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The document outlines the critical role of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, emphasizing that there is no "one-size-fits-all" approach. It identifies key challenges such as the lack of common metrics for success, data gaps, and inadequate technical capacity. To address these, the report suggests emerging solutions focused on stakeholder coordination, resource strengthening—including the use of international funding like the Green Climate Fund's Readiness Programme—and improving data quality through gender-sensitive indicators and ICT tools. Case examples from South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya demonstrate the importance of aligning M&E with existing national structures and international commitments like the SDGs and NDCs.

The document outlines the critical role of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, emphasizing that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. It identifies key challenges such as the lack of common measurement criteria, resource constraints, and the complexity of gender integration. To address these, the briefing proposes emerging solutions focused on stakeholder coordination, resource strengthening, and improving data quality, while highlighting country-specific examples from South Africa, Morocco, and Kenya.

The document outlines the critical role of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process, emphasizing that there is no single formula for its implementation. It identifies key opportunities, such as improving resource efficiency and cross-sectoral partnerships, alongside challenges like the lack of common metrics for adaptation success and inadequate technical capacity. The text proposes emerging solutions focused on stakeholder alignment, resource strengthening, and improving data quality, including the use of gender-disaggregated data and information communication technologies.

The paper analyzes various infrastructure banks, such as the European Investment Bank and the UK's Green Investment Bank, to identify effective financial instruments and operational models. It argues that infrastructure banks should prioritize financially viable, sustainable projects that offer high socioeconomic multipliers while avoiding the crowding out of private capital. Key recommendations include tapping capital markets, providing technical assistance for project preparation, and utilizing risk-sharing instruments to leverage limited public resources.

The report highlights the explosive growth of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), with an estimated 40.5 million direct workers in 2017. It examines the sector's critical role in global mineral supplies—including 20% of gold and 80% of sapphires—while detailing severe environmental and health risks, particularly from mercury use in gold mining. The document analyzes the tensions between ASM and large-scale mining (LSM), the limitations of current certification schemes, and the necessity of inclusive formalization processes that address the poverty-driven nature of the sector rather than focusing solely on entrepreneurs.

The document examines the political economy of coal subsidies in Colombia, identifying various fiscal incentives and the strategies used by a coalition of government and industry actors to protect them. It highlights how the coal sector benefits from both sector-specific and general mining incentives, often framed as essential for national economic development or the funding of the peace process. The paper analyzes three specific cases: the Plan Vallejo, a special income tax deduction for fixed assets, and a royalties rebate, to illustrate how these subsidies are introduced, maintained, or eventually removed through political and legal processes.

The global green bond market reached a cumulative issuance of USD 521bn by 2018, with USD 167.6bn issued in 2018 alone. The USA, China, and France emerged as the leading national markets. The report highlights a significant increase in issuance from financial institutions, particularly commercial banks, and a growing trend toward shorter-dated bonds. While Europe remains the largest overall market, the Asia-Pacific region saw the highest year-on-year growth at 35%. The market is also diversifying into other labelled instruments, including sustainability, social, and blue bonds, and expanding into emerging markets through the adoption of regional standards like the ASEAN Green Bond Standards.

The report finds that while infrastructure and mining are major drivers of forest loss, a lack of aggregate data prevents a global assessment of progress. It highlights the role of transport networks and mineral extraction in tropical deforestation and details emerging sustainability standards and data initiatives intended to fill these research gaps.

The assessment finds that while over USD 4.1 billion has been committed to results-based REDD+ payments, disbursements remain limited and concentrated, primarily in Brazil. It highlights the emergence of jurisdictional-sourcing initiatives across Asia, Latin America, and Africa as a promising mechanism to scale zero-deforestation commitments, though private resource flows remain small.

The 2018 Progress Assessment for Goal 4 highlights the difficulty in quantifying the impact of basic needs on deforestation due to limited data. While the distribution of clean cookstoves in developing countries nearly doubled between 2015 and 2016, financial support for woodfuel interventions declined. The report identifies several drivers of deforestation linked to poverty, including swidden agriculture, subsistence migration, and charcoal production, and presents case studies from Peru, Guatemala, Brazil, Mexico, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire demonstrating the potential of sustainable landscape approaches, community forestry, and agricultural intensification to reduce forest loss.

The report details discussions between Canadian government officials, academics, and civil society on reforming international investment law. It argues that traditional investment treaties, focused on investor protection, often conflict with sustainable development goals and human rights. Key proposals include shifting the focus of treaties toward sustainable development, conducting broad impact assessments, and reforming or eliminating investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) mechanisms to protect the state's right to regulate in the public interest, particularly for climate change objectives.

