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The document argues that while e-commerce offers significant opportunities for economic growth, SME empowerment, and gender equality in Africa, the continent faces substantial infrastructure and regulatory gaps. It highlights a critical risk: as developed nations establish high-standard regulatory benchmarks through agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), African countries may face marginalization from global value chains if they do not proactively develop compatible enabling environments.

The report evaluates the early stages of SDG implementation in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR), analyzing 11 countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, Russia, and Sweden. It finds that while the region performs well in areas like poverty reduction, renewable energy share, and corruption, it struggles significantly with domestic material consumption and energy intensity. Implementation is currently fragmented, with varying institutional responsibilities and a general reliance on existing administrative structures. The report emphasizes a critical need for improved monitoring systems and stronger political leadership at the parliamentary level to ensure the 2030 Agenda is integrated across all government sectors.

This working paper by the Climate Policy Initiative, supported by PILAR and UNPAR, proposes a framework for district-level natural capital assessment in Central Kalimantan, Indonesia. It argues that current land valuations underestimate the true value of ecosystem services and are hindered by inconsistent government regulations and data gaps. The paper recommends a pilot assessment in Kotawaringin Timur due to its high concentration of palm oil infrastructure and critical high conservation value areas.

The report examines Colombia's struggle to transition toward green growth while remaining heavily dependent on oil and coal exports. It highlights a fragmented state where ministries tied to extractive industries often oppose environmental regulations. While the country has a low-carbon electricity grid dominated by hydropower, it is vulnerable to climate-induced droughts, leading to a push for thermal power and fracking. The report suggests linking renewable energy incentives to post-conflict rural development and leveraging a vanguard of sustainable private sector companies to drive a national transition.

The report identifies pharmaceutical manufacturing as a critical third driver of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), alongside human and animal misuse. Field research in India revealed high levels of drug-resistant E. coli near factories in Hyderabad, Chennai, and Delhi, specifically linking Aurobindo Pharma, Orchid Chemicals, and Asiatic Drugs & Pharmaceuticals to these hotspots. The document details a complex global supply chain where Chinese firms produce active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs) under poor environmental conditions, which are then processed in India and exported to Western healthcare systems, including the UK's NHS and US distributors like McKesson. It concludes that current regulatory inspections focus on product safety rather than environmental impact, allowing pollution to accelerate a global health crisis.

The paper argues that current land valuation in Indonesia fails to account for critical ecosystem services such as carbon stocks and water provision, leading to suboptimal land-use decisions. It proposes a new valuation approach combining GIS, participatory methods, and expert opinion to align conflicting government regulations. The authors specifically highlight Kotawaringin Timur as a priority area for this approach due to its high deforestation rates, significant concentration of palm oil mills, and the presence of 27,502 hectares of high conservation value areas that are currently under-protected.

The paper argues that land in Indonesia is systematically undervalued because current assessments fail to comprehensively account for ecosystem services and lack integration with spatial planning and licensing processes. To address this, the authors propose a district-level natural capital assessment pilot, specifically recommending Kotawaringin Timur due to its high concentration of high conservation value areas under plantation status and its potential for low-emission oil palm productivity gains. The proposed methodology integrates Ministry of Environment and Forestry Regulation No. 15/2012 and Ministry of Finance Regulation No. 98/PMK.06/2010, utilizing a combination of GIS, inventories, participatory approaches, and expert judgment to inform a 'Production and Protection' approach to land management.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of Brazil's rural land tenure system, tracing its history from colonial sesmarias to the 1988 Constitution. It highlights a fragmented system of multiple rural registries and cadastres that lack integration, which facilitates 'grilagem' (illegal land grabbing). The document details the specific regularization processes and obstacles for five key land categories: Indigenous Lands, quilombola territories, Conservation Units, agrarian reform settlements, and individual possessions on federal lands. It concludes by analyzing the complexities of implementing the 2012 Forest Code, particularly the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR), in the context of collective land tenure and overlapping territorial claims.

The document provides a detailed comparative analysis between the Kyoto Protocol's flexibility mechanisms (CDM, JI, and IET) and the emerging frameworks under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement (specifically Articles 6.2 and 6.4). It examines differences in purpose, governance, and accounting, highlighting the shift from a bifurcated system of Annex I and non-Annex I countries to a universal application for all Parties. The paper emphasizes the need for 'robust accounting' and 'environmental integrity' to avoid double counting and the transfer of 'hot air', while outlining critical unresolved questions for UNFCCC negotiations regarding the nature of internationally transferred mitigation outcomes (ITMOs) and the scope of eligible activities.

