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The document argues that the Green Climate Fund (GCF) Board is creating an artificial distinction between 'development' and 'adaptation', which hinders the approval of funding for Least Developed Countries. The authors contend that effective adaptation must address underlying socioeconomic vulnerabilities—such as livelihood diversification and public health—rather than focusing solely on quantifiable technological infrastructure. They call for the GCF to move toward programmatic approaches and require a 'theory of change' from project proponents to link activities to enhanced resilience.

The assessment finds that Mongolia has a medium level of implementation of the IGF Mining Policy Framework. Key strengths include a high level of transparency in tax and royalty flows through the EITI and a legal framework for artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). However, significant gaps exist in the management of high-risk mine wastes, the lack of a comprehensive system for mine closure and financial assurance, and limited government capacity to audit complex tax returns and address transfer pricing. The report recommends prioritizing capacity building in mine closure, financial benefit optimization, and socioeconomic benefit optimization to ensure the mining sector contributes to long-term sustainable development.

The author contends that NAFTA's original framework treated environmental and labour issues as parallel agreements rather than integral components. While Mexico developed robust environmental legislation and institutions like the Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources following NAFTA, economic growth has still led to environmental degradation costing 7% of Mexico's annual GDP. The author highlights the investor-state dispute mechanism in Chapter 11 as a critical area for reform, noting it has been used to challenge environmental regulations as de facto expropriations, resulting in $170 million in claims against Canada and $240 million against Mexico. The document suggests that the renegotiation should align the treaty with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and empower the Commission for Environmental Cooperation to lead a regional environmental agenda.

The document outlines a series of recommendations to strengthen the draft 2017 Environmental Regulations in Kenya, focusing on expanding definitions of cumulative impacts, enhancing public participation, and ensuring more rigorous oversight of environmental audits and licenses.

Friends of the Earth International criticizes the UN Convention on Biological Diversity for promoting tourism to protect biodiversity, arguing that mass tourism leads to ecosystem destruction, water scarcity, and the displacement of indigenous peoples. The statement highlights that while community-based projects exist, the broader industry is characterized by corporate profit, high emissions, and human rights abuses.

The report estimates global fossil fuel subsidies at USD 425 billion and argues that removing consumer subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by 6 to 8 per cent by 2050. It introduces the "SWAP" framework to transition these funds into sustainable energy and social safety nets, providing specific outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Zambia.

The document analyzes two clean energy scenarios for Bangladesh: a short-term 'Clean Energy Policy 1' and a long-term 'Clean Energy Policy 2'. It finds that transitioning to clean energy can significantly reduce emissions, create thousands of jobs, and save lives by reducing air pollution, all while remaining cost-effective relative to conventional fossil fuel generation.

The document serves as a manual for experts and officials to implement Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) in Estonia. It details the legal requirements based on EU directives and Estonian laws (KeHJS and PlanS), outlining the process from screening and scoping to the final report and follow-up. It emphasizes the importance of integrating environmental considerations early in the planning of sectoral development plans and spatial plans, the use of various quantitative and qualitative assessment methods, and the necessity of public and institutional participation to achieve sustainable development goals.

The document introduces a multi-sector Harrodian-Kaleckian growth model intended for long-run policy analysis, specifically to address the structural changes needed for the 2030 Agenda's sustainable development goals. The model utilizes a Hicksian dynamic to link productivity growth with functional income distribution and target-return pricing, resulting in constant capital productivity and profit share as long-run tendencies. While currently lacking government, financial, and foreign sectors, the model is capable of generating asymmetric business cycles, structural change, and long waves.

The report evaluates Mongolia's mining sector governance across six themes: legal and policy environment, financial benefit optimization, socio-economic benefit optimization, environmental management, mine closure transition, and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). While Mongolia demonstrates strengths in transparency (EITI participation) and professional human resources, it faces significant challenges in mine closure planning, waste management, and the formalization of ASM. The assessment concludes that Mongolia's overall implementation level of the IGF framework is 'average', with critical gaps in financial guarantees for mine closure and the lack of a comprehensive system for monitoring environmental impacts on water and biodiversity.

