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Newsletter, November

IIED's director Andrew Norton is stepping down in June 2022 and we are now seeking a new executive director. Find out how to apply below and learn about our upcoming plans.

We are seeking a new executive director

IIED's mission is to build a fairer, more sustainable world, using evidence, action and influence in partnership with others. We are now recruiting a new executive director.

Our next executive director will reflect our values as an organisation, build on our strengths and ensure that we are well placed to be a leading research and practice organisation, playing our part to transform the world around us into a safer, fairer, more diverse and inclusive place for human beings to live and nature to thrive.

Find out more about the role and how to apply by 5 January 2022.

Camilla Toulmin in conversation with Bara Guèye

IIED at 50: be prepared to engage with young activists

Former IIED director Camilla Toulmin and IIED trustee Bara Guèye have both spent more than 35 years working on environment and development in West Africa. In this interview, Toulmin talks to Guèye about the biggest issues facing West Africa and how IIED can respond to future challenges.

Read the interview.

"There is a strong activism developing in the region: local communities, civil society acting as watchdogs to ensure that the right policies are made. And most of the time, it’s the young people who are spearheading this kind of movement."

– Bara Guèye

Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of UNCTAD.

Online event

Barbara Ward Lecture 2021: Rebeca Grynspan

Rebeca Grynspan, secretary-general of UNCTAD and former Vice President of Costa Rica, is an economist with three decades of ministerial and UN experience who has championed finance for development and women's leadership. We're delighted that she will deliver the next Barbara Ward Lecture on 6 December.

This event is now online only, and is open to all. Find out more about the event and register to attend.

A banner that says 'Protect all life on our planet' at a climate march during COP26.

Blog by Andrew Norton

COP27 and the important year ahead

COP26 in Glasgow has ended and the dust is settling. But as Andrew Norton reflects, any gains made from the event will require ongoing work and citizens demanding more radical action.

Read the blog.

Bluyema Community Land Development and Management committee chairperson, Gbelee Sumo, sits far right with the rest of the executive committee at a meeting.

Guest blog by Megan Huth

Women claim their space in land governance

Guest blogger Megan Huth details how USAID is employing a novel approach to ensure that rural women participate in decisions about land and natural resource use in Liberia.

Read the guest blog.

Pit latrines are very common in Kampala slums, Uganda.

Blog by David Satterthwaite

The case for sewers

On the recent World Toilet Day we took a look at the surprisingly controversial role of sewers in countering poor-quality sanitation in cities in the global South.

Read the blog now.

A farmer tends to her vegetable garden in Khulna, Bangladesh.

Guest blog by Jess Auerbach

Decoloniality and the new ethics of climate and nature

Guest blogger Jess Auerbach argues for five shifts towards decolonising ecological research and practice, to build a discipline that is more inclusive, creative and ethical.

Read the guest blog.

Food distribution to those affected by flooding in Beletweyne, Somalia, leading to the displacement of 17,000 people.

Blog by Simon Addison and Sam Barrett

Tackling loss and damage: who is most vulnerable to disaster displacement?

Drawing on recent research, Simon Addison and Sam Barrett explain why disaster displacement risk assessments must integrate better quality data on the specific vulnerabilities of different people to escalating climate risks.

Read the blog.