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The guide outlines the political and social process of declaring territories 'free' from specific threats, such as REDD+, mining, fracking, and GMOs. It frames these declarations as an exercise of autonomy and self-determination, providing strategic advice on prevention, information sharing, and alliance building. The document details various global case studies, including the M4 movement in Mesoamerica, anti-fracking efforts in Australia and Europe, and GMO-free initiatives in Costa Rica and the European Union, emphasizing that such declarations are tools for resisting corporate imposition and promoting sustainable, community-led development models.

The report lists the funding pipeline for the Green Climate Fund as of January 12, 2018, divided into public and private sectors. It details various projects across Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), and Eastern Europe, covering sectors such as renewable energy, agriculture, and water management. The total pipeline value is reported as 15,088.5M, comprising 4,009.0M in GCF funding and 11,079.5M in co-financing.

The document advocates for Community Forest Management (CFM) as a holistic approach to territorial governance that prioritizes the 'Good Living' of indigenous and peasant communities over capitalist development. It asserts that CFM is more effective at reducing deforestation than absolute protection regimes and is essential for maintaining biodiversity and climate stability. The report warns against 'commercial logging' disguised as sustainable management and rejects REDD+ and carbon markets, arguing they centralize power and commodify nature. It recommends strengthening community land tenure, investing in local capacity building, and shifting international finance away from fossil fuels toward community-led conservation.

The report advocates for Community Forest Management (MCB) as a sustainable alternative to industrial logging and top-down conservation. It links MCB to the 'Buen Vivir' philosophy, emphasizing the need for secure land tenure, social capital, and gender equity. The text critiques market-based mechanisms like REDD+ and the Payment for Environmental Services (PSA) for promoting privatization and centralizing control. It concludes with recommendations to shift funding from fossil fuel subsidies toward community-led conservation and the restoration of ancestral rights.

The report promotes community forest management (GCF) as a holistic approach to forest conservation and social justice, contrasting it with destructive industrial logging and the REDD+ mechanism. It argues that GCF, rooted in the 'bien-vivre' paradigm, effectively reduces deforestation and protects biodiversity by empowering indigenous and local communities with secure land tenure and ancestral knowledge. The document highlights the failures of carbon markets and 'sustainable forest management' labels used by corporations to mask extraction. It recommends strengthening community land rights, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies to fund adaptation, and reducing international trade in tropical hardwoods.

The 2017 update to the New York Declaration on Forests Goal 2 assessment finds that while corporate commitments to reduce deforestation in agricultural supply chains are increasing, their scope and ambition remain variable. Progress is most evident in the palm oil and timber sectors, where certification standards are more prevalent, while the cattle and soy sectors lag behind. Although traceability systems are improving—with 81% of producer companies having them in place by 2016—many companies still struggle to verify if their supply is free of converted High-Conservation-Value (HCV) or High-Carbon-Stock (HCS) forests. Financial institution engagement remains limited, and direct data on the impact of these commitments on deforestation rates is currently unavailable, though new monitoring tools like GFW-Commodities and Trase are being developed.

The report highlights a critical lack of aggregate global data to measure progress in reducing deforestation caused by basic needs. It uses the distribution of clean cookstoves and related funding as proxy indicators, noting that while annual distributions reached approximately 20 million, the number of stoves meeting clean and efficient standards declined from nearly 15 million in 2014 to 13 million in 2015. Financial support also showed a downward trend between 2012 and 2015, with Official Development Assistance (ODA) for fuelwood dropping from USD 81 million to USD 3.2 million and carbon offset transactions falling from USD 65 million to USD 15 million.

The assessment finds that Goal 7's indicator for including land-use targets in NDCs has been met, with 116 of 165 countries proposing quantified emission mitigation targets. It also details the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) development of a two-track financing approach for REDD+, including a results-based payments pilot program and funding for early-stage readiness and implementation. However, the report notes that 105 countries have made land-use targets conditional on international financing and that current ambitions may be insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's temperature goals.

The assessment finds that 'green' finance aligned with forest emission reduction is significantly outweighed by 'grey' finance that potentially drives deforestation. While some middle-income countries invest more domestically in REDD+ than they receive internationally, overall international public finance for forestry remains insufficient. Private sector investment in 'business as usual' farming and forestry is estimated at USD 168 billion annually, and while some financial institutions are adopting deforestation risk policies, transparency and mandatory enforcement remain low. The report suggests that blended finance and public sector tools are necessary to shift private capital toward sustainable land use.

The assessment finds that while over USD 4.1 billion has been committed to results-based REDD+ payments, disbursements remain limited and concentrated, primarily in Brazil. It highlights the emergence of jurisdictional-sourcing initiatives across Asia, Latin America, and Africa as a promising mechanism to scale zero-deforestation commitments, though private resource flows remain small.

