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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 agreement outlines a five-year collaboration between the IAI and PAHO to enhance institutional capacities for understanding the relationships between climate, environment, and health. The parties commit to joint scientific projects, a regional fellowship program, the dissemination of communication materials, and the strengthening of integrated surveillance and monitoring of climate, environment, and health conditions.

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 report identifies systemic gender inequalities in Haiti—particularly regarding land ownership, credit access, and decision-making power—that increase the vulnerability of women and girls to climate change. It assesses the legal and institutional framework, noting that while gender units exist in ministries, they lack sufficient climate change expertise and coordination with the Ministry of Environment. The document proposes a four-axis strategy focusing on awareness, capacity building, institutional strengthening, and gender-responsive budgeting to ensure that climate adaptation benefits are equitably distributed.

This report details the activities of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Directorate from 1 July 2023 to 13 October 2023. It focuses on the implementation of decisions from the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-31), specifically regarding research programs on climate-health and ocean systems, science diplomacy, and the expansion of institutional associations.

The IAI Executive Directorate has advanced several strategic mandates from CoP-31, including the launch of a climate, environment, and health research program, the establishment of an Oceans, Islands, and Coastal Regions Committee, and the expansion of scientific diplomacy initiatives. Key achievements include the distribution of initial grants to 12 research teams across 15 countries, the development of partnerships with the University of the West Indies and the Global Change Research Center in Paraguay, and the implementation of the Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship with 45 fellows. The Directorate is also coordinating regional efforts on the Amazon and tropical forests, as well as enhancing gender and indigenous inclusion through new advisory committees and targeted funding for underrepresented researchers.

The Peer Learning Summit (PLS) convened representatives from 10 countries to exchange knowledge on vertical integration in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. The workshop focused on five interdependent areas: coordination mechanisms with sub-national governments, capacity strengthening, engagement with the local private sector, engagement with civil society organizations (CSOs), and financial flows to sub-national levels. Key discussions highlighted the necessity of long-term monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems to track progress across governance levels and the importance of gender-responsive and socially inclusive (GESI) approaches. Participating countries, including Kenya, Ghana, and Tuvalu, shared specific milestones and challenges, such as limited local funding and technical capacity gaps. The event concluded with countries identifying actionable next steps for their respective NAP processes through June 2024.

The document outlines the requirements and benefits of the Biennial Transparency Report (BTR) under the Paris Agreement's Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF). While BTR submission is mandatory for most countries by December 31, 2024, the chapter on climate change impacts and adaptation (A-BTR) remains optional. The guide details how the A-BTR can be used to streamline other reporting obligations, such as Adaptation Communications (AdCom) and National Communications (NC), and how it informs the Global Stocktake (GST) to assess progress toward the Global Goal on Adaptation.

The Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) provides feedback on a draft WTO statement for MC13, urging members to move from identifying actions to advancing concrete commitments. TESS recommends strengthening the document's environmental credibility, specifically by cautioning against the promotion of certain bioplastics like polylactic acid (PLA) and emphasizing the needs of developing countries and small island developing states (SIDS). The statement advocates for increased transparency in trade flows, enhanced capacity building for manufacturing sustainable substitutes, and closer alignment with the ongoing international plastics treaty process and the Basel Convention.

The document examines the evolving integration of ocean issues into the UNFCCC climate process, noting a shift from limited recognition in the Paris Agreement to the establishment of the annual Ocean and Climate Change Dialogue. While 2022 saw significant momentum through the 'Super Year of the Ocean' and the BBNJ agreement, the author argues that COP27 outcomes were overly process-oriented and lacked strong language on finance. For COP28, the brief recommends that African stakeholders leverage regional forums and the African Group of Negotiators to shift the global dialogue from knowledge sharing to concrete implementation, utilizing regional successes like the Great Blue Wall and Seychelles' debt-for-nature swap to advocate for increased finance, capacity building, and technology transfer.

The ASAP Ghana Gender Action Plan establishes a framework to increase the accessibility of solar PV financing for women-led households and MSMEs, build gender-responsive institutional capacity within Ecobank and government agencies, and implement crosscutting safeguards against gender-based violence.

The document assesses the impact of gender analyses on National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in nine countries, identifying how these tools influence policy, knowledge, collaboration, and investment. It highlights that while gender analyses often lead to the creation of specific gender-climate strategies and the integration of gender-disaggregated data into NAPs, their effectiveness depends on high-level political ownership, inclusive stakeholder participation, and continuous dissemination of results.

