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This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and CARE International argues that climate change is a critical human rights challenge. It examines how climate impacts and the responses to them threaten fundamental rights and provides a set of policy recommendations to integrate a human rights-based approach into the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process.

This briefing, prepared by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and CARE International, argues that climate change is the greatest human rights challenge of the current era. It calls for the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to integrate human rights protections into its policies, particularly as the international community negotiated the 2015 climate agreement. The document outlines how climate impacts threaten fundamental rights and provides specific policy recommendations to ensure that climate mitigation and adaptation efforts do not further violate human rights.

This research paper examines 'readiness finance' for REDD+ through the lens of the Brazilian Amazon Fund and the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF). It finds that readiness has evolved from a technical focus to one encompassing governance and policy. The authors argue that readiness is not a static phase with a clear end point but requires sustained investment in institutional strengthening that continues into the performance-based phase of REDD+.

This case study examines Mexico's development of a national safeguards system for REDD+, noting that the process provides valuable lessons for other countries and the UNFCCC, and underscores the need for international guidance even in countries with advanced REDD+ progress.

The CFAS Guide, published in November 2014 by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, provides a comprehensive overview of climate finance negotiations leading up to the COP20 in Lima, Peru. It details the status of long-term finance goals, the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund, the challenges facing the Adaptation Fund, and the technical work of the Standing Committee on Finance regarding the monitoring, reporting, and verification of climate funds.

The CFAS Guide, published in November 2014 by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network, provides a comprehensive briefing for negotiators and stakeholders attending the 20th Conference of the Parties (COP20) in Lima, Peru. The document outlines the state of climate finance negotiations, focusing on the goal of mobilizing $100 billion annually by 2020, the operationalization of the Green Climate Fund (GCF), and the roles of the Standing Committee on Finance (SCF) and other financial mechanisms under the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

This case study examines Mexico's efforts to develop a National Safeguard System (SNS) and a Safeguard Information System (SIS) for REDD+, framing the initiative as a tool for sustainable rural development. While Mexico has made progress by integrating safeguards into existing federal laws and establishing participatory forums, the document identifies significant gaps in the operationalization of free, prior and informed consent (FPIC), clarity on carbon ownership, and the distinction between the SNS and SIS.

This case study examines Mexico's development of a National Safeguards System (SNS) and a Safeguards Information System (SIS) for REDD+, highlighting the tension between national implementation and the need for clearer international guidance from the UNFCCC and the World Bank.

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda (2014) outlines a comprehensive framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to slow, halt, and reverse global forest loss. It details a 'menu of key actions' for various stakeholders and reports a surge in zero-deforestation commitments from global commodity traders and consumer goods companies, alongside national pledges for forest restoration and the protection of indigenous lands.

This policy brief discusses the integration of community-based participatory carbon measurement and monitoring with satellite remote sensing and GIS within Measurement, Reporting and Verification (MRV) systems for REDD+ and agroforestry carbon sequestration activities, focusing on Lao PDR, Thailand, and Vietnam.

This policy brief examines the relationship between global food demand, meat production, and the opportunity costs associated with deforestation, specifically questioning whether REDD+ can compete with the profitability of land use for livestock and grain.

This report by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) provides a high-level snapshot of the mitigation landscapes in 14 priority partner countries and regions to inform the development of intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) for COP21. It analyzes national legislation, emission targets, Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs), and donor-funded projects, highlighting the diversity in ambition and capacity across developing nations.

This research paper details a large-scale field study on the impact of selective logging and forest fires on carbon stocks in the Amazon, concluding that forest degradation can result in carbon losses equivalent to 40% of those caused by deforestation.

This guide, published by Natural Justice in May 2014, provides an introduction to the social and environmental safeguards and standards associated with REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). It is designed for forest-dependent communities and facilitators to help them understand international frameworks, identify their rights and responsibilities, and engage in national safeguard development processes to mitigate risks such as land dispossession and ensure equitable benefit sharing.

This guide describes the Restoration Opportunities Assessment Methodology (ROAM), a flexible framework designed to help countries identify and analyze forest landscape restoration (FLR) potential at national or sub-national levels. Developed by the IUCN and WRI, ROAM combines stakeholder engagement ("best knowledge") with data analysis ("best science") to provide analytical inputs for national policies, such as REDD+ strategies and biodiversity action plans.

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes human rights issues addressed during the COP19 negotiations in Warsaw, Poland, focusing on ambition, the Clean Development Mechanism, gender, the Green Climate Fund, public participation, and REDD+.

This research paper describes the activities and lessons learned by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) in supporting negotiators from developing countries during international climate change negotiations, specifically focusing on the implementation of REDD+.

This case study provides a political-economy analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regional support programme for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It examines the valuation of forests as global, regional, and local public goods, the challenges of forest governance in Southern Africa, and the implementation of a regional MRV (measurement, reporting, and verification) project to support carbon sequestration goals while balancing regional equity.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the human rights implications of the 'Doha Gateway' decisions from the UNFCCC 18th Conference of the Parties. It argues that while the decisions do not explicitly reference human rights, the outcomes regarding mitigation ambition, loss and damage, REDD+, the Clean Development Mechanism, public participation, and gender have significant impacts on vulnerable populations.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the use of Natural Capital Assessment (NCA) to optimize land resource allocation in Indonesia. It argues that integrating social, biophysical, and economic data into spatial planning can help Indonesia achieve economic growth targets while minimizing deforestation and social conflict.