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Colombia has made significant progress in aligning its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), National Adaptation Plan (NAP), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) strategy. The National Planning Department (DNP) plays a central role in coordinating these agendas, particularly by using the SDG agenda as the entry point for the 2018–2022 National Development Plan. While synergies exist—such as the NAP serving as the basis for the NDC's adaptation component—the document identifies a lack of formal coordination mechanisms between the national climate change system (SISCLIMA) and the High-Level Commission for the SDGs, as well as between the National Disaster Risk Management System and the NAP process.

The briefing discusses the 2019 UN Climate Action Summit, highlighting the need to accelerate action due to IPCC warnings and youth-led climate strikes. It notes that while mitigation has seen progress with 183 parties submitting NDCs, adaptation remains severely under-implemented, particularly in developing countries. The author advocates for the integration of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) into global strategies, noting its dual benefit for resilience and carbon sequestration, especially in Africa.

The report analyzes climate mitigation commitments from subnational and non-state actors, finding that while individual commitments from ten major emitting economies can reduce 2030 emissions by 1.2 to 2.0 GtCO2e, international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) offer a much larger potential reduction of 18 to 21 GtCO2e. If fully implemented, these ICIs could put the world on track to limit global warming to 2°C. The report also highlights the synergies between these climate actions and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The GCF Board's 23rd meeting focused on operationalizing the fund's first formal replenishment (GCF-1) and improving governance. Key outcomes include the adoption of a new voting procedure to resolve deadlocks when consensus fails, the approval of a Policy on Ethics and Conflicts of Interest for Active Observers, and the adoption of a Policy on the Prevention and Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Sexual Abuse, and Sexual Harassment (SEAH). The Board also approved several funding proposals, including a high-leverage seawater pumped storage project in Chile and agricultural resilience projects in Bhutan, Pakistan, and Kenya. A Forward-Looking Performance Review (FPR) highlighted that while GCF has committed over USD 5.3 billion, it faces challenges with long disbursement times and a need for greater direct access for developing countries.

The document provides a comparative analysis of the EU Sustainable Finance Taxonomy against two Chinese green frameworks: the NDRC Green Industry Guiding Catalogue and the PBC Green Bond Endorsed Project Catalogue. It highlights that while the EU Taxonomy is rooted in the Paris Agreement and employs a systemic approach with six environmental objectives and strict carbon thresholds, the Chinese catalogues focus more on pollution prevention and industry guidance without specifying carbon emission thresholds. The EU framework explicitly excludes fossil fuel activities without carbon capture, whereas the Chinese catalogues include them. The report also details the EU's 'Substantial Contribution' and 'Do No Significant Harm' (DNSH) principles, which require activities to benefit at least one environmental goal without harming others.

The report, produced by CPI and I4CE, outlines a theoretical framework for Paris alignment based on scope, scale, and time horizon, and provides a roadmap for development finance institutions (DFIs) to implement these principles. It emphasizes the unique role of IDFC members in bridging public and private sectors to support low-GHG, climate-resilient development pathways through policy advice, risk mitigation, and updated investment criteria.

The report analyzes perspectives from 84 NYDF endorsers, including governments, companies, NGOs, and indigenous peoples. It finds that while many individual actions have been taken, global deforestation has accelerated by 44% since 2014, and the world is not on track to meet its collective forest goals. The document identifies eight key lessons, emphasizing that high-level commitments must transition to measurable implementation supported by strong governance, secure land tenure for indigenous peoples, and a paradigm shift in forest finance to move from 'grey to green' investments.

The assessment finds that green finance for forests is severely insufficient, totaling under USD 22 billion since 2010, and represents only 1.5% of total climate mitigation commitments from developed countries and multilateral institutions. While some domestic initiatives and Green Climate Fund projects show progress, private sector investment remains dominated by traditional 'grey finance' with few mandatory safeguards to prevent deforestation in commodity supply chains.

The 2019 NYDF Progress Assessment finds that the world is not on track to meet its 2020 targets to halve tropical deforestation and restore 150 million hectares of degraded land. Global gross tree cover loss increased by 43% since the declaration, with a particularly alarming 44% acceleration in the loss of irreplaceable humid tropical primary forests. While some progress is noted in Indonesia, where primary forest loss dropped by over 30% in 2017-18, overall trends are negative. Restoration efforts are largely occurring outside of natural forests, and only 18% of the 2020 restoration goal has been realized. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that 'grey' finance for agriculture is 15 times higher than 'green' finance for forests, and that forest-related climate finance represents only 1.5% of total multilateral commitments. Governance remains a significant barrier, with nearly half of tropical deforestation being illegal and indigenous land rights remaining largely unrecognized.

