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The guide examines the legal frameworks for air quality in Turkey and the EU, analyzing the intersection of environmental law and human rights. It details the obligations of states to maintain air quality limit values, the requirements for air quality plans, and the regulation of industrial emissions. The document highlights the role of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and the Turkish Constitutional Court in protecting the right to a healthy environment and discusses the process of aligning Turkish legislation with the EU Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

The document serves as a manual for citizen monitors under the COMPACT project, a joint initiative by PARI, SALGA, and Integrity Action funded by the European Union. It outlines a six-step monitoring journey designed to improve service delivery—with a specific focus on water and sanitation—by training citizens to oversee municipal projects, engage stakeholders, and resolve issues through constructive dialogue. The guide provides detailed instructions on using KoboToolbox for data collection, exercising the right to information under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), and implementing safety protocols (HEVOO) during site visits.

The document outlines the Citizen-Based Monitoring (CBM) approach, a six-step process designed to improve local government accountability in South Africa. It provides practical instructions for trained monitors on engaging stakeholders, accessing public information via the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA), and using KoboToolbox for data collection. The guide emphasizes non-confrontational engagement, safety protocols, and the use of Joint Working Groups to resolve identified service delivery issues, with a particular focus on water and sanitation infrastructure.

The document details the role of Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) at the SB60 conference in Bonn, highlighting an expert dialogue on children and climate change, the identification of implementation challenges, and the goal of scaling up the involvement of civil society and marginalised groups to inform the annual summary report for COP29.

The research paper defines a 'transition effective state' as one capable of identifying and solving community-priority problems through co-production—a collaborative process where affected citizens are active partners in policy design. Evaluating South Africa's Just Energy Transition (JET), the authors find that current state capabilities are low because the government relies on 'tick-box' public participation and 'isomorphic mimicry' of international best practices rather than locally-driven solutions. Fieldwork in Mpumalanga reveals critical policy gaps, including the invisibility of the informal coal value-chain, the loss of community services provided by Eskom and mines, and water scarcity. The paper concludes that rigid budgeting and entrenched administrative habits hinder progress, recommending the development of detailed co-production guidelines and pilot projects focusing on water and community asset management.

The document argues that the protection of environmental defenders is critical for combating the climate crisis and that the Escazú Agreement provides the necessary legal framework to ensure access to information, public participation, and justice. It highlights the disproportionate risks faced by women and indigenous peoples, and warns that the energy transition must not replicate the extractive and colonial patterns of the fossil fuel industry.

CIEL argues that the Escazú Agreement is compatible with the Colombian Constitution, specifically regarding sustainable development and the right to a healthy environment. The document asserts that the Agreement provides legal certainty for sustainable investments, protects vulnerable groups and environmental defenders, and offers essential procedural tools to address the 'triple planetary crisis' of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The submission argues that the Electricity Regulation Amendment Bill [B23 – 2023] lacks sufficient provisions for a just transition, energy decentralisation, and transparency. It specifically criticises the potential for grid privatisation through wheeling agreements, the lack of regulatory support for energy storage and small-scale embedded generation (SSEG), and the expansion of Ministerial discretion over the Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and procurement processes. The authors also object to proposed confidentiality clauses that could limit public access to licence applications and call for stronger public participation requirements aligned with PAJA and PAIA.

ClientEarth critiques the European Commission's proposed Soil Monitoring Law for lacking legally-binding targets and implementation timetables. The briefing recommends establishing a long-term target of 100% healthy soils by 2050 with intermediate milestones, requiring Member States to implement detailed soil district management plans, and ensuring meaningful public participation and access to justice to prevent the law from being ineffective.

The COMPACT stakeholder engagement session focused on enhancing local government accountability and responsiveness through innovative public participation. Key findings emphasize the value of hybrid engagement systems—combining traditional and digital methods—and the role of civil society in amplifying community contributions. The event led to the establishment of a COMPACT Reference Committee and the gathering of inputs for a public participation toolbox, with attendance from eight partner municipalities, various sector departments, and research institutes.

The Centre for Environmental Rights argues that several proposed amendments to South Africa's EIA Regulations underestimate the environmental risks of mining and seismic activities. Specifically, it contends that onshore seismic surveys and the expansion of mining operations—including the reclamation of residue stockpiles—should require a full Scoping and Environmental Impact Assessment (S&EIA) under Listing Notice 2 rather than a Basic Assessment Report under Listing Notice 1. The submission also highlights systemic issues in the EIA process, such as the lack of transparency in mining right amendments under section 102 of the MPRDA and the conflict of interest arising from applicants paying for their own Environmental Assessment Practitioners (EAPs).

