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The New York Declaration on Forests establishes a global framework to reduce natural forest loss by half by 2020 and end it by 2030. It targets the elimination of deforestation in commodity production (soy, palm oil, beef, and paper) and sets ambitious restoration goals for degraded lands. The declaration emphasizes the role of forests in sequestering carbon, supporting 1.6 billion people, and protecting 80% of terrestrial biodiversity, estimating that achieving these goals could reduce annual emissions by 4.5 to 8.8 billion tonnes by 2030.

The New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) establishes a framework for global action to end natural forest loss and degradation by 2030. It identifies commodity-driven deforestation as a primary driver and emphasizes the central role of indigenous peoples and local communities in forest protection. The declaration sets specific targets for the private sector to eliminate deforestation from commodity production and aims to restore 350 million hectares of degraded landscapes. Achieving these goals is presented as a critical component of limiting global warming to 1.5°C, with a potential mitigation impact of over 7 billion tonnes of CO2e per year by 2030.

FSD Africa's 2025-2030 strategy aims to transform the continent's financial system to better support sustainable growth and climate resilience. The agency intends to mobilise domestic private capital—estimated at $2.4 trillion—to address gaps in energy transition, climate adaptation, and SME financing. Key implementation plans include the creation of four Centres of Expertise and a Catalytic Transactions Team to build a pipeline of bankable green projects. The strategy sets specific targets, including adding 1,500 megawatts of energy capacity and creating or protecting 200,000 jobs.

Sand to Green, supported by the Catalyst Fund through the Catalysing Climate Resilience (CCR) Programme, uses agroforestry and solar desalination to transform deserts into productive farmland. With $100,000 in initial capital and tailored support, the firm secured $1 million in seed funding, expanded its land holdings to 30 hectares in Morocco, and grew its annual turnover from €30,000 in 2019 to over €100,000 in 2020.

The document outlines a scalable governance model for early-stage alternative local capital providers in Africa, distinguishing between Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) and Investment Companies (Investcos). It details three core pillars of governance—legal structures and agreements, decision-making bodies, and people, policies, and processes—and provides a phased approach from 'foundational' to 'expanded' measures as funds grow in size and complexity. The framework includes specific checklists for key documents like Limited Partnership Agreements (LPAs) and Investment Policy Manuals, while offering good practice examples from African-focused funds such as First Circle, Catalyst Fund, and Aruwa.

The guidelines define ecosystems and ecosystem services, explaining their role in climate resilience and the use of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA). It outlines a framework for project proposals, including a classification of environments (marine, coastal, inland water, forest, dryland, island, mountain, polar, and cultivated), and emphasizes the need for an integrated systems approach. A key focus is on achieving a paradigm shift through natural capital accounting (NCA) to ensure the long-term sustainability of investments. The document also provides impact measurement indicators and a list of indicative SAP-able and non-SAP-able activities.

The guidelines outline the scope of the forest and land use result area, identifying key intervention areas such as forest restoration, sustainable management, deforestation-free supply chains, and REDD+. It defines the 'paradigm shift' required for sustainable development pathways and provides a framework for impact measurement using GCF's integrated results management framework. The document also lists indicative 'SAP-able' activities, such as blockchain for forest management and agroforestry, while explicitly excluding activities that cause resettlement or use exotic species that harm native biodiversity.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accreditation Panel recommends the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) for accreditation as a national direct access entity. SANBI is approved for 'small' project sizes, medium environmental and social risk (Category B/I-2), and specific fiduciary functions, including project management and grant award mechanisms. While the panel found SANBI's grant award mechanisms to be 'mature and well-established', it noted a lack of monitoring reports under a newly established process manual. Consequently, accreditation is conditional upon SANBI submitting periodic monitoring reports for two Adaptation Fund (AF) projects: 'Building resilience in the Greater uMngeni Catchment' and 'Taking adaptation to the ground: a small grants facility for enabling local level responses to climate change in South Africa'.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accreditation Panel recommends the accreditation of the National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) in Nepal for 'micro' sized projects with 'minimal to no risk' (Category C) environmental and social risk. While the NTNC's policies and capacities generally meet GCF standards, the assessment identified gaps in its track record regarding the implementation of recently approved fiduciary and environmental and social management systems. Consequently, accreditation is recommended subject to several conditions, including the establishment of an independent Complaints Committee and the provision of evidence demonstrating the application of its financial, risk management, and monitoring frameworks over subsequent years.

The guide outlines the technical requirements for GCF projects focusing on ecosystems and ecosystem services under the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It defines ecosystem services, explains the role of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in enhancing climate resilience, and advocates for natural capital accounting to shift investment paradigms. The document provides a framework for measuring impact through specific indicators and offers a matrix of eligible and ineligible activities to ensure projects maintain low environmental and social risk.

