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The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is a South African public interest law organisation that uses litigation and advocacy to defend the constitutional right to a healthy environment. Between 2009 and 2023, CER achieved landmark judgments on climate change (Thabametsi), air pollution (Deadly Air), and the protection of activists against SLAPP suits. The organisation operates four main programmes: Pollution & Climate Change, Corporate Accountability & Transparency, Activist Support & Training, and Mining. CER emphasizes an intersectional approach, focusing on the disproportionate impact of pollution on poor and Black communities and promoting women's leadership within the environmental justice movement.

The report details how the climate crisis is accelerating in Arizona, leading to increased drought, extreme heat, and flooding. It quantifies specific impacts—such as a 71% decline in Lake Mead's volume since 2000 and nearly 500 heat-related deaths in Maricopa County during the summer of 2023—and outlines the extensive infrastructure, public health, and water management costs required for adaptation.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the neoliberal system drives ecological crises and fuels violence against marginalized communities. The organization advocates for a shift from individual human rights frameworks toward the recognition of collective 'rights of peoples' to protect land, water, and ancestral practices. It defines 'territory' as a socially constructed space—including the human body—and positions the defense of these territories and their defenders as a prerequisite for systemic transformation toward sustainable societies.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the neoliberal capitalist system drives multiple ecological and social crises, leading to the systemic violation of the collective rights of marginalized communities. The organization advocates for a shift from individual human rights frameworks to 'Rights of Peoples' to protect indigenous, Afro-descendant, and peasant communities. It defines 'territory' as a socially constructed space encompassing spiritual, cultural, and physical relationships, including the human body, and positions the defense of these territories and their defenders as essential for achieving a transformative system change toward sustainable societies.

The 2023 Water Market Intelligence Report highlights a critical state of wastewater treatment works (WWTWs) in South Africa, with 39% requiring urgent intervention. It identifies three primary investment areas: the restoration of municipal infrastructure (estimated at R8.14 billion), the circular economy potential of sludge beneficiation, and the deployment of renewable energy and energy efficiency (EE) technologies to reduce high operational costs. The report notes significant funding gaps and municipal capacity constraints but points to regulatory drivers, such as the 2019 liquid waste landfill ban, as catalysts for private sector involvement.

The African Nature Based Tourism Platform, funded by the Global Environment Facility, is working to mobilize $15 million for tourism-reliant communities and SMEs across 11 countries in eastern and southern Africa. Based on 687 surveys conducted in early 2021, the Platform identified critical vulnerabilities caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, including severe revenue losses and threats to food and water security. These insights have informed the development of community-led grant proposals focusing on climate-smart agriculture, water security through solar-powered boreholes, and inclusive governance. Specific successful funding mobilizations include a $1.4 million EU grant for governance in Tanzania's Wildlife Management Areas and various projects in Malawi, South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Kenya aimed at diversifying livelihoods to reduce reliance on tourism and prevent the unsustainable use of natural resources.

The document highlights the critical state of global freshwater ecosystems, noting that one in three freshwater species face extinction and only one-third of long rivers remain free-flowing. It identifies unsustainable agriculture and poorly planned infrastructure as primary drivers of degradation, both exacerbated by climate change. The author calls for the Global Biodiversity Framework to include specific numerical restoration targets by 2030: 300,000 kilometers of rivers and 350 million hectares of inland waters. It further advocates for the elevation of freshwater to the same priority level as land and sea in conservation goals, urging the use of nature-based solutions and financial support to ensure water security and support the clean energy transition.

The Simplified Approval Process (SAP) Technical Guidance Compendium outlines the eligibility and technical requirements for GCF projects with contributions up to USD 25 million and minimal environmental and social risks. It provides sectoral guidance across agriculture, ecosystems, water security, cities, energy efficiency, forests, REDD+, renewable energy, and transport, detailing 'SAP-able' activities, impact measurement indicators, and the requirements for achieving a paradigm shift in each sector.

The application seeks PPF support to prepare a full funding proposal for a project in Mexico City. The proposed project aims to scale up domestic Rainwater Harvesting Systems (RWHS) for vulnerable populations, particularly women-led households, to mitigate water insecurity caused by climate-led droughts affecting the Cutzamala-Lerma system. The PPF activities include feasibility studies (economic, technical, climate, and water), a gender assessment and action plan, a multi-stakeholder engagement plan, and the final elaboration of a Simplified Approval Process (SAP) funding proposal. The underlying project targets 50,000 direct beneficiaries and seeks a total indicative cost of 9,660,000 USD, with 6,160,000 USD requested from the GCF as a grant.

The document defines Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as actions to protect, manage, and restore ecosystems to address societal challenges while providing biodiversity and human well-being benefits. It identifies a lack of specific NbS frameworks in South Asia but notes that existing national laws and policies in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal provide a foundation for their mainstreaming. The report categorizes NbS into five IUCN-based approaches: ecosystem restoration, issue-specific ecosystem-related, infrastructure-related, ecosystem-based management, and ecosystem-protection. It details 15 urban case studies, including the Yamuna Biodiversity Park in New Delhi, the restoration of riverine areas in Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, and the Green Lumbini Initiative in Nepal, highlighting the role of multidisciplinary partnerships and community engagement in achieving ecological and socio-economic resilience.

