------------------------------

As the UN General Assembly moves toward intergovernmental negotiations on Beyond GDP, IISD and partners addressed challenges in implementing metrics that measure progress not captured by GDP alone ([link removed]) , with a focus on how governments can operationalize them.

Upcoming events ([link removed])

Webinar


** From Commitment to Action on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in National Adaptation Plan Processes: New online course introduction
------------------------------------------------------------

October 14, 2026, 9:00 a.m. ET
Learn more ([link removed])

Webinar


** From Evidence to Investment: The systemic challenges facing nature-based infrastructure
------------------------------------------------------------

October 15, 2026, 3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. CET
Learn more ([link removed])

Webinar


** Smallholders and the European Union Deforestation Regulation: Ensuring an inclusive transition to deforestation-free supply chains
------------------------------------------------------------

October 27, 2026, 2:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. CET
Learn more ([link removed])

Job opportunities ([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.

* Senior Policy Advisor, Trade and Climate, Economic Law and Policy Program, Australia, Indonesia, or Philippines (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: A Gendered Analysis of Employment and Skills in the Large-Scale Mining Sector, Energy Program, Multiple Locations (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: Research on Environmental, Social, and Governance Practices in Mining and Mineral Processing of Copper and Cobalt, Economic Law and Policy Program, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: Research on Chinese Environmental, Social, and Governance Management Practices and Engagement Models with International Standards Bodies, Economic Law and Policy Program, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: Legal and Regulatory Considerations for a Business Case of Red Mud Management and Utilization in Indonesia, Economic Law and Policy Program, Jakarta, Indonesia (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: Ring-Fencing Mining Income: A toolkit for tax administrators and policy-makers, Economic Law and Policy Program, United Kingdom (Remote) ([link removed])
* Consultancy: Tax and Non-Tax Incentives for Mining Downstream Viability Projects: A three-country comparative analysis, United Kingdom (Remote) ([link removed])


[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
[link removed]
mailto:[email protected]

Copyright © 2026 International Institute for Sustainable Development, All rights reserved.

You are receiving this email because you signed up to receive emails from IISD.
update your preferences ([link removed]) or unsubscribe from this list ([link removed]) .

International Institute for Sustainable Development
111 Lombard Avenue, Suite 325
Winnipeg, MB R3B 0T4
Canada

IISD's headquarters in Winnipeg are situated on Treaty 1 Territory—the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe (Ojibwe), Ininiw (Cree), Anisininew (Ojibwe Cree), Dene, and Dakota Nations, and the homeland of the Red River Métis Nation. ([link removed])