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The report finds that despite robust anti-money laundering policies, there are few criminal investigations into the financial proceeds of migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone. Smugglers rely heavily on cash and informal transfer systems like hawala to move funds, which are then laundered through real estate, used car imports, and hospitality businesses. Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) in both countries are underfunded and lack the specialized capacity to 'follow the money,' while corruption and a lack of witness cooperation further hinder prosecutions.

The report examines the implementation of the Brazilian Forest Code in Roraima, specifically the reduction of Legal Reserve requirements from 80% to 50% following the 2022 Ecological-Economic Zoning (ZEE-RR). It argues that this reduction, while legally permissible under certain conditions, acts as an 'invitation to deforestation' and risks setting a precedent for other Amazonian states like Amapá and Amazonas. The document highlights that approximately two million hectares in Roraima could lose legal protection, potentially releasing 267 million tonnes of carbon. It also notes that much of the state's public conservation units may lack the necessary land tenure regularization required by federal law to justify such a reduction.

This document is a list of participants for the 31st Meeting of the Executive Council to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held on June 21, 2023, in Panama City and via videoconference.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has received nominations for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and Science Policy Committee (SPAC). For the SAC, nominations were received from Argentina (Pedro Laterra) and Chile (Laura Ramajo), while no nominations were received from IAI Associates. For the SPAC, nominations were received from Ecuador (Inty Arcos), Colombia (Gilma Mantilla), and Brazil (Carlos Joly). Because the number of nominees equals the number of vacancies, parties may accept all qualified candidates. Additionally, an ad-hoc committee will be established on 21 June 2023 during CoP-31 to evaluate candidates and recommend which SAC candidate should fill the alternate member vacancy.

The report argues that current NDCs and financial frameworks are insufficient to reach net-zero emissions, particularly in developing and emerging economies facing high debt. It proposes nine principles for international climate finance, emphasizing that developed countries must scale up support based on common but differentiated responsibilities (CBDR). Key recommendations include adopting bottom-up, sector-specific finance needs, utilizing innovative mechanisms like debt-for-climate swaps, and aligning finance with national policy processes to avoid carbon lock-ins. The report highlights the importance of 'just transitions' and the synergy between mitigation, adaptation, and loss and damage funding.

The research identifies a significant gap between solar radiation potential and installed capacity in lower-income countries, driven by high costs of capital linked to sovereign, political, and off-taker risks. To address this, the authors propose a Global Credit Guarantee Facility (GCGF) with a suggested capitalization of USD 6.6 billion to provide partial guarantees for cross-border debt. The paper models two approaches for the GCGF's impact: one reducing overall risk premiums by an average of 6% and another reducing them by 3% by focusing solely on default rates. The facility aims to mobilize approximately USD 120 billion in debt to meet the 2030 solar targets of shortlisted emerging market and developing economy countries.

Friends of the Earth International argues that the current global crises—climate, biodiversity, and social inequality—are rooted in a capitalist model, industrial agriculture, and patriarchal relations. The organization advocates for a transition toward a 'new economy' based on solidarity, food sovereignty, and community-led energy and forest management. It emphasizes the necessity of dismantling corporate power and oppression to create a world where human rights and planetary boundaries are central to governance.

Friends of the Earth International argues that systemic change requires dismantling the capitalist economic model, industrial agriculture, fossil-fuel-based energy, and patriarchal relations. The organization advocates for a transition toward food sovereignty, climate justice, and community-led biodiversity management, emphasizing the need to replace corporate power with popular sovereignty and solidarity. The guide provides specific examples of these pathways in action, including legal victories against Shell in the Netherlands, community forest management in Indonesia, and renewable energy initiatives in Palestine and Africa.

The report argues that current global crises—including climate change, biodiversity loss, and extreme inequality—are symptoms of a systemic failure driven by neoliberal capitalism and corporate power. It proposes five interconnected 'pathways' for systemic change: gender justice, a transition to democratically controlled renewable energy, food sovereignty through agroecology, community forest management, and a redistributive economy that prioritizes people and the planet over profit. The document emphasizes the need to dismantle the patriarchy, challenge corporate impunity through binding international treaties, and support the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities to manage their territories.

The document argues that current global systems—specifically capitalism, industrial agriculture, fossil-fuel energy, and patriarchy—are based on oppression and exploitation. It proposes a transition toward a world based on solidarity, people's sovereignty, and harmony with nature. The framework focuses on several key pathways: transforming the energy system toward 100% renewables, establishing food sovereignty through agroecology, implementing community-led forest management, and dismantling the power of large corporations to prioritize people and the planet. The guide provides case studies from Palestine, Indonesia, Africa, the Netherlands, Uruguay, Brazil, and Colombia to illustrate these systemic shifts in action.

