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The document argues that while Africa holds approximately 30% of the world's critical mineral reserves, the surge in demand for green minerals risks exacerbating inequalities and environmental degradation without strong governance. It advocates for a transition from rigid to progressive taxation, the development of domestic value chains (such as battery and EV component manufacturing), and the strategic reinvestment of mineral rents into climate resilience initiatives and local community development to ensure a just transition.

Belize's NDC 3.0 sets a target to avoid cumulative greenhouse gas emissions of 6,234 kTonCO2e by 2035 compared to a business-as-usual scenario. The plan focuses on scaling renewable energy, enhancing carbon sequestration in the AFOLU sector, and improving climate resilience across coastal, health, and infrastructure sectors. Implementation is heavily dependent on international climate finance, with an estimated total cost of 1.55 billion USD and a funding gap of 85%.

The report calls for the EU to adopt a 2035 NDC target of at least 72.5% emissions reduction, aligning with a straight-line path toward a 90% reduction by 2040 and net zero by 2050. It emphasizes that a robust, investible target, supported by the Clean Industrial Deal and sectoral policies in energy, transport, and industry, will reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports—which cost the EU EUR 376 billion in 2024—and enhance global competitiveness. The authors advocate for a 'competitive sustainability' approach and strengthened public-private collaboration, citing models from Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands to accelerate the transition.

The document argues that India's next NDC for 2035 should reflect technological progress and corporate ambition to attract investment and ensure energy security. It proposes three pillars for action: raising NDC ambition with clear sectoral targets, implementing consistent policies across power, industry, transport, and nature, and strengthening government-business engagement. The briefing highlights that 99% of Indian executives support a transition to renewable energy and suggests specific policy levers, such as Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) targets and the National Carbon Market, to accelerate decarbonization.

The study analyzes 320 adaptation investments totaling $133 billion across 12 countries, finding an average economic internal rate of return (EIRR) of 26.7%. Using the Triple Dividend of Resilience (TDR) framework, the authors demonstrate that benefits from induced economic development and social/environmental gains often double the value of avoided losses, meaning many investments are viable regardless of whether a climate disaster occurs. The paper highlights significant synergies between adaptation and mitigation, noting that nearly half of the evaluated projects yield GHG emission reductions. It recommends that multilateral development banks and governments adopt common reporting frameworks and disaggregate benefits to attract private capital.

The guide outlines a framework for sustainable linear infrastructure (LI) development in snow leopard habitats, emphasizing the mitigation hierarchy—avoid, minimize, mitigate, restore, and offset. It details strategies across the project life cycle, from policy development and spatial planning to construction and maintenance, to reduce habitat fragmentation, wildlife-vehicle collisions, and other ecological disturbances. The document highlights critical knowledge gaps regarding snow leopard-specific crossing structures and calls for multidisciplinary collaboration and inclusive community consultation to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services.

The framework outlines the procedures to manage environmental and social risks for a USD 6,772,477 project aimed at enhancing climate resilience in four river basins of Sayaboury province, Lao PDR. It integrates WWF and GEF safeguard standards to protect biodiversity, indigenous peoples, and vulnerable groups while implementing nature-based solutions and small-scale grey infrastructure. The document specifies the use of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for indigenous communities and establishes a Grievance Redress Mechanism to handle complaints, including those related to sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment (SEAH).

The report argues that the global ocean economy must transition from business-as-usual to a nature-positive model to avoid an estimated US$8.4 trillion in economic value loss by 2036. It introduces the AR3T (Avoid, Reduce, Restore & Regenerate, Transform) action framework to help companies in four key sectors—offshore wind, coastal and marine tourism, shipping, and seafood—halt and reverse biodiversity loss. The document emphasizes that nature positive is a collective societal goal, requiring absolute gains in nature rather than relative net gains or offsets. It provides specific technical recommendations for each sector, such as using nature-inclusive design in offshore wind, implementing sustainable siting in tourism, reducing vessel noise in shipping, and eliminating destructive fishing practices in the seafood sector. The report also highlights the necessity of integrating social equity and Indigenous knowledge into conservation efforts, asserting that a nature-positive future must also be 'people positive'.

The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF) is a Brazilian-led initiative designed as an investment fund to provide financial incentives for tropical forest nations to protect their forest cover. By pooling public and private capital—with a target of $125 billion—the fund intends to generate annual payments of up to $4 billion, distributed at a rate of $4 per hectare of standing forest. While the TFFF aims to support Indigenous Peoples and local communities with a proposed 20% allocation of national payments, Global Witness emphasizes the need for direct fund access, legal land tenure, and stricter financial regulations to prevent private capital from continuing to fund deforestation.

The document examines the development of sustainable ocean economies (SOE) in six African SIDS, identifying that while legal frameworks are important, they are not the primary determinant for investors. Instead, funding decisions are driven by political will, a track record of marine preservation, and the presence of trusted in-country partners. The briefing highlights the role of innovative financing, such as blue bonds and debt-for-nature swaps, and emphasizes that regulatory reforms should focus on transparency, stakeholder engagement, and co-management to achieve sustainable development goals.

