Verifying against the live site and live WHOIS/DNS…
Common questions
Is iisd.org legit or a scam?
AboutUs doesn't label sites "legit" or "a scam": this page lists the dated registration, DNS, HTTPS, mail-authentication and safety checks we could verify, each with its source, so you can decide for yourself.
Who owns iisd.org?
Nobody has completed AboutUs's owner verification for iisd.org. That's true of most sites here — it isn't itself a warning sign.
Correct a description, link or other detail. Submissions are reviewed before publication.
Lifeline · iisd.org over time
Checked in the last 30 daysOlder, dated recordFrom registration records
On AboutUs since 2013 · 3 registrar changes since Dec 26, 2011 · 2 ownership changes since 2011 · last checked Sep 30, 2026.
Registration
No registration date on file yet. AboutUs reads it from RDAP when the site is checked.
AboutUs record
AboutUs wiki pageNov 9, 2013An AboutUs wiki page described iisd.org from Nov 9, 2013 to Nov 9, 2013 (1 edit).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023Said about itself in 2013Jul 1, 2013“Welcome to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD's vision is better living for all-sustainably; its mission is to champion innova...”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2013
Registrar
NameScout Corp. (R57-LROR)Dec 26, 2011 – Mar 2, 2014Registrar NameScout Corp. (R57-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Dec 26, 2011 to Mar 2, 2014.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)NameScout Corp.Aug 17, 2016 – Dec 22, 2016Registrar NameScout Corp. in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Aug 17, 2016 to Dec 22, 2016.
Ownership
Ownership recordsDec 26, 2011 – Jun 22, 2026Registration records for iisd.org are held from Dec 26, 2011 to Jun 22, 2026 (117 records). 2 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Zone file
No nameserver records held, Dec 2011 – Mar 2014Nameservers: iisd.caDec 26, 2011Registration records listed iisd.ca nameservers (reactor.iisd.ca, simile.iisd.ca) for iisd.org from Dec 26, 2011 to Dec 26, 2011.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Certificate
AmazonAmazonNov 23, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026 (latest)Amazon issued 30 certificates for iisd.org from Nov 23, 2025, the latest valid until May 11, 2027. Seen in use on Sep 30, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Sep 30, 2026
201520202025Jan ’26Oct ’26← last 12 months, drawn wider
Every dated fact on this lifeline (16)
Dec 26, 2011 – Mar 2, 2014Registrar: Registrar NameScout Corp. (R57-LROR) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Dec 26, 2011 to Mar 2, 2014.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Dec 26, 2011 – Jun 22, 2026Ownership: Registration records for iisd.org are held from Dec 26, 2011 to Jun 22, 2026 (117 records). 2 changes of registrant name or organization are marked. Privacy-service and redaction changes are not counted.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Dec 26, 2011Zone file: Registration records listed iisd.ca nameservers (reactor.iisd.ca, simile.iisd.ca) for iisd.org from Dec 26, 2011 to Dec 26, 2011.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Jul 1, 2013AboutUs record: “Welcome to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD's vision is better living for all-sustainably; its mission is to champion innova...”Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2013
Nov 9, 2013AboutUs record: An AboutUs wiki page described iisd.org from Nov 9, 2013 to Nov 9, 2013 (1 edit).Source: AboutUs wiki archive, 2006–2023
Mar 2, 2014 – Jun 22, 2026
Current AboutUs record
Jun 29, 2026 – Aug 20, 2026 (latest)
Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 20, 2026.
Source: AboutUs checks
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Namescout.comFeb 24, 2018 – Jan 26, 2020Registrar Namescout.com (IANA 186) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Feb 24, 2018 to Jan 26, 2020.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Amazon Registrar, Inc.Amazon Registrar, Inc.Apr 19, 2020 – Sep 30, 2026 (latest)Registrar Amazon Registrar, Inc. (IANA 468) in the registration data recorded, first on Apr 19, 2020 and most recently on Sep 30, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Jul 11, 2026
Ownership change
Aug 17, 2016
The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 17, 2016. Who it changed to is in the full report.
Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Ownership changeApr 19, 2020The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Apr 19, 2020. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
2 ownership changes, 2011–2026
Nameservers: Amazon Route 53
Nameservers: Amazon Route 53Mar 2, 2014 – Jun 22, 2026Registration records listed Amazon Route 53 nameservers (ns-1403.awsdns-47.org, ns-1958.awsdns-52.co.uk, ns-690.awsdns-22.net…) for iisd.org from Mar 2, 2014 to Jun 22, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
DNS moved to Amazon Route 53Mar 2, 2014iisd.org's nameservers moved from iisd.ca to Amazon Route 53 at some point between Dec 26, 2011 and Mar 2, 2014. Last seen at iisd.ca: Dec 26, 2011 (registration record). First seen at Amazon Route 53: Mar 2, 2014 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 2 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Let's Encrypt
Mar 21, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026
Let's Encrypt issued 11 certificates for iisd.org from Mar 21, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 15, 2027.
Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Google Trust ServicesMay 14, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Google Trust Services issued 25 certificates for iisd.org from May 14, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 23, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Zone file: Registration records listed Amazon Route 53 nameservers (ns-1403.awsdns-47.org, ns-1958.awsdns-52.co.uk, ns-690.awsdns-22.net…) for iisd.org from Mar 2, 2014 to Jun 22, 2026.Source: From registration records (WHOIS / RDAP archive, who.is)
Mar 2, 2014Zone file: iisd.org's nameservers moved from iisd.ca to Amazon Route 53 at some point between Dec 26, 2011 and Mar 2, 2014. Last seen at iisd.ca: Dec 26, 2011 (registration record). First seen at Amazon Route 53: Mar 2, 2014 (registration record). AboutUs holds no nameserver records for the about 2 years in between, so the date of the move is not known more closely.Source: Derived from the nameserver records on this lifeline (registration record → registration record)
Aug 17, 2016 – Dec 22, 2016Registrar: Registrar NameScout Corp. in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Aug 17, 2016 to Dec 22, 2016.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Aug 17, 2016Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Aug 17, 2016. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Feb 24, 2018 – Jan 26, 2020Registrar: Registrar Namescout.com (IANA 186) in the WHOIS and RDAP records held for iisd.org, from Feb 24, 2018 to Jan 26, 2020.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is)
Apr 19, 2020 – Sep 30, 2026Registrar: Registrar Amazon Registrar, Inc. (IANA 468) in the registration data recorded, first on Apr 19, 2020 and most recently on Sep 30, 2026.Source: RDAP, fetched Jul 11, 2026
Apr 19, 2020Ownership: The registrant name or organization in the registration record changed; first recorded Apr 19, 2020. Who it changed to is in the full report.Source: WHOIS / RDAP archive (who.is); counted by registrant name and organization only
Nov 23, 2025 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Amazon issued 30 certificates for iisd.org from Nov 23, 2025, the latest valid until May 11, 2027. Seen in use on Sep 30, 2026.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader); TLS check, Sep 30, 2026
Mar 21, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Let's Encrypt issued 11 certificates for iisd.org from Mar 21, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 15, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
May 14, 2026 – Oct 26, 2026Certificate: Google Trust Services issued 25 certificates for iisd.org from May 14, 2026, the latest valid until Jan 23, 2027.Source: Certificate Transparency logs (AboutUs's own certificate-log reader)
Jun 29, 2026 – Aug 20, 2026AboutUs record: Authority and Safety last refreshed Aug 20, 2026.Source: AboutUs checks
3 of 4 safety checks passed (Oct 26, 2026).
Registered 1996 · site is live · HTTPS valid
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) conducts research and capacity building on sustainable development, environment, agriculture, and trade. It serves governments, organizations, and communities seeking to bridge knowledge and action on sustainability across the Global North and South.
Add the HSTS, Content-Security-Policy, and X-Frame-Options response headers.
AboutUs has not vetted this site. Everything below is what we could measure automatically. Anything you do on the site — paying, sharing personal details, downloading — is between you and the site, not AboutUs.
Current facts
Latest available measurements; dated entries retain their dates. These are measurements, not an endorsement of the site.
latest result
International Institute for Sustainable Development — company name on record since 2013; still matches the live site.
latest result
Domain registered May 30, 1996 — 30 years old.
latest result
Registrar on record: Amazon Registrar, Inc. — unchanged since AboutUs began tracking (Sep 30, 2026).
Authority 73/100— ahead of 73% of the August 2026 scored sampleClear
Why this authority score
73 is a percentile: higher than 73% of sites we score.
How it's calculated
Prominence (Tranco rank #18,196)+8
Verified continuity: 30.4 years (RDAP registration)+11
Security & email hygiene+3
Calibration adjustment (published map)+15
Model score: 37/99 — what these reason lines add up to.
Published Authority (percentile): 73/100 — this site's rank against the August 2026 scored sample. Public Authority is capped at 99.
Safety evidence
No unexpired threat-feed result; name-similarity check available (recorded about 66 days ago); 3/3 transport and email checks available (oldest recorded about 66 days ago). This is evidence coverage, not a probability that a website is safe.
What iisd.org said about itself, 2013
Quoted from the site's AboutUs wiki page in each year it changed (1 version). These are the page's own words at the time, not AboutUs's assessment. New words · dropped words
2013
Welcome to the International Institute for Sustainable Development. IISD's vision is better living for all-sustainably; its mission is to champion innova...
Site history
Dated record — historical facts always carry their date.