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The document highlights the risks associated with the rapid extraction of transition minerals, specifically noting violence and human rights abuses in the Philippines. It urges the EU to implement strict sustainability standards in trade agreements and funding to ensure a just transition for mining communities.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) holds approximately 60% of the Congo Basin tropical forest, storing 30 billion tonnes of carbon, yet it faces one of the world's highest deforestation rates, losing over one million hectares of cover in 2023. Despite a 20-year moratorium on new logging concessions and a 2022 decree suspending 12 illegal concessions covering over 1.9 million hectares, illegal logging persists due to selective law enforcement and government complicity. Specifically, Chinese companies Booming Green and Wan Peng (via Congo King Baisheng Forestry Development) are accused of systematic illegalities and ignoring export quotas. The document advocates for a shift toward community-led forest management, noting that deforestation rates in community-managed areas are 23% lower than the national average and 46% lower than in industrial logging concessions.

Global Witness calls for COP16 to transition the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into concrete plans, specifically by protecting environmental defenders, regulating financial flows to end deforestation, and establishing strict global standards for responsible mining of energy transition minerals.

Global Witness calls on the US Congress and the Biden administration to prioritize global forest protection by passing a strengthened FOREST Act and regulating the financial sector. The author highlights that up to 40% of US GDP is linked to sectors with high climate-related forest and land use risks, and that $5 billion in raw commodities were imported from high-risk countries in 2020. The document advocates for a regulatory approach that covers both legal and illegal deforestation, includes Indigenous communities in negotiations, and addresses the failure of non-binding financial commitments, such as those within the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero (GFANZ).

The document argues that China's revised Forest Law, effective July 1, 2020, requires specific implementation regulations to effectively stop illegal timber imports. It recommends that these regulations mandate corporate due diligence, the use of detailed ledgers for traceability, and rigorous risk mitigation for tropical timber, particularly from high-risk suppliers like Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands.

The 'Guidelines for Social Responsibility in Chinese Outbound Mining Investment', developed by the China Chamber of Commerce of Metals, Minerals and Chemicals Importers and Exporters (CCCMC), establish a framework for Chinese mining companies operating abroad. The guidelines are structured around eight core subjects: organizational governance, fair operating practices, value chain management, human rights, labor issues, occupational health and safety, environment, and community involvement. They emphasize compliance with host country laws, ethical business conduct, the protection of human rights and indigenous peoples' rights (including Free, Prior and Informed Consent), and the mitigation of environmental impacts. The document also outlines requirements for supply chain due diligence to avoid 'conflict minerals' and mandates the implementation of environmental and social impact assessments.

Mpumalanga is positioned as a strategic hub for South Africa's renewable energy transition due to its significant grid capacity and proximity to industrial demand. However, developers face substantial hurdles, including a lack of a public mining cadastre and delays in Section 53 land-use applications under the Mineral and Petroleum Resource Development Act. Environmental risks, specifically the lack of precise data on endangered bird flight paths, create uncertainty for wind projects. The document suggests short-term mitigations like the Energy One Stop Shop and Strategic Infrastructure Project registration, while advocating for long-term solutions such as a public mining rights database and comprehensive bird monitoring studies.

The document highlights the critical waste management challenges in Cape Town, where landfills are reaching capacity and organic waste contributes significantly to methane emissions. It presents Inseco as a circular economy solution that processes organic waste using Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae to produce protein meal, oil, grubs, soil, and chitin. This process diverts waste from landfills, reduces greenhouse gas emissions, and provides sustainable alternatives to soy and wild fish protein. Inseco's operations are projected to save companies money on landfill fees, create jobs, and support biodiversity by reducing reliance on deforestation-linked soy and overfished wild fish stocks.

The document details the use of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) larvae to convert low-grade organic waste into high-value protein and oil for animal feed, pet food, and pharmaceuticals. It focuses on Maltento, a Cape Town company that processes organic by-products like spent brewery grain and fruit/vegetable pulp. The study argues that this circular economy approach reduces landfill reliance, lowers greenhouse gas emissions, and decreases dependency on volatile global imports of soy and fishmeal. In 2021, Maltento processed approximately 6,000 tonnes of organics, creating jobs and providing a more stable price for protein derivatives.

