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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 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 argues that communication and information poverty—characterized by lack of access to platforms, media misrepresentation, and low media literacy—undermines the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It specifically analyzes the intersections between communication rights and SDGs 5, 9, 16, and 17, while providing recommendations for a rights-based approach to communication. The report highlights the need to democratize media systems, increase digital media literacy, and address the specific needs of marginalized groups, particularly Indigenous peoples, which it claims are insufficiently addressed in Agenda 2030.

The GCF Board's 18th meeting in Cairo focused on operationalizing the fund's implementation phase. Key outcomes include the approval of multiple funding proposals across various regions, the accreditation of five new entities, and the adoption of a Simplified Approval Process (SAP) pilot for small-scale activities. The Board also approved a new Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Policy and a revised administrative budget and staffing target of 250 employees for 2018. However, consensus was not reached on a risk management framework or the selection process for a Permanent Trustee.

The document critiques the European Commission's proposal for a Multilateral Investment Court, asserting that it merely rebrands the controversial investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) system without addressing its substantive flaws. It argues that ISDS allows corporations to challenge public interest laws—including those related to health, environment, and human rights—through biased tribunals, often resulting in massive taxpayer-funded payouts. The report claims the proposed court would further institutionalize this imbalance, undermine national judiciaries, and create a parallel legal system accessible only to foreign investors. It concludes by advocating for the termination of bilateral investment treaties and the adoption of a UN treaty to regulate transnational corporations.

The 2017 AdaptationWatch report argues that the Paris Agreement has shifted climate policy into an era of implementation, yet significant gaps remain in adaptation finance and transparency. It highlights that adaptation funding is overwhelmingly lower than mitigation funding and is often difficult for the most vulnerable nations to access due to complex accreditation processes and a lack of clear definitions distinguishing adaptation from general development. The report examines regional experiences, noting that while Latin American and Caribbean countries have made progress in institutional frameworks and GCF Readiness, Southeast Asia faces a disconnect between global finance scales and local needs. It also identifies a critical lack of compliance and standardized methodology in the Biennial Update Reports (BURs) of non-Annex I Parties, which obscures the actual amount of finance received. The document concludes with ten recommendations, emphasizing the need for increased adaptation finance, co-designing actions with local communities, and reorienting capacity building toward long-term, in-country ownership.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents systemic human rights and environmental violations by transnational corporations (TNCs) across eight Latin American and Caribbean countries. It highlights cases of corporate impunity, the use of investor-state dispute settlement mechanisms to challenge public health and environmental policies, and the violent suppression of territory defenders. The document advocates for a legally binding international treaty to hold TNCs accountable and the creation of an International Tribunal on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations.

This report by Friends of the Earth International documents systemic human rights and environmental violations by transnational corporations across eight Latin American and Caribbean countries. It argues that a 'architecture of impunity'—composed of free trade agreements, investment protection treaties, and the ICSID arbitration system—shields corporations from accountability while allowing them to challenge public health and environmental policies. The report advocates for a legally binding UN treaty on transnational corporations and human rights, including the creation of an International Court to ensure justice for affected communities.

The report details various cases in Latin America where transnational corporations in mining, energy, agribusiness, and tobacco have violated human rights and caused environmental destruction. It highlights the 'architecture of impunity' created by bilateral investment treaties and the ICSID arbitration system, which allow companies to sue states over public interest policies. The document advocates for a binding international treaty and an independent international tribunal to ensure corporate accountability and the supremacy of human rights over commercial interests.

The report details cases of corporate abuse in Latin America, including mining disasters in Brazil, the assassination of environmental defenders in Mexico and Honduras, and legal battles over public health and water in Uruguay and Argentina. It argues that current international investment frameworks, such as the ICSID, protect corporate profits over human rights and national sovereignty. The authors call for a binding UN treaty to end corporate impunity and the establishment of an international tribunal to hold transnational companies accountable for environmental and social crimes.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the U.S. NAFTA negotiating objectives are ambiguous and fail to protect the public interest. Key concerns include the lack of a stance against Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS), the potential for 'regulatory coherence' to undermine environmental and health standards, and the promotion of fossil fuel investment over green energy. CIEL calls for binding environmental protections, compliance with the Paris Agreement, and increased transparency in the negotiation process.

