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The document examines the reciprocal relationship between climate change and land in Latin America, highlighting how land degradation and desertification threaten food security and livelihoods. It advocates for sustainable land management, gender-inclusive policies, and integrated governance to mitigate climate risks and enhance regional resilience.

The document analyzes how the CEDAW monitors the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (ICEDAW) to address climate change. It highlights that in 2018, the Committee made climate-related recommendations to 75% of reviewed states, focusing heavily on adaptation (44%) and procedural rights (37%), while mitigation received significantly less attention (7%). The briefing details specific state obligations across four areas: mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and international cooperation, emphasizing the role of General Recommendation 37 (GR37) in framing disaster risk reduction with a gender perspective.

The report examines the evolving relationship between human rights and the international climate regime, specifically the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement. It identifies a trend of increasing explicit and implicit references to human rights in COP decisions, though it notes these are often disproportionately linked to adaptation rather than mitigation. The document details how procedural rights, the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality, and the right to food are being integrated into climate policy. It also reviews national-level implementation through Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and national communications, finding that while many countries reference human rights, there is a lack of harmonized guidance. The report argues that a rights-based approach is essential to increase climate ambition and protect vulnerable populations from both climate impacts and poorly designed climate responses.

The green bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is growing, with USD 12.6 billion issued since 2014. Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the market, with Chile leading the region in sovereign green bond issuance. While energy is the most funded sector, LAC shows a higher proportion of funding for land use and industry compared to global trends. The report highlights significant opportunities for growth in sustainable agriculture and the 'blue economy' (ocean-based resources), while noting that public sector entities and financial institutions have substantial untapped potential for future green issuances.

The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) green bond market experienced a strong recovery in 2019, largely driven by Chile's first sovereign green bonds. While Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the market, the region shows significant potential for expansion in green infrastructure, sustainable agriculture, and ocean-based 'blue' finance. The report highlights a high prevalence of USD-denominated issuance and a strong reliance on external reviews, though post-issuance reporting varies by issuer size and type.

The green bond market in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) experienced a strong recovery in 2019, driven largely by Chile's first sovereign green bonds. While Brazil, Chile, and Mexico dominate the regional volume, the market is characterized by a high prevalence of US dollar-denominated debt and a significant reliance on private placements. Energy remains the most funded sector, though LAC shows a uniquely high allocation toward land use and industry compared to global trends. The report highlights substantial untapped potential in sustainable agriculture and the 'blue economy' (ocean resources), suggesting that sovereign issuance and multilateral development bank support are key to scaling these markets.

The document details the operational framework for the 2019 Global Landscape of Climate Finance, defining climate finance as resources aimed at reducing emissions, enhancing greenhouse gas sinks, and increasing resilience to climate impacts. It establishes a standardized accounting methodology to avoid double counting and ensure data consistency across public and private sectors. The methodology prioritizes primary capital flows and financial commitments over disbursements, excluding secondary market transactions and investments that risk carbon lock-in. It provides a comprehensive sectoral breakdown for mitigation (e.g., renewable energy, energy efficiency, low-carbon transport) and adaptation (e.g., water management, coastal protection), and defines the geographic classification of countries into OECD and non-OECD regions.

The French National Research Agency (ANR) is leading two Belmont Forum Collaborative Research Actions (CRAs). The first, 'Food systems and climate (change)', aims to develop climate-resilient and sustainable food value chains, with a specific focus on the Global South and regional food systems. It involves a partnership with the EU Joint Programme Initiative (JPI) FACCE and ERA-NET LEAP Agri, with 31 ERA-NET partners including entities from Europe, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The second, 'Towards sustainability of soils and groundwater for societal benefit', is in a scoping phase to understand the dynamics of the 'Critical Zone' (from the lower atmosphere to fresh bedrock) and propose management transformations. This second CRA is co-led by AllEnvi and ANR, with a steering committee including the NSF (USA), FAPESP (Brazil), and QNRF (Qatar).

The workshop brought together officials and municipal representatives from WAEMU member states to analyze the implementation of mining local development funds (MLDFs) and other community development tools. Participants evaluated the current state of MLDFs in countries like Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Senegal, while discussing alternatives used in Mali, Niger, and Benin. The sessions explored the integration of MLDFs with environmental and social impact assessments (ESIAs), local content policies, corporate social responsibility (CSR), and community development agreements (CDAs). The workshop concluded that an ideal approach involves combining an MLDF with either mandatory CDAs or voluntary CSR plans, prioritizing transparency, alignment with local development plans, and outcome monitoring.

