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The assessment identifies climate action, biodiversity conservation, and water security as primary policy priorities in the Americas, with health, poverty, and inequality emerging as new priorities. It highlights a significant barrier to evidence-based policymaking: the difficulty of communicating science to non-technical audiences. To address these gaps, the document recommends strengthening intersectoral and multinational scientific cooperation, integrating science diplomacy and transdisciplinary training for science-policy intermediaries, and strategic participation in international conventions, particularly for smaller nations.

The ANDEX program, established in 2018 under the GEWEX and WCRP frameworks, aims to strengthen the resilience of Andean societies by improving hydroclimatic research and forecasting. The program focuses on two primary challenges: improving water security for approximately 90 million people and reducing risks from high-impact hydroclimatic events. To achieve this, ANDEX promotes regional cooperation among scientists from seven Andean countries to address issues such as glacial retreat, deforestation, and weak monitoring networks, ultimately providing evidence-based tools for decision-makers to support sustainable development.

The document outlines the objectives of ANDEX (Regional Hydroclimatic Program for the Andes), an initiative under the GEWEX and WCRP frameworks. It identifies critical threats to the Andean region, including climate change, deforestation, and land-use changes, which jeopardize the water and food security of approximately 90 million people. ANDEX aims to bridge the gap between the scientific community and operational services to improve hydro-meteorological monitoring and forecasting. The program focuses on two primary goals: improving water security for Andean populations and reducing risks from high-impact hydroclimatic events through evidence-based tools and regional cooperation.

The document assesses the critical loss of biodiversity in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting the 'empty forest syndrome' and the desertification of the Amazon due to gold mining. It emphasizes the vital role of ecosystem services, such as the water-regulating capacity of Andean páramos and soil organic matter for sustainable agriculture. The text argues for 'inclusive conservation' that integrates indigenous territories and traditional knowledge, noting that indigenous lands often maintain higher biodiversity. It also discusses the 'blue economy' potential of the region's marine ecosystems and the risks of 'green extractivism,' specifically how lithium mining for the global energy transition threatens Andean water resources. Finally, it examines how international trade in commodities, such as soy and leather from the Gran Chaco, drives deforestation, and advocates for the implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the Escazú Agreement to ensure environmental justice and peace.

The document outlines the formation of the Indigenous Peoples Advisory Committee (IPAC) to integrate Indigenous knowledge and science into the IAI's scientific agenda on Global Environmental Change (GEC). It specifies that the committee will consist of five members from IAI member countries, emphasizing equitable representation of women and youth. The IPAC is designed to provide recommendations on the IAI's Strategic Plan and scientific agenda, working alongside the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC). The text also details the candidate requirements, nomination process, and the IAI's broader Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) policy.

The assessment identifies climate action, biodiversity conservation, and water security as primary regional policy priorities, while noting that health, poverty, and inequality are emerging concerns. It highlights that science communication to non-technical audiences is a significant barrier to evidence-based policymaking and recommends strengthening cross-sectoral and multi-country scientific cooperation, incorporating science diplomacy training, and leveraging international platforms and funding, particularly for small countries.

The document asserts that a green economy is impossible without efficient water stewardship, proposing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as the primary entry point for solving linked water, energy, and food security challenges. It emphasizes the need for new water targets, polycentric governance to manage transboundary water flows, and the use of earth observations for monitoring. The Lake Winnipeg Bioeconomy Project is cited as a model for linking hydrologic and nutrient cycles to provide renewable feedstock and ecosystem benefits.

The briefing argues that traditional, siloed approaches to water, energy, and food security are unsustainable and can lead to unintended consequences. It advocates for the 'Water-Energy-Food (WEF) nexus' approach, which recognizes the critical interconnections between these three essentials. The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) applies this framework through watershed-based management in Canada—specifically using cattail harvesting in the Lake Winnipeg watershed to provide bioenergy and reduce phosphorus—and by engaging stakeholders in Suriname to assess the impacts of mining on WEF systems using both outcome-based and process-based indicators.

The document examines the conflict between Ethiopia and Egypt over the proposed Great Millennium Dam, a project with a 5,250 megawatt capacity. Egypt has expressed concerns regarding its water quota and has threatened military action, while Ethiopia links Egyptian access to the site to the signing of the Cooperative Framework Agreement (CFA). The dispute is framed by the CFA, which is supported by several upper Nile Basin states but rejected by Egypt, and is further complicated by the independence of Southern Sudan.

The Declaration of the African Caravans for Climate Justice argues that colonialism is a primary driver of climate change and calls for a transition from debt-based climate finance to grants. It demands that wealthy nations meet the $100 billion annual pledge, establish a dedicated loss and damage financing mechanism, and halt new investments in fossil fuels and nuclear power. The document emphasizes the need for peasant agroecology, community land security, and the meaningful inclusion of women and youth in climate governance.

