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The 2024 Forest Declaration Assessment finds that the world is largely off track to meet its 2030 forest goals. In 2023, 6.37 million hectares of forest were permanently lost, exceeding the target required to eliminate deforestation by 45 percent. Tropical deforestation remains high, particularly in Asia, while primary forest loss is 38 percent higher than necessary to be on track. Forest degradation is widespread, with 62.6 million hectares losing ecological integrity in 2022. The report also highlights an escalation in forest fire frequency and intensity, with 138 million hectares of tree cover burned between 2001 and 2023. Restoration efforts are hindered by a lack of transparent monitoring, though tropical forest regrowth increased significantly after 2015. Biodiversity in forests is also under threat, with tree cover loss in forested Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) spiking by 10 percent in 2023.

The terminal review evaluates a UNDP-GEF project aimed at scaling early-stage innovations to enhance climate resilience in fragile regions of Uganda and Sudan. The project achieved high effectiveness, with 98% compliance of objective indicators and 94.8% of outcome targets, despite the civil war in Sudan. Key successes include the empowerment of women and the use of innovative finance mechanisms for agro-forestry commodities like coffee in Uganda and Gum Arabic in Sudan. The review highlights the success of a 'hands-off' implementation model where UNDP provided oversight while the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) managed execution. While the project is considered highly cost-effective and sustainable, remaining risks include conflict-related challenges in Sudan and perceived high investment risks in fragile states.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has invested over US$45 million in resilience innovations across the Global South, supporting 7 million people. The 2024 portfolio highlights several specific projects: the Near East Foundation's community-based credit systems in Sudan; Mountain Harvest's regenerative coffee farming in Uganda; MetaMeta's 'Green Roads for Water' initiative in Kenya and Ethiopia; Farm to Feed's digital marketplace for surplus produce in Kenya; FSPN Africa's carbon farming in Kenya and Tanzania; ROOH's climate-resilient housing in India; Mahila Housing Trust's heat action plans in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal; and Centro Sabiá's greywater reuse and agroforestry in Brazil.

The SUNCASA project, funded with USD 22 million by Global Affairs Canada and managed by IISD and WRI, implements nature-based solutions (NbS) to combat flooding, heat, and biodiversity loss in Dire Dawa, Kigali, and Johannesburg. The project targets 2.2 million beneficiaries, with a specific focus on gender equality and the empowerment of marginalized groups in climate adaptation planning.

The document presents a series of demands from African environmental defenders, calling for the recognition of their human rights, the creation of a legally binding regional treaty for their protection, and an end to 'false solutions' in climate change. It advocates for a transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy, the cessation of militarized conservation in favor of community-led models, and the implementation of redress mechanisms to hold governments and businesses accountable for human rights violations. The text emphasizes the need for the meaningful inclusion of women, youth, and indigenous peoples in the management of natural resources and climate mitigation efforts.

The document analyzes the green agricultural policies and financial markets of China and Brazil, highlighting the strategic importance of soy and beef in their bilateral trade. It identifies a divergence in focus, with China prioritizing technical production efficiency and pollution control, while Brazil focuses on land-use change, deforestation, and livestock management. The report recommends that Brazil develop a national taxonomy combining 'white list' and 'technical screening' approaches and suggests seven specific actions for China-Brazil collaboration, including the creation of a joint green agriculture fund and the harmonization of sustainable production standards for key commodities.

The mid-term evaluation of Côte d’Ivoire's SNGCC 2020–2024 reveals a low overall implementation rate, with only 16% of activities fully completed. While the strategy is deemed relevant and aligned with international commitments and national priorities, it suffers from a lack of budgeting, an absent monitoring and evaluation framework, and insufficient funding for direct actions. Significant progress was made in capacity building and inter-institutional coordination, including the establishment of the National Gender and Climate Change Platform (PNGCC) and the integration of gender perspectives into the National Adaptation Plan (PNA) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). However, the axis focused on the empowerment of women and girls has seen the least progress, with over 80% of its activities not yet implemented. The report recommends adopting a results-based management approach for the next strategy, mobilizing more internal and external resources, and expanding gender-climate training to local authorities and community leaders.