The document outlines the technical requirements and strategic approach for GCF projects focusing on land use and forest resources via the Simplified Approval Process (SAP). It emphasizes the dual role of forests in climate adaptation and mitigation, highlighting the importance of carbon sequestration and ecosystem services. The guide identifies key intervention areas—including forest restoration, sustainable management of protected areas, deforestation-free supply chains, and REDD+—and provides a framework for measuring impact through specific quantitative and qualitative indicators. It argues for a 'paradigm shift' that decouples economic growth from forest consumption and encourages innovative private sector financing to overcome investment barriers in nature-based solutions.

The GCF's Environmental and Social Policy defines the requirements for accredited entities to identify, assess, and mitigate environmental and social risks. It mandates a risk-based approach using Environmental and Social Safeguards (SAS), a mitigation hierarchy, and rigorous due diligence. The policy emphasizes the protection of vulnerable groups, indigenous peoples, and biodiversity, while requiring transparent information disclosure and the establishment of grievance redress mechanisms at the activity, entity, and fund levels.

The document outlines a comprehensive investment framework for the Green Climate Fund, detailing six primary investment criteria: impact potential, paradigm shift potential, sustainable development potential, needs of the beneficiaries, country ownership, and efficiency and effectiveness. For each criterion, it specifies activity-specific sub-criteria and indicative assessment factors, including quantitative indicators for mitigation (such as tCO2eq reduced) and adaptation (such as number of beneficiaries). The framework emphasizes the need for proposals to demonstrate climate resilience, gender equality, and the ability to catalyze further investment or replicate successful models across different regions and sectors.

The document outlines a detailed framework for Accredited Entities to develop funding proposals for the Green Climate Fund. It specifies the sub-criteria and indicative assessment factors across six main investment criteria: Impact Potential, Paradigm Shift Potential, Sustainable Development Potential, Recipient Needs, National Ownership, and Efficiency and Effectiveness. These factors include quantitative metrics, such as tonnes of CO2 equivalent reduced and the number of beneficiaries, as well as qualitative assessments regarding innovation, gender equality, and institutional capacity.

The GCF Environmental and Social Policy defines the requirements for Accredited Entities to manage environmental and social risks through a systematic Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS). It outlines a risk-based approach to project classification (Categories A, B, and C), mandates due diligence and impact assessments, and establishes guidelines for stakeholder engagement, information disclosure, and grievance redress mechanisms. The policy emphasizes the protection of indigenous peoples, human rights, and biodiversity, while ensuring gender equality and non-discrimination in all climate-funded activities.

The Amazon is facing a systemic tipping point where deforestation rates approaching 20% have turned the rainforest into a net carbon source. The document proposes a shift toward an 'inclusive bioeconomy' that prioritizes the rights and livelihoods of local and indigenous peoples while preserving biodiversity and carbon storage. It highlights the success of the Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS), which reduced deforestation by 76% in its programme areas since 2008 and increased community income by 202%. To scale such models, the Green Economy Coalition proposes the 'Amazon Green Economy Hub,' a cross-sectoral platform designed to rewire policy, financial, and business conditions to support micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and sustainable forest management.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) aims to accelerate the transition to a green, fair, and inclusive economy by acting as a bridge between business, civil society, and government. The GEC operates as a global movement of over 50 organisations, focusing on four core activities: building a narrative of change, stimulating policy across five thematic areas, mobilising national leadership through dialogue, and expanding its network of allies. Its thematic priorities include reforming financial systems, greening economic sectors, tackling inequality, valuing nature, and improving economic measurement and governance.

The Economics for Nature (E4N) partnership (2016-2022) worked to integrate natural capital into economic and business decision-making to protect and restore biodiversity. The report identifies that while the concept of natural capital helps make nature 'material' for policymakers and businesses, systemic change is hindered by a lack of a globally agreed definition of a successful economy and a divergence in capacity between the Global North and South. Key achievements include the development of the Green Economy Tracker, the '3-returns' investment framework, and the mainstreaming of natural capital into the EU Green Deal and African Development Bank programmes. The report concludes that future progress requires putting people and Indigenous Peoples at the heart of economic design, institutionalising natural capital accounting, pursuing systemic economic reform, and scaling nature-based solutions.

The document evaluates how fiscal, budgetary, monetary, and trade policies in Brazil during the COVID-19 pandemic integrated or ignored natural capital in the Legal Amazon. It finds that the vast majority of economic stimulus measures had a negative impact on natural capital, with 87.2% categorized as 'high negative'. While some positive measures exist in bioeconomy and low-carbon agriculture, the report argues that nature was not central to economic decision-making and recommends a shift toward a 'green recovery' that values standing forests.

The report finds that while Uganda's medium-term planning (NDPIII) is responsive to natural capital, actual budgetary allocations have declined, with only 28% of the 2021/22 recovery budget supporting natural capital management compared to 40% in 2020/21. It highlights significant degradation of forests and wetlands and warns that industrialization goals may further threaten biodiversity without dedicated monitoring and offset plans.