The CAMBio II programme, implemented by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), focuses on enhancing the climate resilience of agricultural MSMEs in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, and the Dominican Republic. The initiative employs a three-pronged approach: providing innovative financial mechanisms through intermediary financial institutions (IFIs), offering capacity building and technical assistance, and implementing an incentive scheme called 'Adapt-Award' to promote ecosystem-based adaptation. The programme leverages a Global Credit Line (GCL) to distribute loans for sustainable resource management. A previous iteration of the project (CAMBio) demonstrated that while financial intermediation is successful, reaching the most vulnerable small-scale farmers remains a challenge due to conservative banking practices and high perceived risks in rural areas.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) reported a strengthened financial position as of April 30, 2017, with cash balances 179.8% higher than the previous year. While total revenues reached US$1,424,975, the institute faces ongoing challenges with unpaid contributions from some member countries, totaling US$1.31 million. Budget performance through February 2017 showed expenses 13.1% lower than the budget, though salaries were higher than expected. Administratively, the IAI implemented new accounting software and continues to work toward the full implementation of Tripartite Agreements in Argentina and Brazil.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) is requesting USD 265 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF)—USD 250 million for an investment vehicle and USD 15 million for a technical assistance facility—to launch GEEREF NeXt. Structured as a fund-of-funds, the programme aims for a total size of USD 750 million, blending GCF public seed capital with USD 500 million in private sector finance. The programme targets the development, construction, and operation of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) projects in emerging markets, expecting to finance over 200 projects and add up to 18 GW of clean energy capacity. By using a two-tier capital structure with a 'first-loss' mechanism for public capital, GEEREF NeXt intends to mitigate risk for private investors and achieve a projected 50x multiplier, potentially mobilising USD 30 billion in total project financing. The programme will be managed by the EIB Group, leveraging the experience of its predecessor, the Global Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Fund (GEEREF).

The Integrated Ridge to Reef Management of the Mesoamerican Reef Ecoregion (MAR2R) project aims to conserve shared freshwater, coastal, and marine resources in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico. It addresses threats such as unsustainable agriculture, mass tourism, and overfishing by strengthening the leadership of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD). The project implements Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Integrated Coastal Marine Management (ICMM) through demonstration projects, voluntary certification standards (RSPO, Bonsucro, MSC, ASC), and the establishment of water funds and reserves. A total project cost of $61,107,908 is allocated, with $9,018,349 from the GEF and $51,277,908 in co-financing.

The Center for International Environmental Law expresses concerns regarding a proposed $200 million IDB loan to Guatemala for border integration with Mexico. The briefing argues that the Guatemala Ministry of Defense, the designated executing agency, lacks the legal mandate for fiscal and economic controls and has a history of corruption, lack of transparency, and links to organized crime. Furthermore, the document warns that the project's focus on migrant control may violate international laws regarding refugee rights and the principle of non-refoulement, and fails to address obligations to indigenous communities under ILO Convention 169.

The report examines how foreign agricultural investments interact with gender inequalities across five dimensions: land rights, productive resources, household labour, employment, and decision making. It compares five Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS) and five Responsible Investment Frameworks, finding that while VSS focus more on employment conditions, responsible investment frameworks are stronger on land rights. Evidence suggests that VSS often fail to improve women's land ownership and can inadvertently increase women's unpaid labour burdens. The author recommends that investors and host governments adopt explicit gender strategies, ensure women's participation in negotiations, and monitor gender-disaggregated data to prevent the reproduction of local gender inequalities.

The document outlines the challenges and best practices for implementing the 2030 Agenda in Latin America, emphasizing the need for cross-sectoral institutional structures, subnational engagement, and improved data disaggregation. It highlights the vulnerability of SDG implementation to political cycles and the difficulty of aligning the 2030 Agenda with the Paris Agreement. Key recommendations include incorporating medium-term goals to bridge government cycles and mobilizing private sector resources to fill funding gaps caused by regional recessions.

The document outlines the challenges and best practices for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Latin America, focusing on institutional harmonization, inter-sectoral cooperation, local ownership, and financing. It highlights the risk of political instability affecting long-term goals and the need for better data disaggregation and multi-stakeholder dialogue to move beyond central government control.

Guatemala faces severe ecological and societal challenges, including multiyear droughts and a lack of centralized water governance, which exacerbate poverty and food insecurity. These conditions, combined with rampant corruption and violence, drive migration toward the U.S. border. The document argues that the U.S. should leverage strategic frameworks like CARSI and the Alliance for Prosperity to support Guatemala's institutional reform and the development of a comprehensive legal framework for water governance to mitigate these security risks.