This side event of the Bonn Climate Change Conference SB 58 will call for renewed momentum on reforming fossil fuel subsidies and shifting public financial flows to clean energy.
Register to attend online Energy scenarios have a key role to play in guiding the energy transition by informing investor expectations and policy decision making. The recent IISD Navigating Energy Transitions report conducts an unprecedented analysis of the most influential modelled pathways consistent with limiting warming to 1.5°C.
Register to attend online This hybrid event will explore the nexus of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), and SDG 13 (Climate Action). Speakers will demonstrate the potential for significant health gains by taking a just energy transition (JET) approach, including clean air, mental health gains, and improved access to health and nutrition.
Watch the livestream Financing a fair energy transition is a challenge: it involves mobilizing and directing resources toward renewable energy sources and moving away from fossil fuel revenues.
Register for the EU COP 27 Side Events Platform How can policy-makers, investors, and companies align energy decision making with Paris Agreement goals and simultaneously resolve the short-term gas supply crunch?
This event will present new research by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) on feasible 1.5°C-aligned energy scenarios and their implications for various sectors to inform policy interventions.
Register to attend online Fossil fuel subsidies have many negative economic, social, and environmental consequences. Under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12, United Nations member states committed to rationalizing inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.
Watch the livestream Fossil fuels are the primary cause of human-induced climate change, causing pollution and premature deaths and leading to other negative externalities, such as urban congestion and biodiversity loss. Fossil fuel subsidies are often intended to protect the poor, but most subsidy benefits tend to be captured by higher-income households, exacerbating inequality.
This webinar presents findings from a new IISD report providing an evidence-based approach to ensuring India’s state-owned enterprises are part of the country’s clean energy transition.
Following the release of IISD's Lighting the Path report, this webinar takes a closer look at IPCC pathways to limit warming to 1.5°C, outlining recommendations for policy-makers and financial institutions.
At this London Climate Action Week webinar, get a first look at a new report on the potential impact of the Glasgow Statement, where signatories are at now, and best practices for implementation.
This webinar will highlight the current status of support measures for fossil fuels, renewable energy, and clean technology in Indonesia.
This webinar will explore how G20 governments can safeguard carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform within the Communiqué and G20 Leaders’ Declaration.
The event will bring together trade and climate experts to explore how we can address the energy pricing crisis while still maintaining momentum on fossil fuel subsidy reform.
This event will examine the complex social impacts of climate and energy policies, providing recommendations on how policies can be designed to alleviate potential detrimental effects.
This webinar, featuring an international expert panel, will examine how carbon taxation can be driven forward at the G20 within the context of energy priority issues and the post-pandemic recovery.
This webinar, organized in partnership with WWF South Africa, will provide a first look at findings from the new IISD report "Gas Pressure: Exploring the case for gas-fired power in South Africa".
At this virtual event, Professor Kevin Anderson presents his new research on pathways for phasing out fossil fuel production consistent with the Paris goals.
This virtual event will explore how Indonesia's G20 Presidency can lead by example and promote fossil fuel subsidy reform across the G20 to support energy transitions in the post-pandemic recovery.
Part of the World Sustainable Development Summit 2022, this event will highlight solar irrigation including findings from the recent guidebook on solar pumps.
This webinar explores the state of play and key remaining questions in World Trade Organization negotiations on fisheries subsidies.
This webinar provides an update on the state of fossil fuel subsidy reform and what to expect from the G7, G20, and UNFCCC in 2022.
This webinar, will provide a first look at findings from the IISD "South Africa’s Energy Fiscal Policies" report, presenting key takeaways and recommendations.
This webinar will present takeaways from the "Guidebook for State Policy-Makers on Maximizing the Social and Environmental Benefits from Solar Pump Schemes" and engage participants on strengthening solar irrigation in India.
This virtual event will examine various concrete actions and future workstreams that could be taken at the World Trade Organization to support carbon neutrality and the transition to a circular economy.
This webinar will explore how climate and development advocates can engage with National Oil Companies, featuring a presentation on the new NRGI and IISD brief.
