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This executive summary evaluates progress toward Objectives 3 and 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on reducing deforestation caused by infrastructure and extractive industries and supporting sustainable livelihoods. The report finds that progress is slow, with natural forest cover loss increasing since 2014 and significant gaps in transparency and policy implementation across governments, corporations, and financial institutions.

The 2020 NYDF progress assessment finds that natural forest loss is increasing rather than decreasing. While policies and commitments have grown, a systemic lack of transparency and poor implementation by governments and corporations, combined with rising pressure from mining and infrastructure development, hinder progress. The report emphasizes the need for a paradigm shift toward valuing forests and people over extractive economic growth, noting that community-led management is effective but grassroots activists face increasing violence.

This executive summary from the NYDF Assessment Partners evaluates progress toward Goals 3 and 4 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on reducing deforestation from infrastructure and extractive industries while promoting sustainable livelihoods. The report finds that natural forest loss has increased since 2014, and progress toward these goals is slow due to systemic barriers, lack of transparency, and a continued global economic reliance on resource extraction.

This executive summary, published in November 2020 by the NYDF Assessment Partners and coordinated by Climate Focus, evaluates progress toward the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It specifically focuses on Objective 3 (reducing deforestation from economic sectors other than agriculture) and Objective 4 (promoting sustainable alternatives to basic-need driven deforestation). The report finds that natural forest loss has increased since 2014, failing the goal of a 50% reduction by 2020, and highlights systemic failures in transparency, policy enforcement, and the protection of indigenous rights across governments, corporations, and financial institutions.

The FSD Africa Impact Report documents the organization's efforts since 2012 to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening financial markets. It details achievements in financial inclusion, capital market development, and institutional capacity building, while outlining a strategic shift toward 'FSD 2.0' to focus on jobs, basic services, and sustainable futures in response to challenges like Covid-19 and climate change.

This policy brief examines the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, highlighting the challenges of providing health support and maintaining supply chains in remote, informal settings. It discusses the role of the informal sector as an economic safety net and suggests that the recovery phase offers an opportunity for governments to build trust and advance sector formalization through public-private cooperation.

This report examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, highlighting the challenges of government regulation, the economic hardships faced by miners, and the role of the informal sector as a social safety net.

This report presents the results of a July 2020 survey conducted by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining (IGF) among 21 member states to assess the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector. It details the health, economic, and regulatory challenges faced by miners, the differentiated impacts on men and women, and the various government support measures implemented or suspended during the crisis.

This literature review by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and Sitra examines the relationship between the transition to a circular economy and its impact on global and regional employment, emphasizing the need for 'decent work' and just transition policies.

This methodology note describes the framework used by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and its partners to track and score government support for fossil fuels across G20 countries between 2014 and 2020.

This guide provides a framework for project champions and funders to mobilize capital for large-scale natural infrastructure in Canada. It argues that successful projects are driven by time-sensitive forcing events rather than general valuation studies, and it outlines a five-step process for developers to move from identifying drivers to securing predevelopment funding.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the role of technical assistance and capacity building (TACB) in implementing a potential World Trade Organization (WTO) agreement on fisheries subsidies. It identifies critical gaps between the needs of developing countries for compliance—such as subsidy inventory and IUU monitoring—and the actual distribution of official development assistance (ODA), which heavily favors general fisheries development and management over specific subsidy reform.

This executive summary from the Institute for Security Studies (November 2020) outlines the necessary reforms for Algeria to achieve sustainable development by 2040. It identifies critical failures in governance, economic diversification, and resource management, while providing a set of policy recommendations to improve the business environment, food security, and energy transition.

This policy brief advocates for the development of youth-led National Action Plans (NAPs) in African Union member states to operationalise the AU Continental Framework on Youth, Peace and Security. It identifies critical gaps in funding and capacity, proposes a four-phase lifecycle for NAP development (consultation, drafting, implementation, and monitoring), and sets targets for 50% of member states to have NAPs by 2029.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) argues for the introduction of 'encouraged whistleblowing' (qui tam) within South Africa's public procurement system to combat widespread corruption and inefficiency. The authors propose a legal mechanism where private individuals are financially incentivized to report fraudulent claims against the state, drawing on the model of the United States' False Claims Act to recover damages and reduce the burden on under-resourced state prosecutors.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines youth climate advocacy in Africa, focusing on the roles of civil society, government, and international networks. It documents how young people are transitioning from symbolic participants to active agents of change through networking, social media, and policy engagement, while highlighting the systemic barriers—such as the digital divide and tokenism—that hinder meaningful intergenerational equity in climate governance.

This policy brief by the Latinoamérica Sostenible alliance argues that Latin American governments must shift their economic development 'recipe' following the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes a 'just and resilient recovery' framework that integrates economic, social, and environmental goals to avoid repeating the mistakes of the 2008 financial crisis and to reduce the region's vulnerability to climate change and primary-commodity dependence.

This policy brief by Transforma argues that climate finance is essential for a just and resilient recovery in Mexico following the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the current state of national and international climate funding, warns against the risks of the recent elimination of the Climate Change Fund (FCC), and provides specific recommendations for both the public and private sectors to align economic recovery with sustainability goals and international commitments.

This policy brief, authored by a coalition of 22 non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations, argues that the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrates the critical link between ecosystem health and human health. It provides a roadmap for policymakers to integrate nature-based solutions into pandemic response and economic recovery to prevent future zoonotic spillovers and achieve a nature-positive economy.

This policy brief argues that the COVID-19 pandemic highlights the critical link between ecosystem health and human health. It recommends that governments prevent future zoonotic pandemics by stopping the degradation of natural habitats, reforming livestock production, and strictly regulating the wildlife trade. Furthermore, it urges a "nature-positive" economic recovery that protects existing conservation investments, reallocates harmful agricultural subsidies, and integrates nature-based solutions into stimulus packages to create sustainable jobs and long-term economic resilience.