The document argues that NAPs, NDCs, and SDGs are mutually reinforcing frameworks for climate-resilient development. It provides a four-quadrant framework to help countries align their NDC adaptation components with their NAP processes, depending on the progress of each. Furthermore, it positions the NAP process as an operational bridge to the SDGs, specifically targets 13.1 and 13.2, and demonstrates how sector-specific adaptation in agriculture, infrastructure, and marine resources aligns with various SDG goals. The authors emphasize the need for operational alignment through cross-referencing priorities, harmonizing indicators, and coordinating reporting structures to maximize resources and political support.

The paper examines how subnational governments, with a focus on Washington State, can effectively use carbon tax revenues for greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation. It argues against a narrow focus on the lowest-cost reductions, which often leads to pitfalls such as overpayment, lack of additionality, and long ramp-up periods. Instead, it recommends a strategic approach that targets market failures, promotes social equity, and leverages existing state programs to ensure rapid and effective deployment of funds.

CIEL opposes the EU's proposal for a Multilateral Investment Court (MIC), arguing that it merely improves the institutional aspects of dispute resolution without addressing the substantive treaty provisions that prioritize investor rights over the public interest. The document asserts that an MIC would entrench the flawed investor-state arbitration regime, potentially chilling government regulation on environment and health. CIEL recommends alternatives such as requiring the exhaustion of domestic remedies, limiting jurisdiction to uncompensated direct expropriation, and exploring the complete removal of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in favor of state-state consultations or strengthened domestic courts.

The document analyzes the socio-ecological tensions arising from the Ethiopian government's plan to extract coal from the Yayu Coffee Forest Biosphere Reserve to produce electricity and chemical fertilizers. While the government views coal as a means to modernize agriculture and reduce fertilizer imports, the author highlights significant risks to the unique wild Coffea arabica populations and the livelihoods of local communities. Key impacts identified include the physical displacement of farmers, loss of biodiversity, and disruption of traditional land-use systems. The brief argues that current mining activities, though limited in scale, could cause irreversible damage if expanded without comprehensive mitigation, transparent re-investigation of impacts, and a harmonized policy approach that integrates biodiversity management with extractive industry goals.

The document details the development of a qualitative M&E framework for South-South cooperation (SSC), resulting from a 20-month process of consultations and field tests. It proposes 20 indicators across five dimensions—inclusive national ownership, horizontality, self-reliance and sustainability, accountability and transparency, and development efficiency—as an alternative to OECD-DAC standards, which the authors argue are not suited for Southern partnerships.

The document analyzes France's strategic use of its territories, military presence, and diplomatic ties to maintain influence in the Indian Ocean Region. It highlights the tension between established powers like France and emerging economies such as China, India, and South Africa, particularly regarding the 'Blue Economy' and maritime security.

The briefing outlines three core areas of challenge and opportunity for national monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of adaptation: stakeholder engagement, methods and tools, and resources. It emphasizes that effective M&E is essential for accountability, adaptive management, and climate-resilient development. Key recommendations include involving diverse stakeholders in system design to foster ownership, utilizing SMART indicators and existing baseline data, and mobilizing diverse funding sources such as the GCF readiness program to address capacity and financial gaps.

The document analyzes the controversial application of most-favoured-nation (MFN) clauses in investment treaties, specifically how interpretations by arbitral tribunals since 2000 have allowed investors to import favorable provisions from third-party treaties, potentially undermining the bilateral nature of state commitments.

The African Union (AU) has developed comprehensive maritime strategies, most notably the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS), but implementation has stalled due to a lack of resources, expertise, and a clear conceptual definition of the 'blue economy'. The document highlights the failure of the 2050 AIMS Strategic Task Force (STF) to meet quorum or produce a road map, and the marginalisation of the interdepartmental task force within the Office of the Legal Counsel. To resolve this, the author recommends establishing a dedicated AU department of maritime affairs—potentially within the Department of Trade and Industry or Transport—and convening a conference in 2017 to align the AU's vision of the blue economy with Agenda 2063.

The Lake Turkana Wind Power Project (LTWP) is a 310 MW wind farm in Kenya's Marsabit West County designed to increase national electricity supply by 15–20% and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 740,000 tCO2eq annually. Costing €623 million, it represents Kenya's largest single private investment and aims to stabilize energy prices by providing power at approximately one-third the cost of fossil fuel generation. The project has created over 2,000 local jobs and includes corporate social responsibility programs through the Winds of Change foundation to improve local education, health, and water access. Despite these benefits, the project has faced challenges including funding withdrawals by the World Bank and local tensions regarding land rights and equitable job distribution.