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The document promotes agricultural cooperatives as a socially and politically acceptable alternative to 'land grabbing,' allowing farmers to retain control of their resources while accessing markets and finance. It distinguishes between production and service cooperatives and highlights the benefits of collective bargaining and resource sharing. The text emphasizes that while foreign investment can reduce risk and provide capital, government support should be limited to creating a favorable legal environment and providing technical training, rather than direct interference in management.

The report identifies diverse strategies used by developing countries to protect tropical forests, ranging from national-scale policies in Brazil and India to community-led projects in Madagascar and Kenya. It highlights the effectiveness of REDD+ programs, payments for ecosystem services (PES), and governance reforms, while noting that success is often linked to broader socioeconomic development and the use of remote sensing technology for enforcement.

The report analyzes diverse strategies used by developing nations to protect tropical forests and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It categorizes successes into those driven by planned policies (e.g., Brazil, India), those that yielded positive results despite deviating from economic theory (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those resulting from socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms identified include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), governance reforms, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies for reducing tropical deforestation and increasing forest cover across several developing nations. It categorizes successes into those driven by integrated policy frameworks (e.g., Brazil, India), those where outcomes were positive despite deviating from economic theories (e.g., Mexico, Costa Rica), and those influenced heavily by socioeconomic shifts (e.g., Central Africa, El Salvador). Key mechanisms discussed include REDD+, payments for ecosystem services (PES), community-based management, and industry moratoria.

The report examines diverse strategies used by developing tropical nations to combat deforestation and restore forests, categorizing successes into policy-driven reductions, payment for environmental services, and socio-economic shifts. It highlights the 'forest transition' curve and emphasizes that combining environmental action with social and economic development is key to sustainable success.

The document outlines a framework for transitioning African governance toward the 2030 SDGs, emphasizing the need for National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) and integrated planning. It identifies current gaps, such as poor policy implementation and a dearth of data, and proposes capacity-building strategies and the establishment of Communities of Practice (CoP) to foster knowledge sharing across the continent.

A coalition of social movements and NGOs argues that the FAO's current forest definition is reductionist and primarily benefits industrial timber, pulp, paper, and rubber companies. The authors contend that by defining forests simply as land with a certain percentage of tree cover, the FAO erroneously classifies large-scale monoculture plantations as 'reforestation' and ignores the structural and cultural importance of forests to the 300 million people who depend on them for their livelihoods. The letter calls for a new, community-led definition process that recognizes the role of forests in food sovereignty and biological diversity.

The report analyzes the systemic power imbalances in compensation processes for extractive industries, where benefits often accrue at the state level while costs are borne by local communities. It evaluates several mechanisms for improving outcomes: Community Development Agreements (CDAs) in mining, strategic human rights litigation, and Biocultural Community Protocols. A specific case study of the Chad-Cameroon Oil & Pipeline Project illustrates the failures of individual-based monetary compensation and argues for a paradigm shift toward livelihood restoration and 'land for land' replacement.

The document argues that women's disproportionate vulnerability to climate change and environmental stress is driven by social constraints and unequal power relations rather than inherent traits. It highlights that gender-blind policies in sectors such as fisheries, disaster risk reduction, and sanitation often disadvantage women or widen existing gender gaps. The briefing emphasizes that gender intersects with age and class, meaning vulnerability is multi-dimensional. To be effective, the document asserts that interventions must move beyond simple legal changes or stereotypes and instead adopt multi-faceted strategies across household, community, and national levels.

The document analyzes the shift in piracy activity from the Horn of Africa to the Gulf of Guinea. While international efforts led to a dramatic decline in Somali piracy, West African piracy increased in 2012, driven primarily by the theft of refined petroleum products linked to illegal oil bunkering in the Niger Delta. The author highlights the regional approach to security in West Africa, including the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (AIMS) and the establishment of an Inter-regional Coordination Centre in Yaoundé, while noting persistent challenges in intelligence gathering and inter-operability.

