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China’s Climate Security Vulnerabilities
The report identifies three primary categories of climate security vulnerabilities for China: direct risks to military and critical infrastructure, compounding risks to internal political stability, and external risks that amplify regional tensions in the Indo-Pacific. It notes that while China is investing heavily in hard infrastructure adaptation and disaster response, political incentives and a lack of societal trust may undermine these efforts. The document recommends that the US government improve its predictive data on China's physical risks, use forecasting tools like wargaming, and prioritize climate resilience funding for Indo-Pacific allies to counter Chinese influence.
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Document type: Report
Papua New Guinea, Climate and Security
The document analyzes how climate change interacts with socio-political fragility in Papua New Guinea, highlighting risks such as food insecurity, illegal logging, and escalating tribal violence. It argues that these stressors, combined with geopolitical competition from China, threaten regional security. The author recommends that the U.S. provide technical assistance for renewable energy, establish a climate data platform, and support local NGOs and military disaster response capacity to mitigate these risks.
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Document type: Briefing
Climate Change and Ecological Security Must Be at the Center of Our National Defense Strategy
The authors contend that climate change acts as a 'destabilizing force' and 'threat multiplier' that fundamentally shapes geopolitical risks, affecting U.S. interests regarding China, Russia, and other global threats. They highlight how environmental degradation drives military activity in the Arctic and allows China to gain influence in the Indo-Pacific. Additionally, the text notes that climate-related disasters and heat extremes directly undermine U.S. military readiness by damaging installations and limiting training. The authors suggest that while the U.S. must remain vigilant against adversaries, climate and biodiversity cooperation could serve as a pillar for diplomatic engagement.
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Document type: Statement
Rocking the boat on shipping emissions
Carbon Market Watch criticises the IMO's slow progress on shipping emissions and the insufficiency of its 2030 energy efficiency targets. It highlights a growing coalition of countries and companies calling for zero emissions by 2050 and advocates for a strong market-based measure, specifically a carbon levy, to bridge the price gap between fossil and sustainable fuels and support climate justice.
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Document type: Statement
GENDER DIMENSIONS OF OCEAN RISK AND RESILIENCE IN SIDS AND COASTAL LDCS
The report examines how gender norms and power dynamics influence vulnerability and adaptive capacity in the ocean economy of SIDS and coastal LDCs. It highlights the undervalued roles of women in small-scale fisheries and tourism and analyzes how climate change, market shifts, and COVID-19 disproportionately affect women due to socio-economic structures. The document advocates for the systematic collection of sex-disaggregated data, the implementation of gender-transformative policies, and the alignment of international finance, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA) and climate risk insurance, with gender equality goals to enhance overall community resilience.
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Document type: Report
Fuel tax exemption in the fisheries sector
The document argues that the European Union can legally eliminate fuel tax exemptions for vessels, including fishing boats, even in international waters. It refutes claims that such a move violates UNCLOS Article 89 by asserting that EU-flagged vessels remain under flag-state jurisdiction and non-EU vessels can be linked to the EU via the port where they refuel. Furthermore, it concludes that UNCLOS lacks the 'direct effect' necessary for individuals or companies to legally challenge these tax changes in court. The briefing also notes that while the International Maritime Organization (IMO) is slow to implement global levies, strong EU regulation often accelerates international consensus.
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Document type: Briefing
Towards a Long-Term Vision on Complementarity
The GCF and GEF have established a Long-Term Vision (LTV) to move beyond their Pilot Coordinated Engagement (launched in 2018) toward a structured partnership. The LTV focuses on three pillars: collaborative programming for major initiatives (such as the Great Green Wall and Amazon initiatives), sharing knowledge and methodologies to maximize climate impact, and improving joint communication. The funds aim to leverage their unique strengths—GEF's focus on upstream enabling environments and multi-convention synergies, and GCF's ability to mobilize large-scale blended finance for climate-specific benefits—to reduce duplication and streamline support for developing countries.
