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Timor-Leste has utilized its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process to mainstream Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), treating it as one of 14 guiding principles to link environmental protection with climate action. The NAP, ratified in September 2020 and submitted to the UNFCCC in March 2021, identifies 107 adaptation action items across seven priority sectors and programs over a 10-year horizon (2020–2030). A key feature of the implementation is the use of Tarabandu, a traditional customary rule system, to engage local communities in EbA measures. The process emphasizes cross-sectoral coordination, gender-responsive analysis, and alignment with international frameworks like the Paris Agreement and the Sendai Framework. The government aims to establish a national monitoring, evaluation, reporting, and learning (MERL) framework by 2022 to track progress in the biodiversity and ecosystems sector.

The document establishes a direct link between gender-based development pillars—specifically secondary education for girls and access to modern contraception—and the capacity of vulnerable populations to adapt to climate change. It highlights that women in low- and middle-income countries face disproportionate climate impacts, which often trigger a cycle of early marriage and school dropout. The brief provides evidence that education reduces disaster vulnerability and that family planning improves maternal and child health, thereby increasing household resilience. It concludes that these strategies are largely absent from National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and calls for their integration into climate finance and policy frameworks.

The document identifies girls' education and family planning as critical, yet overlooked, long-term strategies for climate adaptation. It details how these interventions reduce vulnerability to natural disasters, improve agricultural productivity, and enhance overall community resilience. The authors call for these components to be formally included in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), supported by dedicated climate finance.

The report identifies five key Water-Smart Agriculture (WSA) innovation clusters in South Africa: irrigation systems, smart farming, undercover farming, sustainable practices, and drought-tolerant crops. While commercial farms have adopted many of these technologies due to economies of scale, adoption remains low among smallholder and emerging farmers. The analysis estimates significant market sizes for high-tech greenhouses (R11.78 billion) and no-till machinery (R4.48 billion), while identifying remote sensing services as a high-growth area. Major barriers include high upfront costs, limited technical skills, and an unfriendly regulatory environment. The report recommends developing innovative financing models, increasing farmer awareness, and strengthening government support through tax rebates and policy integration.

The report examines four high-emitting sectors—steel, cement, agriculture, and oil and gas—concluding that none have seriously initiated the disruptive changes required to align with the Paris Agreement. It emphasizes that while long-term transitions will take decades due to investment cycles and systemic complexity, immediate action is required to avoid locking in polluting assets. The authors argue that investors can drive impact through active engagement with value chains and by pressuring companies to commit to fundamental business model shifts rather than simple portfolio reallocation.

Ghana's updated NDC (2020-2030) aims to reduce absolute greenhouse gas emissions by 64 MtCO2e and benefit nearly 38 million people. The plan consists of 13 adaptation and 34 mitigation measures, requiring an estimated investment of US$ 9.3 to US$ 15.5 billion. The strategy emphasizes sustainable energy transition, landscape restoration, and social inclusion, with a specific focus on reducing short-lived climate pollutants to improve public health.

The project aims to transform agricultural and forest-use practices in ten buffer communities across Belize to mitigate climate risks such as unpredictable rainfall and increased storm intensity. It focuses on implementing regenerative agriculture (e.g., Inga alley cropping, silvopastoral systems), improving community water management, and developing sustainable forest-linked livelihoods, including beekeeping and non-timber forest product enterprises. The initiative seeks to benefit approximately 22,000 direct and 60,000 indirect beneficiaries, with a total indicative cost of USD 11,058,540, primarily funded by a GCF grant.

The project aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 4 million tCO2eq over 15 years and increase the resilience of 250,000 rice farmers in 15 Thai provinces. It focuses on scaling up climate-smart technologies—such as Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD) and Laser Land Levelling (LLL)—while addressing financial barriers through the creation of the Thai Green Farmers’ Facility (TGFF). The project integrates mitigation and adaptation by promoting water-saving practices and diversifying crops to combat increasing water scarcity and drought.

The interim evaluation of the Climate Resilient Integrated Water Management Project (CRIWMP) in Sri Lanka indicates that while progress is satisfactory for irrigation and forecasting outputs, drinking water solutions have faced significant setbacks. The project employs an innovative river-basin approach to integrate village irrigation system (VIS) rehabilitation, climate-smart agriculture (CSA), and early warning systems. Key achievements include the rehabilitation of 131 VISs and the installation of 3,112 rainwater harvesting systems. However, the project has struggled with low mobilization of government co-financing, infrequent Project Board meetings, and a critical baseline shift in water source availability for drinking water, which has led to a proposed restructuring to reduce the number of beneficiaries. The evaluation highlights a strong commitment to gender equality, with women making up over 50% of beneficiaries, though gender balance remains poor within project governance and staff.

The document evaluates green technologies for urban food production in Cape Town, categorising them into incremental and transformational levels based on Gliessman’s framework. It analyzes the financial viability of hydroponics, aquaponics, and complete Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) systems, while also identifying investment opportunities for different farm scales, from community gardens to large-scale commercial operations.