This workshop, a side session to the GEC Global Meeting 2021, will engage participants with IISD’s five principles for a fossil-free recovery using examples and discussion to evaluate strategies in practice.
This event on Day One of Swedish-Indonesia Sustainability Partnership week, explores Indonesia’s G20 presidency in connection with green recovery and socio-economic development.
This series of two webinars explores WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies and the Chair's draft consolidated text.
This hybrid COP 26 Nordic Pavilion side event will explore the case for reforming fossil fuel subsidies and reallocating funds to clean energy.
A COP 26 European Union Side Event, this virtual session hosts three panels on how governments can contribute to the clean transition.
This COP 26 side event hosted by IISD, GIZ, and IASS explores the potential for a fossil-free, clean, and just development pathway in the Global South.
This event is part of IISD's participation in the 2021 WTO Public Forum. Register Now for the WTO Public Forum This virtual session is being organized by the Pew Charitable Trusts and IISD. Panellists will look at how a successful WTO agreement on curbing subsidies for overfishing could pave the way for a stronger multilateral trade and environment agenda.
This session at the WTO Public Forum will bring together leading policy experts to look at border carbon adjustments, otherwise known as carbon border adjustment mechanisms.
This virtual event will highlight the critical role that fossil fuel subsidy reform plays in building back better, increasing climate ambition, and motivating clean energy transition.
This online event will outline the practical ways in which fossil fuel subsidy reform can contribute to clean energy transitions.
The second of two sessions, this event will look at the impact of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies on developing country exports of goods and services.
An in-person workshop in Munich on July 25th at the One Young World Summit will consider what youth can do to support a fossil-free recovery.
The first of two sessions, this event will assess how trade policy can incentivize clean energy production in developing countries.
Experts will discuss India's energy subsidies from FY 2014 to FY 2020, major shifts since COVID-19, and how subsidies can promote clean energy transition.
This webinar will focus on drivers and opportunities for transforming national oil companies across different types of political contexts.
This event will outline the decisive role that international public finance plays in accelerating the transition from fossil fuels to clean energy in the Global South.
This virtual event will facilitate a dialogue amongst policy makers and international experts on insights and international examples to support Indonesia's energy policy reform.
To support the ongoing WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations, IISD will hold an online session for WTO negotiators to discuss the current state of play in the process.
This webinar will focus on the role national oil companies could play in the transition to clean energy and more diversified economies.
This IISD and NRGI webinar will explore challenges facing national oil companies in the face of climate change.
In this webinar, we will seek to inform debate on the need for publicly and community-owned renewable energy development in South Africa.
This webinar will bring together diverse perspectives and specific examples of green fiscal reforms and recovery strategies to inform decision-making.
This webinar will discuss if and how Nordic-style green taxation can help Indonesia's economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.
This webinar will explore the role of green taxes in the fiscal system and potential for expansion as part of measures to stimulate economic recovery in South Africa.
This webinar will discuss how fossil fuel subsidy reform could accelerate Indonesia's recovery and create a more resilient economy.
This webinar will examine Canada’s current fossil fuel support and identify problem spots, comparing to other G20 countries.
This webinar focuses on the skills and employment in a circular economy, which will create considerable changes to job markets.
This webinar will delve into British Columbia's fossil fuel subsidies, examining their impacts but also potential to phase them out to support climate action.
This London Climate Action Week session focuses on the Energy Policy Tracker project, current trajectory of G20 recovery pledges, and opportunities to tip the balance toward a green recovery.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) will be actively involved throughout the World Trade Organization's inaugural Trade and Environment Week, scheduled from November 16 to November 20, 2020.
It is critical to align climate ambitions with socioeconomic priorities. Unlocking revenues dedicated to fossil fuel subsidies can stimulate Paris Agreement-consistent COVID-19 recovery.
Between October 26 and 27, 2020, the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED) will co-host a series of virtual sessions on the hydrogen economy.
India’s energy sector is undergoing rapid transformation. In 2000, only 43% of the population had access to electricity, which almost doubled to 94.6% by 2018. But, as more consumers connect to the grid, there is increasing pressure on limited government financial resources. In FY 2019, India’s subsidies for electricity consumption amounted to at least INR 110,391 crore (USD 15.6 billion).