The 2018 Progress Assessment for Goal 4 highlights the difficulty in quantifying the impact of basic needs on deforestation due to limited data. While the distribution of clean cookstoves in developing countries nearly doubled between 2015 and 2016, financial support for woodfuel interventions declined. The report identifies several drivers of deforestation linked to poverty, including swidden agriculture, subsistence migration, and charcoal production, and presents case studies from Peru, Guatemala, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire demonstrating the potential of sustainable landscape approaches, community forestry, and agricultural intensification to reduce forest loss.

The report concludes that Goal 7 was achieved through the adoption of the Paris Agreement, specifically Article 5, which dedicates a section to land use and forests. As of September 2017, 116 of 165 countries that submitted Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) included land use in quantified emissions targets. The document also notes that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) began piloting a framework for REDD+ results-based payments in late 2017, although many countries' land-use targets remain conditional on international financing.

Global Witness reveals that Norsudtimber, the DRC's largest logging company, is operating illegally on 90% of its sites, breaching the DRC Forest Code through a lack of management plans and logging outside authorized perimeters. The report highlights how the DRC government is complicit in this illegality, while international donors from France, Germany, and Norway continue to support industrial logging under the flawed theory of 'sustainable forest management' (SFM). Norsudtimber uses a complex web of shell companies in Liechtenstein, Hong Kong, and Dubai to obscure its beneficial owners and trade timber to markets in China, Vietnam, and Europe. The investigation finds that SFM is scientifically unsound for the Congo Basin, as tree species take 100-230 years to mature, far exceeding the 25-year rotation cycle. Furthermore, the report documents negligible development benefits for local communities and significant carbon emissions resulting from forest degradation.

The GCF Board's 18th meeting in Cairo focused on operationalizing the fund's implementation phase. Key outcomes include the approval of multiple funding proposals across various regions, the accreditation of five new entities, and the adoption of a Simplified Approval Process (SAP) pilot for small-scale activities. The Board also approved a new Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Policy and a revised administrative budget and staffing target of 250 employees for 2018. However, consensus was not reached on a risk management framework or the selection process for a Permanent Trustee.

The document outlines India's approach to climate change, emphasizing the principle of Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and its commitment to the Paris Agreement despite the US withdrawal. It highlights India's challenges with erratic weather, forest fires, and water shortages, while noting its continued reliance on coal alongside growing renewable energy. The report identifies five key areas for potential India-Norway cooperation: CO2 sequestration in Enhanced Oil Recovery, mini-hydro power and turbine retrofitting, REDD+ pilots for ecosystem restoration, smart grid solutions for renewables, and R&D in biogas from waste.

The paper identifies a lack of trust as a primary barrier to scaling REDD+ investment, stemming from system complexity, concerns over environmental and social robustness, and perceived implementation gaps. It proposes applying the International Accounting Standards Board's Conceptual framework for financial reporting to REDD+ accounting to address these issues. Key recommendations include tailoring reporting to end-users, standardising uncertainty analyses, requiring independent third-party verification, and creating a roadmap to harmonise reference levels and monitoring requirements across different global frameworks.

The report finds that 'green finance' aligned with forest and climate goals is severely insufficient, totaling roughly USD 20 billion since 2010, and is dwarfed by 'grey finance'—investments in agricultural drivers of deforestation—which amounts to USD 777 billion. While results-based REDD+ payments have mobilized over USD 4.1 billion, disbursements remain limited. The authors argue that achieving zero deforestation by 2030 requires a dramatic shift of existing financial flows away from deforestation drivers toward sustainable land use and the strengthening of private sector ESG policies.

The document outlines nine key lessons for engaging the private sector in climate projects, emphasizing the need for context-specific approaches, strong public policy, and the use of innovative financial instruments. It argues that public sector leadership is essential to reduce risks and demonstrate the business case for private investment, particularly in adaptation projects which are typically seen as riskier than mitigation projects. Case studies from countries like Indonesia, Kenya, India, and Colombia illustrate the effectiveness of risk-sharing mechanisms, pilot projects, and the inclusion of private actors in the design phase of project lifecycles.

The report examines the synergies between Community Forest Management (CFM) and agroecology, positioning them as essential tools for food sovereignty and biodiversity conservation. It critiques the 'green economy' and market-based conservation models like REDD+, arguing that they erode traditional values and community autonomy. The document specifically challenges the FAO's definition of forests for including monoculture plantations, which it claims facilitates deforestation and undermines the livelihoods of the 1.6 billion people dependent on forests. It advocates for the recognition of territorial control, women's autonomy, and traditional knowledge as the primary drivers of effective forest protection.

The report argues that Community Forest Management (MCB) and agroecology are complementary political and technical practices that protect biodiversity and ensure food sovereignty. It critiques top-down conservation models like REDD+ and the FAO's narrow definition of forests, which the author claims facilitate industrial monocultures and the displacement of local communities. The document highlights the role of traditional knowledge, women's autonomy, and local markets in maintaining ecosystem health, providing evidence from the Amazon, Southeast Asia, Africa, and Europe.