The Community Resilience Partnership Program (CRPP) is a regional initiative managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen the climate resilience of approximately 3.2 million poor and vulnerable people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The program is structured into two components: a Trust Fund (TF) for upstream capacity building and knowledge generation, and an Investment Fund (IF) for downstream implementation of adaptation measures. The IF focuses on three primary outputs: improving climate risk information systems, implementing climate-resilient pro-poor livelihoods, and constructing pro-poor climate adaptation infrastructure. The program emphasizes transformational adaptation, gender equality, and the use of nature-based solutions to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized populations.

The project aims to protect approximately 799,445 direct beneficiaries in Bosnia and Herzegovina from intensifying climate-induced floods. It scales up a prototype from the Vrbas River basin to a national level, integrating a centralized and community-based Flood Forecasting and Early Warning System (FFEWS) with structural and ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) measures. The initiative focuses on six target basins: Vrbas, Una-Sana, Bosna, Drina, Neretva, and Trebišnjica. Key components include upgrading the hydrometric network, mainstreaming flood risk into sectoral policies (agriculture, forestry, hydropower), and developing innovative risk financing and insurance mechanisms to ensure long-term sustainability.

The project aims to protect and restore the Congo Nile Divide (CND) landscape in Rwanda, focusing on an area of 444,600 hectares. It addresses vulnerabilities to landslides, floods, and soil erosion caused by climate variability and deforestation. The strategy involves three main components: mainstreaming climate adaptation into land-use planning, restoring natural forests and creating ecological 'stepping stones' for biodiversity, and enhancing rural livelihoods through agroforestry, beekeeping, and the distribution of fuel-efficient cookstoves. The project seeks $39.06 million in GCF grants, with additional co-financing from the Rwandan government, to benefit over 1.25 million direct beneficiaries.

The project aims to build climate resilience for approximately 1.28 million people in Tanzania's Kigoma region, specifically targeting refugees in the Nduta and Nyarugusu camps and their host communities. It employs an integrated landscape approach to address environmental degradation, food insecurity, and water scarcity caused by rising temperatures and erratic rainfall. Key interventions include participatory climate-resilient land-use planning, the establishment of 30,000 hectares of Community Based Forest Management (CBFM) reserves, 12,000 hectares of agroforestry and afforestation, and the construction of flood and erosion control infrastructure. To improve livelihoods, the project provides climate-smart agricultural inputs, rainwater harvesting systems, and support for beekeeping and mushroom cultivation. The initiative is executed by the Government of Tanzania's Vice President's Office and UNHCR, with a total financing of USD 23.62 million.

The SCPZ programme targets the Kara region in Togo, the Southern agropole in Senegal, and the Boké and Kankan regions in Guinea. It integrates climate adaptation and mitigation by investing in solar-powered drip irrigation, biogas energy for agro-processing, and climate-resilient agricultural (CRA) practices. The project aims to benefit 6.72 million people, with a strong focus on women, and expects to reduce 16.9 million tCO2eq over its lifespan.

The LoCAL Benin project is a scaling-up of a pilot initiative designed to empower 25 local governments in four vulnerable departments (Atacora, Alibori, Donga, and Mono) to implement climate-resilient investments. The programme addresses institutional, technical, and financial barriers by providing capacity building, technical assistance, and Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants (PBCRG). These grants, totaling approximately USD 6.48 million, will fund roughly 110 small-scale investments in sectors such as climate-adapted agriculture, water management, and coastal protection. The project targets 2.68 million total beneficiaries, with a strong focus on women and the most vulnerable populations, to integrate climate resilience into local development planning and budgeting.

