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The 2018 Talanoa Dialogue, facilitated by the Fijian and Polish presidencies, aims to raise climate ambition by taking stock of progress toward the Paris Agreement and informing 2020 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). The process uses a non-adversarial, story-based methodology to foster consensus. NHRIs and civil society are encouraged to provide actionable, positive inputs that link climate action to human rights, including gender equality, indigenous peoples' rights, and just transitions. The dialogue consists of preparatory phases (online submissions and in-session dialogues) and a final political phase at COP-24 in Katowice, Poland.

Natural Justice commemorates Taghi Farvar, highlighting his passion for nature and culture and committing to continue working for justice across the landscapes he cherished.

The document examines the 'jurisdictional approach' (JA)—a comprehensive, government-led strategy for forest and land-use governance across defined political territories. It argues that subnational jurisdictions (states, provinces, districts) are critical for scaling emissions reductions because they are closer to land users and possess the authority to shape land-use decisions. Through case studies in Brazil, Indonesia, Malaysia, Peru, and Mexico, the paper highlights that while JA fosters multi-stakeholder collaboration and policy innovation, it is frequently hampered by political turnover, limited public sector capacity, and a lack of tangible financial incentives. The authors conclude that JA is not a 'silver bullet' but a necessary recognition of the role of multi-level government in protecting forests and enhancing livelihoods.

Carbon Market Watch outlines critical issues facing the development of the Paris Agreement rulebook, specifically regarding carbon markets. The author emphasizes the need to prevent double counting between the UNFCCC and CORSIA, ensure additionality by requiring reductions to exceed national pledges, and protect indigenous rights through mandatory consultations. Furthermore, it warns against the trading of 'hot air' under cooperative approaches and advocates for the Sustainable Development Mechanism to function as a results-based finance scheme rather than an offsetting tool.

The document argues that Canada's current trade model privileges corporate profits over people and the environment, specifically citing NAFTA's role in exacerbating economic inequality and environmental degradation. The signatories propose a 12-point alternative model for trade negotiations, emphasizing the elimination of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies, and the abolition of energy proportionality rules that hinder Canada's ability to reduce fossil fuel production. They assert that for Canada to be a 'climate champion', its trade agreements must be compatible with the Paris Agreement and the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.

The statement calls for the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to convene an expert meeting in 2019 and produce a report on redress mechanisms for indigenous peoples affected by conservation activities. It recommends increased collaboration between UN mandates and urges the Convention on Biological Diversity and the IUCN to commit to human rights actions within the post-2020 biodiversity framework.

CIEL condemns the Philippine government for accusing UN Special Rapporteur Vicky Tauli-Corpuz and other human rights defenders of terrorism, viewing it as an attempt to criminalize their work in protecting indigenous peoples' rights. The organization notes a global trend of governments and companies targeting environmental and human rights defenders to silence them.

The document outlines the structure of the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue, a facilitative process designed to raise climate ambition and inform future Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It emphasizes that the Dialogue's participatory nature allows stakeholders to frame climate ambition through a human rights lens, including gender equality, food security, and a just transition. The briefing details a staged approach for input—from the preparatory phase ending in October to the political phase at COP-24—and advises contributors to use the 'Talanoa' methodology of sharing stories and positive experiences rather than adversarial 'name, shame, and blame' tactics to ensure their inputs are accepted by the Fijian presidency.

CIEL and other civil society groups are calling on the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to immediately adopt the proposed Environmental and Social Policy (ESP), Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Policy and Action Plan, and Indigenous Peoples Policy (IPP). The document argues that the GCF has already funded 54 projects without permanent safeguards to protect human rights and the environment, and that 23 additional projects awaiting approval at the B.19 meeting could negatively impact ecosystems and local communities. Furthermore, CIEL emphasizes the need for a funded work plan and budget for the Independent Redress Mechanism (IRM) to provide remedies for people harmed by GCF projects.

The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) urges the Canadian government to enact Bill C-262, which would implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). CAPE argues that UNDRIP is essential for environmental justice and health, noting that Indigenous peoples in Canada face disproportionate environmental risks, including limited access to safe drinking water and the cumulative negative impacts of resource extraction such as fracking, mining, and hydroelectric dams.

