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The EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) requires that commodities and products be produced in accordance with the local laws of the country of production. This briefing argues that the 'legality requirement' must be interpreted broadly, encompassing all laws—including customary and human rights laws—that affect the legal status of the area of production and its surrounding environment. It emphasizes that due diligence cannot rely solely on official government records, especially in jurisdictions with high corruption or weak law enforcement, and must instead incorporate verification from local experts and civil society stakeholders.

The document analyzes the EUDR's legality requirement, arguing that it encompasses all laws affecting the legal status of production areas, including human rights and customary laws. It highlights systemic risks such as land grabbing, corruption, and weak enforcement in Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia, and recommends that EU companies move beyond official records to consult local experts and stakeholders to verify compliance.

The document examines the legal framework for cocoa production in Côte d’Ivoire to guide EU companies in conducting due diligence under the EUDR. It highlights a significant gap between formal laws and the informal reality of smallholder farming, where 90% of cocoa is produced. Key risks include the widespread production of cocoa in protected "classified" forests, the use of unregistered pesticides, and high levels of child labour. The report notes that while trade and export are well-regulated by the Conseil Café-Cacao, production-level compliance is difficult to verify due to a lack of centralized land-use maps and the informality of land tenure and labour contracts.

The document outlines the challenges of verifying legal compliance in global agricultural supply chains under the EUDR. It argues that official documentation and third-party certifications are often insufficient due to systemic corruption, land-grabbing, and informality. Through case studies of Brazil, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Indonesia, it highlights specific risks such as illegal deforestation in the Amazon and Cerrado, child labour in cocoa production, and the widespread lack of mandatory ISPO certification in Indonesia's palm oil sector. It recommends that EU operators consult local experts and civil society to verify the 'reality on the ground'.

The Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the operational arm of the IMF's Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST), provides long-term concessional loans to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to implement macro-critical climate reforms. While the RSF creates fiscal space and improves investment conditions, its impact is often hindered by limited engagement with sectoral ministries, overlapping climate initiatives, and inconsistent coordination with development partners like the World Bank and regional development banks. The document recommends institutionalizing inter-ministry platforms, aligning RSF reforms with national climate plans, and utilizing joint diagnostic tools. It also highlights the role of IMF Climate Finance Roundtables in aligning investments with national priorities, though these have yet to mobilize significant private capital. Case studies from Bangladesh, Barbados, and Senegal illustrate both the potential and the challenges of these coordination mechanisms.

The report analyzes the first 149 companies to adopt SBTi FLAG targets, finding that while uptake is rapid—particularly in Europe and the food and beverage sector—mitigation plans are uneven. Most companies focus on agricultural emissions reduction and food waste, but few engage in forest management or biochar. The report highlights the role of FLAG targets in accelerating no-deforestation commitments and identifies the need for more robust transition plans as target deadlines approach.

The report finds that human-caused climate change significantly increased extreme heat and health risks globally from December 2024 to February 2025. At least 1.8 billion people experienced temperatures at least twice as likely due to climate change every day of the period, with exposure peaking at 3 billion people on February 28, 2025. Africa was particularly affected, with 293 million people experiencing 30 or more 'risky heat days' added by climate change. The analysis also highlights that 110 out of 220 analyzed countries and 287 out of 940 cities saw the average person experience strong climate influence for at least one-third of the season.

This policy note examines the Compact with Africa (CwA), an initiative launched in 2017 to increase private investment and infrastructure in African countries through coordinated reform agendas and stakeholder cooperation.

The G20 Compact with Africa (CwA), initiated in 2017, aims to boost private investment and infrastructure in Africa through reform agendas in macroeconomic, business, and financing frameworks. While CwA countries often show stronger growth and trade performance, a direct causal link to investment flows remains unproven, and foreign direct investment to Africa rose only by $4.5 billion between 2017 and 2023. To enhance the initiative, the author recommends that South Africa's G20 presidency facilitate the admission of interested countries such as Angola, Kenya, and Zambia, and elevate the African Advisory Group (AAG) to a permanent G20 working group. Additionally, the note suggests spotlighting critical minerals and energy investment, improving investment grades to reduce Africa's $75 billion risk premium, and implementing 'country platforms' to increase private sector engagement in reform agendas.

The Mirova Sustainable Land Fund 2 (MSLF2) is a private sector-focused investment programme targeting Costa Rica, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Malaysia, Morocco, Peru, and the Philippines. With a total target size of EUR 350 million, the fund uses a blended finance structure—including a GCF-funded junior tranche—to de-risk investments for institutional investors. The programme consists of an investment facility providing long-term debt and equity to companies in the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector, and a Technical Assistance Facility (TAF) to improve company bankability and impact monitoring. The fund aims to sequester 17.2 MtCO2e and enhance the resilience of 63,000 direct beneficiaries through practices such as agroforestry and soil conservation.

