International Institute for Environment and Development

The Edinburgh office of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) is another exception in Scotland’s think-tank landscape. Founded in the USA in 1971 as the [[International Institute for Environmental Affairs]], its main office today is in London. The IIED is a non-profit organization promoting sustainable world development. It describes itself as a globally operating agency contributing to ‘environmental policy and action’. The Scottish IIED office concentrates on promoting sustainable development for Africa’s drylands belt south of the Sahara. It is a ‘specialist think-tank’44, as it focuses on environmental issues and does not pursue an ‘all-round’-agenda like many other think-tanks. In 2000/01 the IIED received about £6 million from aid and development ministries, intergovernmental agencies, foundations, and corporate and individual donors from across Europe and North America45. The IIED discloses all its sources of funding and lists it sponsors and partners on its website.