The report evaluates global environmental governance in 2019, highlighting a disconnect between urgent scientific warnings and stalled political action. While progress was made in managing hazardous wastes and plastics, climate and biodiversity governance faced significant setbacks. The document emphasizes the growing need for integrated governance to address the interlinked nature of climate, ocean, and land degradation, while noting that most Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are not on track for 2030.

The report reviews global environmental governance in 2019, highlighting progress in plastic waste regulation and scientific reporting, while noting failures in climate ambition and biodiversity negotiations. It emphasizes the growing need for integrated governance and forecasts 2020 as a critical year for the Paris Agreement and the post-2020 biodiversity framework.

The report assesses the adoption of electronic vessel tracking (ET), electronic monitoring (EM), electronic reporting (ER), and electronic traceability (ETr) across various countries and RFMOs. It finds that while vessel tracking has grown rapidly, fully integrated EFIS are rare due to proprietary systems, high upfront costs, and a lack of global standards. The authors recommend promoting 'Electronic Fishery and Seafood Information Systems' (EFSIS) to drive interoperability across the entire value chain.

The report advocates for a shift in the role of hydropower within global energy grids, moving away from high-impact dams toward a mix of wind, solar, storage, and low-impact hydropower. It demonstrates through modeling in Chile and Uganda that protecting free-flowing rivers and national parks has minimal impact on system costs. The document highlights the Mekong River basin as a critical area where strategic planning could prevent the loss of migratory fish biomass and delta sediment. It concludes that achieving this vision requires system-scale planning, regulatory reform, and redirected financial flows from multilateral development banks and institutional investors.

The report examines the normative tensions inherent in security preparedness, identifying ten central ethical problems regarding priorities, responsibilities, and the distribution of costs and benefits. It evaluates these problems through various ethical theories—including consequentialism, contractualism, and deontology—and assesses existing guidelines like the Sendai Framework and Council of Europe principles. The document concludes by proposing a three-part framework to evaluate the ethical legitimacy of specific security policies based on human rights principles.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) has announced the results of its Small Grant Program (SGP-HW) call for proposals. Following a multi-stage review process involving the IAI Directorate, the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC), and external researchers, 10 proposals were shortlisted from an initial 92. Four projects were selected for immediate funding, three were approved subject to resource availability, and three were recommended for alternate funding. The program emphasizes transdisciplinary research and participatory approaches involving policy makers and stakeholders, with grants up to USD 200,000 to support research, capacity building, and data management.

The Climate Action Tracker reports that global warming projections remain largely unchanged, with Paris Agreement commitments likely leading to 3.0°C of warming and real-world policies leading to 3.3°C. While some countries like Norway, Costa Rica, Chile, India, and South Africa show progress in decarbonisation and energy planning, others like China and Brazil show regressions in coal use and forest protection.

The report finds that 16 of the 25 analyzed major emitting countries and regions are not on track to meet their self-determined NDC targets. While some countries like China and India are likely to achieve their targets, others, including the United States and Japan, require additional measures. Furthermore, current policies are projected to fail in preventing emissions increases up to 2030 relative to 2010 levels in a majority of the analyzed nations, including both developing and OECD economies.

The report details two workshops held in 2018 focused on South-South and triangular cooperation for climate action. It highlights case studies of technological exchange in agriculture, water management, and urban resilience, while identifying systemic barriers such as funding gaps and a lack of institutional capacity at the subnational level.

The report examines the gap between strategic planning and implementation in the public sector, with a focus on South Africa. It argues that successful prioritisation and alignment are not merely technical achievements but are dependent on the socio-political environment, including the concentration of state power and the stability of the political-administrative interface. Through case studies of Chile, Malaysia, and Uganda, the document highlights the importance of iterative planning, strong central coordination, and the integration of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) into budgetary decisions. It specifically critiques the South African context, noting that its constitutional structure of three independent spheres of government and the prevalence of factional politics hinder top-down alignment. The report suggests that South Africa could benefit from 'lab'-style planning, nested monitoring hierarchies, and genuine participatory governance to bridge the planning-implementation gap.

The document outlines the framework for green panda bonds—yuan-denominated bonds issued in mainland China by foreign entities to fund green projects. It details the regulatory roles of the PBoC, CSRC, and NDRC, the requirements for foreign issuers (such as solvency and credit reputation), and the specific steps for issuance, including the need for green asset identification and post-issuance reporting. It highlights that while the market is growing, with China being the second largest green bond market as of October 2018, green panda bonds represent less than 1% of China's total green bonds. The guide also notes the dominance of commercial banks as investors and the role of external verifiers in ensuring alignment with both Chinese and international standards.