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The 2019 five-year assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) concludes that achieving the 2020 goals of halving tropical deforestation and restoring 150 million hectares of degraded landscapes is likely impossible. Despite political commitments, tropical deforestation continues at an unsustainable rate, driven primarily by agricultural commodity expansion. While some progress is noted in Indonesia, significant losses persist in Latin America and the Brazilian Amazon. Restoration efforts have largely occurred outside natural forests, and financial investments in forest protection remain critically low compared to other climate mitigation efforts. The report emphasizes that systemic change requires coordinated action across supply chains, increased 'green' financing, stronger governance, and the recognition of indigenous land rights.

The 2019 five-year assessment of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) concludes that the 2020 goals for reducing tropical deforestation and restoring landscapes are likely unattainable. Despite high political will, tropical deforestation continues at an unsustainable rate, driven primarily by agricultural commodity expansion. Restoration efforts have been slow and largely occur outside natural forests. The report highlights a critical lack of 'green' financing, inadequate corporate commitment implementation, and the need for stronger governance and recognition of indigenous land rights to achieve the 2030 targets.

The report examines the drivers of basic-needs deforestation, such as subsistence farming and woodfuel collection, and evaluates interventions like formalization, clean cooking technology, and REDD+ funding. It highlights the difficulty of measuring progress due to data gaps and emphasizes that successful interventions require social safeguards and good governance to protect livelihoods while reducing forest loss.

The report analyzes agricultural transformation across 117 countries from 1970 to 2015, identifying six phases of transformation and five structural contexts based on land fertility, availability, and population dynamics. It argues that successful transformation requires a tailored mix of 'push' strategies (increasing agricultural productivity) or 'pull' strategies (growing non-agricultural sectors), depending on a country's endowments. Key drivers of success include removing 'anti-agricultural bias' in price policies, strategic public investment in R&D and extension services, and critical institutional reforms such as land redistribution. The report provides specific policy recommendations for 13 focus countries in Africa and Asia, matching them with historically successful 'analogue' countries based on their 2015 structural contexts.

This report outlines the outcomes of the Climate Resilient Cities Initiative (CRC), a strategic alliance between the International Development Research Center (IDRC), the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), and the Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA) aimed at fostering climate-resilient development in small and medium-sized cities in Latin America.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) describes the progress at the SB50 talks in Bonn as "glacial," noting that while a non-consensus text for Article 6 was established for COP25, critical language on human rights remains in brackets. CIEL emphasizes that Article 6 mechanisms—which include carbon credit markets and sustainable development mechanisms—must incorporate independent grievance bodies and social safeguards to avoid the failures of the Clean Development Mechanism. The statement also highlights the importance of the Escazú Agreement for environmental democracy in Latin America and condemns countries that questioned the IPCC's Special Report on 1.5°C during the negotiations.

The 27th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) approved the 2019-2020 Core Budget and adopted the IAI Strategic Plan and a revised Scientific Agenda. Key decisions include the invitation of the Alexander von Humboldt Biological Resources Research Institute (Colombia) and Estación Científica COIBA AIP (Panama) to become Associates, and the instruction to implement the Science and Technology Policy (STeP) Fellowships Program. The IAI Directorate was also directed to explore collaboration with the Green Climate Fund and the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research to address climate change and global change research.

The document outlines the legal frameworks and specific entry points within the UNFCCC and Paris Agreement processes where public participation and access to information can be strengthened. It highlights the Aarhus Convention and Escazú Agreement as regional models for environmental democracy and warns that the lack of procedural rights in the Clean Development Mechanism led to harmful projects. The briefing recommends that the new Sustainable Development Mechanism (SDM) under Article 6.4 include robust stakeholder consultation and an independent grievance redress mechanism. It further suggests that the review of the Doha Work Programme and the updating of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) by 2020 be used to enhance the participation of local communities, indigenous peoples, and women.

The Tandem framework addresses the 'usability gap' in climate services by shifting from provider-led to collaborative, transdisciplinary co-design. It outlines a seven-step iterative process—ranging from identifying adaptation challenges to maintaining the service—supported by cross-cutting components like sustainable financing and capacity building. The framework is illustrated through an urban water security case study in Lusaka, Zambia, where co-produced hydrological models helped stakeholders assess water demand against climate scenarios.