Climate Central analysis shows that human-caused climate change significantly increased the number of days with maximum temperatures exceeding 90°F in West Africa's cocoa belt from 2015 to 2024. The most severe impacts occurred in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, where climate change added approximately 40 days of growth-limiting heat per year. These temperature extremes, combined with shifting rainfall patterns and pests, threaten global cocoa supplies, increase chocolate prices, and endanger the health and livelihoods of small-scale farmers.

Climate change has significantly increased the number of days with temperatures above 32°C in West Africa's cocoa belt, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana. This excessive heat, especially during the main crop cycle (October-March), can reduce cacao harvest quantity and quality by hindering photosynthesis and increasing water stress. In 2024, 71% of analyzed cacao-producing areas across Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Cameroon, and Nigeria experienced at least six additional weeks of such heat. Beyond temperature, production is threatened by erratic rainfall, the cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV), smuggling, and illegal mining.

A joint letter from various NGOs urging the European Commission to ensure the EUDR benchmarking process is based on objective risk criteria rather than political factors or sanctions.

The report provides a gender assessment for the Mirova Sustainable Land Fund 2 (MSLF2), identifying how land degradation and deforestation disproportionately affect women due to systemic gaps in land rights and resource access. It outlines a programmatic approach to integrate gender lens investing, aligning with the 2X Challenge criteria and GCF Gender Policy. The fund sets specific targets, including that 35% of jobs created will go to women and 44% of total beneficiaries will be women. The document also provides detailed gender profiles for Ghana, Costa Rica, Peru, the Philippines, and Malaysia, highlighting country-specific labour force participation and legal frameworks.

The document evaluates COP29's impact on Africa, highlighting the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance (NCQG) as a central but insufficient outcome. It details failures in the Just Transition Work Programme and fossil fuel phase-out commitments, while noting incremental progress in adaptation roadmaps, carbon market rules, and gender mainstreaming. The authors call for more decisive action and tangible climate justice at COP30.

The document argues that secure land tenure is a prerequisite for agroecological transitions in Africa, as it provides the security necessary for farmers to invest in long-term sustainable practices. It highlights how colonial legacies of land dispossession continue to create systemic inequalities and tenure insecurity across different African regions. The brief provides specific analysis of land systems in countries such as Kenya, South Africa, Benin, Uganda, and Malawi, noting that while some national policies recognize agroecology, institutional support often remains tied to industrial, input-intensive agriculture. It concludes with recommendations for donors to shift toward long-term, locally led, and gender-sensitive funding models that prioritize land rights and social equity.

The document outlines seven criteria for 'health-inclusive' NDCs, including alignment with 1.5°C warming limits, healthcare sector adaptation, and the reduction of super-pollutants. It provides a roadmap for civil society to engage governments, suggests interministerial coordination strategies, and identifies common barriers—such as ministerial silos and lack of data—alongside corresponding solutions to ensure health is prioritised in national climate plans.

The policy brief outlines the critical role of maritime transport in Africa's blue economy and the threats posed by climate change, including sea level rise and new global emissions regulations. It advocates for a new continental maritime governance framework to coordinate decarbonisation and resilience efforts. Key recommendations include transforming ports into green logistics hubs, implementing climate risk assessments in infrastructure design, and securing sustainable financing for fleet and port modernisation.

The document analyzes the crisis facing ECOWAS in 2025, characterized by the exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, and a decline in the organization's normative authority regarding democratic governance. It identifies a structural power imbalance where the executive Authority dominates, leading to inconsistent applications of 'zero-tolerance' policies toward unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs). The authors propose a three-phase reform strategy: first, restoring political authority through the operationalization of ECOSOC and revised sanctions; second, rebalancing power by making Court rulings binding and introducing parliamentary confirmation for Commission leadership; and third, transitioning to a supranational model with direct elections for the Parliament and primacy of Community law. The brief emphasizes the need for a coalition of 'reform champions'—including Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, and Ghana—and strategic financial support from Germany and the EU to ensure regional stability.

The NAP Global Network's 2024 report details its progress in supporting developing countries with National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes through technical assistance, South-South peer learning, and knowledge production. The Network has supported 70 countries to date, with over 60% of technical assistance directed toward Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). Key 2024 achievements include the launch of a new peer learning strategy, the publication of over 180 knowledge products, and the implementation of a monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) framework. The report highlights specific 'stories of change' in countries like Costa Rica, Rwanda, and Côte d’Ivoire, demonstrating the transition from planning to implementation and the integration of gender and social inclusion.