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The report assesses the current state of critical mineral supply chains across ASEAN Member States, highlighting the region's role as a major producer of nickel, tin, and rare earths. It examines the impact of the energy transition and digital revolution, analyzing value chain stages from exploration to recycling. The study emphasizes the potential for regional integration, particularly in electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing, while cautioning on the need for robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards to attract investment and ensure sustainable development.

The report investigates the ESG performance of Chinese-led infrastructure projects across Africa and Southeast Asia, arguing that failures often stem from a combination of opaque procurement processes, weak host-country institutional capacity, and the agency of Chinese contractors. It highlights five critical areas of concern: tender and impact assessment processes, land acquisition and community displacement, debt transparency, inter-authority conflict, and long-term economic viability. Through case studies in countries such as Kenya, Cambodia, Indonesia, Zimbabwe, and Nigeria, the report demonstrates how the 'adaptive governance' of Chinese firms—adjusting standards to match weak local regulations—often leads to negative socio-environmental outcomes. It concludes that while China is developing domestic ESG frameworks, these are not consistently applied overseas, and recommends greater loan transparency and the establishment of independent ESG feasibility studies.

The report highlights how gender and intersectional dimensions are rarely integrated into air pollution policy in the ASEAN region due to a lack of disaggregated data. It argues that gender influences exposure patterns—with women often facing higher household pollution and men facing higher occupational exposure—and calls for a 'data revolution' to identify vulnerable groups and design targeted mitigation measures.

The document outlines a methodology to make water governance more inclusive by addressing power imbalances and recognizing diverse forms of knowledge. It introduces a 'PAR-Pathways' approach that allows stakeholders to identify their starting points, desired end-goals, and the specific activities needed to achieve equitable influence in water planning. Through four global case studies, the guide demonstrates how different pathways—including legal challenges, boycotts, and the granting of legal personhood to rivers—can lead to more just water management outcomes.

The report examines food crisis challenges and resilience interventions in East Africa and Southeast Asia, identifying shared drivers such as climate change, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The PEARL project seeks USD 36.23 million from the Green Climate Fund to support 450,000 farmers in Cambodia's Northern Tonle Sap Basin. The initiative focuses on transitioning smallholders to high-value, climate-resilient crops—specifically cashew, mango, organic rice, and leafy vegetables—by improving agrometeorological services, providing access to technology via a new asset acquisition mechanism (FARM), and strengthening regulatory frameworks for agricultural certification.

The report evaluates how Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, and Sri Lanka integrate human rights and gender equality into disaster management. Using the FIRE framework, it finds that while national policies often recognize these rights, implementation at local levels is uneven and frequently lacking. Key barriers include restrictive social norms, lack of disaggregated data, and under-resourced institutions. The authors provide ten recommendations to improve inclusivity, emphasizing the need for meaningful participation of marginalized groups and stronger collaboration between disaster management agencies and human rights institutions.

The document outlines a study aimed at filling a knowledge gap regarding the environmental and health impacts of air pollution within Cambodia's garment sector. Based on interviews with 323 workers across 16 factories and 16 factory owners, the research seeks to inform policymakers on improving occupational air pollution and upholding worker health as a human right. The brief notes that while the garment sector is an economic backbone, it is a highly polluting industry emitting pollutants through energy use, waste, and wastewater.

The document examines the unprecedented global outbreak of H5N1 avian influenza, highlighting the virus's increasing ability to infect mammals and the risk of potential human-to-human transmission. It details the devastating ecological impact on bird populations and the economic toll on poultry farms, particularly in the United States. The authors argue that current biosecurity efforts are lagging and call for urgent improvements in vaccine development, the implementation of safer industrial farming practices—specifically regarding mink and pig farms—and the expansion of wild bird surveillance to prevent a future pandemic.

The document examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) in alleviating poverty for smallholder farmers, using a multidimensional framework of access to resources, opportunities, and power. While VSSs show strength in areas like labour rights and natural resource management, they often lack sufficient coverage of living income and climate adaptation. The brief argues that VSSs are a tool rather than a standalone solution, requiring an ecosystem of supporting actors, market demand, and government intervention to overcome barriers such as high certification costs and limited producer capacity.

The document examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in reducing poverty among smallholder farmers, using a multidimensional framework of access to resources, opportunities, and power. While VSS can improve crop prices and natural resource conservation, their overall impact on poverty reduction is context-dependent and often limited by high certification costs and poor market access. The brief recommends that VSS integrate living income criteria, gender equality, and climate adaptation, while governments should support these efforts by facilitating direct market links and providing financial resources.