Despite fossil fuels’ widely recognised responsibility for causing global climate change, many governments continue to massively support their production and consumption. Fossil fuel subsidies were estimated at almost US$ 500 billion in 2019.
Join us for an exploration of how fossil fuel subsidy reform can contribute to Canada’s COVID-19 recovery, climate target achievements, and more.
IISD is pleased to be supporting the organization of the Sustainability stream of the Geneva Trade Week, being held by the Geneva Trade Platform at the Graduate Institute between September 28 and October 2, 2020.
The WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies will enter an intensive phase in autumn 2020 as negotiators try to reach an agreement by the end of the year, in keeping with the SDG Target 14.6 deadline.
The International Institute for Sustainable Development organized two virtual refresher sessions on the World Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on fisheries subsidies, on 7 and 9 September 2020.
This webinar will discuss the importance of a meaningful WTO deal addressing harmful fisheries subsidies and highlight political challenges that leaders will need to overcome to deliver for people and the planet.
This webinar will explore strategies and options that WTO members could use to reform fisheries subsides.
This webinar will look at electricity sector reform in South Africa, and how Eskom can adapt this reform to the post-pandemic economy by prioritizing social and environmental impacts.
The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing governments to rethink their economic policies, systems, and agendas, while responding with stimulus packages, which sometimes include fossil fuel subsidies. The webinar will discuss global trade policy responses and the broader climate and environment policy conversations taking place now.
Governments must consider emissions and climate-resilience in their coronavirus response. This webinar addresses the role of fossil fuel subsidy reform and carbon pricing.
On May 6 and 8 2020, the International Institute for Sustainable Development organized two webinars sessions summarizing the state of play and the key issues to be resolved across the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations. These webinars provided a short, clear summary of the state of play in WTO negotiations on fisheries subsidies following the new texts and submissions of March and April.
This webinar will mark the launch of IISD and CEEW’s latest update of energy subsidy data in India Mapping India’s Energy Subsidies 2020: fossil fuels, renewables, electric vehicles.
This informal dialogue will give WTO Members the opportunity to discuss two important new sources of data to help inform negotiations on fisheries subsidies at the WTO.
This informal dialogue will provide developing WTO Member negotiators, international agencies and civil society actors with an opportunity to discuss the possibilities for support to implementation of an agreement on fisheries subsidies.
Special Event on Health & Climate Change co-organized by the IISD Global Subsidies Initiative and the World Health Organization
This informal dialogue will explore some of the key questions related to the structure and institutional aspects of possible new WTO disciplines on fisheries subsidies.
This informal dialogue will set out the various questions that have arisen in the WTO fisheries subsidies negotiations.
IISD will be taking part in various sessions at the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) 2019 Public Forum, an annual event that brings together the international trade policy community to discuss new and emerging trends, ongoing negotiations at the WTO and elsewhere, and much more. The event is taking place from October 8-11, 2019, at the WTO’s headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland under the theme “Trading Forward: Adapting to a Changing World.”
Financial commitments to achieve universal access to electricity are still falling far short of what is required to meet global energy goals by 2030.
About Fossil fuels subsidies impede sustainable development. They have serious economic implications for governments, draining national budgets and diverting resources from other priorities like health and education.
This informal dialogue will explore some of the open questions surrounding the interaction between the law of the sea and new rules on fisheries subsidies. It will look specifically at how different states’ responsibilities under the law of the sea interact.
On the occasion of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the International Labour Organization and in the lead up to the Climate Action Summit 2019 , we are pleased to invite you to the sixth iteration of the “So What?” Series.
The overarching objective of this regional workshop organised by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Pew Charitable Trusts is to support Pacific Island WTO members as they seek to successfully negotiate new rules to discipline harmful fisheries subsidies at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Side event in the margins of the High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development 2019
This lunchtime seminar will provide negotiators with perspectives on the potential impact of new rules on fisheries subsidies through the presentation of preliminary findings from case studies of three fisheries around the world.
