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The document argues that Latin American countries failed to coordinate their COVID-19 responses, contrasting this with the coordinated efforts seen in Africa. It highlights how the dismantling of regional health mechanisms, political denialism in Brazil and Mexico, and the instrumentalisation of multilateral organisations like PAHO hampered the region's ability to manage the crisis. The author notes that this lack of coordination, combined with underfunded healthcare systems and pre-existing economic vulnerabilities, led to high death rates and severe economic contractions, disproportionately affecting women and those in informal settlements.

The policy brief examines the health diplomacy of the US and China during the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically focusing on Africa and Latin America. It argues that while both powers used health aid to gain diplomatic ground, China committed more new resources and employed a multi-actor approach, whereas the US relied heavily on pre-existing frameworks like PEPFAR. The document also analyzes systemic impacts, such as the disruption of global supply chains and the rise of nationalism over multilateralism, and highlights the critical need for health equity and global cooperation to manage future public health crises.

The document outlines a readiness project implemented by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) to support 13 accredited and applicant Direct Access Entities (DAEs) within the International Development Finance Club (IDFC). The project aims to remove barriers to GCF accreditation and funding by providing technical assistance for fiduciary, environmental, social, and gender policies, and by developing climate finance tools for risk and impact assessment. Key deliverables include an IDFC-GCF Toolkit, a joint DAE-IDFC Work Program, and the development of multi-country concept notes focusing on climate-resilient recovery post-COVID-19, specifically targeting MSMEs and vulnerable populations in sectors like renewable energy and sustainable land use.

Brazil is characterized as a global leader in renewable energy and a sophisticated nuclear actor, yet it faces severe systemic risks. The country is pursuing a nuclear-powered submarine program while managing rising deforestation in the Amazon and significant climate threats, including projected temperature increases of 1°C to 2.2°C by 2060. These environmental stressors intersect with deep socioeconomic inequality, a fragile healthcare system strained by COVID-19, and political instability marked by a shift toward authoritarianism and widespread corruption. The document argues that the intersection of these climate, health, and political crises could undermine Brazil's stability and its role in the international order.

The report identifies over 60 mitigation policies adopted between July 2019 and August 2020, noting the highest activity in the energy and transport sectors. It highlights a lack of explicitly 'green' COVID-19 recovery measures in most assessed countries, except for the EU and Republic of Korea. Additionally, it tracks the progress of NDCs and LTS, noting that only Vietnam has officially revised its NDC target among the group, while the EU and Japan have submitted net-zero long-term strategies.

The document argues that Wikipedia is a critical tool for communicating climate change information to a wider audience than academic journals, noting that it is often the first port of call for the general public and policymakers. It highlights a 'systemic bias' in Wikipedia's contributor base, which tends to be male and from developed countries, resulting in a lack of content from the Global South, particularly Africa. To address this, the guide provides detailed technical instructions on creating accounts, adding citations, using the Visual and Source editors, and navigating Talk pages. It also outlines the 'five pillars' of Wikipedia editing, emphasizing a neutral point of view and the necessity of verifiable sources. Furthermore, the guide explains how to join WikiProjects, such as WikiProject Climate Change, and provides a step-by-step framework for organizing 'edit-a-thons' to collaboratively improve specific topic areas.

The report presents a synthesis of discussions from a webinar involving Friends of the Earth International, the World March of Women, and the Latin American Network of Women Transforming the Economy. It posits that the COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of a systemic crisis caused by capitalist accumulation, which also drives climate change and biodiversity loss. The authors advocate for a 'just recovery' centered on the 'sustainability of life,' requiring the decommodification of public services, the redistribution of domestic and care work, and the implementation of food sovereignty and agroecology. It calls for a new internationalism to challenge the power of transnational corporations and the 'ecological debt' owed by the Global North to the Global South.

The report presents a critique of the capitalist, patriarchal, and colonial systems as the root causes of the Covid-19 pandemic and broader ecological crises. It advocates for a 'transformative economy' that prioritizes the sustainability of life over capital accumulation, emphasizing the central role of care work, food sovereignty, and the decommodification of public services. The authors call for a new internationalism based on solidarity and the payment of ecological debts from the Global North to the Global South, while rejecting corporate 'greenwashing' and 'net-zero' strategies.