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Document type: Research paper
RESILIENCE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES: LESSONS FROM COVID-19
This policy brief examines the social resilience of 15 communities in the Global South during the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that resilience is multifaceted, involving assets, flexibility, social organization, learning, behavioral factors, and agency. The study highlights the critical role of community-based organizations, particularly women's and youth groups, in mobilizing resources and maintaining social cohesion. It recommends that policymakers target multiple social domains of resilience rather than focusing on a single policy angle, treating community organizations as key partners and investing in social capital to enhance collective action.
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Document type: Policy brief
Voices from the Frontline of Covid-19
The report documents community-led responses to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate risks across the Global South, highlighting the role of social capital, women's leadership, and local innovation in maintaining development progress. It identifies specific grassroots solutions—such as community grain banks, urban kitchen gardens, and village savings groups—and argues for a shift in external support toward flexible, locally-led financing and partnerships that recognise the expertise of community-based organisations.
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Document type: Report
Scaling and Supporting Innovative Finance for Resilience in Fragile and Conflict-Prone Regions
The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), in collaboration with the UNDP and GEF, is seeking Expressions of Interest from organizations managing innovative finance mechanisms in fragile and conflict-prone regions. The initiative aims to support private sector solutions that address the 'triple threat' of COVID-19, climate change-induced extreme weather, and geopolitical instability. Selected organizations will receive grants, technical assistance from a multidisciplinary mentoring facility, and networking opportunities to improve the scale and effectiveness of their funds. Eligible mechanisms must be based in specific Least Developed Countries (LDCs), demonstrate a sustainable revenue model, and focus on the intersection of climate adaptation, food and water security, and disaster risk reduction.
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Document type: Guide
SOLAR UNDER STORM FOR POLICYMAKERS
The report addresses the vulnerability of energy infrastructure in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to extreme weather, arguing that while solar PV is a cost-effective alternative to imported fossil fuels, it requires specific engineering and policy standards to survive Category 5 hurricanes. Based on field analyses of failures from 2017–2019, the authors recommend moving away from shared top-down clips toward through-bolting and dual post piers for ground systems, and prohibiting ballasted-only rooftop systems. Implementing these resilience measures is estimated to increase engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) costs by approximately 5%, a cost offset by avoiding total system rebuilds. The report emphasizes multi-stakeholder collaboration and the integration of high-wind standards into local building codes to ensure long-term energy security.
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Document type: Report
Addressing corruption in CITES documentation processes
The document examines the global issue of CITES document abuse, where permits and certificates are falsified or obtained corruptly to legalize the trade of endangered species. It identifies key methods of abuse, such as counterfeiting and mis-declaration, and highlights the role of corrupt officials as gatekeepers. To mitigate these risks, the brief recommends a combination of prosecuting corrupt officials, implementing e-permitting systems (eCITES), enhancing technical capacity for inspectors, and improving the security of paper documents.
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Document type: Briefing
Children’s Rights Obligations of States in the Context of Climate Change
The report details how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) integrates climate change into its monitoring of the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (ICRC). It analyzes the CRC's use of General Comments, State reporting procedures, and the communications procedure to hold States accountable for protecting children from climate harms. Key findings highlight a growing trend of climate-related recommendations, particularly for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and a strong emphasis on children's procedural rights to participation and education. The document also notes a landmark 2019 Joint Statement by five human rights treaty bodies asserting that failure to prevent foreseeable climate-related human rights harm could constitute a violation of State obligations.
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Document type: Report
Making Better Decisions
The report examines the gap between evidence generation and its application in conservation and humanitarian sectors. It identifies that many decisions are driven by heuristics, cognitive biases, and organizational norms rather than rigorous data. The authors categorize decision-making levels (field, program, and strategic) and types of evidence (situational, indigenous, scientific, etc.), ultimately recommending five strategies to foster evidence-informed decisions: strengthening researcher-practitioner relationships, combining different knowledge types, supporting structured processes, increasing research accessibility, and influencing organizational norms.
