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The Solidarity for Environmental Defenders (STAND) initiative, a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED), provides support to local environmental defenders (LEDs) who face threats, criminalization, and violence. The initiative focuses on capacity building, financial support through a Small Grants Fund for Defenders, and the creation of collaborative partnerships to improve legal accountability and security for defenders in countries with weak governance or high extractive activity. The program operates in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Liberia.

The Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (STAND) initiative, led by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED), addresses the security risks faced by grassroots environmental defenders (GEDs). These defenders often face criminalization, physical attacks, and murder, particularly in regions dependent on natural resource extraction. STAND implements a strategy based on co-created training in advocacy and legal accountability, the Defender Small Grant Fund (DSGF) for evidence-based advocacy, and collaborative partnerships to strengthen solidarity networks. The initiative focuses its efforts on Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Liberia.

The STAND Initiative, a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED), aims to protect environmental and territory defenders who face threats such as criminalization, physical aggression, and murder. Operating in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Liberia, the initiative focuses on strengthening prevention strategies for underserved communities and civil society organizations. Its strategy comprises three main pillars: capacity building to improve advocacy and legal accountability, the Defender Seed Grant Fund (DSGF) providing small grants for evidence-based advocacy, and the creation of collaborative alliances to strengthen local solidarity networks and increase government and private sector accountability.

Between 2013 and 2023, scientists described at least 742 new species in the Congo Basin, including 430 plants, 140 invertebrates, 96 fish, 42 reptiles, 22 amphibians, 10 mammals, and 2 birds. The report emphasizes that the region is a critical carbon sink and biodiversity hotspot, but faces severe threats from illegal logging, poaching, mining, and infrastructure development. WWF is implementing conservation strategies including biomonitoring, FSC-certified forestry, and human-wildlife conflict insurance to protect these ecosystems.

The 2023 elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo are marked by high voter registration but significant concerns over electoral fraud, institutional corruption, and insecurity in the east. The National Independent Electoral Commission (CENI) faces accusations of lack of transparency and poor quality voter identification. Security forces have reportedly cracked down on opposition candidates, and the presence of armed groups like M23 in North-Kivu and Ituri threatens to disenfranchise millions. Internationally, the outcome is linked to the control of strategic minerals, particularly cobalt, with China and the West competing for influence, and regional tensions with Rwanda and Angola complicating the political landscape.

The document examines the disproportionate impact of climate change on African youth and their subsequent rise in activism. It highlights the gap between youth demographics and political leadership in Africa, the specific climate vulnerabilities in countries like Nigeria and Sudan, and the systemic barriers activists face, including financial constraints and state repression. The author calls for the establishment of youth councils, dedicated funding, and protection mechanisms to ensure young people can shape climate-resilient policies.

The document analyzes the cassava value web in Colombia, identifying its current uses in food, animal feed, and industrial materials, while highlighting potential for expansion into bioplastics and bioethanol. It maps commercial, financial, and knowledge linkages across four main production nuclei: Cauca, the Atlantic Coast, Orinoquía, and Amazonía. The paper argues that while Colombia is the third largest producer in Latin America, low productivity and limited technification hinder its competitiveness. It recommends developing inclusive supply chains, promoting sustainable agricultural practices to protect biodiversity, and increasing incentives for private sector innovation to transition toward a sustainable bioeconomy.

The report forecasts a significant increase in Africa's energy demand due to population growth, projecting that it will overtake the EU27 by 2043. While Africa possesses vast oil, gas, and hydropower reserves, its current energy mix remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with 'other renewables' making up only 1.6% of production in 2023. The document highlights a trajectory where Africa will eventually become a major global source of carbon emissions from fossil fuels, overtaking the EU by 2034.

Africa possesses the world's highest untapped hydropower potential, yet only 11% of this capacity is currently installed. While large-scale projects like the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam and the Julius Nyerere Hydropower Plant are advancing, growth is hindered by the need for extensive transmission networks in unstable regions and institutional failures. By 2043, hydropower is forecast to contribute 5.3% of the continent's energy production.

The report argues that pandemic prevention must shift from a human-centric biosecurity model to a holistic 'One Health' approach that integrates ecological security. It identifies critical gaps, such as funding silos between human and animal health research and a lack of sociological context in interventions. The document details U.S. agency efforts—including those by the USGS, FWS, and USAID—and proposes a project lifecycle for spillover prevention that emphasizes multidisciplinary teams, community engagement, and standardized data practices. It specifically highlights how deforestation, illicit wildlife trade, and industrial animal husbandry increase spillover risks, and recommends treating conservation as a national security imperative.

