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The RECAF project seeks USD 35 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and USD 32.434 million in loans from IFAD to reduce GHG emissions by 6.68 MtCO2-eq over 12 years. The project focuses on five provinces: Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, and Ninh Thuan. It aims to transform 145,000 hectares of forestland into agroforestry systems and protect 500,000 hectares of natural forests. Key strategies include upgrading the National Forest Monitoring System (NFMS), establishing public-private-producer partnerships (4Ps) for deforestation-free commodities like coffee and pepper, and implementing a performance-based Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) mechanism. The project targets 420,000 direct beneficiaries, with a strong focus on ethnic minorities and women, to improve livelihoods and climate resilience.

The document outlines a 24-month, USD 813,548 project implemented by the Global Water Partnership Organisation (GWPO) to address gaps in Sri Lanka's climate finance readiness. Key objectives include establishing a Direct Access Accreditation Support Helpdesk to assist national banks in becoming GCF-accredited, creating a Climate-Smart Green Growth Strategy for lower watersheds and coastal regions, and developing three new GCF project concept notes. The project emphasizes Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) as a primary entry point for building resilience against floods, droughts, and sea-level rise, while operationalizing a national climate risk data portal to improve stakeholder coordination.

The report identifies systemic gender inequalities and capacity gaps in Vietnam's climate and agricultural sectors, proposing a Gender Action Plan (GAP) to ensure equal access to water, climate information, and credit for vulnerable smallholders.

The document uses a global-to-local modelling approach to project land use changes in Vietnam up to 2030. It finds that economic growth and urbanisation will lead to a significant loss of paddy rice land and protected forests, while climate-induced flooding poses a severe threat to the Red River and Mekong River Deltas. The study highlights critical policy trade-offs between reducing greenhouse gas emissions through reforestation and maintaining national food security targets.

The document examines China's 'Going Global' strategy to secure natural resources, highlighting its focus on bauxite in the Mekong region. It details the roles of major Chinese firms like Chinalco and Chalco, the regulatory challenges in Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, and the significant energy and environmental risks associated with aluminum smelting and mining, particularly the threat of red mud contamination in transboundary river basins.

The report examines the emerging bauxite mining sector in the Mekong region, focusing on the strategic interests of China in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam. It details the investment landscape, where Chinese firms dominate in Laos and provide engineering for Vietnam, while Australian firms lead in Cambodia. The document highlights critical constraints, such as the massive energy requirements for aluminum smelting and the lack of cheap hydropower. It further argues that existing environmental and social regulatory frameworks in these countries are poorly implemented, leading to transparency gaps and risks to indigenous communities and transboundary water systems, particularly the Sekong River.

The report analyzes how the transition to a market economy (Doi Moi) in Dak Lak Province, Vietnam, has exposed rural communities to multiple stressors. It focuses on the rapid expansion and subsequent price collapse of coffee, significant in-migration, and increasing environmental hazards like droughts and floods. Through case studies in Cu M’gar, Lak, and Dak R’lap districts, the study finds that while economic reforms increased opportunities, they also created new vulnerabilities, particularly for indigenous ethnic minorities who lack the capital and market experience of the Kinh majority. The report argues that diversification of livelihoods and adaptive management are essential to building resilience against unpredictable economic and environmental futures.

This policy brief examines China's expanding economic role in the Mekong region, specifically its investments in natural resources, energy, and infrastructure in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. It highlights China's strategic shift toward securing foreign resources to fuel its domestic industrial growth and the resulting environmental and social challenges in host countries.