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Document type: Report
Exploring the Possible Impacts of WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies: The Case of the Southern Longline Tuna Fishery in the Western and Central Pacific
The report examines how WTO rules targeting illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity would affect the Southern Longline (SLL) tuna fishery. While target stocks like South Pacific albacore are healthy, the fishery suffers from 'economic overfishing' characterized by falling catch per unit effort (CPUE). Analysis suggests that vessels from China and Chinese Taipei may be heavily dependent on subsidies to remain viable, whereas Fijian-flagged vessels appear marginally profitable without them. The report argues that while subsidy prohibitions could reduce overall effort and improve CPUE, they must be balanced with the development aspirations of Pacific Island countries (PICs), who rely on tuna for GDP and employment.
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Document type: Report
Exploring the Possible Impacts of WTO Rules on Fisheries Subsidies: The Case of the Southern Longline Tuna Fishery in the Western and Central Pacific
The document assesses how WTO subsidy disciplines regarding illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing, overfished stocks, and overcapacity would affect the Western and Central Pacific Ocean (WCPO) southern longline (SLL) fishery. It focuses on six fleets (China, Chinese Taipei, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, and French Polynesia) and finds that vessels from China and Chinese Taipei are most likely to be impacted by prohibitions on operating cost subsidies, as their revenues may not cover costs without financial assistance. While target stocks like South Pacific albacore are healthy, the fishery faces economic overfishing characterized by falling catch per unit effort (CPUE). The report suggests that while subsidy rules could reduce overall effort and potentially improve profitability for remaining vessels, they may also create short-term revenue losses for Pacific Island countries (PICs) and disadvantage their domestic fleets due to higher local fuel costs.
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Document type: Executive summary
CASE STUDY EXAMPLES OF EFFECTIVE RESILIENCE PROGRAMMING
The document analyzes 44 resilience programs to determine which design elements contribute to success in helping vulnerable populations persist, adapt, and transform in the face of shocks. Key findings highlight the importance of community-led vulnerability assessments, the role of savings as a critical resilience buffer, and the necessity of integrating climate risk interventions into local governance and market systems.
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Document type: Case study
Pacific Region Report to the Board of Directors
The report describes a complex media environment in the Pacific Small Island Developing States, where traditional radio remains vital for reaching remote areas, but mobile phone and ICT penetration is rapidly increasing. It identifies significant barriers to communication, including geographic isolation, infrastructure instability, and gender disparities. To address these, the report proposes that WACC focus on network development through the Pacific Conference of Churches, support youth-led 'artivism', and follow up on Global Media Monitoring Project findings, specifically linking communications to regional priorities like climate change.
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Document type: Report
CRACKING THE CODE
The report details a successful pilot study to extract high-quality mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from hawksbill turtle carapace samples, enabling the tracing of illegal tortoiseshell products back to their source populations. By comparing DNA from market products in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands against a nesting baseline, the study demonstrated that most products likely originated from the Solomon Islands stock. The authors emphasize the need for a comprehensive regional genetic database (the 'Shell Bank') to reduce the number of 'orphan' haplotypes and improve the accuracy of forensic investigations into the illegal wildlife trade.
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Document type: Report
Enhancing resilience of agriculture and food security in the Pacific Island Countries through managing climate induced transboundary plant, animal pests and invasive exotic aquatic species threats
The document outlines a USD 41.7 million programme designed to protect agriculture and fisheries in Fiji, Samoa, and the Solomon Islands from biosecurity threats exacerbated by climate change. It proposes three main outcomes: implementing climate-adapted farming systems, strengthening national and regional early warning systems, and enhancing the enabling environment through better data and policy coordination. The programme aims to benefit over 1.6 million people by reducing vulnerability to pests like the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle and Taro Leaf Blight, which have historically caused severe economic losses in the region.
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Document type: Report