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The report argues that conservation initiatives frequently violate the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, despite an increasing international legal consensus on their protections. It asserts that responsibility for upholding these rights extends beyond states to include international organisations, businesses, and NGOs. The authors analyse a vast array of international instruments and find that while normative trends are moving toward greater recognition of rights, enforcement and redress remain significant challenges. The document concludes by suggesting the creation of core standards, stakeholder guidance, and potentially a dedicated global grievance mechanism or 'Roundtable on Ethical Conservation' to ensure just conservation practices.

The paper examines the rise of 'mega-regional' trade agreements like the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which aim for deep regulatory integration beyond WTO standards. It argues that while overall GDP impacts on outsiders may be small, these agreements risk eroding trade preferences and establishing new global regulatory norms that could marginalise developing countries. For South Africa, the authors recommend a strategy of unilateral regulatory reform, deeper regional integration within SADC and COMESA, and constructive engagement in the WTO to avoid being left behind by 'competitive liberalisation'.

The document analyzes the evolving energy partnership between the US and South Africa, framed by the US's shift toward energy independence via shale gas and its 'Power Africa' initiative. While South Africa is interested in the US model for shale gas and renewables, the briefing argues that South Africa must remain cautious regarding hydraulic fracturing due to severe water constraints and infrastructure gaps. It highlights the US-South Africa Strategic Dialogue as a mechanism for cooperation on clean energy, carbon capture, and hydrocarbon development, while noting that US initiatives in Africa have targeted a limited number of countries.

The report identifies geothermal energy as a cost-competitive, low-carbon baseload power source, but notes that its deployment is hindered by high resource risks and long development timelines. It finds that 76-90% of geothermal project investments rely on public debt or equity, as the private sector is generally unwilling to fund the high-risk exploration phase. The document argues that while current policy support often focuses on the operational phase, public finance should be redirected toward the early stages of project development to attract more private capital.

The document critiques the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) mechanism, asserting that it prioritizes private finance and corporate interests over indigenous rights and genuine climate mitigation. Through case studies in Indonesia, Mozambique, and Peru, it demonstrates how REDD projects can exacerbate land conflicts, threaten food security, and fail to achieve carbon reduction goals. The report concludes that REDD is a 'false solution' that allows industrial polluters in the Global North to continue emitting via carbon offsets. It proposes an alternative based on community-led forest management, the resolution of land tenure issues, and a systemic reduction in the consumption of resources by rich countries.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) critiques the REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) mechanism, claiming it exacerbates land tenure conflicts, threatens food security, and allows industrial polluters in the Global North to avoid domestic emission cuts. Through case studies in Indonesia, Mozambique, and Peru, the report illustrates failures in carbon accounting, financial instability, and the marginalization of Indigenous peoples. FoEI proposes an alternative model of community forest management, citing Bolivia's proposal to the UNFCCC as a viable path toward climate justice and sustainable forest preservation.

Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) contends that REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation) fails to deliver permanent emissions reductions and often harms Indigenous Peoples and local communities. Through case studies in Indonesia, Mozambique, and Peru, the report illustrates how REDD+ can exacerbate land tenure conflicts, threaten food security, and facilitate continued pollution in industrialised countries via carbon offsets. FoEI proposes replacing these market-based mechanisms with community-led forest management based on traditional knowledge and a global reduction in the demand for forest-derived products.

The report analyzes state-state dispute settlement (SSDS) in investment treaties as an alternative or complement to investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS). It details various mechanisms—including ad hoc arbitration, judicial bodies like the ICJ, and quasi-judicial systems like those in ASEAN—and categorizes claims into diplomatic protection, interpretive, and declaratory relief. Through case studies such as Italy v. Cuba and Ecuador v. United States, the document highlights the legal complexities of 'dispute' definitions and the interaction between parallel state-state and investor-state tracks. It concludes by recommending that states explicitly define the relationship between these mechanisms and clarify requirements such as the exhaustion of local remedies to increase predictability.

The guide analyzes state-to-state dispute settlement in investment treaties, detailing judicial, quasi-judicial, and arbitral forms. It explores three types of claims—diplomatic protection, interpretation, and declaratory judgments—using case studies like Italy v. Cuba and Ecuador v. United States. It also discusses the complex relationship between state-to-state and investor-state mechanisms, particularly under the ICSID Convention, and offers best practices for treaty drafting to increase predictability and state control over treaty interpretation.