The Constitutional Court of South Africa ruled that Parliament failed its constitutional obligation to facilitate public involvement regarding material amendments to the National Environmental Management Laws Amendment Act 2 of 2022. Specifically, the court found that the expanded definitions of "waste", "commercial value", and "trade in", as well as a transitional provision, were introduced without sufficient public consultation. The court declared these provisions invalid and unconstitutional, noting that the expanded definition of "waste" could have severe impacts on the steel and fertilizer industries by including by-products and co-products as waste, potentially leading to criminal penalties including fines up to R10 million or 10 years imprisonment.

The Climate Change (Amendment) Bill, 2023 aims to integrate carbon markets into Kenya's climate response to attract investment and achieve low-cost emissions reductions. However, Natural Justice warns that without robust legislation, these markets could allow developed nations to continue burning fossil fuels while negatively impacting the global south. The document identifies several critical flaws in the Bill, including the removal of specific requirements for civil society and marginalized community representatives on the National Climate Change Council, which may contravene the Constitution of Kenya 2010. It also highlights a lack of clear role distinctions between national and county governments and insufficient procedures for effective public participation. Regarding the forestry sector, the Bill suggests that afforestation and reforestation will be part of an emissions trading system, necessitating strict monitoring of emissions. Natural Justice urges the government to delay implementing carbon market mechanisms until all necessary regulations are adopted through a transparent public participation process.

The paper analyzes the growth of civic tech in southern Africa, identifying a strong concentration of initiatives in South Africa and a primary focus on democracy and governance. It explores two diverging pathways: civic tech as a government partner or as an independent, community-driven tool for development. The authors highlight significant barriers, including the digital divide, funding instability, and adversarial relationships between governments and tech innovators, while recommending sustainable funding models and increased digital literacy for public officials.

The document outlines a human rights-based framework for the loss and damage fund, emphasizing the need for inclusive public participation, non-discriminatory access to finance, and the use of grants rather than loans to avoid increasing debt in developing nations. It proposes that funding be based on the 'polluter pays' principle and that the fund provide comprehensive reparations, including restitution and compensation, while ensuring strong social and environmental safeguards.

The document outlines a human rights-based framework for the Loss and Damage Fund, emphasizing the need for inclusive public participation, comprehensive reparations (including non-economic losses), and public grant-based financing based on the 'polluter pays' principle to avoid increasing debt in the Global South.

The document outlines best practices for integrating public engagement into the entire mine life cycle, from exploration to closure. It emphasizes the use of grievance mechanisms, multistakeholder oversight, and participatory monitoring to build trust. It specifically highlights the necessity of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) for Indigenous Peoples, providing case studies from British Columbia, Canada, and Peru to illustrate the implementation of consent-based decision-making and community-led environmental monitoring.

The document serves as a practical guide for civil society organisations (CSOs) in Serbia to navigate the complex legal framework of spatial and urban planning. It details the hierarchy of planning documents—from the national Spatial Plan of the Republic of Serbia to Detailed Regulation Plans—and outlines the stages of their adoption, including early public inspection and expert control. Through three case studies (Kučaj-Beljanica, Ovčarsko-Kablarska klisura, and Parkovi Vrnjačke Banje), the manual illustrates common illegalities, such as the disregard for conservation studies and the manipulation of building heights to bypass ministerial jurisdiction. It emphasizes the importance of networking, precise legal argumentation in objections, and the strategic use of access-to-information requests to prevent environmental degradation and policy capture.

The report examines legal obligations beyond Article 12 of the Paris Agreement to ensure governments carry out public engagement activities related to the UN's Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE), arguing that legal consequences are necessary to prevent government inaction.

The toolkit argues that rights-based approaches lead to more effective and legitimate climate outcomes. It outlines a three-step process for integrating rights into NDCs: inclusive planning, transparent communication of how rights informed that planning, and reflecting human rights obligations in implementation and monitoring. The document provides specific recommendations across seven thematic areas: ambition, participatory planning, general human rights integration, gender mainstreaming, Indigenous Peoples' rights, land tenure, and just transition. It emphasizes that states must align their climate ambition with the 1.5°C target to fulfill human rights obligations and should account for all emissions under their jurisdiction, including extraterritorial ones. The toolkit includes guiding questions and illustrative examples from the NDCs of Canada, Mexico, Vanuatu, Nepal, Costa Rica, Bolivia, and Chile to demonstrate best practices in human rights-based climate action.