The document is a collection of essays and interviews exploring the concept of borders in Europe. It argues that while the Schengen Agreement created a symbolic and practical 'common home' for Europeans, the refugee crisis has triggered a return to national borders and 'cognitive barriers.' Contributors discuss the failure of the Dublin Regulation, the need for a common European asylum system, and the potential for 'borderless solidarity.' The volume also extends the analysis of borders to the maritime domain, arguing for the ocean to be treated as a 'global nation' or common good to prevent resource exploitation and conflict.

This briefing document, approved by the Conference of the Parties (CoP-VIII) in July 2001, outlines the Terms of Reference (ToR) for the External Review Committee (ERC) tasked with evaluating the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The review aims to assess the IAI's institutional and programmatic development since its 1992 establishment, focusing on its ability to provide value to governments and improve social well-being in member countries.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and the Brazilian Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (BPBES) have entered into a two-year Letter of Agreement to collaborate on global environmental change policies. The primary initiative is the integration of the BPBES Voluntary Young Researcher Program (VYRP) with the IAI Science, Technology and Policy (STeP) Fellowship program. Under this arrangement, BPBES will support up to four fellows every 12 months for two years, while IAI provides professional development training in leadership, communication, and science diplomacy for early-career researchers in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The IAI Directorate Report covers the period from July 2016 to May 2017, focusing on the implementation of transdisciplinary research and capacity building across the Americas. Key activities include the management of the Third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3), the development of Professional Development Seminars (PDS), and the establishment of a Science-Policy Liaison Directorate (SPLD) to bridge the gap between scientific findings and governmental decision-making. The report also highlights IAI's engagement with international conventions such as the UNFCCC and CBD, and the launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on climate change impacts in Latin America.

The IAI report covers its progress in transdisciplinary research, the implementation of the Third Cooperative Research Networks (CRN3) program, and the development of professional seminars to bridge the gap between science and policy in the Americas. Key achievements include the launch of a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on climate change impacts in Latin America and the establishment of a science-policy liaison office in Buenos Aires to systematize the impact of IAI research on regional governance.

This research paper describes the BEST-P initiative, a project supported by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) that examines the relationship between territorial arrangement plans and ecosystem services in three South American ecosystems. The project, involving 23 researchers from nine institutions across five countries, aims to integrate the concept of ecosystem services into land use planning to balance conservation with agricultural productivity.

The IAI is implementing a policy to mainstream gender, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in research funding and working environments. Key activities include providing scholarships for early-career professionals from Latin America and the Caribbean, integrating EDI into science diplomacy training, and supporting projects like 'Women as Guardians of Biodiversity and Climate Resilience in Andean Peatlands'. The IAI's framework has also served as the basis for the Belmont Forum's own DEIA policy development.

The Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) is a regional initiative launched by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) to strengthen the interface between science and policy in the Americas. The Center aims to provide government officials and experts with the tools and knowledge necessary to address transboundary global change challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, through multinational collaboration and capacity building.

The Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) is a regional initiative established by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) to foster collaboration between scientists and policymakers across the Americas. Its primary goal is to provide government officials and experts with robust scientific information to address complex, transboundary challenges related to global change, including climate change, biodiversity, and water resources. The SDC aims to act as a regional resource for capacity building, research, and the exchange of best practices in science diplomacy. Its strategic objectives include developing a science diplomacy knowledge center, creating training curricula for policymakers and diplomats, and convening diverse stakeholders to promote evidence-based decision-making and international cooperation.

The document outlines the eligibility criteria, team composition requirements, and financial guidelines for small grants aimed at implementing Ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) projects in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). It emphasizes a transdisciplinary approach, requiring teams to include both university stakeholders and community members. Projects must support EbA objectives, specifically helping people adapt to climate change, utilizing biodiversity, and integrating into urban territory adaptation strategies. The grants support a project duration of 18 months, with a focus on strengthening university-community partnerships and the EPIC-N model.

The Mexican government, via the Instituto Nacional de Ecología, proposes three primary research lines for the IAI: integrated assessments of climate variability and its impacts on health, agriculture, tourism, and ecosystems; the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions in the energy and forestry sectors; and the study of co-benefits from reducing local and global emissions on human health and urban ecosystems.