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The document outlines a five-year agreement between the IAI and CICAG to strengthen scientific cooperation in the Americas. The partnership focuses on exchanging knowledge regarding climate change, biodiversity, and the role of indigenous and local communities in sustainable development. It specifies areas of cooperation including science diplomacy, open science, and South-South cooperation, while clarifying that the agreement does not create a legal partnership or joint venture.

The guide outlines a five-step process for corporates to issue transition-linked bonds: building a credible transition plan, selecting a thematic label, creating a sustainable financing framework, executing the bond issuance, and conducting post-issuance reporting. It emphasizes the necessity of science-based, 1.5°C-aligned decarbonisation pathways and the integration of social safeguards to ensure a just transition. The document details the differences between Use of Proceeds (UoP) bonds and Sustainability-Linked Bonds (SLBs), providing criteria for selecting material Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Sustainability Performance Targets (SPTs). It also highlights market trends, such as the 'greenium' (cheaper pricing for labelled debt), and warns against greenwashing risks associated with non-transparent frameworks or carbon lock-in activities.

The report argues that fugitive methane emissions significantly increase the lifecycle emissions of fossil gas, making it comparable to coal and oil in climate impact. It examines global sustainable finance taxonomies, noting that while most exclude hydrocarbons, some include fossil gas under strict conditions. Specifically, it analyzes the EU Taxonomy, concluding that its rigorous carbon intensity thresholds and lifecycle emission requirements make new gas-powered plants economically unviable compared to renewable energy alternatives.

The global aligned GSS+ debt market reached a cumulative volume of USD 4.2 trillion by the end of Q3 2023, though year-to-date volumes declined by 10% compared to 2022. Green bonds remain the dominant theme, surpassing a cumulative USD 2.5 trillion milestone. In the Middle East and Africa (MEA), the market grew by 158% in 2023, driven largely by Saudi Arabia and the UAE, with a strong preference for green instruments and a recent increase in public sector issuance.

The report finds that comprehensive requirements for benefit sharing arrangements are not common practice across major carbon crediting programmes. While some projects, particularly those under Plan Vivo, demonstrate best practices by providing detailed monitoring reports on monetary and non-monetary benefits, many others provide only procedural information or limited evidence of actual implementation. Major carbon crediting programmes like Verra (VCS), CAR, and ACR have largely resisted mandatory disclosure of benefit sharing terms, citing commercial confidentiality and a lack of institutional expertise to monitor downstream financial flows.

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 document outlines how a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) functions as a tool for economic empowerment rather than just a social grant. It presents evidence from various countries showing that guaranteed income allows the poor to invest in productive assets, start small businesses, and increase local consumption, which in turn stimulates broader economic activity through a multiplier effect.

The fact sheet challenges the narrative that social grants discourage work or hinder economic growth in South Africa. It argues that income support actually increases autonomy, enables job seeking by reducing poverty, and stimulates local economies through a multiplier effect. The document advocates for a Guaranteed Universal Basic Income (UBIG) to address structural poverty, support unpaid care work—primarily performed by women—and provide workers with the leverage to refuse exploitative employment.

The document challenges the notion that social grants create a 'cycle of dependency' or hinder economic growth in South Africa. It argues that basic income supports job seekers by reducing poverty-related barriers, stimulates local economies through increased spending, and provides a safety net that empowers workers to negotiate better wages and conditions. The text emphasizes that employment and social support are complementary rather than contradictory, particularly for unpaid caregivers and those in structural poverty.

The document challenges the belief that social grants discourage work, asserting instead that unconditional cash transfers can increase labor market participation and stimulate local economies. It argues that because structural poverty in South Africa prevents many from succeeding through hard work alone, and because essential unpaid care work (primarily by women) is ignored by traditional employment metrics, a UBIG is necessary to ensure a dignified life and provide a safety net that empowers workers to negotiate better conditions.

The document challenges the notion that social grants discourage work, asserting instead that a basic income guarantee supports labor market participation by reducing poverty and providing a safety net. It provides evidence from South Africa and other Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to show that cash transfers can stimulate local economies, improve educational outcomes, and empower workers to seek better employment conditions. The text emphasizes that UBIG is particularly essential for women, who perform significant unpaid care work, and for the millions of South Africans living in poverty due to systemic economic structures.

The document advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG), defined as a government commitment to ensure all adults receive a minimum income to meet basic needs. It asserts that UBIG provides the stability necessary for individuals to invest in skills, education, and small businesses, thereby breaking the cycle of poverty. Using evidence from cash transfer pilots in Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and other regions, the text highlights how these payments lead to increased agricultural productivity, business growth, and a 'multiplier effect' that boosts the broader local and national economy through increased spending.

The report establishes a statistical framework for the natural infrastructure sector in the Canadian Prairies, dividing it into watershed management, municipal natural infrastructure, education/training, and regulatory/public administration. Using 2022 as a baseline, it projects that a 'Stretch Growth' scenario involving CAD 100 million annual investment would increase total jobs in the region to 73,420 and total GDP to CAD 8.2 billion by 2030.

WASH-Flows is a Microsoft Excel-based tool developed under the Bolivia WATCH Program to bridge the gap between household-level WASH data and watershed-scale planning. It transforms qualitative household information into quantitative data to assess service vulnerability, estimate environmental contamination loads, and provide water demand and wastewater flow data for water resources management software. While developed for Bolivia and currently applied in the Tupiza, Pampa Huari, and Choqueyapu-La Paz watersheds, the tool is intended for use in low- and middle-income countries across rural and peri-urban settings.

WASH-Flows is a Microsoft Excel-based tool developed under the Bolivia WATCH Program to bridge the gap between household-level WASH data and community-scale watershed planning. It transforms qualitative information into quantitative data to assess service vulnerability, estimate pollution loads, and calculate water demand and wastewater flows. While currently in beta and applied in three Bolivian watersheds, the tool aims to support local governments and planners in rural and peri-urban environments to prioritize interventions and align with SDG 6 targets.

The paper examines how institutional carbon lock-in perpetuates fossil fuel use in Latin America, specifically through case studies of gas projects in Mexico and Colombia. It argues that state-owned enterprises and regulatory bodies often approve infrastructure based on the 'bridge fuel' narrative and perceived links between gas and economic development, despite a lack of robust demand analysis or alignment with climate targets.

The report highlights the human and climate costs of gas flaring in countries that export fossil energy to the EU, noting that nearly 10 million people live within 5km of active flares. It advocates for the EU to leverage its market power by adopting a methane import standard to curb these emissions and improve global health outcomes.

The Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) and Panama's SENACYT organized a training program in science diplomacy for decision-makers in the Americas. The program includes a field trip to Coiba National Park and a three-day workshop focusing on the intersection of science, policy, and international relations to address global environmental change (GEC), including climate change and biodiversity loss. It aims to strengthen regional cooperation and evidence-based policymaking through modules on national strategies, intergovernmental processes (such as the UNFCCC and CBD), and scientific advising.

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 report examines the climate and health impacts of routine gas flaring in 20 countries that export oil and gas to the European Union. It finds that nearly 10 million people live within 5km of active flares in these nations, with Iraq and Nigeria being the most affected. The authors argue that the EU can use its buying power to catalyze flaring reductions by adopting a methane import standard, which would align with the EU's Global Health Strategy and the Global Methane Pledge.