The report finds that most National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) fail to meaningfully engage Indigenous Peoples (IPs) and local communities (LCs) or secure their land tenure and rights. While traditional knowledge is more frequently recognized, there is a critical absence of safeguards to prevent human rights violations during conservation efforts. The assessment recommends a rights-based approach that treats IPs and LCs as full and equal partners, ensures direct access to finance, and enshrines legal safeguards and land tenure security within national biodiversity strategies.

The analysis reveals a significant gap between the mention of gender in African NDCs and the implementation of substantive gender-responsive actions. While 90% of assessed NDCs reference gender, only 23% include gender-responsive budgeting and 32% are informed by a gender analysis. The paper highlights that high levels of climate finance mobilisation in countries like Morocco, South Africa, and Egypt have not translated into gender-responsive budgeting. Furthermore, private climate finance remains heavily concentrated in the energy sector (74%), which typically has lower female participation compared to the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector, which received only 7% of funding.

Global Witness reports that the rush for lithium in Africa is characterized by corruption and ESG failures. In Zimbabwe, the Sandawana mine is linked to sanctioned elites and ZANU-PF allies, with reports of child labour and illegal exports. In Namibia, Xinfeng Investments is accused of bribery and using small-scale mining permits to avoid environmental assessments. In the DRC, the Manono project is stalled by ownership disputes and allegations that shell companies and politically connected individuals profited from the deposit while the state treasury received negligible funds.

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, finding that while most countries reference sub-national governments and non-governmental actors, there are varying levels of integration across planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) stages.

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the roles of subnational governments and non-governmental actors. Based on an analysis of 45 multisectoral NAPs, it finds that while most countries recognize subnational roles in planning and implementation, gaps remain in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and stable financial flows to local levels. It provides recommendations for national governments, subnational authorities, development partners, and funding bodies to strengthen multi-level coordination and capacity.

The document details Africa's strategic position for COP28, as framed by the Nairobi Declaration. It argues that the continent must shift from being viewed as a 'climate victim' to a 'climate champion' by leveraging its renewable energy potential and critical minerals. Central to this is a demand for a complete overhaul of the global financial architecture to increase grant-based and concessional finance, as current investments are far below the $2.8 trillion needed by 2030. The brief emphasizes the urgent need to operationalize the Loss and Damage Fund and double adaptation finance to prevent an estimated $6 trillion in economic losses by 2035. It also highlights the importance of the first Global Stocktake as an accountability tool to hold the world's largest emitters and fossil-fuel companies responsible.

The document examines the contradictions in Namibia's foreign policy on human rights, noting a gap between its progressive Constitution and its practical international conduct. It identifies key tensions, such as the conflict between multilateralism and state sovereignty, and the prioritisation of 'solidarity politics' from the liberation struggle over universal human rights standards. This is evidenced by Namibia's frequent abstentions at the UN on country-specific human rights resolutions and its continued diplomatic ties with authoritarian regimes.

The report examines the social and environmental risks associated with the surge in demand for transition minerals like nickel, lithium, and cobalt. It criticizes current IFI approaches, such as the World Bank's 'climate-smart mining,' for treating environmental and social governance (ESG) as commercial risks rather than human rights imperatives. Through case studies in Indonesia, Guinea, Argentina, and the DRC, the document illustrates harms including forced evictions, water scarcity, and corruption. It proposes solutions centered on reducing mineral demand through circular economy models, implementing binding due diligence, and supporting mineral sovereignty for resource-rich countries in the Global South.

The Green Climate Fund's Accreditation Panel recommends the re-accreditation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) for a second term, maintaining its scope for medium-sized projects and medium environmental and social risk (Category B). The assessment confirms FAO's strong technical expertise in adaptation, REDD+, and the blue economy, and its ability to implement GCF's gender and environmental and social policies. While generally compliant, the Panel identified a gap in explicit policy statements regarding Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism (AML/CFT), making the re-accreditation conditional upon the formal approval of an AML/CFT policy or the inclusion of consistent statements within its prohibited practices policies.

The 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment finds the world is off track to eliminate deforestation and forest degradation by 2030. In 2022, global gross deforestation reached 6.6 million hectares, a 4% increase from 2021. While some countries like Indonesia and Malaysia show progress, massive losses continue in tropical Latin America and the Caribbean. The report highlights a critical funding gap, noting that 'gray' public finance (subsidies driving deforestation) vastly outweighs 'green' finance. It also emphasizes the ongoing violence against environmental defenders and the systemic lack of legal recognition for Indigenous Peoples' and local communities' land rights.