The report documents a pattern of violence and judicial harassment against land and environmental rights defenders in 2013. It argues that these individuals are particularly vulnerable as global competition for land and resources increases, often facing threats from government forces and corporations. The document provides specific case studies from Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia, detailing arrests, murders, and forced evictions linked to opposition against extractive industries, mega-projects, and agribusiness.

The document is an open letter addressed to ministers and delegates of UNFCCC signatory states, urging them to adopt ambitious climate protection measures and stop the use of emissions trading to weaken climate commitments. The signatories, representing 33 countries, demand the rejection of a pilot phase for emissions unit trading under the Framework for Various Approaches (FVA), the prevention of double counting, and the exclusion of non-additional projects and coal from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). They also call for the cessation of fossil fuel subsidies and the implementation of human rights safeguards in climate projects.

The document examines the gap between legal provisions and practice regarding the right to participate in Ghana's forest sector. It identifies that while the 1992 Constitution and international agreements like the African Charter and the UNCCD support participation, specific national forestry laws offer limited, often non-binding, protections. It highlights that many participatory processes are relegated to non-binding manuals of procedure, leaving stakeholders without judicial redress when these processes are ignored.

The document examines the intersection of G-20 financial regulatory initiatives and African economic development. It identifies five key G-20 focus areas—financial stability, financial inclusion, local currency bond markets, agricultural finance, and trade finance—and assesses the mechanisms through which non-member African states can influence these global standards. While acknowledging that the G-20 recognizes the needs of developing countries, the author argues that African representation remains limited and that the adoption of international standards like Basel II/III must be sequenced to align with local developmental goals.

The document analyzes state fragility in Africa as a self-reinforcing syndrome driven by poor governance, conflict, inequality, and poverty. Using the International Futures system, it forecasts that while 16 of the 26 identified fragile countries may transition toward resilience by 2050, ten are at risk of remaining in a 'fragility trap'. The authors emphasize that while Africa's overall economy is projected to grow significantly, the gap in extreme poverty between fragile and resilient states is expected to widen unless inclusive growth and improved governance are achieved.

The document assesses the G-20's food security commitments from an African perspective, focusing on food-price volatility, agricultural productivity, and nutrition. While it finds broad alignment in rhetoric and focus areas, it argues that the G-20 fails to implement critical regulatory reforms in financial markets and trade that would meaningfully benefit Africa.

Brazil provides technical assistance to Africa primarily through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC), focusing on South-South solidarity and the transfer of domestic expertise in agriculture, health, and social policy. While Brazil has established flagship projects like ProSavana in Mozambique and 'Cotton-4' in West Africa, the rapid expansion of these commitments has led to institutional overstretch, a lack of monitoring mechanisms, and a need for greater transparency and civil society involvement.

In early 2011, the state of Mato Grosso passed a zoning law (ZSEE) that opened 50,000 km2 of forest for agriculture, leading to a documented 500 percent spike in deforestation within one month. A campaign led by the Instituto Centro de Vida (ICV), supported by WRI's governance assessment tools, utilized evidence-based advocacy to prompt a February 2012 injunction by the State Court and a March 2012 order from Brazil’s Federal Zoning Commission to redraft the legislation.

The policy briefing addresses the declining momentum of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and its National Programmes of Action (NPOA). It identifies causes for this decline, such as lack of interest from heads of state and insufficient financial support, and proposes reviving the process by integrating NPOA into National Developmental Plans (NDPs) and collaborating with African Union organs and regional economic communities.

The document details a participatory vulnerability assessment conducted between 2011 and 2012 in the Tri-National de la Sangha (TNS) landscape of Cameroon. It identifies that local populations face increasing vulnerability due to erratic rainfall patterns and shifting seasons, which primarily impact agricultural production and food security. While livelihood diversification and non-timber forest products (NTFPs) provide essential safety nets, the report highlights a weakness in collective action for social infrastructure. To strengthen adaptive capacity, the authors suggest improving NTFP commercialisation, introducing alternative livelihoods like apiculture, enhancing agricultural yields to reduce forest pressure, and implementing participatory monitoring of deforestation.