As 2015 approaches, the international community is critically assessing the delivery of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were established in 2000.
States that have successfully exited violence and embarked on a process of development have often started with strong political settlements, or elite pacts. These sometimes take the form of peace agreements, or electoral coalitions.
Existing intellectual property regimes protect individual rights for the purpose of commercial gain, but are often unsuitable for protecting the collective heritage of indigenous and local communities whose livelihoods rely on access to biodiversi