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The G7 Fossil Fuel Subsidy Scorecard reveals that G7 governments continue to provide substantial financial support to fossil fuels despite commitments to phase them out by 2025. Analysis shows that in 2015 and 2016, G7 nations provided at least USD 100 billion annually in subsidies and public finance, failing to implement mechanisms to document the full extent of this support or ensure accountability.

The Innovations for Resilience Convening, co-hosted by the Global Resilience Partnership, WFP, UNDP, and 1BC, focused on the role of technology and cross-sector partnerships in building community resilience. The report identifies key barriers to scaling innovations—such as rigid funding cycles and risk aversion—and showcases specific projects including satellite-based credit in the Horn of Africa, drone mapping in the Maldives, and hydroponics in Algeria. It emphasizes the need for 'disruptive change' and a 'fail fast' mindset to move from gradual development improvements to exponential growth in resilience.

The report details a two-day workshop in June 2018 focused on aligning African development priorities with the BAPA+40 process. Key discussions centered on the need for a common definition and measurement framework for South-South Cooperation (SSC), the integration of Agenda 2063 and the SDGs, and the role of civil society. The workshop highlighted challenges in infrastructure financing, economic structural transformation, and the intersection of peace and development. Participants emphasized moving beyond superficial themes to create an action-oriented outcome for BAPA+40, proposing several thematic papers for the UN Office for South-South Cooperation.

The paper examines Tanzania's electrification challenges, noting that only 32.8% of the population had electricity access in 2016. It critiques the proposed $3.6 billion Stiegler's Gorge hydroelectric dam, arguing that its benefits are outweighed by risks to the Selous World Heritage Site and downstream livelihoods in the Lower Rufiji. The author suggests that Tanzania should leapfrog traditional centralized infrastructure in favor of a combination of large-scale and micro-scale solar and wind power to achieve inclusive development without causing significant biodiversity loss.

The document examines the crisis of marine plastic pollution, noting that while Asia is currently the most polluted continent, Africa is on track to take this title due to rapid population growth, industrialisation, and a lack of waste management capacity. It details the environmental impacts of plastic, including entanglement and ingestion by 344 and 331 marine species respectively, and the economic losses associated with tourism and material waste. The brief surveys a wide array of international treaties—such as UNCLOS, MARPOL, and the Basel Convention—and regional frameworks like the RSCAPs, arguing that policies must shift from focusing on ocean-based waste to targeting land-based sources. It highlights South Africa's legislative framework as an example of established policy that still lacks ground-level implementation, and promotes the African Marine Waste Network (AMWN) as a holistic model for research, economic incentives, and capacity building.

The document examines sanitation governance in Rwanda and Uganda, arguing that top-down policies often fail because they ignore the socio-cultural drivers of household behaviour and lack adequate national funding. It highlights a significant 'implementation gap' where international targets drive policy, but households—who provide approximately 60% of sector investment—face cultural and emotional barriers to adoption. The brief advocates for 'backward mapping' to include ground-level stakeholders in design and a deeper understanding of behavioural drivers to ensure sustainability.

The GEC Steering Group approved the Organization of American States (OAS) as a member and discussed the 'Measure what matters' (MWM) brand, which focuses on alternative ways of measuring success for green and fair economies. The group also reviewed the structure of an upcoming global meeting centered on the question 'how does everyone get a stake?' and noted plans for a global SME plan and a Partner Growth strategy to be developed by September 2018.

The IAI Directorate Science reports on the final phase of the third Collaborative Research Network (CRN3), the launch of the Small Grant Program on ecosystem services and human wellbeing (SGP-HW), and the planning for the fourth Collaborative Research Network (CRN4). Key initiatives include a co-design process for climate adaptation in the megacities of Buenos Aires, São Paulo, and Santiago de Chile, and a collaborative research framework with Argentina's CONICET. The Directorate is shifting toward a co-funding model to diversify science funding and is emphasizing transdisciplinary research aligned with international frameworks like the SDGs.

The meeting, held on 2-3 April 2018, brought together policy makers, scientists, and international organizations to establish a co-designed research program for megacities in the South. The initiative aims to provide scientific guidance for adaptation and mitigation actions, specifically targeting decarbonization in transport, housing, and waste management, as well as addressing climate-related health risks and extreme weather events. The participants outlined a seven-component research plan emphasizing governance, social dimensions of adaptation, and capacity building to support the implementation of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals in Buenos Aires, Santiago, and Sao Paulo.