The research analyzes 164 NDCs to determine their alignment with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It finds that while NDCs often function as de facto sustainable development plans, there is significant institutional fragmentation and a lack of quantifiable targets. The analysis categorizes SDGs into tiers based on their connection to climate action, highlighting strong links in energy and land use, but critical gaps in social and political goals such as gender equality and poverty eradication.

The document argues that halting deforestation is essential to limiting global temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius and calls for deeper collaboration between governments, the private sector, and civil society. It highlights that over 40% of global deforestation is driven by agricultural expansion for commodities like soybeans, cattle, palm oil, rubber, and cocoa. The authors advocate for the inclusion of farmers and producers in solutions and cite the Soy Moratorium in Brazil and the Palm Oil Moratorium in Indonesia as successful models where agricultural production increased while deforestation decreased.

The report details the Green Climate Fund's overall pipeline of 349 projects with a total value of $52,189M (including co-financing). It breaks down these figures across public and private sector divisions, geographic regions, and thematic areas such as adaptation and mitigation. The pipeline is further divided into funding proposals (80 projects) and concept notes (269 projects), with specific data on financial instruments, approval modalities, and impact potential for funding proposals.

At its 23rd meeting, the GCF Board approved 10 new projects totaling USD 266.90 million in GCF funding, which, with co-financing, will support over USD 1.45 billion in climate action across 10 developing countries. The Board adopted several key governance frameworks, including a compliance risk policy, an updated policy on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), and procedures for decision-making when consensus is not reached. Additionally, the Board established that the first replenishment period will run from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 and approved four new Accredited Entities.

The Bioenergy Criteria provide a framework for certifying use-of-proceeds instruments, physical assets, and bioenergy companies. Certification requires meeting specific life-cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emission thresholds that decline over time toward a 'close to zero' target by 2050. It also mandates that biomass feedstocks meet sustainability requirements, often verified through pre-accepted certification schemes, and that facilities implement comprehensive adaptation and resilience plans to manage physical climate risks.

The report details the Green Climate Fund's pipeline as of June 2019, covering 349 overall projects with a total value of $53,465M. This includes 87 funding proposals valued at $14,309M and 262 concept notes valued at $39,156M. The pipeline is categorized by division (Public and Private Sector), region, theme (Adaptation, Mitigation, and Cross-cutting), and approval process.

Brazil developed its National Adaptation Plan (NAP) between 2013 and 2016, involving over 40 institutions across government, academia, the private sector, and NGOs. The process followed a timeline starting with the 2009 National Climate Change Policy and culminating in the plan's launch in May 2016 and a subsequent monitoring and evaluation report in June 2017. Future implementation focuses on refining monitoring systems, securing funding, and integrating gender issues and mitigation co-benefits during the 2020 review.

The author comments on PARI's position papers regarding state reform in South Africa, arguing that public procurement should be used as a tool for industrial policy and economic transformation. The text distinguishes between 'developmental' procurement, which fosters high-productivity industries and innovation, and 'non-developmental' procurement, which often results in the outsourcing of state services to dependent firms. The author suggests that while South Africa has used procurement to support black business growth, there is an urgent need to transition toward 'Procurement for Innovation' (PPfI) to drive structural transformation and reduce the influence of state-dependent coalitions associated with 'state capture'.

As of 30 June 2019, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) reports that portfolio concentration and liquidity remain within approved risk tolerance levels, with no non-performing loans for eight consecutive quarters. The portfolio consists of 101 approved funding proposals totaling USD 4.97 billion equivalent, with a distribution of 44% mitigation, 22% adaptation, and 13% cross-cutting projects. Geographically, Africa holds the largest share of approved funding at 43%, followed by Asia-Pacific at 31%. The fund maintains a foreign exchange commitment risk buffer of USD 46.6 million equivalent.

The article analyzes the impact of political corporatism on climate policy ambition by comparing Sweden and Finland. It identifies that while inclusiveness and consensualism promote ambitious policies, strong tripartite organizations that exclude NGOs can hinder them.

The document outlines a strategic roadmap for the Green Climate Fund's Private Sector Facility (PSF), based on demand and supply analyses of climate finance. It identifies significant barriers to private investment in developing countries, particularly for micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and in least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing States (SIDS). To address these, the Secretariat proposes five new modalities: targeted endowments for adaptation, local currency funding pilots, climate-focused centres of excellence for early-stage innovation, co-investment solutions for institutional investors, and a direct investment approach to bypass accreditation bottlenecks.