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The GCF Water Project Design Guidelines Part 2 outlines a structured approach to developing investment-oriented water projects that address climate change. It details the specific requirements and recommended measures for four key areas: Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM), Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Drought Risk Management, and Flood Risk Management. The guide emphasizes the need for a strong climate science basis, the use of specific analytical tools, and the implementation of both 'grey' and 'green' infrastructure. Special attention is given to Small Island Developing States (SIDS), highlighting their unique vulnerabilities to sea-level rise and freshwater scarcity. The document also provides a framework for assessing project impact, paradigm shift potential, and sustainable development co-benefits to align with GCF's strategic goals.

The GCF Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for a second term with no conditions. The assessment confirms that IDB continues to meet GCF's basic and specialized fiduciary standards, environmental and social safeguards, and gender policies. IDB's portfolio includes eight approved GCF projects totaling USD 761.7 million, with a strong track record in mitigation and adaptation, particularly in the Latin American and Caribbean region. The report highlights IDB's commitment to Paris Agreement alignment and its capacity to support direct access entities through capacity-building initiatives.

Ecuador is highly vulnerable to climate-related events, such as El Niño, but lacks an official economic quantification of loss and damage to effectively participate in international negotiations. This proposal, implemented by the Corporación Andina de Fomento (CAF) and the Ministry of the Environment, Water and Ecological Transition (MAATE), aims to create a national L&D framework. The project will focus on establishing an intersectoral working group, developing standardized methodologies for quantifying economic and non-economic losses, creating a national L&D evaluation, and building technical capacity through training and a communication strategy. The total requested amount is USD 499,952 over a 24-month period.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) signed a Memorandum of Understanding on February 16, 2023, to foster international cooperation and the exchange of scientific information. The agreement focuses on understanding the impact of global change on regional and continental environments in the Americas to support mitigation and adaptation efforts. The parties commit to annual meetings, reciprocal representation at events, and the exchange of publications, operating on a non-legally binding basis and generally without the exchange of funds.

The document outlines a human rights-based framework for the Loss and Damage Fund, emphasizing the need for inclusive governance, grants-based funding from historic polluters, and the provision of substantive redress for marginalized communities.

An analysis of 215 U.S. locations reveals that 84% have experienced a long-term decrease in winter chill since 1980. This trend threatens the $27 billion U.S. non-citrus fruit and nut industry, as many temperate trees require sustained cold temperatures to ensure proper flowering, pollination, and fruit yield. The study highlights significant chill decreases in key producing regions, particularly in California, Washington, and the Southeast, affecting high-value crops such as grapes, almonds, and strawberries.

A December 2022 survey of 1,085 American adults reveals that a majority believe global warming is happening and mostly human-caused. While 64% express worry and some report psychological distress, most reject fatalism and feel a personal responsibility to help. Americans identify a wide range of local risks, particularly water pollution and power outages, and generally believe global warming is affecting U.S. weather and environmental problems.

In Banishanta village, Khulna district, farmers have formed the Banishanta Weather Club to combat the impacts of cyclones, floods, and high salinity. Supported by the NGO Bangladesh Environment and Development Society (BEDS) and the Delta Research Initiative (DRI), the community uses digital tools, smartphone apps, and a Facebook messenger group called 'Banishanta Climate School' to access weather forecasts and agro-advisories. This locally led adaptation approach allows farmers to make informed decisions on sowing and irrigation, reducing the economic costs of climatic disasters and improving livelihoods for smallholder farmers and the Banojibi community.

The PrAda II+ project is a proposed five-year initiative in Madagascar designed to transition the agricultural sector toward climate resilience. Focusing on five key value chains—coffee, clove, peanut, pepper, and vanilla—the project targets six regions (Androy, Anosy, Atsimo-Atsinanana, Vatovavy, Fitovinany, and Atsinanana) where poverty is high and climate hazards like droughts and cyclones are frequent. The project employs a three-pronged approach: introducing climate-resilient agricultural (CRA) technologies, expanding financial services (including a public subsidy mechanism via the Agricultural Development Fund), and improving entrepreneurial and institutional environments. It aims to directly benefit 374,800 people and indirectly benefit over 2.5 million others, with a total indicative cost of EUR 54.7 million.

The report details the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) overall pipeline as of January 2023, which consists of 422 projects with a total value of $72,320M (including co-financing). The pipeline is divided into Funding Proposals (76 projects) and Concept Notes (346 projects). Geographically, Africa represents the highest total value in the overall pipeline at $25,021M. Thematically, cross-cutting projects hold the highest total value at $45,194M. The report also tracks impact potential for the Funding Proposal pipeline, estimating 534,471,213 total beneficiaries and a reduction of 1,957,383,173 tCO2eq.

