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This document is an inception report and technical annexes for an external review of the World Resources Institute's (WRI) progress in implementing its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan. Conducted by Agulhas Applied Knowledge and Open Cities, the review assesses WRI's effectiveness, relevance, and efficiency across seven global challenges, its core functions, and a specific deep-dive into its Africa strategy. The report details a mixed-methods methodology involving document reviews, 132 interviews, 16 focus group discussions, and an all-staff survey to triangulate programmatic results and the integration of gender and social equity.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law and the Environmental Investigation Agency provides a textual comparison of two draft resolutions on plastic pollution submitted for UNEA 5.2: one led by Rwanda and Peru (RP) and one led by Japan (JP). The document analyzes convergences and divergences in mandate, scope, and institutional structure to support the potential merging of the resolutions.

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) details a panel discussion on reducing upstream greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials, plastics, and food, with a specific focus on food waste reduction and diversion strategies.

This research paper analyzes the role of the Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) in financing agricultural investments in Brazil. It finds that BNDES credit has grown significantly since 1995, primarily supporting crop activities (especially soy) and the acquisition of tractors and harvesting equipment. The credit is heavily concentrated in the Midwestern region and is predominantly operated by private financial agents, such as banks owned by machine manufacturers, which contrasts with the broader Brazilian rural credit market dominated by public banks.

This briefing summarizes a panel discussion on the climate and environmental justice impacts of plastic production, highlighting the role of the petrochemical industry in greenhouse gas emissions and the necessity of policy shifts toward reuse and extended producer responsibility.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International detailing its international solidarity efforts between 2020 and 2021 to support environmental and human rights defenders facing authoritarianism and corporate exploitation.

This briefing from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) summarizes a panel discussion on reducing upstream greenhouse gas emissions from the production of building materials, plastics, and food, with a primary focus on the built environment and the transition toward a circular economy.

This research paper by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates Niger's disarmament, demobilisation, rehabilitation, resettlement and reintegration (DDRRR) programme for Boko Haram defectors at the Goudoumaria reception centre. While the programme has provided an exit route for at least 375 ex-associates, the study identifies significant failures in economic reinsertion, funding instability, and the protection of women, which may discourage further defections and increase the risk of recidivism.

This policy brief reviews fifty years of international efforts to regulate ocean dumping, focusing on the evolution from the 1972 London Convention to the more restrictive 1996 London Protocol. It examines the challenges of managing radioactive waste, the regulation of climate mitigation technologies like carbon capture and storage (CCS), and the role of regional treaties in protecting marine ecosystems.

This 2021 update from RMI analyzes the economic, health, and jobs impacts of 'clean energy portfolios' (CEPs)—which combine solar, wind, storage, demand flexibility, and energy efficiency—as alternatives to the more than 88 gigawatts of gas power plants proposed across the United States in 2021.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs compares the implementation of environmental, socioeconomic, and governance (ESG) standards in two Chinese-funded hydropower projects: the Bui Dam in Ghana and the Stung Tatay project in Cambodia. It examines China's domestic regulatory framework for hydropower and analyzes how local government capacity and transparency in the recipient countries influenced the success of ESG mitigation efforts.

This report examines how the African Union's Green Recovery Action Plan (GRAP) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) can jointly foster resilient and sustainable economic recoveries in six specific African nations.

This guide from the NewClimate Institute provides a stepwise approach for policy makers to establish sector-level climate planning processes to support national and international policy making.

This research paper examines how legal pluralism—the coexistence of statute, custom, and practice—affects women's access to land inheritance in Lesotho, utilizing qualitative data from Maseru and Mafeteng.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the environmental and climate impacts of the global livestock sector, arguing that a shift toward plant-based diets and alternative proteins is essential to meeting climate targets. It details the growth of meat production, the role of government subsidies in supporting industrial agriculture, and the emerging market for alternative proteins, while highlighting the need for systemic policy changes and a reduction in meat consumption, particularly in high-income regions.

This report is a readiness support proposal submitted by Jamaica, on behalf of several CARICOM Member States, to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). It outlines a 30-month project managed by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) to enhance the regional strategic environment, improve climate data tools, and support the development of bankable climate projects and updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

This statement from the Africa Policy Research Institute and other signatories condemns the travel restrictions imposed on Southern African countries following the detection of the Omicron variant. The authors argue that these bans are scientifically unjustified, racially biased, and economically damaging, while highlighting a systemic failure in global vaccine equity.

An open letter from South African marine scientists and legal experts to President Cyril Ramaphosa and government ministers urging the halt of offshore seismic surveys due to environmental risks and legal deficiencies.

This research paper by the Climate Policy Initiative and PUC-Rio analyzes the relationship between forest fires and subsequent deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon from 2013 to 2020. The study finds that while forest fires are not systematically used as a direct first step to clear vegetation in the same location, they serve as a strong leading indicator of imminent deforestation in the surrounding vicinity, particularly in rural settlements and occupied public lands.

A statement by Friends of the Earth International arguing that 'Nature-based Solutions' (NbS) are a form of corporate greenwashing used by governments and companies to avoid deep emission cuts, potentially leading to land grabbing and human rights violations in the Global South.