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A joint statement by Reclaim Finance and partners challenging TotalEnergies' claims regarding the Papua LNG project, asserting that the project is incompatible with a 1.5°C warming limit, risks becoming a stranded asset, and threatens indigenous forests and community rights in Papua New Guinea.

The Community Resilience Partnership Program (CRPP) is a regional initiative managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to strengthen the climate resilience of approximately 3.2 million poor and vulnerable people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The program is structured into two components: a Trust Fund (TF) for upstream capacity building and knowledge generation, and an Investment Fund (IF) for downstream implementation of adaptation measures. The IF focuses on three primary outputs: improving climate risk information systems, implementing climate-resilient pro-poor livelihoods, and constructing pro-poor climate adaptation infrastructure. The program emphasizes transformational adaptation, gender equality, and the use of nature-based solutions to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalized populations.

The document defines REDD+ and traces its evolution from a UNFCCC results-based finance mechanism to the use of private standards like the Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS) for generating tradable carbon credits. It asserts that REDD+ projects, primarily located in the Global South, frequently overestimate their climate impact due to methodological flexibility in baseline setting, leakage, and permanence. The author argues that biological carbon storage cannot fully offset fossil fuel emissions and calls for more stringent, science-aligned standards and alternative financial avenues for forest conservation.

The report examines the pathways for a just energy transition in the Pacific, highlighting that while 14 Pacific Island Countries (PICs) contribute only 0.23% of global emissions, they are disproportionately affected by climate change. It estimates the upfront cost of replacing fossil fuel electricity generation in eight profiled PICs between $691 million and $1 billion USD. The document argues that a just transition must go beyond technology swaps to include economic diversification, poverty eradication, and the protection of workers, particularly in Papua New Guinea's fossil fuel sector. It also warns of a 'double exposure' where the region faces both climate impacts and potential environmental damage from increased mining of Energy Transition Metals (ETMs).

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes, finding that while most countries reference sub-national governments and non-governmental actors, there are varying levels of integration across planning, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) stages.

The report examines vertical integration in National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), highlighting the roles of subnational governments and non-governmental actors. Based on an analysis of 45 multisectoral NAPs, it finds that while most countries recognize subnational roles in planning and implementation, gaps remain in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and stable financial flows to local levels. It provides recommendations for national governments, subnational authorities, development partners, and funding bodies to strengthen multi-level coordination and capacity.

The document outlines four key principles for effective public engagement on climate change: connecting with deeply held values, using inclusive and participatory approaches, engaging positive social norms, and creating honest, empowering stories. It illustrates these principles through three case studies: a diverse network of small-scale environmental initiatives in Egypt, a community-led relocation project for the Carteret Islands in Papua New Guinea, and a citizens' assembly in Scotland. These examples demonstrate that bottom-up, deliberative, and co-creative processes can lead to a stronger public mandate for climate policies and resilience.

The Community Resilience Partnership Program (CRPP), managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), aims to strengthen the climate resilience of approximately 3.2 million poor and vulnerable people in Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu. The program is structured into two interlinked components: a Trust Fund (TF) for upstream capacity building and knowledge research, and an Investment Fund (IF) for downstream implementation of adaptation measures. The GCF is requested to provide USD 120 million (USD 100 million in grants and USD 20 million in loans) to co-finance the Investment Fund, leveraging an additional USD 555 million from ADB and USD 75 million from bilateral donors. Key interventions include improving climate information services, implementing resilient pro-poor livelihoods, and constructing adaptive infrastructure such as ecosystem-based defenses and multipurpose emergency shelters. A central pillar of the program is a dedicated Gender Window within the Trust Fund to address structural inequalities and empower women in resilience-related decision-making.

Reclaim Finance argues that TotalEnergies' claims of diversification are misleading, as the company intends to increase oil and gas production through 2028 and expand its liquefied natural gas (LNG) capacity. The report highlights that the company's renewable energy growth is largely driven by acquisitions of existing projects rather than new construction, and that its 'clean' hydrogen and electricity goals still rely heavily on fossil gas. A specific case study on the Papua LNG project illustrates the potential for significant carbon emissions and human rights violations, while the report concludes by urging financial institutions to stop supporting new fossil fuel projects.

Reclaim Finance argues that TotalEnergies' claims of diversification are misleading, as the company intends to increase absolute oil and gas production by 2030 and is aggressively expanding its liquefied natural gas (LNG) portfolio. The report highlights that the company's renewable energy growth relies heavily on acquisitions rather than new capacity and criticizes the Papua LNG project for its projected climate and human rights impacts.