The document reviews the integration of human rights and social principles across four key areas of the Paris Agreement implementation guidelines: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and the Global Stocktake (GST). It highlights that while some parties, notably Norway, Canada, and the African Group of Negotiators, have pushed for the inclusion of human rights and gender equality, these elements often remain absent from co-facilitator summaries or are limited to specific contexts like adaptation. The briefing notes that the role of civil society and intergovernmental organizations in the ETF and GST processes is a critical factor for ensuring social dimensions are considered in future climate action.

The document outlines the process of declaring 'free territories' as a political practice of autonomy and self-determination. It provides a framework for preventive and reactive strategies, emphasizing the need for information dissemination, network organization, and propositional agendas to protect territories from extractivist models and corporate appropriation. The guide details specific regional examples, including mining-free zones in Mesoamerica, gasfield-free communities in Australia, and GMO-free regions in Europe and Costa Rica.

The Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin, supported by Earthjustice, has petitioned a federal court to compel the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to oversee a wetland permit for the Back Forty Mine. The proposed 80-acre, 750-foot-deep mine by Aquila Resources, Inc. is located 50 yards from the Menominee River and is opposed by the tribe and numerous local governments due to risks to public health, water quality, and sacred cultural sites.

The document identifies five critical areas for legal reform to prevent illegal forest conversion: land allocation, clearance permits, conversion timber rules, environmental protections, and community rights. It highlights how contradictory laws, lack of transparency, and failure to recognize customary land tenure lead to uncontrolled deforestation and social conflict. The toolkit uses case studies from nine tropical countries to illustrate legal gaps and provides checklists for policy-makers to ensure comprehensive and enforceable regulations.

The document outlines five essential requirements for a legal framework regulating forest clearance: unambiguous permits, environmental and social evaluations, explicit application timelines, protection of community and indigenous rights, and strong enforcement. It highlights risks such as the use of clearance permits as loopholes for illegal timber harvesting and the conflict between sectoral laws, providing case studies from Liberia, the Republic of Congo, Brazil, and Viet Nam to illustrate these legal failures.

The document argues that formal legal recognition of customary land tenure and the inclusion of local communities in decision-making are essential for protecting both forest ecosystems and the livelihoods of indigenous peoples. It identifies key legal barriers—such as complex registration processes and a lack of implementing legislation—that lead to risks of eviction, land disputes, and land scarcity. The factsheet advocates for the integration of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) into national laws and provides a checklist of questions to guide law-makers through legal reform.

The document advocates for Community Forest Management (CFM) as a holistic approach to territorial governance that prioritizes the 'Good Living' of indigenous and peasant communities over capitalist development. It asserts that CFM is more effective at reducing deforestation than absolute protection regimes and is essential for maintaining biodiversity and climate stability. The report warns against 'commercial logging' disguised as sustainable management and rejects REDD+ and carbon markets, arguing they centralize power and commodify nature. It recommends strengthening community land tenure, investing in local capacity building, and shifting international finance away from fossil fuels toward community-led conservation.

The report promotes community forest management (GCF) as a holistic approach to forest conservation and social justice, contrasting it with destructive industrial logging and the REDD+ mechanism. It argues that GCF, rooted in the 'bien-vivre' paradigm, effectively reduces deforestation and protects biodiversity by empowering indigenous and local communities with secure land tenure and ancestral knowledge. The document highlights the failures of carbon markets and 'sustainable forest management' labels used by corporations to mask extraction. It recommends strengthening community land rights, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies to fund adaptation, and reducing international trade in tropical hardwoods.

The report evaluates global progress in forest governance and land rights, noting a record 182 killings of environmental defenders in 2016. While it highlights positive developments in illegal timber import controls in countries like South Korea, Malaysia, and the US, and the implementation of EU FLEGT agreements in Indonesia and Vietnam, it warns that climate finance for local communities remains insufficient, with only 10 percent reaching the local level in 2016. The document also emphasizes the lack of gender-sensitive provisions in community-based tenure regimes and the ongoing effort to track tenure security via SDG Indicator 1.4.2.

The document describes Canada's use of Impact and Benefit Agreements (IBAs) to protect Indigenous rights and promote employment in the mining sector. It highlights the Voisey’s Bay nickel mine in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the Joint Education and Training Authority (JETA)—funded by a CAD 25 million federal initiative—trained over 1,000 Innu and Inuit people. By November 2016, Innu and Inuit peoples constituted approximately 55 per cent of the mine's workforce, with 90 per cent of those employees coming from adjacent communities.