The report by Friends of the Earth International outlines a framework for systemic change to address the interconnected crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, and social inequality. It identifies neoliberal capitalism, patriarchy, and colonialism as the root causes of these crises and proposes 'people's solutions' centered on gender justice, democratic energy systems, food sovereignty, community forest management, and a distributive economy. The document emphasizes the need to dismantle corporate power and reclaim political agency to ensure a future based on social, environmental, and gender justice.

The policy brief identifies a 'policy coherence gap' in the global green transition, where structural, long-term policies are being crowded out by unilateral industrial measures and short-term stimuli. It proposes that the G20 adopt a shared agenda to define and prioritize structural green reforms—such as natural capital investment and fossil fuel subsidy reform—to unlock concessionary financing and private investment for low-income and indebted countries. The authors present four options for G20 action, ranging from the status quo to a high-ambition multilateral framework that integrates debt-swap approaches and special drawing rights to facilitate a just transition.

Global Witness advocates for the adoption of Amendment 91 to the Financial Services and Markets Bill, which would mandate due diligence for UK financial institutions to stop the funding of illegal deforestation. The document argues that voluntary frameworks like the TNFD are insufficient and that the UK financial sector currently poses a significant risk to global forests, with an estimated $16.6 billion provided to businesses implicated in deforestation between 2015-2020.

The document analyzes the lithium supply chain for electric vehicle (EV) batteries, highlighting a distributive injustice where the 'Lithium Triangle' (Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile) suffers environmental degradation and water scarcity while North America gains from reduced urban pollution. It argues that science diplomacy—integrating scientific evidence into transnational policy—can establish sustainability thresholds and geochemical tracing methods to ensure responsible sourcing. The authors recommend using sustainability science to define mining standards and employing lithium isotope analysis to verify the origin of materials, drawing parallels from successful agricultural supply chain policies.

The report argues that a 'New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon' (NEA), characterized by zero deforestation and a robust bioeconomy, would provide the most equitable economic growth for Brazil. By 2050, this transition could increase the regional GDP by BRL 40 billion and create 312,000 additional jobs compared to a reference scenario. The study emphasizes that eliminating deforestation alone is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement targets; it must be coupled with the decarbonization of agriculture, livestock, and the energy matrix. The transition requires an estimated BRL 2.56 trillion in additional investment by 2050, representing 1.8% of Brazil's national GDP per year. Key recommendations include removing fossil fuel subsidies, redirecting rural credit toward low-carbon practices, and scaling a bioeconomy based on traditional indigenous knowledge and standing forests.

The statement warns that transferring the management of the Rural Environmental Registry (CAR) to a ministry lacking technical-operational capacity threatens the integrity of Brazil's Forest Code and the sustainability of its agribusiness sector.

The document argues that the Senate's version of MP nº 1150/2022 undermines efforts to link rural credit to environmental compliance. By potentially guaranteeing financing to producers who sign a commitment term under the Environmental Regularization Program (PRA) regardless of further law violations, and by requiring banks to rely solely on official government data, the measure threatens the autonomy of financial institutions and the use of precise monitoring tools like MapBiomas. This contradicts recent trends and regulations from the Central Bank of Brazil and BNDES aimed at blocking credit for illegal deforestation.

The IAI Directorate reported progress in integrating gender and equity into scientific projects, enhancing the science-policy interface through the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC) and STeP fellowships, and implementing regional climate and health initiatives. Key achievements include the launch of a climate and health responder course for Latin America, the publication of a compendium on climate impacts in the LAC region, and the development of a drought information system for Southern South America. The Directorate also expanded its collaborative research actions with the Belmont Forum and established partnerships with organizations like the WMO and PAHO to improve climate risk assessments and early warning systems.

The IAI Executive Direction reports progress across science, capacity building, and strategic implementation between 2022 and 2023. Key achievements include the establishment of a Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) committee, the launch of the Science Diplomacy Center (SDC), and the expansion of the Science, Technology, and Policy (STeP) Fellowship program to 64 fellows from 13 countries. The IAI also advanced regional initiatives on the climate-health nexus, drought information systems in South America, and collaborative research through the Belmont Forum. Strategic partnerships were strengthened with organizations such as the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to enhance climate risk assessment and science-policy interfaces in the Americas.

This briefing provides an update on the Initiative for enhancing capacity for climate risk assessment and catalyzing partnerships to inform decisions in Latin America and the Caribbean (LACI). It details the initiative's progress from a scoping and partnership building phase involving 14 countries to a pilot co-design phase featuring four specific projects aimed at strengthening climate risk assessments and data interoperability in the region.