The document argues that voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) can reduce poverty by improving agricultural prices, preserving natural resources, and strengthening producer organization, provided they are integrated into broader poverty-reduction strategies. While VSS can increase income through price premiums of 10% to 30% and promote sustainable land management, their impact is often limited by high certification costs, lack of direct market access, and insufficient inclusion of women and smallholders in governance. The brief recommends that VSS incorporate requirements for living incomes and climate adaptation, while governments should support these efforts through land regularization, financial resources, and the promotion of direct trade relationships.

The document examines the role of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS) in reducing poverty for smallholder farmers across three dimensions: access to resources, choices and opportunities, and voice and power. While VSS can improve crop prices and natural resource conservation, their overall impact on poverty reduction is context-dependent and often limited by high certification costs and lack of direct market access. The brief argues that VSS must be integrated into broader poverty reduction strategies and supported by governments and the private sector to be truly effective.

The document examines air pollution in 16 Cambodian garment factories, finding that while particulate matter levels generally complied with national standards and WHO guidelines on the day of assessment, wood-burning factories were the most polluting. It highlights a significant gap in worker awareness, as 99% of interviewed workers perceived air quality as satisfactory despite all reporting symptoms related to air pollution. The brief emphasizes the gendered nature of the sector, where a predominantly young female workforce faces specific health risks, and recommends strengthening national air quality standards to align with WHO guidelines and implementing gender-inclusive occupational safety policies.

The document assesses air quality in 16 Cambodian garment factories, finding that while many meet national standards, some exceed WHO guidelines, particularly those using wood fuel. It highlights a significant gap in worker awareness, where most associate air pollution with temperature rather than chemical or particulate pollutants, despite reporting symptoms like coughing and headaches. The brief emphasizes the gendered nature of the sector, noting that 80% of the workforce are women, and calls for gender-responsive health and safety policies, especially for pregnant workers.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) 2022 Annual Results Report details the organization's progress across three impact areas: reducing climate risk, promoting sustainable resource use and resilient ecosystems, and improving health and well-being. Key achievements include contributing to the COP27 decision to establish a loss and damage fund, developing the Global Environmental Impacts of Consumption (GEIC) indicator adopted at COP15, and implementing water management master plans in Bolivia. The report highlights the use of digital tools like LEAP, WEAP, and Trase to inform policy in various regions, including Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Organizationally, SEI reports an increase in scientific publications, a diversification of funding sources, and the implementation of a global monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) procedure.

The document examines occupational air pollution in southeast Asia, highlighting that 87% of the workforce is in the informal sector, where workers face higher exposure and fewer protections. Case studies from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Thailand reveal that gender, age, and class create differentiated risks, with men often facing higher direct exposure in some roles while women face confining indoor pollution in others. The report finds a widespread lack of awareness regarding health impacts and a critical gap in government accountability due to fragmented agency collaboration. It recommends updating labour laws to include informal workers, improving occupational safety awareness, and establishing a single responsible agency for national air pollution monitoring and control.

The Mekong Thought Leadership and Think Tanks Network is a three-year initiative supported by the Australian Government's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT). It aims to improve water and energy security and climate resilience in the Mekong Subregion by strengthening the capacity of knowledge-based policy influence organisations (KBPIOs). The program focuses on inclusive knowledge co-production and the engagement of vulnerable and marginalised groups. It is managed by a consortium of eight organisations led by the Stockholm Environment Institute - Asia Centre. The program funds flagship studies (up to AUD 250,000) and rapid response projects (up to AUD 50,000) addressing specific issues such as transboundary water disaster risks, urban heat resilience, and gender-sensitizing infrastructure in the Mekong Delta.

The document analyzes the vulnerability of the ASEAN region to climate change and evaluates the current mitigation and adaptation strategies of its member states. It argues that while ASEAN countries have ambitious Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), there is a significant disconnect between climate goals and trade policy. The author recommends reducing tariffs and non-tariff barriers on environmental goods, reforming fossil fuel subsidies, and utilizing WTO flexibilities for technology transfer to bridge this gap.

The CESCR addressed climate change in most of its 2023 work, including twelve Concluding Observations and seven Lists of Issues. The Committee focused on mitigation policies, urging states like Brazil, Panama, and Portugal to meet their Paris Agreement NDCs, and recommended that China expand its emissions trading system and stop financing overseas coal power. Adaptation efforts were highlighted in nineteen statements, with specific calls for national adaptation plans in Cambodia, Palestine, and Yemen, and an emphasis on the participation of Indigenous Peoples in Panama. Additionally, the Committee challenged the fossil fuel reliance of states such as Qatar and China, while inquiring about oil refinery pollution in Curaçao.