The National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) is seeking USD 199,966.00 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) over 12 months to align its monitoring, evaluation, and reporting systems with the GCF's Integrated Results Management Framework (IRMF). The project aims to bridge gaps in NTNC's ability to transform project ideas into bankable proposals and to effectively measure results across its pipeline of climate resilience projects in Nepal. Key activities include capacity needs assessments, the development of training curricula, and residential training for 20 officers on Theory of Change, logical frameworks, and paradigm shift evaluations. This support is intended to facilitate the implementation of existing projects, such as FP 131 in the Gandaki River Basin, and the development of new initiatives in regions like Karnali Province, Madhesh Province, and the Kathmandu Valley.

The document examines the conflict between current global food systems and biodiversity, noting that while food systems depend on natural capital, they are the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. It highlights that USD 700 billion in annual government agricultural support often incentivizes harmful practices like the overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. To address this, the author analyzes three national case studies: the UK's transition to paying for 'environmental public goods', India's support for organic 'clusters' to improve soil health, and Brazil's ABC+ plan for climate adaptation and low-carbon agriculture. The paper concludes that achieving the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework's Target 18 requires better practical guidance for policymakers and greater coherence between international frameworks, including the WTO, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Smallholder farms, particularly those between two and five hectares, produce 46% of the world's food and often exhibit higher land productivity and biodiversity than larger farms. While they are critical for global supply chains of products like coffee, cocoa, and tea, they face a 'yield gap'—ranging from 11% in East Asia to 76% in Sub-Saharan Africa—that could be closed through better access to modern agrifood chains and technology. In Africa, the adoption of climate-smart practices such as agroforestry and organic manure is heavily influenced by the availability of finance and credit. Smallholder agriculture is a primary economic driver in many developing nations, contributing 23% to the GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa.

Climate finance for small-scale agrifood systems was USD 5.53 billion in 2019/20, representing only 0.8% of total global climate finance and 19% of agrifood-specific flows. This reflects a 44% decline from the 2017/18 period, driven by reduced commitments from governments and development finance institutions. Funding is dominated by public sources (96%) and primarily delivered via grants and concessional debt, with a critical lack of equity investment. Geographically, Sub-Saharan Africa received the largest share (34%), while South Asia and the MENA region remain significantly underserved despite high climate vulnerability. The report argues that current funding is starkly inadequate compared to the estimated annual general financing needs of smallholder farmers (USD 170 billion) and agri-SMEs (USD 106 billion).

The report assesses gender-based inequalities in Rwanda's Congo Nile Divide to inform a GCF project on forest and landscape restoration. It identifies that while Rwanda has progressive national gender laws, rural areas remain dominated by patriarchal norms that limit women's access to land, credit, and decision-making. The document outlines a strategy to empower women and youth through social behavior change communications, financial autonomy, and technical skills in agroforestry and beekeeping to enhance climate resilience.

The Community Resilience Partnership Program (CRPP), managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to strengthen the climate resilience of approximately 3.2 million poor and vulnerable people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The program is structured into two interlinked components: a Trust Fund (TF) for upstream capacity building and knowledge research, and an Investment Fund (IF) for downstream implementation of adaptation measures. The GCF is requested to provide USD 120 million (USD 100 million in grants and USD 20 million in loans) to co-finance the Investment Fund, leveraging an additional USD 555 million from ADB and USD 75 million from bilateral donors. Key interventions include improving climate information services, implementing resilient pro-poor livelihoods, and constructing adaptive infrastructure such as ecosystem-based defenses and multipurpose emergency shelters. A central pillar of the program is a dedicated Gender Window within the Trust Fund to address structural inequalities and empower women in resilience-related decision-making.

The Staple Crops Processing Zone (SCPZ) programme aims to transform agricultural value chains in Togo, Senegal, and Guinea by integrating climate-resilient production with low-carbon processing. The project focuses on four regions: Kara in Togo, the Southern agropole in Senegal, and Boké and Kankan in Guinea. It combines adaptation measures, such as solar-powered drip irrigation and climate-resilient agriculture (CRA), with mitigation efforts, including biogas digesters and agroforestry. The programme targets 1.104 million direct beneficiaries and 5.612 million indirect beneficiaries, with a strong emphasis on women's empowerment. Total financing is USD 271.70 million, with USD 102.79 million requested from the GCF as a mix of grants and loans.