The report evaluates a hybrid infrastructure approach for flood risk management in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana, comparing it to a business-as-usual scenario. It finds that the hybrid approach—combining nature-based solutions like wetland restoration and tree planting with grey infrastructure—is highly economically viable, with returns ranging from USD 3.26 to USD 13.53 for every USD 1 invested. The primary economic driver is the avoidance of flood damages, with estimated avoided costs between USD 163.29 million and USD 747.11 million. The assessment also identifies co-benefits such as increased carbon sequestration, improved air quality, and local job creation to support the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly in securing funding and aligning policies with climate priorities.

In 2021/22, Nigeria received USD 2.5 billion in climate finance, representing a 32% increase from 2019/20 but leaving an annual finance gap of USD 27.2 billion. Public actors provided 70% of this funding, with multilateral development finance institutions (DFIs) as the largest providers at 48%. Mitigation investments (USD 1.2 billion) dominated, primarily driven by solar PV, while adaptation finance (USD 0.74 billion) covered only 6% of estimated needs. The report highlights a heavy reliance on debt for international public finance and identifies critical barriers such as high capital costs, a lack of bankable projects, and limited green fiscal incentives.

The document analyzes the compatibility between the IUCN Global Standard for NbS and the CBD Voluntary Guidelines, concluding that both are effective for scaling up nature-based solutions. It emphasizes the need for clarity on transferring global frameworks to local contexts and suggests that upcoming reviews of these standards should align with UNEA Resolution 5/5 to avoid duplication of effort.

Global climate finance for agrifood systems reached USD 94.9 billion in 2021/22, representing 7.2% of total global climate finance. While flows have increased since 2019/20, the report finds that investment is critically misaligned, with a massive funding gap of USD 1.1 trillion annually required through 2030 to align the sector with climate goals. Growth is heavily concentrated in domestic public investment in China and Europe, while private capital remains largely absent in sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean. Mitigation finance is dominated by energy-related projects like agrivoltaics, while adaptation finance remains heavily reliant on public grants. The report calls for a strategic mix of financial instruments and policy reforms to unlock capital for high-impact solutions such as soil carbon management and nature-based solutions.

The document provides the technical framework for tracking climate finance in agrifood systems, introducing an expanded taxonomy and a keyword tagging system to capture investments in non-traditional sectors. It distinguishes between 'comparable' and 'adjusted' flows to separate actual investment growth from improvements in data collection. Key data sources include the Global Landscape of Climate Finance (GLCF) and specific agrifood datasets, with a notable increase in finance attributed to energy systems supporting agrifood between 2019/20 and 2021/22.

The report finds that while carbon markets have the potential to generate social and economic benefits for LMIC communities, current impacts are often suboptimal or negative due to poor project design and governance. Agricultural and energy efficiency projects generally show higher potential for positive community impact than pure forest conservation projects, which often restrict access to vital resources. Key barriers include low carbon prices in voluntary markets, delayed payments, and the exclusion of women due to land tenure structures. Positive outcomes are linked to pro-poor design, inclusive governance, higher carbon prices for co-benefits, and adherence to stringent standards like the CCB Standard.

The IAI Committee on Oceans, Islands and Coastal Regions declares its commitment to establishing a transdisciplinary research and training program aligned with the UN Decade of Ocean Science. The statement emphasizes the 'One Blue Health' approach, the importance of blue carbon ecosystems for 30x30 goals, and the need for innovative financing mechanisms like blue bonds to support Latin America, the Caribbean, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It advocates for the integration of indigenous and local knowledge and the use of transdisciplinary science to inform ocean governance and climate adaptation.

The IAI Steering Committee on Oceans, Islands, and Coastal Zones advocates for a transdisciplinary approach to ocean science in the Americas, emphasizing the 'Blue One Health' framework and the integration of Indigenous and local knowledge. The statement prioritizes the development of a regional research program under the UN Decade of Ocean Science, the management of the Caribbean sargassum crisis, and the expansion of innovative financing mechanisms like blue bonds for Latin America, the Caribbean, and Small Island Developing States.

The report compares the IUCN Global Standard for NbS and the CBD Voluntary Guidelines, concluding that both are highly compatible and align with UNEA Resolution 5/5. While the IUCN standard provides high-level overarching criteria for a wide range of NbS, the CBD guidelines offer more detailed, step-by-step operational guidance specifically for ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) and ecosystem-based disaster risk reduction (Eco-DRR). The analysis recommends that future international efforts focus on compiling existing guidance and avoiding the duplication of work rather than creating new sets of guidelines.

Malawi is leveraging carbon markets to attract climate finance, protect ecosystems, and support its 2063 Vision. While the country has historically faced transparency issues and a lack of regulation, the government is now implementing a Carbon Trading Regulatory Framework and the Malawi Carbon Markets Initiative to oversee trade and ensure benefit-sharing. The Kulera Landscape REDD+ Program serves as a model for integrating local communities as partners rather than just beneficiaries. However, significant barriers remain, including technical capacity gaps in government, limited finance for smallholder farmers, and gender inequality in leadership.