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The GCF Board approved eight funding proposals totaling USD 387.5 million and accredited seven new entities. Key administrative outcomes include the approval of a USD 43.4 million budget for 2017 and the establishment of work plans for the Independent Redress Mechanism and Independent Integrity Units. The Board also discussed the Readiness and Preparatory Support Programme, allocating up to an additional USD 50 million to it.

The assessment found that 89% of 80 reviewed products were sourced in alignment with the SSC Sourcing Code, and 85% of 52 products with environmental claims adhered to the Labelling Code. While SSC members generally showed high compliance, non-members were more likely to use misleading terminology or lack verifiable sourcing data. The report notes a 15% improvement in the prevalence of misleading claims since 2011, though it recommends better on-pack catch area and method information to help consumers use seafood guides.

The report highlights that illegal harvesting of CITES-listed species occurs in over 25% of all natural and mixed World Heritage sites, threatening biodiversity and the 'outstanding universal value' of these areas. It identifies a gap in the current approach: the World Heritage Convention is site-focused, while CITES operates at the national level. To address this, the report proposes a coordinated value-chain response involving source, transit, and consumer countries, alongside the integration of monitoring and reporting systems. Case studies from Indonesia, Madagascar, the DRC, and Thailand illustrate the devastating impact of poaching and illegal logging, as well as the potential for success through community engagement and inter-agency cooperation.

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 GCF Secretariat reports progress across several operational areas, including the approval of USD 1.5 billion in funding and the signing of 19 accreditation master agreements. Key activities include the development of a gender and climate change training manual with UN Women, the processing of Project Preparation Facility (PPF) requests, and efforts to secure privileges and immunities (P&Is) through bilateral and multilateral agreements. The report also notes the recruitment of risk and monitoring specialists and ongoing engagement with UNFCCC thematic bodies.

Friends of the Earth International commemorates the anniversary of Berta Cáceres' murder, highlighting her leadership in opposing hydroelectric dams on the Gualcarque River in Honduras. The statement frames the violence against Cáceres and other women defenders as a result of a capitalist and patriarchal system that exploits both the environment and women's work. The organization calls for justice and announces a week of action from March 2nd to 8th, 2017, to combat systemic violence and the erosion of rights for Indigenous Peoples and working-class women.

The statement commemorates the anniversary of the murder of Berta Cáceres, a Lenca indigenous activist killed for opposing dams on the Gualcarque River in Honduras. It links the struggle for territorial protection with the fight against capitalist and patriarchal systems that exploit both the environment and women. Friends of the Earth International calls for justice for Cáceres and other murdered women defenders, denouncing the institutionalized violence and impunity faced by indigenous and grassroots movements globally.

Friends of the Earth International commemorates the anniversary of the murder of Lenca activist Berta Cáceres, linking her struggle against mega-dams in Honduras to a broader global fight against capitalist and patriarchal systems. The organization denounces the systemic violence, persecution, and impunity faced by indigenous women and grassroots activists defending their lands and water. It commits to working with feminist and social movements to dismantle the patriarchy and combat the exploitation of women's productive and reproductive labor.

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.

As of November 2016, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) had approved 74 readiness and preparatory support requests for 61 countries, totaling USD 21.9 million. The programme focuses on strengthening national designated authorities (NDAs), supporting the accreditation of direct access entities, and facilitating adaptation planning. While cumulative commitments from 2014-2016 totaled approximately USD 24.6 million, projected demand for 2017 is expected to rise significantly to over USD 120 million, driven by increased interest in national adaptation plans and strategic frameworks. The GCF is also expanding its support for direct access entities and coordinating with international partners to streamline readiness support.

The report argues that Bangladesh's state-dominated oil market and ad-hoc pricing policy create severe fiscal burdens, hinder investment, and encourage carbon emissions. It finds that oil subsidies primarily benefit the rich and upper-middle classes rather than the poor. To address these issues, the authors recommend a phased transition toward market-based pricing, the deregulation of all oil market segments to encourage private investment, and the implementation of targeted cash transfers to protect vulnerable populations from price increases.

Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) condemns a report by the FMO regarding the Agua Zarca project in Honduras, stating it seeks to discredit community resistance and legitimize the imposition of hydroelectric megaprojects. The statement links the violence against indigenous leaders, including Berta Cáceres, and peasant organizations to unequal trade treaties with Europe and the US, and calls on the Netherlands, Finland, and Spain to cease financing projects that violate human rights in Latin America.

The document is a statement by Friends of the Earth Latin America and the Caribbean (ATALC) condemning the Agua Zarca hydro-electric project in Honduras and a report by the FMO (Entrepreneurial Development Bank) that ATALC claims discredits local communities. It highlights a pattern of violence against indigenous Lenca and Tolupan leaders, including the murder of Berta Cáceres, and links these issues to inequitable trade agreements and foreign financing. ATALC calls on the Honduran state to investigate irregularities and urges the Netherlands, Finland, and Spain to cease financing projects that breach human rights in Latin America.

The statement by Amigos de la Tierra de América Latina y el Caribe (ATALC) denounces the killings of José Ángel Flores and Silmer Dionisio George in Honduras. It attributes this violence to a 'state of exception' characterized by extreme militarization and the influence of transnational capital and international trade treaties that promote monocultures for biofuels, bananas, and sugar cane, leading to the criminalization of human rights and environmental defenders.

A joint submission by 20 organizations arguing that the Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) must avoid the systemic failures of the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) by implementing strict human rights safeguards, ensuring a net decrease in global emissions, and establishing robust grievance and participation processes.

The statement by Friends of the Earth Latin America and Caribbean (ATALC) denounces the installation of Michel Temer's government in Brazil as a coup d'état. It argues that this political shift serves elite and corporate interests, leading to the dismantling of social policies and the destruction of environmental protections, including the annulment of the environmental licensing system and the opening of petrol reserves to transnational capital.

ATALC condemns the installation of Michel Temer's government in Brazil, characterizing it as a coup that threatens democratic stability in Latin America. The organization warns that this political shift leads to the dismantling of social policies and the implementation of neoliberal economic measures, including the privatization of common goods and the opening of oil reserves to transnational capital.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the Committee on the Rights of the Child should recognize an implied right to a healthy environment to ensure the effective realization of children's rights. Drawing on jurisprudence from other human rights bodies, CIEL demonstrates how a healthy environment is a necessary precondition for the rights to life, health, food, water, and an adequate standard of living. The document highlights that over 140 states have already incorporated environmental rights into their national constitutions, supporting an evolutionary interpretation of the Convention.

The paper pilots the use of Qualitative Comparative Analysis (QCA) to understand why some research projects achieve policy uptake while others do not. Analyzing 20 completed projects, the study identifies three causal pathways to success, with research credibility emerging as a necessary 'gatekeeper' condition. The authors conclude that while QCA is a resource-intensive method that reduces causal complexity, it is a valuable tool for challenging and refining a Theory of Change in complex international development settings.

The document provides an Environmental and Social Management Framework (ESMF) for a project aimed at conserving freshwater, marine, and coastal resources in the Mesoamerican Reef System (MAR). It defines the institutional roles of the Central American Commission on Environment and Development (CCAD) and partner NGOs, establishes a project classification system (Categories A, B, and C) based on risk, and outlines procedures for Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs). The framework identifies priority river basins—including the Hondo, Motagua, Belice, Chamelecón, and Ulúa—and details the threats facing the reef, such as agricultural runoff, deforestation, and urban waste. It also sets strict safeguards for indigenous peoples, involuntary resettlement, and the use of hazardous pesticides, while proposing various 'ridge-to-reef' interventions like agroforestry and habitat restoration.