The report details five dialogues focused on state capacity in South Africa, specifically addressing the energy transition, freight and public transport, the criminal justice system, and water security, concluding with a synthesis on public sector professionalization. A recurring theme is the detrimental impact of state capture and political interference on institutional memory and technical expertise. The document argues that state capability requires not just administrative skills but the agency to 'reach into society' and coordinate complex projects. Key recommendations include reforming senior appointment processes to insulate the public service from politics, creating a single administration to reduce fragmentation, and rethinking the municipal fiscal framework to ensure the viability of basic service delivery.

The Republic of Armenia's Third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0) for 2026-2035 outlines economy-wide greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets and comprehensive adaptation strategies to address high climate vulnerability in a landlocked, mountainous region.

This fact sheet from the CADWAGO project discusses the conceptual framework for addressing water dilemmas, emphasizing the need to reconcile both conflicting interests and competing claims over agency (position dilemmas) in water governance, particularly under the uncertainties of climate change.

The Stockholm Environment Institute's Water Beyond Boundaries (WBB) initiative aims to evolve water planning beyond the traditional Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) paradigm. WBB focuses on three pillars: extending management beyond the immediate watershed to include global resource flows, implementing multi-scale participatory tools to address social inequalities (including gender and poverty), and integrating ecosystem needs throughout the planning process. The initiative is being tested through pilot studies in the Mekong River basin and the Magdalena River Basin, while reflecting on previous work in California.

The WICER project addresses Iraq's water security challenges caused by climate change, conflict, and environmental degradation. It employs three workstreams: resilient water management in the Al-Udhym basin, market-based urban circularity for sanitation and resource recovery, and the exploration of rural circularity through nature-based solutions. The project aims to build local capacity and develop viable business models and policies to ensure long-term water resilience.

The report details two networking events held between November 2020 and February 2021 as part of the sWASH & grow project. These events, coordinated by WIN Water, aimed to bridge the gap between innovators (sellers) and relief organizations (buyers) to scale circular and sustainable water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) innovations. The activities included a 'Digital Water' workshop focusing on digitalization in challenged regions and a dedicated event on business models for clean water and sanitation in disaster and developing areas. In total, approximately 90 participants from various countries and sectors attended, resulting in identified needs for standardized data forms, better understanding of humanitarian procurement, and the development of local value chains.

Work Package 2 (WP2) of the CADWAGO project investigates how formal and informal institutional arrangements mediate the relationship between society and water resources under the pressure of climate change. Using a social institutions framework, the research employs two primary analytical tools: the context-structure-process-outcomes (CSPO) framework to analyse organisational functioning and the "five capitals" approach (human, social, natural, physical, and financial) to evaluate adaptive capacity. The study utilizes ten international case studies, including specific analyses of flooding in the Baltic Sea Region and along the south-east Queensland coast, to identify governance practices that enable systemic transformation and water security. Led by the University of the Sunshine Coast with partners from Griffith University, the University of Tasmania, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the work involves stakeholder interviews and literature synthesis to provide policy-makers with insights into climate change adaptation regimes.

The document examines how water risks—driven by population growth, economic expansion, and climate change—contribute to political instability and food insecurity. It identifies three primary pathways to water insecurity: diminished supply or quality, increased demand, and extreme flood events. The text emphasizes that water crises are contributing factors rather than sole causes of conflict, with outcomes heavily dependent on a community's governance capacity and resilience. Proposed mitigation strategies include improving irrigation efficiency, implementing water demand caps, and strengthening governance systems.

The document outlines a methodology for tracking nature-based solutions (NBS) investments in sub-Saharan Africa by scanning multilateral development bank portfolios. Between 2012 and 2021, the World Bank and African Development Bank led 85 NBS-related projects with combined total budgets of $12.1 billion, of which $4.5 billion was specifically for NBS components. The research identifies Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Tanzania, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as the countries with the highest project counts and notes that NBS are being used to address urban flooding, coastal flooding, and water security while providing co-benefits for biodiversity and carbon sequestration.

The India Water Tool 2.0 (IWT) is a high-resolution, public platform developed by a Working Group of 14 members—including companies like Nestle and PepsiCo and partners such as the World Resources Institute—to address water security challenges in India. The tool integrates 14 datasets from Indian government authorities, including the Central Ground Water Board and the India Meteorological Department, to help users identify water risks and prioritize management actions. Additionally, the IWT 2.0 enables the calculation of metrics for reporting to corporate disclosure initiatives such as the CDP Water and the Global Reporting Initiative.