Raising Ambition in NDCs via fossil fuel subsidy reform, taxation and swaps: country results’ GSI-IISD, FFFSR, NZ, Switzerland
Bonn Climate Change Conference side event on the analysis of the Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Brazil, Mexico and Argentina.
Clean energy subsidy swaps are starting to be implemented and considered in many countries. This workshop will explore how policymakers are designing fossil fuel subsidy reforms to promote a clean energy transition through the scale-up of clean energy supply chains and finance.
A Lunchtime seminar, designed to provide negotiators working on the WTO fisheries subsidies agreement with expert perspectives on possible approaches to the implementation of an eventual outcome, drawing on the options for rules currently under discussion.
2nd Expert Workshop on Trade Impacts of Fossil Fuel Subsidies
Event Details Venue: Federal Foreign Office - Unterwasserstraße 10, 10117 Berlin, Germany Date and Time: April 10, 2019, 14:45 - 16:15 CET Room: Hall 'Rathenau' View Full Details The transition to a low-carbon economy can have profound impacts on energy consumers, existing industries and the workforce. There will be opportunities to create new consumer choices and grow new sectors as well as instances where tr
Report launch and discussion with experts from PT. Q Energy South East Asia, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Natural Resource Governance Institute and Katadata. This report makes a first attempt at an integrated analysis of how Indonesia both taxes and subsidizes production and consumption of oil, gas, coal and electricity (most of which is generated with coal).
IISD's Global Subsidies Initiative, the Graduate Institute of Geneva and the Centre for Trade and Economic Integration will be hosting a workshop, "Trade Impacts of Fossil Fuel Subsidies." The workshop will take place in the Villa Barton of the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. The Villa is based in Rue de Lausanne 132, next to the WTO.
This panel will discuss how reforms in this sector could contribute strongly towards achieving SDG goal 12(c) of Agenda 2030 while reducing at the same time significant trade-related distortive effects.
This side event presents opportunities for financing and delivering the SDGs through fossil fuel subsidy reform, with a focus on sustainable energy access.
This forum provides an opportunity to promote fossil fuel subsidy reform as a key milestone to reaching the SDGs, including the sustainable energy access goal (SDG 7).
Fossil fuel subsidies increase energy consumption and act as a barrier to clean energy technologies. As part of the Nordic Clean Energy Week, this event will discuss the potential for reform of fossil fuel subsidies and reallocation of a proportion of the savings to fund the transition to clean energy.
Watch a recording of the event here.
This Ministerial Segment will see a number of countries release an official statement (a Ministerial Declaration) urging the WTO to make room for FFSR in their ongoing discussions.
Subsidies to fossil fuels are a barrier to sustainable climate smart development. But rooting them out has proven to be a complex endeavor, with many political and social challenges. The event will highlight the need for a comprehensive approach to reforming energy subsidies laid out in ESMAP’s forthcoming Energy Subsidy Reform Assessment Framework. A panel of government officials from across the world will discuss how to navigate this complex process of implementing such reforms. This is an FFSR side event at COP 23.
More information TBD. This is an FFSR side event at COP 23. Location: German Pavilion, COP 23 venue Organizer: World Bank/Germany BMUB
Practical country and international efforts to remove fossil fuel subsidies and invest in renewables, public transport and energy efficiency. Phasing out USD 500 billion subsidies and introduction of fuel taxation has emissions reduction potential of 23% and liberates finance for sustainable energy. This is an FFSR side event at COP 23.
As part of the Fifth Global Climate Change and Health Summit World Cafe series, there will be a session titled "Aligning Economic Incentives with a Low-Carbon Future: Fossil Fuel Divestment, Fossil Fuel Subsidies." This is an FFSR side event at COP 23. Registration is required.
Fiscal policies such as carbon pricing and fossil fuel subsidy reform can mobilise revenues for climate finance and provide a cost-effective approach to reducing GHG emissions. The role of such instruments in supporting climate action is increasingly recognized and over 90 countries included some form of fiscal policies in their NDCs. This event examines the role of carbon pricing and fiscal policies in implementing the NDCs. It will bring together a panel of experts to discuss countries' commitments on fiscal policies in their NDCs, challenges faced and what still needs to be done to meet the Paris targets. This is an FFSR side event at COP 23.
