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This technical annex assesses progress toward Goal 10 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on strengthening forest governance, transparency, the rule of law, and the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs). The report utilizes three primary indicators: the strength of institutions and policies in producer and consumer countries, the prevalence of illegal logging and related violence, and the formal recognition of land and forest rights for IPLCs.

This technical annex assesses progress toward Goal 2 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which aims to eliminate deforestation from the production of agricultural commodities—specifically palm oil, soy, paper, and beef—by 2020. The report uses market share of certified commodities and the number of corporate and governmental commitments as proxy indicators for progress, noting significant data gaps and varying levels of ambition across different sectors.

This technical annex report assesses progress toward Goal 8 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on providing support for the development and implementation of strategies to reduce forest emissions. The document analyzes financial flows from international public donors, domestic public spending, private sector investments, and contributions from civil society and indigenous peoples, while highlighting significant data gaps in non-ODA funding.

This technical annex assesses progress on Goal 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests, which focuses on rewarding countries and jurisdictions for reducing forest emissions through public and private payments for verified emission reductions (VERs). The report tracks two indicators: international public payments through multilateral and bilateral funds, and the value of forest VER purchases in voluntary and compliance carbon markets.

This report, published in November 2015 by Climate Focus and partners, establishes an assessment framework and provides an initial progress report on the ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates the status of global efforts to halt natural forest loss, restore degraded lands, and improve forest governance one year after the NYDF's September 2014 signing.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines the critical objectives for climate negotiations in Bonn as a prelude to COP21 in Paris. It evaluates the current state of national climate plans and identifies key areas in the co-chairs' draft agreement—including improvement cycles, long-term goals, transparency, finance, and adaptation—that require further clarity and ambition to ensure a strong global agreement.

This report details the outcomes of the First Learning Workshop for Phase II of the CDKN-ICLEI sub-national learning programme, held in Quito, Ecuador, from 27 to 31 July 2015. The workshop aimed to transition sub-national climate compatible development (CCD) from planning to implementation by facilitating peer-to-peer exchange among 51 participants representing 16 projects across Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Key activities included regional meetings to identify enabling factors for CCD, site visits in Quito, and the identification of knowledge gaps to inform the development of project-specific 'Inside Stories'.

This briefing provides a comparative legal commentary on Brazil's first four Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreements (CIFAs), highlighting how they differ from traditional bilateral investment treaties by prioritizing cooperation over investor protection and excluding investor-state arbitration.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes land use efficiency in Brazil, arguing that agricultural productivity can be increased and greenhouse gas emissions reduced without further deforestation. It highlights the potential of converting degraded pasturelands into croplands and examines successful historical examples of land use change, such as the soybean revolution and the implementation of the PPCDAm to combat Amazon deforestation. The document identifies key barriers to efficiency, including poor infrastructure, insecure land rights, and the need for better technology dissemination, while emphasizing the importance of enforcing the Brazilian Forest Code on private lands.

This policy brief, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in September 2015, outlines a strategic resource mobilisation approach for National Climate Change Funds (NCCFs). Based on a study by Dalberg Global Development Advisors involving 30 interviews and a literature review, the document identifies why NCCFs have historically struggled to attract capital and proposes a three-pillar framework—vision and strategy, institutional capacity, and systematic investor engagement—to improve their financial sustainability.

This report, commissioned by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network and drafted by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, provides design options for the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) MSME Program. It identifies barriers preventing micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in developing countries from accessing climate finance and proposes solutions across policy, knowledge, and financial product design. The report emphasizes the need for intermediaries to deliver finance efficiently and suggests a pilot phase to test these approaches before full-scale implementation.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes a shift in Brazilian Amazon deforestation from large-scale to small-scale clearings between 2004 and 2012. It argues that while conservation policies successfully reduced overall deforestation, they created a blind spot for clearings of 25 hectares or less, leading landholders in states like Mato Grosso and Pará to adapt their practices to avoid detection.

The document outlines the progress of President Obama's Climate Action Plan (CAP) between June 2013 and August 2015. The plan focuses on three goals: cutting U.S. carbon pollution (including the Clean Power Plan and targets to reduce GHG emissions by 26-28% by 2025), preparing the U.S. for climate impacts through local and tribal leadership task forces, and leading international efforts via bilateral agreements with China, India, and Brazil.

This research paper examines how the scale of deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon shifted from large to small patches between 2002 and 2012. The authors find that the DETER monitoring system, which cannot detect clearings under 25 hectares, led to different behavioral adaptations in Mato Grosso and Pará. In Mato Grosso, large landowners shifted to smaller clearings to avoid detection. In Pará, smallholders remained less visible to law enforcement, leading to a relative increase in the share of deforestation attributable to small properties. The paper concludes that conservation policies must be tailored to regional heterogeneities to be effective.

This technical note describes the methodology used by the World Resources Institute to create country-level projections of water stress for 2020, 2030, and 2040. By aggregating sub-catchment data using spatially weighted water-withdrawal grids, the tool provides rankings across three IPCC-based scenarios (optimistic, business-as-usual, and pessimistic). The results identify countries at extreme risk, while the authors caution that national averages can mask significant sub-national variations and do not reflect the impact of local water governance.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that South Africa should expand its foreign policy by reconceiving its engagement with Latin America and Africa as a unified 'South Atlantic Zone'. The authors suggest that this framework can enhance maritime security, promote the 'blue economy' through initiatives like Operation Phakisa, and increase trade and cultural ties among littoral states.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's engagement with the BRICS bloc ahead of the Ufa summit, highlighting the lack of a concrete strategy to translate the grouping's general economic goals into tangible benefits for South African business and infrastructure.

This report by Dalberg Global Development Advisors, commissioned by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), evaluates the resource mobilisation strategies and sustainability of National Climate Change Funds (NCCFs). It defines NCCFs as national-level entities that collect and channel climate finance to mitigation and adaptation projects. The report identifies significant funding gaps in developing countries, analyzes the performance of 13 operational NCCFs across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and provides a best-practice handbook for NCCFs to define their vision, build institutional capacity, and engage investors.

This briefing outlines the decisions and actions taken during the 40th Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) Executive Council held in Lima, Peru, on 26 June 2015.

The 40th Meeting of the IAI Executive Council in Lima, Peru, resulted in several governance decisions, including the creation of a Selection Commission for the Executive Director (comprising Argentina, Brazil, Canada, USA, and Peru) and a commission on member participation (comprising Argentina, Canada, Chile, and Paraguay). The Council also addressed the Host Country Agreement for Brazil, potential research lines for CRN 4 at CoP 24, and partnerships with Future Earth and the Group on Earth Observations (GEO).