The document outlines three strategic options for states to control the value of mineral exports: direct measurement via a state laboratory, auditing company procedures, or a risk-based mixed approach. It details the technical process of export valuation—comprising sampling, preparation, and laboratory analysis—and discusses implementation models such as public-private partnerships and regional laboratories. The guide emphasizes that the choice of strategy should be based on the risk of under-valuation, which is higher for non-commoditized minerals, sales to related parties, and private companies. It also highlights the importance of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for legal defensibility and provides case studies from Sierra Leone and Guinea to illustrate the application of these strategies.

Nepal is currently in the formulation phase of its National Adaptation Plan (NAP), utilizing an integrated, multidisciplinary approach across seven thematic areas and two cross-cutting issues. The process emphasizes inclusivity, stakeholder engagement, and scientific rigor, building upon previous frameworks like the National Adaptation Programme of Action (NAPA) and Local Adaptation Plans for Action (LAPA). Key challenges include aligning the NAP with ongoing government restructuring and ensuring meaningful participation of marginalized groups. Future priorities focus on engaging provincial and local governments, developing a formal NAP framework, synthesizing local vulnerability data, and creating a comprehensive financing strategy to transition from planning to implementation.

The NAP Global Network provided technical assistance to over 30 countries between November 2017 and November 2018, focusing on seven key themes including financing, gender, and monitoring and evaluation. The Network facilitated peer learning through Targeted Topics Forums and South-South exchanges, and worked to align bilateral donor support with national priorities, notably through a Donor Symposium in Barbados.

The research examines perceptions of the 2016 Colombian peace accord in Mesetas, a former FARC stronghold. Findings indicate that residents are generally satisfied with the overall peace process and support core provisions such as land reform and coca reform, though they are less supportive of integrating FARC members into the political system. While residents perceive implementation progress as being further along than in Tumaco, they report significant dissatisfaction with the quality of public services, particularly healthcare, which the authors suggest is a missed opportunity for the government to strengthen support for the agreement.

The report provides an evaluation of corporate peacebuilding initiatives, arguing that most 'Business for Peace' (B4P) efforts have yielded few positive impacts and can sometimes exacerbate local conflicts. It presents seven key questions for firms to assess their impact on conflict environments, local definitions of peace, socio-economic structures, and supply chain links to conflict actors. The authors conclude that the most peace-positive strategy is often to avoid conflict regions entirely and that substantive progress requires binding, independently verified regulatory initiatives.

The document analyzes the gap between the inclusion of gender stipulations in the 2016 Colombian Final Peace Agreement and their actual implementation. Using data from the Peace Accords Matrix Barometer Initiative, it finds that gender-related stipulations are significantly less likely to be implemented than non-gender stipulations. The brief attributes this disparity to low institutional capacity, sequencing priorities, and existing power hierarchies, while emphasizing the need for targeted political and economic support to ensure a peace that benefits both men and women.

The report examines the strategies of Colombian businesses during the transition from armed conflict to peace, based on 53 interviews with business leaders. It finds that while many firms viewed the formal end of the FARC conflict as having little impact on their specific operations—often because they had already adapted to security gains between 2005 and 2014 or operated in urban areas—a minority of firms actively pursued new markets in previously off-limit territories. The study highlights that corporate engagement is heavily influenced by CEO leadership, sectoral and regional variations, and the availability of state incentives and risk-sharing mechanisms. It concludes that the 'logic of the firm' varies significantly, with some companies viewing peace as a long-term investment opportunity while others remain skeptical due to slow implementation and continuing insecurity.

The Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) provides technical tools and research in Colombia to bridge science and policy across water management, energy transition, and sustainable sanitation. Key efforts include the use of WEAP for water resource planning, LEAP for low-emission energy modeling, and TRASE for mapping deforestation in agricultural supply chains. SEI also investigates the socio-economic transition away from thermal coal in the César and La Guajira departments and supports the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The document argues that restricting California's oil production can significantly lower global CO2 emissions because a portion of the avoided production is not replaced by other sources. It estimates that for every barrel of oil left in the ground in California, global consumption would drop by 0.2 to 0.6 barrels, leading to a reduction of 80 to 240 kg of CO2 per barrel. The brief identifies several policy options, including ceasing new well permits, implementing emissions performance standards, and targeting production in pollution-vulnerable areas. It notes that such measures are cost-competitive with other California climate strategies and could address 'carbon leakage' by complementing demand-side policies. Additionally, the report highlights that many of California's most productive oil fields are more GHG-intensive than global averages and are located in disadvantaged communities, making production limits a matter of environmental justice.