IISD's Global Subsidies Initiative will be at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. to discuss opportunities and pitfalls of a transition away from coal mining. The discussion will focus on the transition in Shanxi, one of China's three main coal-mining regions, and the lessons China can draw from countries that have undergone the economic and social transition away from coal.
Posters of GSI supported events at COP 22 in Marrakech, Morocco.
In this webinar, speakers from IISD, Greenpeace and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences discussed the cost of subsidies to coal in China, the current overcapacity in the coal sector and the development of a bubble of overcapacity of coal generation. Richard Bridle presented the research from IISD examining the subsidies provided to coal generators and coal producers—around CNY 120 billion and CNY 34 billion respe
Globally, governments spend more than US$ 500 billion annually to keep domestic prices for oil, gas and coal products artificially low. Fossil fuel subsidies increase carbon emissions and lock us into a high carbon future. Now is the time for their removal.
In 2014 China cut coal use for the first time in more than half a century while investments in renewable energy increased by a reported 39% to US$ 83 billion. To discuss the ongoing shift from coal to renewable energy in China, the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Forum on Clean Energy (IFCE) will host an event in Beijing on 16th September. The event will include experts from government agencies, academia and civil society.
Lima—December 10—The Global Subsidies Initiative is organizing an event on "Maximizing Contributions to Emissions Mitigation from Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform" on December 10, 15:00-16:30, CoP 20, Machu Picchu Room. According to the International Energy Agency, subsidies to fossil fuels totalled around $548 billion in 2013, which is more than four times the value of global subsidies to renewable energy—it is also mor
Stockholm—1st September—IISD, the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources and KfW Development Bank are co-organising a seminar at the World Water Week in Stockholm. The seminar brings together a range of international experts to discuss the effects of fuel and energy subsidies on water consumption and how to reform these. The price of energy is a strong driver of groundwater extraction.
London—1-2nd September—The Global Subsidies Initiative is coordinating an international dialogue with civil society organisations (CSOs) on fossil-fuel subsidies, ahead of the Climate Summit in New York. This two-day dialogue will be a chance for non-governmental organizations, civil society groups, consumer associations, foundations and research institutions to come together to learn more and plan how to support go
The benefits of fossil-fuel subsidy reform are well established. Eliminating harmful fossil-fuel subsidies improves country fiscal balances, minimizes market distortions, encourages private investment, reduces the disproportionate accrual of subsidies to wealthier sectors of society, and frees up scarce public resources for better uses.
On September 30, 2013, IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative organized a workshop on "Bringing Energy Subsidies to the WTO." The aim of the workshop was to discuss the opportunities and challenges in bringing the issue of energy subsidies onto the WTO Agenda.
To discuss the role of energy subsidies in meeting Indonesia’s energy needs sustainably, the International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Global Subsidies Initiative and 350.org East Asia held two-day in-depth training workshops in Yogyakarta (October 9-10, 2012) and Surabaya (October 12-13, 2012). The workshops catered to a range of civil society groups, including environmental or social campaigners, commu
On August 28th, 2012, the IISD-GSI and TERI organised a workshop to brief media and selected civil society organisations on the key findings and policy recommendations of a joint research project, and to facilitate a discussion amongst journalists on key issues relevant to their reporting of fuel subsidy reforms. As India’s economic growth slows, there is increasing pressure to reduce high-levels of spending on subs
RIO DE JANEIRO - 21 June 2012 - An Official side-event to the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development on the political barriers to fossil fuel subsidy reform.
RIO DE JANEIRO - 19 June 2012 - Each year, enormous sums are spent on subsidies that undermine sustainable development. Globally, over US$ 2 billion is spent each day subsidizing fossil fuels, agriculture and fisheries. Subsidies to fossil fuels undermine global efforts to combat catastrophic climate change, and are widely acknowledged as an ineffective instrument for supporting the poor. Subsidies to agriculture encourage over-production and are enormously trade distorting. And subsidies to fisheries have contributed to the depletion of fish stocks, the majority of which are over-exploited.