The report finds that millions of Latinos in the US are disproportionately exposed to toxic air pollutants and ozone from oil and gas infrastructure, leading to significant health burdens. It highlights that 1.81 million Latinos live within a half-mile of such facilities and 1.78 million live in counties where cancer risks exceed EPA concern levels. The document argues that poverty and lack of health insurance exacerbate these risks, and calls for the EPA to regulate existing facilities, not just new ones, to protect public health and address climate change.

The report finds that millions of Latinos are exposed to toxic air pollutants and ozone smog from oil and gas facilities, leading to elevated cancer risks and childhood asthma attacks. These health threats are exacerbated by higher poverty rates and lower health insurance coverage within Latino populations. The authors argue for comprehensive EPA regulations covering both new and existing oil and gas infrastructure to reduce methane and toxic emissions.

The report evaluates the Indonesian power sector using the Financial Sustainability Electricity Sector (FSES) framework. It finds that while generation capacity and reliability are improving, the sector remains heavily dependent on government subsidies and coal, with renewable energy deployment lagging behind official targets.

The report argues that Zimbabwe's commitment to economic and political reform is largely a 'theatre of reform' designed to maintain ZANU-PF hegemony rather than address systemic issues. While the government has engaged with the IMF through a Staff Monitored Programme and proposed the 'Lima Strategy' to clear debt arrears, progress is stymied by endemic corruption, a ballooning civil service wage bill, and fierce factional battles over Robert Mugabe's succession. The document highlights critical failures in land reform transparency, the 'looting' of Marange diamonds, and a compromised voter registration process, suggesting that the country is on course for another disputed election in 2018.

The document examines the intersection of Ghana's oil industry and its artisanal fisheries, which account for 60-70% of the total marine catch. While initial tensions focused on exclusion zones around oil platforms and collisions, the paper argues that the oil sector is not the primary threat to fisheries sustainability. Instead, the sector faces systemic challenges including fleet overcapacity, illegal fishing practices, and climate change. The author advocates for a 'socio-ecological compact' where the oil industry, government, and fishing communities collaborate through integrated maritime governance and co-management to ensure long-term sustainability.

The 2016 Palm Oil Buyers Scorecard evaluates corporate adoption of RSPO-certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). While many companies have joined the RSPO and increased CSPO use, a significant gap remains between high-level commitments and the use of physically segregated supply chains. The report highlights that while 77 companies committed to 100% CSPO by 2015, only 56 achieved this. It emphasizes the need for companies to move beyond 'book and claim' certificates toward segregated sourcing to effectively eliminate deforestation and habitat loss in producer regions like Indonesia and Malaysia.

The report identifies climate change as a significant threat to Tanzania's development due to rising temperatures, sea-level rise, and altered precipitation patterns. While the government has established institutional structures and strategies, the report emphasizes the need for better implementation and integration of climate change into sectoral policies, particularly in water, health, agriculture, and disaster risk reduction.

The report identifies Kenya's vulnerability to climate change, particularly in its arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs), driven by water scarcity, dependence on rain-fed agriculture, and poverty. It outlines the establishment of a policy framework including a climate change bill, the National Climate Change Response Strategy, and the National Climate Change Action Plan (2013–2017). While adaptation actions are underway in agriculture, livestock, and water sectors, the report notes a need for increased focus on tourism and infrastructure, as well as improved capacity for county governments to implement adaptation actions under the country's decentralized governance structure.

The report identifies Pakistan's vulnerability to climate change due to its geography, dependence on the Indus Basin, and socioeconomic challenges. While the government established a National Climate Change Policy in 2012 and an implementation framework in 2013, the report notes limited progress in executing these actions. Current adaptation efforts are primarily discrete, internationally funded programs focusing on agriculture, water resource management, and disaster risk management, particularly in Sindh, Punjab, and high mountain regions.

The report assesses Namibia's vulnerability to climate change, identifying six key sectors at risk and noting that while the government has established a national climate change policy, adaptation efforts remain limited and heavily dependent on donor funding.

The report identifies Burkina Faso's vulnerability to climate change due to its reliance on agriculture and livestock, and outlines the government's response through adaptation planning and the mainstreaming of climate considerations into priority sectors.