ClientEarth argues that the UK government has significantly reduced its ambitions for soil health, moving from a goal of all soils being sustainably managed by 2030 to only 60% of agricultural soils. The submission highlights a fragmented regulatory landscape, poor enforcement by the Environment Agency, and the risk that the Retained EU Law Bill will create a 'regulatory gap' by removing cross-compliance standards. ClientEarth advocates for a new legal framework with binding targets, a universal definition of 'healthy soils', and a shift away from purely voluntary schemes like the Environmental Land Management schemes (ELMs), which they argue lack the mandatory minimum standards necessary to achieve national environmental goals.

The report analyzes the disparities between family farmers in Brazil's Caatinga and Cerrado biomes, highlighting that those in the Caatinga face higher levels of poverty, lower productivity, and more restricted access to technical assistance. It argues that a just rural transition requires personalized policies that integrate social dimensions—such as education and gender equity—with technological solutions to move from extractive to sustainable agricultural models.

Project GAIA establishes a framework to integrate gender equality and social inclusion into its investment cycle, requiring all approved projects to develop specific GESI Action Plans. The plan focuses on five pillars: governance, leadership, employment, capacity building, and consumption (access to basic services). It sets platform-level targets, such as achieving 30% women in governance by year one, and project-level requirements, including mandatory gender assessments and the use of sex-disaggregated data in impact reporting. The framework also incorporates safeguarding measures against sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH) and gender-based violence (GBVH).

The report examines the early exploration phase of the Cabora Bassa Project (Special Grant Permit 4571) in Zimbabwe, highlighting significant gaps in transparency and community engagement. While the project has identified substantial potential liquid natural gas reserves, the authors find a lack of meaningful consultation with local populations in the Muzarabani and Mbire districts, creating an information asymmetry between investors and residents. The document warns of potential risks including securitization, human rights abuses, and environmental degradation in a region already highly vulnerable to climate-induced flooding and drought. It recommends making production and exploration agreements public, conducting an independent review of the Environmental Impact Assessment, and implementing an equity-based benefit-sharing model for local communities.

Benin has been implementing a nationally led National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process since 2013, integrating climate adaptation into national and communal development plans. The process has progressed through milestones including capacity building, vulnerability studies, and the 2022 launch of the NAP document. Priority sectors for adaptation include agriculture, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, freshwater resources, energy, coastlines, and tourism, addressing impacts such as floods, sea level rise, droughts, and excessive heat.

Ghana's National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, coordinated by the Environmental Protection Agency and guided by the 2018 NAP Framework, aims to reduce climate vulnerability and integrate adaptation into national policies. The process employs a hybrid approach to foster cross-sectoral collaboration across national and sub-national levels, targeting priority sectors such as agriculture, health, and energy to address impacts like flooding, droughts, and sea level rise. Key milestones between 2018 and 2023 include the submission of the Adaptation Communication to the UNFCCC, the launch of a GCF NAP Readiness project, and the completion of gender integration and policy coherence reports.

Benin has been implementing its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process since 2013, focusing on integrating climate adaptation into national, local, and sectoral development planning. The process has involved national consultations via the National Committee on Climate Change (CNCC) and the integration of adaptation goals into the National Development Plan, Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets, and various communal development plans. Key climate impacts identified include floods, sea-level rise, droughts, and excessive heat, affecting priority sectors such as agriculture, health, ecosystems, infrastructure, freshwater resources, energy, coastal zones, and tourism.

The analysis finds that interactions between key SDG targets are generally synergetic at a global level under a 1.5°C warming limit, with climate finance and policy mainstreaming acting as primary accelerators for other goals.

The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network is a three-year initiative supported by the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It aims to improve water and energy security and climate resilience in the Mekong Subregion by strengthening the capacity of knowledge-based policy influence organisations (KBPIOs). The program focuses on inclusive knowledge co-production and the engagement of vulnerable and marginalised groups. It is managed by a consortium of eight organisations led by the Stockholm Environment Institute - Asia Centre. The program funds flagship studies (up to AUD 250,000) and rapid response projects (up to AUD 50,000) addressing specific issues such as transboundary water disaster risks, urban heat resilience, and gender-sensitizing infrastructure in the Mekong Delta.

The LUCI tool provides a five-step analytical framework to identify unintended consequences of development interventions by mapping the overlap between identity groups and impact groups. It emphasizes 'horizontal inequalities'—group-based disparities related to gender, ethnicity, or class—and how these can be exacerbated by poorly planned projects, leading to 'maladaptation' or increased conflict potential. The guide demonstrates the tool's application through a case study of solar hybrid mini-grid projects in Turkana County, Kenya, illustrating how access to electricity can create differential benefits and losses across various social and economic groups.