The MyHIJAU Mark is Malaysia's official green label for products and services that meet local and international environmental standards, designed to promote a resource-efficient and low-carbon economy. Managed by GreenTech Malaysia under the Ministry of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment & Climate Change, the system integrates health, environmental sustainability, and economic feasibility. The Malaysian government acts as the primary driver of the label through a Government Green Procurement (GGP) programme initiated in 2013, aiming to influence the private sector by example. As of the reporting date, over 4,214 items are registered under the label, and all 25 Federal Government Ministries have implemented GGP since 2017, with a target of 20% GGP by 2020.

The author argues that while Central and Eastern Europe has a long tradition of informal mutual help and solidarity practices, these have historically functioned as 'bottom-up subsidies' to capital by absorbing the costs of social reproduction. The paper suggests that for a modern solidarity economy to be emancipative in this region, it must move beyond mere survival strategies and address the hierarchical, patriarchal, and extractive nature of existing informal networks.

The IAI Directorate implemented several initiatives between 2018 and 2019 to strengthen science-policy interfaces and regional cooperation. Key activities included signing a Memorandum of Understanding with IPBES, co-hosting a South-South Cooperation workshop on climate and sustainable development in Uruguay, and joining the Belmont Forum Steering Committee. The Directorate also explored becoming a Readiness Delivery Partner for the Green Climate Fund in Latin America and engaged with the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research on a new climate change initiative. Efforts to improve science communication included a social media campaign and discussions with the American Chemical Society and the Earth Journalism Network.

The document details how climate change acts as a major global health threat through direct effects like extreme heat and storms, and indirect effects mediated by natural systems (air pollution, vector-borne diseases) and human systems (poverty, migration, conflict). It highlights that vulnerable populations, including children, the elderly, and those in low-income regions, are disproportionately affected.

The report analyzes 38 ISDS cases brought by mining companies against Latin American states, highlighting a systemic bias that favors corporate profits over human rights and environmental laws. It documents how these suits often target government measures resulting from community resistance or environmental regulations, creating a 'chilling effect' on public policy. The document details specific cases in countries such as Colombia, El Salvador, and Venezuela, and proposes a fundamental shift toward a legal framework that prioritizes human rights and environmental protection over investor rights.

The report examines the assassination of Lenca indigenous leader Berta Cáceres in 2016, who opposed the Agua Zarca hydroelectric dam in Honduras. It details how the project, developed by Desarrollos Energéticos S.A. (DESA) and funded by international institutions including FMO and Finnfund, was marked by systemic violence and a lack of free, prior, and informed consent. Despite a 2018 court verdict convicting several individuals and linking the murder to DESA executives, the report argues that the reliance on voluntary human rights due diligence under the UN Guiding Principles is insufficient. It calls for legally binding international legislation to hold corporations accountable for human rights abuses and environmental damage.

The document introduces SEI-PCS, a modeling tool designed to overcome the limitations of traditional country-level footprinting by providing spatially explicit data on production-to-consumption systems. By integrating subnational production data, domestic trade flows, and international customs data, SEI-PCS allows for the tracing of commodities back to their origin to assess impacts such as carbon emissions, biodiversity loss, and deforestation. The tool is the foundation for the Trase initiative, which specifically monitors deforestation risks associated with agricultural commodities like soy in Brazil, Indonesia, and Latin America, helping companies and governments evaluate the effectiveness of zero-deforestation commitments and identify policy 'leakage' effects.

The report finds that Kellogg's has significantly reduced or removed essential micronutrients from its most popular breakfast cereals in Mexico despite public commitments to tackle undernutrition. Analysis shows a decline in vitamins B, C, E, and iron, suggesting that profit motives may outweigh nutritional goals.

The report finds that despite public commitments to fight malnutrition, Kellogg's reduced or eliminated several essential vitamins and minerals in its most popular cereals in Mexico over a five-year period, suggesting that profit motives outweigh nutritional goals.

The document examines the link between community land tenure and global sustainability goals, highlighting that while indigenous and rural communities manage over 50% of the world's land, only 10% is legally recognized. It presents evidence that secure tenure reduces deforestation and carbon emissions more cheaply than technological carbon capture. The author calls for legal reforms, simplified formalization procedures, and a more equitable playing field between communities and corporations to protect these critical carbon sinks and support rural livelihoods.

The document examines the reciprocal relationship between climate change and land in Latin America, highlighting how land degradation and desertification threaten livelihoods and food security. It advocates for sustainable land management, integrated governance, and gender-equitable policies to enhance resilience and achieve climate goals.