The proposal seeks USD 615,650 over 24 months to address four primary barriers in Angola: inadequate institutional capacity within the NDA, the absence of national direct access accredited entities, a lack of strategic frameworks for GCF investment and private sector mobilization, and a weak project pipeline. The project, implemented by the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), aims to establish a no-objection procedure, develop a Country Programme Document, create a climate finance tagging system, and produce two high-quality project concept notes for GCF submission. It also includes the development of an NDA website to increase stakeholder awareness.

The ECCCP-Drought project seeks USD 24.96 million in GCF grants to address climate-induced water scarcity in the Rajshahi, Naogaon, and Chapainawabganj districts of Bangladesh. The project employs a '4-R' approach (Reuse, Recharge, Recycle, and Reduce) to manage water resources, featuring the installation of 2,500 rooftop Managed Aquifer Recharge (MAR) systems and 40 pond-based recharge wells to replenish groundwater. It also includes the re-excavation of 300 ponds and 140 km of canals to improve surface water storage. To enhance livelihoods, the project promotes drought-adaptive cropping patterns and fruit varieties for 15,000 farmers, aiming to reduce irrigation water needs by 70%. Institutional capacity will be strengthened by establishing a climate change unit within the Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) and a national MAR centre under the Ministry of Water Resources.

The report outlines a framework for developing countries to bridge the adaptation finance gap through seven guiding principles. These are divided into process-related principles—emphasizing country-driven approaches, the engagement of finance ministries, and inclusivity—and content-related principles, which focus on the strategic use of diverse financial instruments, alignment with national development goals, improving the enabling environment, and establishing monitoring and evaluation processes. The report supports these principles with case studies from Kenya, Nepal, and Peru, highlighting that a financing strategy is a continuous process rather than a single document.

The document argues that the Loss and Damage Fund must be fair, transparent, and inclusive to effectively support vulnerable countries. It recommends a broad scope based on recipient-led needs assessments, participatory governance involving civil society, and the use of grants over loans. The authors highlight four critical trade-offs: scope versus coordination, participatory versus devolved governance, inclusive versus rapid decision-making, and accessibility versus oversight.

The Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA) is a proposed WTO accord aimed at streamlining foreign direct investment (FDI) flows, particularly to developing and least developed countries. The agreement is structured around four pillars: transparency of investment measures, streamlining administrative procedures, improving cooperation (including 'sustainable investments'), and providing special and differential treatment (SDT) for developing nations. While the legal text was finalized in July 2023, the process now faces challenges regarding its legal architecture—whether to integrate it as a multilateral or plurilateral agreement—which requires consensus from all WTO members, including non-participants like India and South Africa. Critics argue the agreement lacks operative provisions specifically designed to simplify investment for sustainable development, noting that responsible business conduct (RBC) obligations are minimal and not subject to dispute settlement.

The document details the efforts of community leader Ana Cecilia Solís Ugalde and the MUDECOOP cooperative in Manzanillo, Puntarenas, to combat climate change through the creation of the area's first covered mangrove nursery. The project aims to establish natural barriers against tidal waves and flooding, which threaten a community where 80% of residents live in mangrove areas. Beyond reforestation, the initiative addresses food insecurity via a communal dining room for children during fishing moratoriums and droughts, and promotes community tourism as an alternative income source to offset the loss of artisanal fishing revenue.

The 31st meeting of the IAI Conference of the Parties approved the 2023-2024 operating budget and established new research mandates focusing on the nexus of climate, health, and oceans. The meeting also authorized the creation of a Scientific Diplomacy Center, the establishment of an Advisory Committee for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities, and the invitation of the University of the West Indies and the Global Change Research Center of the National University of Asunción to join the Institute.

As of 30 April 2023, the GCF has approved 693 readiness grants totaling USD 513 million for 142 countries. Analysis of 239 completed grants shows significant progress in capacity-building, strategic framework development, and adaptation planning, with a strong focus on vulnerable regions. However, the portfolio has faced substantial delays, primarily due to the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to 336 grants receiving no-cost extensions. The GCF is implementing operational improvements, including the Readiness Results Management Framework (RRMF) and the Portfolio Performance Management System (PPMS), to enhance reporting and efficiency.