November 2021

Legal tools newsletter

The Legal tools newsletter is sent out every few months to keep you updated on Legal Tools for Citizen Empowerment, a collaborative initiative to strengthen local rights in natural resource investments.

In this special edition newsletter we'd like to invite you to the 2021 Barbara Ward Lecture, being delivered by Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

UNCTAD works on many key policy issues related to economic globalisation – from trade and investment frameworks to commodities, technology, debt and special economic zones. These themes overlap with the work of IIED’s Legal Tools team, which supports marginalised groups claiming rights in the policy arenas where natural resource governance meets the global economy.

Barbara Ward lecture: outstanding women in development. Rebeca Grynspan.

Join us for the 2021 Barbara Ward Lecture, delivered by Rebeca Grynspan, UNCTAD secretary-general

Rebeca Grynspan, the secretary-general of UNCTAD and, until recently, chair of the IIED board of trustees, will deliver this year’s Barbara Ward Lecture on 6 December.

A former vice-president of Costa Rica and renowned advocate of human development, Ms Grynspan was appointed secretary-general of UNCTAD on 13 September 2021. She is the first woman and Central American to hold this position.

IIED launched the Barbara Ward Lecture series in 2006 to celebrate and hear from outstanding women in development. Ms Grynspan joins a list of prestigious lecturers, all of whom have made significant contributions to sustainable development nationally and internationally. This year's lecture will be a hybrid event: in-person in London, and online with Spanish interpretation for our global audience.

Find out more about the lecture and register to attend.