In a speech to the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce, IISD President and CEO Scott Vaughan discusses the intersection of trade, sustainability, innovation, and climate change. He warns that protectionism and the potential end of NAFTA would increase costs and emissions, while highlighting the growth of the global green goods and services market. Vaughan emphasizes the importance of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 'Winnipeg PEG' model for community-based sustainability reporting, which IISD aims to replicate globally. He also notes the rise of climate-related financial risk disclosure and the necessity of integrating environmental and economic goals to ensure long-term competitiveness.

The document outlines the governance, scope, and operational framework for INCCCETT 4CB, a collaboration between 13 international research centres and think tanks. The network aims to bridge science and policy to support the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals through enhanced South-South-North collaboration and capacity building.

The document examines the interconnectedness of the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It introduces the SDG Climate Action Nexus (SCAN) tool, which identifies over 500 potential linkages between specific mitigation actions and SDG targets, noting that over 80% of these are positive. The report further analyzes challenges in data transparency, financing, and institutional frameworks, while providing case studies on policy coordination in India and The Netherlands.

The report examines how Carbon Removal and Solar Geoengineering might interact with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals. It finds that at least 13 of the 17 SDGs would be affected by these technologies, with at least 9 facing significant risks. While these interventions could mitigate some climate-driven threats to development, they introduce novel physical, socio-economic, and political risks, including land-use conflicts, water scarcity, and international political tensions. The authors emphasize substantial knowledge gaps and call for transdisciplinary, geographically diverse research and robust global governance to ensure such technologies do not hinder sustainable development.

The 2018 Green Economy Barometer for Mongolia highlights a significant gap between the country's international commitments and domestic implementation. While Mongolia has adopted the Green Development Policy and the Sustainable Development Vision 2030, it ranked 79th out of 80 countries in the 2016 Global Green Economy Index. The report identifies severe environmental challenges, including air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, desertification affecting 77.8% of the territory, and water scarcity. Economically, the report argues that investing 4% of GDP annually into green development could reduce poverty to 10% and unemployment by 2% by 2030. Current green employment accounts for 9.9% of total jobs. Financial needs for energy efficiency, renewables, and pollution control are estimated at over 11 billion USD, though green financing remains limited.

The 2018 Green Economy Barometer for Mongolia highlights a significant gap between the country's legislative commitments and actual implementation. While the government has adopted the National Green Development Policy and Sustainable Development Vision 2030, Mongolia ranked 79th out of 80 countries in the 2016 Global Green Economy Index. The report argues that investing 4% of GDP into green development could reduce poverty to 10% and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 17% by 2030. Current challenges include severe air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, land degradation affecting 77.8% of land, and a precarious economic dependence on volatile mineral exports.

The paper argues that while South Africa possesses the necessary legal tools—primarily through the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) and the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA)—to achieve the targets of SDG 12, practical implementation is hindered by systemic failures. These include a lack of political will, administrative inefficiency within the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), and poor inter-departmental coordination. The authors highlight a specific governance risk where the DMR acts as both the awarding authority for environmental authorisations and the body responsible for their implementation, which weakens oversight.

The IAI Directorate is working to bridge the gap between scientific research and policy-making in the Americas by establishing relationships with multilateral environmental agreements, enhancing the capacity of member countries, and diversifying its funding sources. Key efforts include collaborating with the IPCC and UNFCCC, developing a sub-regional network for megacities in Latin America, and implementing an open data policy. The Directorate is also seeking to increase the visibility of the IAI through communication strategies and the hosting of the Belmont Forum Secretariat.

A coalition of business associations, civil society, and think tanks calls on the EU to increase climate-related spending beyond 20% of its post-2020 budget and to 'climate proof' all spending by ending investments in unabated fossil fuel infrastructure and harmful subsidies.

The policy brief examines the intersection of the extractive industries, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Fourth Industrial Revolution. It argues that 'social risk' arises from a failure to achieve 'shared value'—where communities, governments, and companies all benefit from resource endowments. The authors propose the Socio-Economic Technology Initiative (SETI), an open data platform designed to aggregate structured quantitative and unstructured qualitative data to improve development planning and community engagement. Using South Africa as a case study, the document highlights failures in integrated planning and the risk of 'post-mining ghost towns' due to maturing ore bodies and increased mechanisation. It concludes that big-data analytics can reduce transaction costs for collaboration and ensure more equitable socio-economic outcomes.

The report analyzes 42 VNRs from 2017 to establish ten key pillars for the effective implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, offering recommendations for improving SDG implementation and peer learning through the HLPF.