The analysis finds that armed conflict in Africa generally follows a global pattern of decline when measured relative to population growth, though this was disrupted by the Cold War and has seen a recent uptick since 2010. Africa is uniquely characterized by high levels of 'non-state conflict'—violence between armed groups not involving the government—which the author attributes to weak governance. While terrorism is rising globally, the Middle East is currently experiencing faster growth than Africa. The paper also highlights that internal conflicts now dominate globally over interstate wars, and warns that climate change may increase local conflicts over resources in northern and southern Africa.

The New York Declaration on Forests Action Agenda provides a framework for governments, companies, indigenous peoples, and multilateral institutions to combat deforestation. It highlights significant progress, such as Brazil's 71% reduction in deforestation by 2013 and the adoption of zero-deforestation policies by major palm oil traders covering 60% of global trade. The agenda details specific roles for stakeholders, including the implementation of the Warsaw Framework for REDD+ and the commitment of indigenous peoples to protect 400 million hectares of forests. It also notes financial commitments from developed nations like Germany, Norway, and the UK to provide predictable REDD+ financing.

The workshop focused on leveraging international funds like the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and Climate Investment Funds (CIFs) to drive low-carbon investment in Brazil. Key discussions highlighted that a lack of long-term governmental strategic vision and internal organizational cultures in banks act as barriers to green investment. The event presented innovative financial instruments and case studies from Colombia and Mexico to demonstrate how blending concessional finance with private resources and risk mitigation tools can unlock climate-relevant investments.

The fact sheet critiques the 'financialization of nature,' where natural elements are segregated and assigned property titles to be traded as financial assets. It argues that this process enables corporations to profit from speculation while stripping local communities of decision-making power. The author advocates for food sovereignty, community-based governance of forests, and the use of public funds and taxes for conservation rather than market-based 'false solutions' or offsetting mechanisms.

The report examines Mexico's efforts to integrate SMEs into the public procurement process to combat economic dualism and low productivity. It details eight 'Big Ideas', including the use of free trade agreement reserves, the CompraNet 5.0 e-procurement platform, and NAFIN's credit guarantee and reverse factoring programs. The document highlights that while SMEs make up 99.8% of Mexican businesses, their participation in public tenders is less than 15%, significantly lower than in other industrialized nations. It argues that leveraging public spending, particularly through state-owned enterprises like PEMEX, can catalyze SME development and overall national productivity.

The 38th Meeting of the IAI Executive Council focused on establishing the Science-Policy Advisory Committee (SPAC), drafting a statement on climate change adaptation for the UNFCCC COP 20, and adopting Research Gate to enhance scientific collaboration. The Council also elected a new leadership board and reviewed actions from previous meetings.

The document lists the actions and decisions taken during the 38th Meeting of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), held on August 14, 2014, in Mexico City.

This document is a list of participants for the 38th Executive Council Meeting of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research, held on August 14, 2014, in Mexico City, Mexico.

The document is a participant list for the 22nd Conference of the Parties, held in Mexico City on August 13 and 14, 2014. It details the names, affiliations, and contact information of representatives from various countries, including Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Paraguay, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, and the USA, as well as observers from organizations such as UNESCO, CEPAL, and the IAI Directorate.

The document describes a social marketing 'Pride' campaign implemented by Pronatura Veracruz and Rare in the Central Coast of Veracruz, Mexico. The campaign aimed to motivate landowners to join a network of private conservation areas to protect tropical deciduous forest—critical for migratory raptors like the peregrine falcon—against threats from urban development, cattle ranching, and sugar cane production. In the Actopan municipality, where adoption of Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) had previously been slow, these methods enabled the protection of over 1,500 hectares of previously unprotected forest.

The 'Pride' campaign, a collaboration between Rare and Cáritas-Peru in the Quanda Watershed, used social marketing to align incentives between upstream farmers and downstream water users. This effort led to the creation of Reciprocal Water Agreements, where downstream users provide in-kind compensation—such as beekeeping equipment or fencing—to upstream farmers who protect riparian forests. The initiative resulted in 25 signed contracts protecting over 360 hectares of forest.