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The document outlines a framework of 12 principles to ensure that nature-based solutions (NbS) provide fair, accountable, rights-based, and effective benefits to local stakeholders. It emphasizes the need to prevent 'elite capture' and corruption by requiring deep stakeholder participation, transparency, and the protection of Indigenous Peoples' rights, including free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). The framework argues that for NbS to be sustainable, the net socioeconomic benefits must be positive for those affected, accounting for all costs and trade-offs.

The document outlines a framework for high-integrity benefit-sharing mechanisms (BSMs) in forest-based nature-based solutions. It organizes 12 principles under four values: Impartiality, Accountability, Rights-based approach, and Effectiveness. These principles aim to prevent elite capture and corruption while ensuring that Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) receive fair, transparent, and additive benefits that outweigh the costs of participation.

In 2019/2020, Burkina Faso received USD 567 million in climate finance, covering only 13% of the USD 4.1 billion needed by 2050 to meet its NDC targets. Public finance dominated the landscape, accounting for 80% of total flows, with a heavy reliance on international multilateral and bilateral DFIs. Energy systems and Agriculture, Forestry, and Other Land Use (AFOLU) were the primary recipients of funds, though significant gaps remain in water and wastewater sectors. The report highlights critical barriers, including political instability, a lack of domestic climate budget tagging, and the absence of a robust Monitoring, Reporting, and Verification (MRV) framework, which hinders the attraction of further donor funding and private investment.

The document opposes the push for new gas infrastructure in Africa, which it describes as a short-term solution for European energy security that risks irreversible climate disaster. It highlights the disproportionate impact of climate change on Africa, the environmental damage caused by gas extraction in Nigeria and Mozambique, and the inadequacy of 'net zero' pledges. The authors call for an immediate end to fossil fuel financing and the implementation of a 100% renewable energy goal for Africa by 2050, funded by climate debt repayments from the Global North.

The document opposes the promotion of natural gas as a 'transition fuel' in Africa, arguing that such projects primarily benefit European energy security and corporate profits while exacerbating climate vulnerability and poverty on the continent. It highlights the environmental damage in the Niger Delta and Cabo Delgado, criticizes 'Net Zero' as greenwashing, and proposes a 100% renewable energy target for Africa by 2050. The authors call for an end to fossil fuel financing and demand an annual climate debt payment of $2 trillion from industrialized nations to fund loss, damage, and a just transition.

Global Energy Monitor (GEM) finds that India's coal mining sector suffers from chronic underutilization, with 36% of approved capacity idled, making the 99 proposed coal mine projects (427 mtpa) unnecessary. The report highlights that existing capacity is sufficient to meet long-term demand and that new projects threaten to displace 165 villages, affect 87,630 families, and consume 168,041 kiloliters of water daily. Furthermore, these expansions risk creating stranded assets and carbon lock-in as India pursues a 2070 net-zero target and expands its solar power capacity.

The document outlines Africa's objectives for COP27, focusing on the African Group of Negotiators' (AGN) demands for increased climate finance and the recognition of the continent's special circumstances. It highlights a tension between the African Union's (AU) support for natural gas as a transition fuel and the goals of renewable energy activists. The brief also details the roles of specific 'climate champion' countries and the impact of global geopolitical tensions, such as the US-China standoff and the Russia-Ukraine war, on climate negotiations.

The report argues that current IFI efforts to align indirect financing through financial intermediaries with the Paris Agreement are insufficient and opaque. It highlights how this lending model allows IFIs to 'outsource' environmental and social safeguards, potentially funding fossil fuel projects. The authors provide recommendations for a rights-based alignment methodology that includes an absolute ban on new fossil fuel financing, increased support for sustainable renewables, and strict transparency requirements for sub-project disclosure.

Global Witness reports that 1,733 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2021, with 200 deaths recorded in 2021 alone. The report highlights a disproportionate impact on indigenous peoples, who represent over 40% of fatal attacks despite being only 5% of the global population. Mexico, Brazil, and Colombia are identified as the most dangerous countries, where extractivism, land inequality, and corporate impunity drive violence. The document calls for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and stricter mandatory human rights and environmental due diligence for companies, particularly within the European Union.

The report documents the killing of 124 land and environmental defenders in 2025, with Latin America remaining the most dangerous region. It highlights the role of organized crime, extractive industries, and state repression in these attacks, while advocating for 'collective protection' and the legal recognition of indigenous guards.