RIO DE JANEIRO –19 June 2012 – The GSI report State of Play on Biofuel Subsidies: Are policies ready to shift?was launched at a special discussion on biofuel subsidies organized by Nestlé S.A. on the Business Day at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development Rio+20.
NEW YORK - 26 March 2012 - The Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform group and the IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) convened a side event to the ongoing Rio negotiations, Fossil-Fuel Subsidy Reform: Building Momentum at Rio and Beyond. Chaired by New Zealand, the event set out to discuss why and how fossil-fuel subsidy reform could be advanced at Rio+20 and in other fora.
DURBAN - 7 December 2011 - As a side-event at the UNFCCC's 17th Conference of Parties, the GSI and the Friends of Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform convened a high-level discussion The Missing Piece? Fossil Fuel Subsidy Reform and Climate Change. The event brought together responsible ministers and other high-level government representatives from Costa Rica, Denmark, Ethiopia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland, as well as energy subsidy experts from all over the world. The discussion focused on the current state of global efforts to reform fossil-fuel subsidies and possible pathways going forward, including opportunities for integrating reform with national and international climate-change policies.
JAKARTA – 5 July 2011 – In an effort to improve public awareness on the options and impacts of energy subsidy reform in Indonesia, the IISD’s Global Subsidies Initiative, the Trade Knowledge Network (TKN) and the Institute for Essential Services Reform convened a one-day workshop for civil society to assess the government of Indonesia’s strategies for reforming fuel subsidies. Indonesia has some of the highest energ
Mumbai – 8 March 2011 – Trillions of rupees are spent each year in India to keep down the price of fuel. In most cases, these policies have been introduced in an effort to stabilize prices and keep fuel affordable for the poor.
MADRID – 21 February 2011 − To raise awareness of the importance of irrigation subsidies, their significance in achieving sustainable water management, and in responding to future issues such as climate change, the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) with the support of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation held a one-day seminar, The importance of the irrigation sector for all: a seminar on irrigation subsidies in the northern Mediterranean, in order to bring together journalists, media representatives, researchers and experts from international organizations, NGOs, universities and the agricultural sector.
MADRID − 18 October 2010 − Escuela Técnica Superior de Ingenieros Agrónomos − The GSI invited the general public to join a discussion on the crucial issues surrounding the measurement and analysis of irrigation subsidies at the launch of the study Measuring Irrigation Subsidies in Spain - An Application of the GSI Method for Quantifying Subsidies. The event was chaired by IISD President, Franz Tattenbach, with the f
GENEVA − 14-15 October − To facilitate a deeper understanding of the issues, activities and opportunities for international collaboration related to the reform of fossil-fuel subsidies, the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) held a two-day conference, Increasing the Momentum of Fossil‐Fuel Subsidy Reform: Developments and Opportunities, in order to bring together country delegates and experts from international organizations, NGOs, universities and the industrial sector.
Location: Mount Everest 3 Room, Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers Hotel, Orestads Blvd 114-118 - Copenhagen Though long overdue, the issue of fossil-fuel subsidies suddenly became the focus of international attention when G-20 leaders, meeting in Pittsburgh on 24-25 September 2009, agreed to phase out such subsidies over the medium term.
COPENHAGEN - 14 December 2009 - The Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) invites speakers and observers from a range of Group of Twenty (G-20) governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations, as well as the private sector, to focus on how the G-20's September 2009 political commitment to phase out fossil-fuel subsidies can be translated into effective reform. While the underlying rationale is tremendously compelling and the goal patently clear, the challenge now lies in implementation: collecting the data, countering political reticence and resistance from entrenched interests, and softening the impact of higher energy prices on the poor.
BANGKOK - 23-24 July 2009 - In partnership with the Southeast Asia bureau of the Inter Press Service, the GSI held its fifth media forum, bringing together 13 journalists from across the region and a variety of energy and climate change experts. The forum featured an ambitious agenda that centered on energy and climate change policies in South East Asia.
