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The Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the operational arm of the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), provides long-term concessional loans to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to implement macro-critical climate reforms. While the RSF creates fiscal space and improves investment conditions, its impact is often hindered by limited engagement with sectoral ministries, overlapping climate initiatives, and inconsistent coordination with development partners like the World Bank and regional development banks. The document recommends institutionalizing inter-ministry platforms, aligning RSF reforms with national climate plans, and utilizing joint diagnostic tools. It also highlights the role of IMF Climate Finance Roundtables in aligning investments with national priorities, though these have yet to mobilize significant private capital. Case studies from Bangladesh, Barbados, and Senegal illustrate both the potential and the challenges of these coordination mechanisms.

The report examines the role of green banks in bridging the USD 7.4 trillion annual climate funding gap. It identifies four main structures: standalone de novo banks, enhanced public development banks (PDBs), green facilities within PDBs, and country platforms. While standalone banks are more common in advanced economies, EMDEs frequently utilize green facilities as transitional mechanisms. The report emphasizes that success depends on financial, environmental, and political sustainability, and proposes three international support options: a new design initiative, expanding the FiCS Innovation Lab, or forming a coalition of existing initiatives.

The report outlines a systematic approach to estimating top-down climate finance needs, distinguishing them from bottom-up needs derived from Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). CPI's methodology involves collecting data from nearly 100 reports, standardizing sector classifications using its Global Landscape of Climate Finance (GLCF) taxonomy, and harmonizing timeframes, currencies, and value types. The document emphasizes that annual climate finance flows must increase significantly, reaching USD 7.5 trillion per year by 2030 and over USD 8.8 trillion per year from 2031 to 2050. It also addresses data gaps in sectors like aviation and wastewater, the inclusion of non-climate solutions like fossil fuel deployment, and the necessity of redirecting capital from high-carbon activities to meet net-zero targets.

The policy brief argues that meeting Paris Agreement goals requires a fivefold increase in urban climate finance to USD 4.3 trillion per year by 2030. It identifies critical barriers to subnational integration, including political misalignment, capacity gaps, and creditworthiness constraints. To address these, the authors present a five-stage 'Urban-inclusive Country Platform Framework' moving from initial engagement to implementation. The brief applies this framework to case studies in Egypt, Brazil, and India, highlighting opportunities to shift from fragmented project-based funding to strategic, programmatic approaches that empower cities as active partners in climate action.

The document examines the 'climate-debt trap' facing low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where escalating external debt—reaching nearly US$6.5 trillion in 2023—crowds out climate investment. It analyzes existing financial mechanisms such as Climate Resilient Debt Clauses (CRDCs), Catastrophe (CAT) bonds, and debt swaps, while critiquing the G20 Common Framework for its inadequacy. The authors advocate for the cancellation of 'odious debt' linked to fossil fuel projects and propose that a Fossil Fuel Treaty could establish a Debt Resolution Facility to help member nations renegotiate debts in exchange for phasing out fossil fuels.

FSD Africa has issued a pre-qualification call for suppliers and consultants for the 2025-2030 period. The process is open to eligible firms and individuals, with a focus on sustainable procurement and ESG best practices. Applicants must demonstrate at least four years of experience and financial capability. The deadline for submission is 08 May 2025.

The report identifies Iraq as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries globally, facing severe water scarcity, rising temperatures, and desertification. It proposes a strategic framework to prioritize GCF funding across key sectors, including energy, agriculture, water, and urban development. The document details a prioritized list of 19 projects, with high-priority initiatives focusing on climate-resilient livelihoods in southern Iraq and the transformation of the agricultural and water sectors. It emphasizes the need for international financial support, technology transfer, and the mobilization of private sector investment to bridge significant development gaps and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, particularly from the energy sector, which accounts for 85% of national emissions as of 2019.

The document evaluates UNI2 Microcrédito, a Colombian microfinance provider, using the RAI Scoring Tool to determine its compliance with the CFS-RAI principles. While UNI2 is not an agribusiness, the exercise served to refine the tool's indicators and design. UNI2 achieved an overall compliance score of 69%, performing strongest in inclusive and transparent structures (97%) and weakest in environmentally sustainable processes (31%). The study highlights UNI2's role in providing critical credit to rural farmers and micro-entrepreneurs, particularly through its CARGA vehicle financing line, while identifying gaps in its environmental risk management and social empowerment programs.

The report explores how traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) of the iTaukei people in Fiji serves as a cost-effective tool for climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction. It details specific TEK applications, such as traditional building techniques, food preservation, and natural early warning systems based on animal and plant behavior. The document also discusses the importance of traditional governance and spirituality in resilience and outlines current government efforts to revitalize and preserve this knowledge.

The report evaluates the first 3.5 years of Suriname's NAP implementation, noting significant progress in forestry, environment, and spatial planning, but highlighting systemic barriers such as a lack of a formal coordinating entity, insufficient funding, and low stakeholder awareness.