The report outlines the environmental and social safeguards (ESS) for the Community Resilience Partnership Program, managed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB). It specifies that the program is classified as Category I-2 and identifies the disclosure of the Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS) and the Indigenous Peoples Planning Framework in multiple languages and physical locations across Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Vanuatu.

Eighteen civil society organizations are calling on Crédit Agricole CIB to cease its role as a financial advisor for the Papua LNG project, led by TotalEnergies, ExxonMobil, Santos, and JX Nippon. The letter argues that the project, which includes 9 offshore wells and a 320km pipeline, would increase Papua New Guinea's energy and industry emissions by over 7% and generate 220 million tons of CO2 equivalent in scope 3 emissions. The authors highlight risks to frontline communities in Gulf Province, potential stranded assets due to a projected 72% decline in global gas demand by 2050, and a lack of guaranteed sales agreements. The organizations demand that Crédit Agricole withdraw from the project, end financial services for new gas fields and LNG terminals, and condition services to TotalEnergies on a commitment to stop new upstream and midstream oil and gas projects.

The report examines Australia's exposure to illegally harvested timber, focusing on high-risk supply chains from East Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. It highlights the role of China and Vietnam as processing hubs that obscure the origin of timber from high-risk regions like the Congo Basin. The authors argue that current enforcement of the Illegal Logging Prohibition Act (ILPA) is limited and recommend increased transparency, scientific species testing, and a shift toward tracing timber back to the country of harvest rather than the country of export.

The report identifies Project GAIA as a Category I-1 private sector programme operating across multiple countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America and the Caribbean. It confirms that an Environmental and Social Management System (ESMS), which includes frameworks for land acquisition, resettlement, indigenous peoples, and biodiversity management, was disclosed on June 23, 2023, in English and several local languages.

The document analyzes conflict patterns in Asia from 1989 to 2022, noting that while state-based battle-related deaths declined in 2022 due to the Taliban takeover in Afghanistan, violence escalated in Myanmar following its 2021 military coup. It details the prevalence of state-based conflicts as the deadliest type in the region, the emergence of interstate tensions between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, and the rise of communal non-state violence in Papua New Guinea. The brief also highlights persistent one-sided violence against civilians by both state and non-state actors in Myanmar, Afghanistan, India, and the Philippines.

The assessment finds that data transparency in Asia is generally insufficient, with 24 out of 39 economies scoring poorly. While high-income nations and a few lower-middle income economies like India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka show better transparency, the region overall struggles with publishing lags, geographical granularity, and time granularity. Only seven economies provide hourly data, and 75% of economies fail to make data available in a timely manner, hindering the analysis required for a renewable energy transition.

The UN 2023 Water Conference, held in New York, focused on accelerating progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) through the Water Action Agenda. The event resulted in approximately 700 voluntary commitments totaling USD 300 billion and the announcement of a UN Special Envoy for Water. Discussions emphasized the water-food-energy nexus, the human right to water and sanitation, and the need for innovative finance and improved global water data. While the conference generated significant political momentum and new partnerships, analysis suggests that many pledges lack quantifiable targets and that the international community must quadruple its efforts to meet 2030 goals.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Country Programme for the Solomon Islands outlines a strategic approach to scaling up climate finance for a Small Island Developing State highly vulnerable to natural disasters. It identifies key priorities across energy, agriculture, and coastal protection, while mapping a pipeline of national and regional projects for the GCF-1 and GCF-2 periods. The report emphasizes the need to strengthen institutional capacity, engage the private sector—particularly MSMEs—and establish a robust governance structure to ensure country ownership and sustainable development outcomes.

Global Witness asserts that the financial sector is failing to meet its voluntary deforestation pledges, noting that institutions without 'zero deforestation' policies invested $3.6 trillion in forest-risk companies last year. The author calls for financial leaders to support mandatory due diligence laws in the EU, UK, and US, and for Chinese banks to prioritize deforestation risks in their ESG guidance to prevent irreversible tipping points in forests like the Amazon.

Carbon Market Watch (CMW) argues that the proposed "REDD+ Project in Oro Province of Papua New Guinea" by Kanaka Management Services Private Limited should be rejected by Verra due to significant "red flags" in its Project Description Document (PDD). CMW highlights a lack of evidence for the project's baseline deforestation estimates, additionality assumptions, and stakeholder consultation processes. The project, which would be the second largest Verra VCS project if approved, aims to generate 8.1 million credits annually for 100 years, but CMW contends that the PDD fails to provide the necessary data, maps, and justifications to verify these claims. Furthermore, CMW notes that a moratorium issued by Papua New Guinea's Ministry for Environment, Conservation and Climate Change on March 2, 2022, likely renders the project ineligible.