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The Heritage Colombia (HECO) project is a 10-year initiative designed to protect and restore landscapes in Colombia through a Project Finance for Permanence (PFP) model. It targets five mosaics—Caribbean, San Lucas, Central Andes, Orinoco Transition, and Heart of the Amazon—covering 6.6 million hectares. The project focuses on strengthening governance, establishing participatory climate monitoring systems, and implementing land restoration and rehabilitation to reduce GHG emissions and improve water regulation. It requests USD 43 million from the GCF, complemented by USD 102.2 million in co-financing from the Government of Colombia and WWF. Key goals include the gazettement of the San Lucas Mountains protected area and the expansion of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta National Park.

Barbados is partnering with Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) to create an Energy Transition and Investment Plan (ETIP). This plan aims to transition the island from a heavy reliance on imported fossil fuels—which accounted for nearly 95 percent of the energy mix in 2019—toward 100 percent renewable energy and full electrification of transport. The initiative focuses on evaluating technological pathways, scoping investment needs, and addressing human capacity gaps to ensure a just transition and energy independence.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research is seeking nominations to replace three members of the Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) and one member of the Science Advisory Committee (SAC) by June 2023. Nominations will be filled at the 31st meeting of the Conference of the Parties in Panama City. The institute emphasizes the need for international expertise in global change in the Americas, with a specific call for geographic, gender, and ethnic balance, noting underrepresentation of South America, the Caribbean, and the Tropical Andes. Desired expertise includes science diplomacy, economics, biodiversity governance, and informatics.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) is seeking nominations to replace four committee members whose mandates expire in June 2023. Three vacancies are for the Science and Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC) and one for the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC). Nominations will be addressed at the 31st Conference of the Parties in Panama City from June 21-22, 2023. The IAI emphasizes the need for international recognition in global change science in the Americas, interdisciplinary experience, and a desire for better geographic, gender, and ethnic balance, specifically noting underrepresentation from South America, the Caribbean, and the Tropical Andes.

The document outlines a framework for international cooperation to support Latin America's climate commitments. It focuses on specific sectors such as agriculture, mining, and the circular economy, arguing for a bottom-up approach to ensure developing country perspectives are represented in global trade and climate dialogues, which are currently dominated by advanced economies.

The author contends that the energy transition requires a more diverse workforce, noting that women are significantly underrepresented in STEM and senior leadership roles compared to the general workforce. The text highlights the economic benefits of gender diversity, citing higher returns on equity for companies with women in management, and emphasizes the role of mentorship programs like the WIRE Network in dismantling barriers for women in the Global South. It concludes that increasing female leadership is essential for driving investment in renewable energy and meeting 2030 climate deadlines.

The document describes the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) as a natural climate pattern consisting of warm (El Niño), cold (La Niña), and neutral phases driven by sea surface temperatures and pressures in the tropical Pacific. It details how these phases disrupt atmospheric circulation, affecting global precipitation and temperature. Specifically, La Niña is associated with wetter conditions in Australia and Indonesia and warmer, drier winters in the southern U.S., while El Niño is linked to drought in Australia and Indonesia and cooler, wetter winters in the southern U.S. The text emphasizes that while ENSO can nudge global temperatures, it does not mask the long-term warming trend caused by carbon pollution; for instance, 2022 remained the sixth hottest year on record despite a persistent La Niña. Historical data from the 2015-2016 El Niño event highlights severe consequences, including forest fires in Indonesia, flooding in Peru, and an estimated 60 million people impacted by extremes across Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, and the Asia-Pacific region.

The report argues that the Dominican Republic can eliminate its annual US$2 billion electricity subsidy by investing 2.5 to 3 years' worth of those funds (US$4.5 to US$6 billion) into rooftop solar installations. Using a blended finance approach—combining government grants with local loans—the model aims to reduce household electricity costs by up to 90% over time while ending the government's reliance on volatile fossil fuel expenditures.

The document identifies the Caribbean region as highly vulnerable to rising global temperatures while facing declines in global trade competitiveness. It argues that CARICOM countries should leverage the World Trade Organization's new sustainability agenda to formulate and promote regional priorities for climate mitigation, adaptation, and climate-resilient sustainable development, countering the current dominance of advanced economies in these multilateral discussions.

The report assesses gender gaps in Colombia, specifically within rural and indigenous communities, to inform the Heritage Colombia (HECO) program's efforts in climate-responsive planning and forest management. It identifies significant disparities in land tenure, labor participation, and the burden of unpaid care work, while highlighting the risks of gender-based violence against environmental leaders. The document outlines a Gender Action Plan across three project components: strengthening governance, establishing participatory monitoring systems, and improving land and forest management, with specific targets for women's participation and the integration of gender-responsive indicators.

The Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) is seeking USD 199,966 from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to align its project development processes with the new Integrated Results Management Framework (IRMF). The proposal aims to address human resource constraints within the CCCCC's Project Development and Management Unit (PDMU) to accelerate the flow of climate finance to the Caribbean. Key activities include updating the CCCCC's Project Formulation and Monitoring manuals, delivering capacity-building workshops for 15 PDMU staff, and providing technical support to finalize two critical funding proposals: the Dominica Community Resilience Enhancement Project (DOMCREP) and the Climate Actions for Building Resilience in Coastal communities in the Caribbean (CABRIC Caribbean). The project is slated for a 12-month implementation period.

The proposal seeks USD 989,098 over 30 months to address systemic barriers hindering climate action in Saint Kitts and Nevis. Key objectives include establishing a National Climate Change Committee (NCCC), updating the Public Sector Investment Programme (PSIP) strategy, conducting climate vulnerability assessments for agriculture, health, and tourism, and supporting the GCF accreditation of the St. Kitts Co-operative Credit Union (SKCCU). The project also aims to develop two GCF project concept notes through public-private partnerships and implement a gender-sensitive NDC awareness strategy.

The Multi-Country Climate Resilient Urban Development Initiative is a 36-month project requesting USD 1,961,539 to address systemic barriers to urban climate resilience in four CARICOM states. The initiative focuses on overcoming gaps in geospatial data, outdated planning legislation, and limited technical capacity at the municipal level. Key planned outputs include a regional gap analysis, the development of climate-resilient National Urban Policies (cr-NUP), a technical toolkit for urban planners, and the creation of four project concept notes to secure further GCF funding. The project is implemented by the Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre (CCCCC) with technical support from the Commonwealth Local Government Forum (CLGF).

The document analyzes ASEAN's climate mitigation and adaptation strategies in agriculture, energy, and forestry, arguing for a more inclusive international trade dialogue that prioritizes developing country perspectives over those of advanced economies.

The document analyzes the extreme vulnerability of CARICOM states to climate change, noting that while the region contributes only 0.33% of global greenhouse gas emissions, its key trade sectors—tourism, agriculture, and the blue economy—face existential threats. It identifies a gap in the region's trade policy, which currently lacks a clear articulation of how to serve climate resilience. The paper suggests that CARICOM can leverage its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to identify WTO negotiating priorities, such as technology transfer, climate finance, and the removal of trade barriers for environmental goods. It specifically recommends that the WTO recognize the unique vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and move beyond a developed-country agenda to support SIDS' offensive interests in carbon markets and the blue economy.

The IISD provides free technical assistance and training to developing countries to help them design investment laws and policies that support sustainable development. Their services cover the entire investment lifecycle, from promotion and protection to dispute resolution, and include support for reforming investment treaties and aligning national policies with international best practices.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides pro bono technical advice, training, and workshops to developing countries to ensure foreign investment contributes to fair and sustainable development. Their expertise covers the entire investment life cycle—from promotion and facilitation to dispute resolution—and spans sectors such as energy, mining, and agriculture. IISD supports government officials in reforming investment treaties, aligning national instruments with international best practices, and navigating global investment governance forums like UNCTAD, WTO, and OECD. While services are generally pro bono, priority for funding is given to least developed countries.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides free technical advice, seminars, and training to developing countries to ensure foreign investments support equitable and sustainable development. Their expertise covers the entire investment lifecycle—from promotion and facilitation to dispute resolution—with a focus on reforming investment treaties, aligning national instruments with modern practices, and strengthening governance coordination. IISD operates across sectors including energy, mining, and agriculture, and supports government officials in navigating multilateral forums such as UNCTAD, the WTO, and the AfCFTA.

The report analyzes 588 peer-reviewed publications to map countermeasures against digital misinformation. It identifies four primary strategies—corrective information, information and media literacy, content moderation, and content labeling—but finds a significant gap in empirical validation, as less than one-fifth of the reviewed studies report on the effectiveness of their proposed solutions.

The report introduces a portfolio-led approach to net-zero banking, designed to help financial institutions move from high-level commitments to robust implementation. This framework focuses on four pillars—sectors, geographies, asset classes, and business units—to identify where and how a bank can best support the real-economy transition. The approach is intended to underpin three stages of net-zero banking: strategy design, implementation, and reporting, while remaining compatible with existing guidance from organizations like GFANZ and the NZBA.