In 2024, Global Witness documented 146 land and environmental defenders murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry and highlights the disproportionate targeting of Indigenous Peoples and small-scale farmers. It examines specific crises in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Guatemala, and Palestine, while critiquing the failures of state protection mechanisms and the rise of criminalization. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of mandatory corporate due diligence, and the formal recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

In 2024, 146 land and environmental defenders were murdered or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. Mining remains the most lethal sector, followed by logging and agribusiness. The report highlights systemic failures in state protection, high levels of impunity, and the criminalization of activists. It specifically examines the precarious situation of indigenous and peasant communities in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, Guatemala, and Chile, while also addressing the environmental destruction and land expropriation in occupied Palestinian territories. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of the EU's Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, and the guaranteed safe participation of defenders in COP30.

Global Witness reports that 1,733 land and environmental defenders were killed between 2012 and 2021, with 200 deaths recorded in 2021 alone. The report identifies extreme land inequality, corruption, and the repression of civic space as primary drivers of violence, particularly affecting indigenous peoples in the Global South. It highlights critical situations in Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, and the Philippines, while advocating for the implementation of the Escazú Agreement and mandatory corporate due diligence in the EU to protect those on the front lines of the climate and biodiversity crises.

In 2024, 146 environmental and land defenders were killed or disappeared globally, with 82% of cases occurring in Latin America. The report identifies mining as the deadliest industry for defenders and highlights the role of organized crime and state actors in these attacks. It specifically examines the critical situations in Colombia, Mexico, Brazil, the Philippines, Honduras, and Guatemala, while detailing the systemic failures of state protection mechanisms and the criminalization of activism. The document calls for the ratification of the Escazú Agreement, the implementation of binding corporate due diligence laws, and the recognition of defenders' roles in climate solutions ahead of COP30.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) critiques the Western Cape's draft climate plan, arguing for greater urgency, transparency, and meaningful public participation. The CER strongly opposes the use of fossil gas as a transition fuel due to methane leakage and warns against the potential misuse of 'Net Zero' targets. They propose a comprehensive set of 27 guiding principles for the plan's implementation, emphasizing climate justice, the phase-out of fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups, particularly those in informal settlements.

The document details how Lucy Lemashisha and the Rural Women Network (RWN) established the Climate Resilience and Learning Center in Kajiado County, Kenya, to combat the effects of recurrent drought and famine on the Maasai community. By promoting climate-smart agriculture, rainwater harvesting, and alternative income sources, the initiative has improved food security and shifted patriarchal power dynamics, enabling women to take leadership roles in climate justice and local governance.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that the Climate Change Bill requires stronger enforcement mechanisms, more ambitious emissions targets, and greater transparency to effectively address the climate crisis in South Africa. The CER emphasizes that climate change is a human rights and gender justice issue, noting that women and girls face disproportionate risks. Key recommendations include the introduction of criminal and administrative penalties for exceeding carbon budgets, the adoption of a 'near zero' emissions target by 2050, and the creation of a public web-based information portal for climate data. The CER also calls for more inclusive public participation, particularly for remote communities, youth, and women, and suggests establishing an inter-departmental body to coordinate the climate response across government.

The briefing examines the impact of extreme heat and the urban heat island effect in Delhi, highlighting that the city is ranked as the second most heat-stressed city globally. It proposes that while Delhi has significant green space, including 18,000 parks and the Central Ridge, much of it is underutilized or dominated by invasive species like Prosopis juliflora. The author advocates for a transition from emergency heatwave planning to long-term nature-based solutions, specifically through the planting of locally adapted native species tailored to specific micro-habitats. The document provides five recommended practices for maximizing ecosystem health, emphasizing the need for a scientific species selection framework and the prioritization of greening in low-income, high-density neighborhoods to address heat equity.

The Life after Coal Campaign (LAC) and Fair Finance Southern Africa (FFSA) call for greater transparency and civil society inclusion in South Africa's Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP). They demand clarity on financial offers from the International Partners Group, the composition of JETP working groups, and the accessibility of the JETP Investment Plan. The coalitions argue that climate finance must prioritize 'justice elements'—including gender-responsive interventions and community-led projects—while strictly excluding funding for new coal, gas, or nuclear energy. They further emphasize the need for robust governance to track finance flows and ensure that the transition does not impose austerity on low-income users.

Recourse advocates for climate justice for Pakistan, which has suffered record heatwaves and floods affecting 33 million people. The organization demands that the World Bank and IMF provide grants rather than loans for reconstruction, cancel Pakistan's debt, and support a just energy transition based on sustainable renewable energy instead of imported fossil gas.