The document analyzes the crisis facing Eskom, South Africa's state-owned energy monopoly, attributing it to a combination of historical reliance on the 'minerals-energy complex', financial mismanagement, and costly, corruption-mired power station projects. It evaluates the proposal to 'unbundle' the utility into generation, transmission, and distribution entities, drawing on cautionary examples from Kenya and Uganda. The paper argues for a 'Just Transition' that protects workers and communities while transitioning to renewables, suggesting the use of international climate finance or public pension funds to alleviate Eskom's unsustainable debt.

The report examines the global soybean market, noting that production is highly concentrated in the US, Brazil, and Argentina, with demand driven by meat consumption and Asia. It highlights significant environmental and social risks, including deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado biomes and the use of GM crops. While voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) aim to mitigate these risks, their adoption remains low, representing only 1.8% of global production in 2018. The report identifies potential for VSS growth in LHDCs like Nigeria and Benin, though challenges such as mechanization and market competition persist.

The study analyzes the 'El Morro' catchment in Argentina, where the conversion of native forests to agriculture has led to rising water tables and the emergence of new streams. The authors identify five mechanisms of competition: plants taking water from streams via unsaturated uptake (mechanism 1), focalized saturated uptake in wetlands (mechanism 2), and distributed saturated uptake in forests (mechanism 3); and streams taking water from plants through streambed deepening (mechanism 4) and sediment deposition (mechanism 5). Findings indicate that while unsaturated uptake previously suppressed streamflow, current high water tables have made saturated uptake by forests and wetlands significant, though deepening streams are now actively reclaiming water by lowering local water tables.

The IAI CoP-28 meeting focused on administrative governance, financial stability, and the expansion of institutional partnerships. Key outcomes included the approval of the 2020-2021 operating budget and the 2021-2023 preliminary request, the election of a new Executive Council led by the United States, and the invitation to the Canadian non-profit Mitacs to become an Associate of the Institute. The meeting also established new mandates for the Executive Council to conduct annual performance evaluations of the Executive Director and for the IAI to develop a gender policy and a whistleblower mechanism. Notably, the Parties deferred approval of the IAI Scientific Agenda to allow for further member contributions before CoP-29.

The report examines the technical and legal implications of the proposed Multilateral Framework on Investment Facilitation (MFIF) within the WTO. It identifies significant overlaps between the MFIF and the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), as well as potential conflicts with the existing regime of International Investment Agreements (IIAs). The analysis warns that despite explicit exclusions of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) from the MFIF, the framework's disciplines could still be invoked in ISDS tribunals through 'umbrella clauses,' Fair and Equitable Treatment (FET) standards, and Most-Favored-Nation (MFN) clauses found in IIAs.

The document analyzes Egypt's long-term pursuit of nuclear energy, framing the current Dabaa project as a 'techno-nationalist' mega-project under President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. It highlights the lack of transparency in the selection of ROSATOM as a partner, the financial burden of a $25 billion loan, and the government's tendency to prioritize national prestige over public consultation and safety transparency.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) announced the election results from its 28th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP-28) held on 19 August 2020. The Executive Council for 2020–2022 includes Canada, Chile, Jamaica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, the United States, and Uruguay, with the United States serving as Chair. Additionally, the document lists the newly elected members of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and the Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), including their respective areas of expertise and institutional affiliations.

The document is a participant list for the 28th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, dated 19 August 2020. It identifies representatives from various member nations and the chair of the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research has received nominations for two SAC vacancies from Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, and Mexico. Accredited Parties are invited to vote for two candidates via email by 19 August 2020, while other SAC and SPAC elections will be conducted during the virtual CoP-28 on the same date.

The report contends that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep structural faults in South Africa's economy, including extreme inequality and a dependence on fossil fuels. It advocates for a 'Just Recovery' based on five principles: prioritizing health, providing direct economic relief, supporting workers over corporations, creating resilience for future crises, and building international solidarity. The authors propose a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, the implementation of a 'purple economy' to value care work, and a shift toward democratic public ownership to replace market-centric neoliberal policies.

The document outlines a transition from administrative to strategic public procurement in Latin America and the Caribbean, highlighting four regional case studies and ten essential components for reform to support sustainable development.

The document argues that the World Heritage Committee should not defer climate mitigation issues to the UNFCCC, as state parties have independent obligations under the World Heritage Convention to protect properties from climate change. It asserts that site-level mitigation and adaptation are insufficient for highly vulnerable sites like coral reefs and glaciers, which require warming to be limited to well below 1.5°C. The briefing recommends using the List of World Heritage in Danger to enforce corrective measures based on a state's alignment with global emissions pathways.