About NSI

The North-South Institute is Canada's oldest independent policy research institution specializing in effective international development. At NSI we focus on identifying policies and practices seeking to reduce poverty and global inequalities thereby contributing to the creation of a more prosperous and stable global community.

We pursue the broad goal of reducing poverty and inequality by focusing on four thematic areas:

Though our research does not exclude the middle-income countries, we have intensified our focus on the lower-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Their needs are greater, their capacities less, and the risks they face arguably more consequential. We will do this increasingly with research partners in the emerging economies, which have valuable lessons to impart, thereby helping to accelerate South-South transfers of knowledge and policy solutions.

Two themes will continue to run through all our work: gender equality and environmental sustainability. As pressures on scarce natural resources increase, the potential for conflict escalates, creating additional risks for women and children. For this reason, our work will continue to ensure that policy solutions take into consideration environmental sustainability and the economic and social rights of women.

The world has changed and NSI is changing with it - without abandoning the vision we have pursued for the last 35 years. Our mission remains to conduct research that will guide policy-makers in their search for more effective aid and development policies, reducing poverty, global inequalities and their consequences.