The document argues that the transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy in South Africa's Steve Tshwete Local Municipality (STLM) is 'unjust' for youth due to their exclusion from meaningful employment and productive assets. It highlights how the closure of the Komati Power Station has devastated local livelihoods and how current municipal land disposal conditions effectively bar unemployed youth from ownership. Furthermore, it notes that renewable energy projects, such as solar installations in Doornkop, provide only short-term, low-skill work that fails to create sustainable career paths for young people.

Togo's LT-LEDS 2025-2060 aims for carbon neutrality by 2060 through a 'conforming' scenario, focusing on the AFAT (Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use) and Energy sectors. The strategy requires an estimated investment of 11,920.59 billion FCFA (19.87 billion USD), with 67% allocated to mitigation and 28% to adaptation. Key goals include increasing forest cover to 30% by 2050 and achieving 75% renewable energy in the energy mix by 2060. The document also details a comprehensive adaptation plan for sectors including health, water resources, and coastal zones, while integrating gender equity and social inclusion into climate action.

The document examines the transition to a sustainable bioeconomy in the tropics, focusing on the institutional, business, and technological environments of specific bioresources in Thailand, Kenya, and Colombia. It highlights a systemic gap where public policies prioritize economic growth and productivity over environmental and social sustainability, particularly for smallholder farmers. While Thailand leads in high-value bioproducts like bioplastics from cassava, it faces challenges with soil degradation and labor shortages. In contrast, Kenya and Colombia primarily use cassava for food security, with nascent industrial sectors. The paper also explores non-timber forest products (NTFPs), such as croton in Kenya and açaí in Colombia, noting that while they offer high value and conservation potential, they are hindered by complex regulatory permits and a lack of scaled investment. The authors recommend shifting from monocultures to sustainable production systems, strengthening smallholder cooperatives, and streamlining biodiversity regulations to ensure an inclusive and ecologically sound bioeconomy.

The paper addresses the lack of clarity regarding who is responsible for managing climate risks that propagate across borders. It introduces a framework to identify stakeholders, assets, and objectives at risk, applying it to the supply chain of Brazilian non-GMO soy protein concentrate imported for the Norwegian aquaculture industry. The analysis demonstrates that while national-level risk ownership may be clear, transboundary responsibility—such as Norway's role in supporting adaptation in Brazil—remains ambiguous.

The document analyzes how climate change disrupts agricultural yields and trade flows, particularly in developing regions, while contributing significantly to global GHG emissions. It highlights the risks of food insecurity and the potential for trade-related climate measures to marginalize vulnerable economies. The author argues for a comprehensive international cooperation agenda focused on reducing trade tensions, reforming harmful subsidies, facilitating technology transfer, and securing global food stocks to ensure a fair transition to sustainable agriculture.

The Bioplastic Feedstock Alliance (BFA) proposes a unified framework for a circular bioeconomy, arguing that bioeconomy and circular economy strategies are often treated separately in policy, such as by the European Commission. The vision emphasizes four key integration concepts: Cascading Use, Biobased Carbon, Industrial Ecology, and Responsible Biomass Sourcing. The document highlights the need for a universal framework of principles and indicators to overcome the complexity of varying national definitions. It warns against 'sustainability tunnel vision' and calls for a use hierarchy that prioritizes long-term material uses over energy recovery. Recommendations are provided for policymakers, businesses, NGOs, and financial institutions to align their efforts, with a specific goal of conserving 30% of lands, inland waters, and oceans worldwide and reducing primary biomass use for energy by 50% by 2030.

The document argues that SADC must transition from reactive to anticipatory skills governance to address critical gaps in access, relevance, and applicability. It advocates for the integration of 'skills foresight' and 'systemic innovation' to prepare the region's workforce for green and digital economies, emphasizing the need for regional accreditation systems and updated curricula that include systems and futures literacy.

The document is a Readiness and Preparatory Support proposal for the Islamic Republic of Iran, requesting USD 3,000,000 over 36 months to establish a National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process. The project aims to address critical gaps in policy frameworks, inter-sectoral coordination, and technical capacity for vulnerability and risk assessments (VRA). It focuses on five priority sectors: water, agriculture, energy, health, and disaster risk management (DRM). The proposal outlines a theory of change involving the creation of sectoral plans, the development of a monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework, and the formulation of two integrated concept notes for future GCF funding. Implementation will be led by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as the Delivery Partner, with support from UNDP and WHO for specific sectors.

The document opposes the European Commission's simplification packages for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other environmental rules, arguing that dismantling these rules will hinder farmers' ability to adapt to climate change. It highlights that heat stress and droughts have already reduced wheat and maize yields by over 60% in some southern European regions. The signatories demand that the CAP transition from hectare-based income support to incentive-based models, specifically calling for eco-schemes to receive 30% of direct payments by 2026-2027 and the implementation of sustainable peatland management. The statement emphasizes that administrative simplification should focus on digitalization and satellite data rather than suspending performance reports or weakening environmental standards.

The document outlines climate risks in Fiji, noting temperature increases and more severe storms. It highlights the government's policy commitments, the disproportionate vulnerability of women and girls due to structural inequality, and the role of nature-based solutions within protected areas to build resilience.