The report identifies three primary categories of climate security vulnerabilities for China: direct risks to military and critical infrastructure, compounding risks to internal political stability, and external risks that amplify regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific. It notes that while China is investing heavily in hard infrastructure adaptation and disaster response, political incentives and a lack of societal trust may undermine these efforts. The document recommends that the US government improve its predictive data on China's physical risks, use forecasting tools like wargaming, and prioritize climate resilience funding for Indo-Pacific allies to counter Chinese influence.

The CER's submission on the draft NWRS-3 argues that the strategy must move beyond treating climate change as a future threat and instead implement binding regulations to protect water security. The CER advocates for the formal legal protection of Strategic Water Source Areas (SWSAs), strengthened compliance monitoring and enforcement (CME) through the 'Blue Scorpions', and a moratorium on unconventional oil and gas exploration due to risks of water contamination and methane emissions. It further emphasizes the need for transparency in water licensing and the alignment of the NWRS-3 with South Africa's international commitments under the Paris Agreement and the domestic Climate Change Bill.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) scheduled a press call for November 1, 2022, to preview key themes for COP27. The event aimed to outline how world leaders can make progress on adaptation finance, loss and damage financial arrangements, and accountability for climate and nature commitments, while addressing food, water, and energy crises in vulnerable regions.

The document assesses gender-based barriers to water security in Vanuatu, highlighting how patriarchal norms, high rates of gender-based violence, and 'time poverty' disproportionately affect women and girls. It proposes a gender-transformative approach to climate-resilient WASH by mandating 40% female representation in Rural Water Committees and designing infrastructure that addresses specific needs of women, the elderly, and people with disabilities. The report also establishes a multi-level Grievance Redress Mechanism to handle issues of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment.

This briefing outlines the progress of the Regional Assessment conducted by the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). The assessment aims to identify knowledge gaps and uncertainties in decisions impacted by global environmental change (GEC) to better target science and capacity-building efforts for Member Countries.

The IAI is conducting a Regional Assessment to better understand how global environmental change (GEC) affects the decisions of its member Parties. Through surveys and subregional listening sessions held in 2022, the IAI identified 'climate action' as the most important current national priority for 14 Parties. Key barriers to using scientific information include a lack of intersectoral collaboration and a lack of science available for non-technical audiences. The assessment has grouped member countries by shared priorities and identified specific regional focuses, such as water security in the Southern Cone and biodiversity in the Andean subregion. Next steps include a deep analysis of collected data and a review of national policy documents, with results to be communicated at CoP-31.

The project, 'Enhancing Adaptation and Community Resilience by Improving Water Security in Vanuatu,' is a climate adaptation investment requesting USD 23.3 million in GCF grants. It targets 85,650 direct beneficiaries across 750 communities. The initiative focuses on three outcomes: empowering communities to plan climate-resilient water resources through updated Drinking Water Safety and Security Planning (DWSSP), constructing and upgrading climate-resilient rural water infrastructure via the Capital Assistance Programme (CAP), and strengthening provincial and national institutions. The project addresses risks such as increased temperatures, extreme precipitation, and sea-level rise, which threaten water quality and availability. It specifically emphasizes gender equality by mandating 40% female representation in Rural Water Committees (RWCs) and designing infrastructure to meet the specific needs of women, children, and the elderly.

The 2022 floods in Pakistan, which inundated a third of the country, have created a humanitarian catastrophe that exacerbates political instability, provides opportunities for extremist recruitment, and increases risks to nuclear security. The document argues that poor ecological governance and political turbulence worsened the impact. It highlights the potential for groups like the Pakistani Taliban and Islamic State Khorasan to exploit government absence by providing aid. Furthermore, it warns that climate hazards could destabilize nuclear sites or escalate tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan over water resources in the Indus River Basin. The authors urge the United States to integrate climate considerations into military support and fulfill climate finance commitments to ensure long-term security.

The report provides a comprehensive strategic and programmatic framework for the Tupiza River Basin, focusing on improving water security, sanitation, and climate resilience. It identifies critical vulnerabilities, including mining-related water contamination, inadequate sanitation in rural areas, and high susceptibility to floods and frosts. The plan proposes specific infrastructure investments—such as rainwater harvesting tanks, deep wells, and decentralized wastewater treatment plants—alongside gender-focused empowerment programs and sustainable mining management to mitigate environmental degradation.

The document examines the critical intersection of WASH services, climate change, and global health security, illustrating how water scarcity and infrastructure failure exacerbate disease transmission and political instability. It highlights specific instances in West Africa, India, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo where the lack of basic water services in healthcare facilities increased vulnerability to Ebola and other health crises. The author advocates for the U.S. Government to leverage its global water and climate strategies to promote sector-inclusive policies and funding that prioritize prevention over response.