The evaluation of Burkina Faso's 2015-2020 National Climate Change Adaptation Plan (NAP) found that 67% of planned actions were either completed or in progress, though the average physical completion rate was lower at 49%. While institutional capacity building (Strategic Area 1) saw a 93% completion rate, sectors like housing and infrastructure and cross-cutting areas for women and civil society struggled significantly due to poor resource mobilisation and a lack of institutional leadership. Key physical achievements included the Zagtouli solar power plant and extensive land recovery, but the report highlights critical failures in monitoring, evaluation, and gender-disaggregated data collection.

The report outlines a comprehensive communication strategy for Haiti's National Adaptation Plan (NAP), launched in August 2019. It identifies key target groups across the public sector, civil society, and private sector, and proposes specific messaging and activities to integrate climate adaptation into national planning and budgeting. The strategy emphasizes the need to reduce information asymmetry and foster a change in public attitude toward climate change, utilizing a mix of digital tools, press relations, and inter-institutional coordination through a proposed Adaptation Coordination Committee (CCA).

The document details a participatory process to define a subnational bioeconomy for Valle del Cauca, Colombia, focusing on the agricultural, agro-industrial, and nature tourism sectors. It proposes a transition toward 'bioresource' and 'bioecology' visions that balance economic growth with environmental sustainability and social inclusion. The resulting roadmap emphasizes the need for a multi-actor governance scheme, targeted financial incentives for circularity, and critical infrastructure improvements in rural transport and basic services to enable the processing of biological resources.

The 'Resilient Recovery Rapid Readiness Support in Lesotho' project seeks USD 300,000 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to ensure that Lesotho's recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic accelerates its climate goals. The initiative focuses on creating a National strategy for resilient recovery, including an investment plan, and developing two concept notes for climate-resilient agriculture and food security. The project is led by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) under the guidance of the Lesotho Meteorological Services, which serves as the National Designated Authority (NDA). It aims to address the socio-economic shocks of the pandemic—which increased vulnerable households by 50%—by integrating climate adaptation and mitigation into economic stimulus and recovery planning.

The research examines cassava's role in Colombia's bioeconomy, identifying opportunities for value-added products like bioplastics and food. It concludes that realizing this potential requires increasing primary production productivity through sustainable, climate-smart practices and technical assistance for small farmers, without expanding the agricultural frontier.

The document examines integrated agriculture-aquaculture (IAA) systems, which recycle nutrients between crops, livestock, and fish to increase productivity and reduce external inputs. It argues that IAA is a promising climate-smart land use approach for Southeast Asia, offering benefits such as livelihood diversification, improved water efficiency, and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. The brief emphasizes the need for inclusive policies, gender equity, and regional cooperation through ASEAN frameworks to scale up these systems for smallholder farmers.

The Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) GCF Programme establishes a strategic framework for climate mitigation and adaptation, focusing on decarbonizing energy, waste management, resilient infrastructure, food security, and water security. RMI aims for net-zero emissions by 2050 and has set ambitious NDC targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 32% below 2010 levels by 2025 and 45% by 2030. The programme identifies specific pipeline projects, such as solar generation on Wotje and Jaluit Atolls and coastal adaptation works, while addressing existential threats like sea-level rise and extreme droughts. It emphasizes the need for international funding to implement science-informed policies and protect vulnerable coastal communities.

The policy brief outlines a framework for cooperation between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) to leverage green transitions for sustainable growth and climate resilience. It identifies six key areas for action: energy transitions, the circular economy, trade, agricultural adaptation, climate diplomacy, and financial instruments. The authors emphasize that while the EU aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, African priorities focus on poverty reduction and adaptation. The brief recommends that the EU avoid creating new trade barriers, such as carbon border taxes for Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and instead invest in green infrastructure, sustainable waste management, and grant-based adaptation funding to ensure a socially inclusive transition.

The report highlights a significant gap in adaptation finance, noting that while total global climate finance reached US$437 billion in 2015, only 16 percent was dedicated to adaptation. It argues that public finance is insufficient to meet the projected costs of building resilience in the developing world, which could reach US$500 billion by 2050. The text identifies critical barriers to private sector engagement, including a lack of predictable returns, deficient regulatory frameworks, and knowledge gaps regarding climate vulnerability. It further examines how climate change threatens key sectors—agriculture, energy, health, and transport—while suggesting that these vulnerabilities also present new market opportunities for climate-resilient products and infrastructure.

The document assesses the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in enhancing the resilience of small-scale farmers during the COVID-19 pandemic. While VSS can provide higher incomes through price premiums, stronger supply chain links, and better access to training, they do not fully protect producers from international price volatility or asymmetric power dynamics. The brief recommends that governments complement VSS with social protection, minimum pricing, and policies to stimulate demand for sustainable products.