PRETORIA - 3-4 November 2008 - In partnership with the South Africa Institute for International Affairs (SAIIA), the Trade Knowledge Network (TKN), and the Inter Press Service (IPS), the GSI convened a media forum for journalists in Southern Africa.
The Global Subsidies Initiative, in partnership with The International Water Management Institute (IWMI), is holding a two-day workshop to discuss a common methodology for measuring irrigation subsidies. The aim is help build consensus on a methodology to define irrigation subsidies in a way that is technically sound and realistic, while taking into account wide variations in the availability of data.
ALEXANDRIA - 17-19 April 2008 - The GSI drew together journalists to its third regional media forum in Egypt, focused on food security and the role that biofuel policies play in driving up food prices. Journalists from across the Middle East heard from a variety of regional and international experts, on the factors that were contributing to sky-rocketing food prices.
The Global Subsidies Initiative is holding a three-day forum for journalists in Latin America on the links between government subsidies and sustainable development.
ALAJUELA - 27-29 March 2008 - In partnership with the INCAE Business School and the Inter Press Service (IPS) Latin America, the GSI held its second regional media forum in Costa Rica. Some 15 journalists from across Latin America were briefed on the role that subsidies have played as the primary instrument in promoting the biofuels sector.
The theme of the 8th Global Conference on Environmental Taxation 2007 (GCET), organized this year by Green Budget Germany, is Innovation, Technology and Employment: Impacts of Environmental Fiscal Reforms and Other Market-Based Instruments.
The World Trade Organization's Public Forum is intended to provide civil society, academics and the public at large with an opportunity to debate with WTO Members how the WTO can best contribute to the management of globalization. This year's forum, entitled "How Can the WTO Help Harness Globalization?", features two-days of presentations and discussions related to international trade and development.
Agra Informa Ltd., a company that specializes in information on agriculture and food policy, markets and trade, is hosting its 26th European Agricultural Outlook Conference this year in London on 27 - 28 March 2007. The conference will offer analysis of the challenges and opportunities ahead for the European food industry and agribusiness, with representatives from government, agriculture and the food industry.
On March 26-28, 2007, the Global Subsidies Initiative (GSI) and the Forum of Environmental Journalists of India (FEJI) organized a media forum in Mumbai, India. The forum, which brought together 25 journalists from across India, focused on the role of subsidies in contributing to the agrarian crisis in India, with particular reference to the suicides of farmers.
Farmsubsidy.org is planning to hold a two-day conference on Transparency in European Union Farm Subsidies in Budapest, Hungary in January. The conference will assemble current participants in the Farmsubsidy.org network and people who would like to become involved in promoting greater transparency in European Union agricultural policies.
WASHINGTON DC - 8 November 2006 - The American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy notes that ethanol is being held up as a solution to a number of public policy concerns, including reducing conventional air pollutants, minimizing greenhouse-gas emissions, ending foreign oil dependency, reinvigorating the family farm, as well as a host of other ethanol-fueled dreams. In an effort to shed light on a policy issue consuming increasing sums of taxpayer dollars in research and subsidies to ethanol producers, panelists at this conference will examine the benefits and detriments of ethanol fuel.
Hosted by the University of Ottawa, the Environmental Taxation Conference is an annual gathering of leading international experts in law, economics, tax and accounting, political sciences, environmental policy and more who will present the latest research findings about how economic instruments can be used to advance sustainable development.
The World Trade Organization's Sixth Annual Public Forum will bring together representatives from governments, parliaments, civil society, the business sector and the media to ponder the theme What WTO for the 21st Century? The Forum will feature an opening plenary session, followed by working panels that will address the existing imbalances in the multilateral trading system.
The annual World Water Week in Stockholm seeks to provide a meeting place for capacity-building, partnership-building and follow-up on the implementation of international processes and programmes in water and development. The meeting is intended for experts from businesses, governments, the water management and science sectors, inter-governmental organisations, NGOs, research and training institutions, and UN Agencies. Our readers may be interested in a session on Thursday 24 August, which will address economic incentives and sanctions to promote best practice and performance.
