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The briefing argues that the ADB's financial intermediary (FI) lending, specifically its $95 million equity investment in Clifford Capital, creates a transparency loophole that allows continued support for fossil gas projects. It highlights that while the ADB claims to 'ring-fence' its funds, Clifford Capital continues to finance oil and gas projects globally and in Asia. The document provides case studies of the Tangguh LNG project in Indonesia and the Bhola-2 gas power plant in Bangladesh to illustrate the environmental and social harms resulting from such investments, including mangrove destruction and forced land acquisition. It concludes that the ADB's reliance on outdated 2009 policies for these investments avoids the stricter requirements of the 2025 Environmental and Social Framework.

The briefing examines the Tangguh LNG project in West Papua, Indonesia, highlighting its environmental and social impacts and the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs) in its financing. It argues that the proposed expansion to Train 4 and the implementation of carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) are 'false solutions' that prolong fossil fuel dependency. The document criticises the ADB, IFC, and AIIB for inadequate Paris Alignment methodologies and energy policies that allow continued gas investment. It recommends that MDBs cease all fossil fuel funding, plug financial intermediary loopholes, and strengthen accountability mechanisms for affected Indigenous communities.

The report examines the Tangguh LNG project in West Papua, Indonesia, highlighting its negative impacts on indigenous communities, biodiversity, and the climate. It specifically criticises the role of multilateral development banks (MDBs) like the ADB, IFC, and AIIB in providing direct and indirect financing. The document argues that the planned 'train 4' expansion and the implementation of Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) are 'false solutions' that lock Indonesia into fossil fuel dependency and hinder the transition to renewable energy. It calls for a total cessation of fossil fuel funding and a strengthening of accountability mechanisms for affected communities.

The report argues that promoting LNG as a 'transition fuel' in Indonesia creates a long-term dependency on fossil fuels and contradicts climate commitments. It highlights that Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), including the World Bank Group and ADB, continue to support gas infrastructure through technical assistance and policy loans despite their public Paris Alignment pledges. The document details numerous negative impacts of gas projects, including corruption in LNG procurement, human rights violations in Aceh, and environmental disasters such as the PHE ONWJ oil spill in Karawang. It concludes that gas is not a clean alternative due to high methane emissions and calls for an immediate shift to truly renewable energy.

The midterm review finds that while the project's design remains relevant, its overall effectiveness is low, with few measurable outcomes achieved relative to the ~70 million USD investment. Key impediments include significant delays in initiation, inadequate organizational capacity within the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (MMAF), and a lack of alignment between the project's Theory of Change and implemented activities. The report highlights a critical need to shift resources toward community-level interventions (Component B), improve monitoring and evaluation systems to track behavior change, and strengthen the Project Steering Committee to better mobilize co-financing and ensure long-term sustainability.

The document analyzes how media coverage of migration often relies on biased, superficial narratives that 'other' migrants or frame them as security threats. It advocates for a rights-based approach to communication, highlighting the role of digital technologies in supporting migrants while warning against corporate digital monopolies. Through case studies in Asia-Pacific, Nigeria, West Papua, and the Dominican Republic, it demonstrates the barriers migrants face in exercising their communication rights and provides specific ethical recommendations for journalists to foster more inclusive and accurate reporting.

The report argues that Indonesia's biomass co-firing policy, led by PT Perusahaan Listrik Negara (PLN), threatens natural forests. To achieve 10% co-firing across 107 coal power plants, Trend Asia estimates a need for at least 2.33 million hectares of energy wood plantations. Based on historical data showing 38% of industrial timber plantations were established via deforestation, the report warns that this policy could increase annual deforestation rates from 630 thousand to 2.1 million hectares. It further highlights contradictions between the government's Enhanced NDC emission targets and its increasing deforestation quotas, while noting that biomass burning creates a 'carbon debt' rather than being carbon neutral.

The document focuses on the Bird’s Head Seascape Initiative in West Papua, Indonesia, which was launched in 2004 by Conservation International and a coalition of partners. While the program is described as a successful model of indigenous community-driven conservation, it currently faces a need to transition management to local bodies and establish a sustainable funding model due to shifts in its traditional funding structure.

The High Carbon Stock Approach (HCSA) has clarified its methodology for the cocoa industry to help Cocoa & Forests Initiative (CFI) signatories implement 'no deforestation' commitments. The HCSA distinguishes tropical forests for conservation from degraded lands, explicitly stating that expanding cocoa plantations or agroforestry into identified HCS forests constitutes deforestation or degradation and is prohibited. To catalyze adoption, HCSA assessments are being trialed in Ghana and Peru, with goals to scale up indicative HCS-HCV mapping and adapt simplified toolkits for smallholder farmers.

The report analyzes Indonesia's shift from a high fiscal reliance on oil and gas revenues to a more diversified economy. It highlights a critical imbalance where government revenues from fossil fuel production are largely offset by inefficient consumption subsidies that disproportionately benefit wealthy households. The document warns of the risk of stranded assets valued between USD 200–300 billion and argues for phasing out fossil fuel subsidies to create fiscal space for renewable energy and social development.

The report analyzes the governance and utilization of Indonesia's Village Fund, finding that while the fund has grown significantly and is a major revenue source for villages, it is predominantly spent on transportation infrastructure. The authors identify five key challenges—including a lack of technical capacity, misaligned planning between village and district levels, and insufficient regulatory guidelines—that hinder the fund's potential to support environmental conservation and sustainable land use. To address these, the report recommends integrating village priorities into district planning, empowering the Village and Community Empowerment Office, creating specific sustainability guidelines, adopting a 'negative-list' for spending, and introducing a sustainability variable into the fund's allocation formula.

The CFI Indonesia Child Project aims to institutionalize EAFM in eastern Indonesia's most biodiverse waters. It focuses on four components: establishing enabling policy and legal frameworks, deploying tools like Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs), creating sustainable financing via the Blue Abadi Trust Fund, and implementing a robust monitoring and knowledge-sharing system. The project targets the recovery of small pelagic fish, reef fish, mud crabs, and endangered species like leatherback turtles and whale sharks, while integrating gender mainstreaming and indigenous rights.

The project aims to improve coastal fisheries in FMAs 715, 717, and 718 by implementing EAFM principles through four main components: establishing enabling policy and capacity, deploying management tools like MPAs and Fisheries Improvement Projects (FIPs), operationalizing the Blue Abadi Fund for sustainable financing in West Papua, and creating knowledge management platforms. The initiative targets the recovery of 39,329 tons of over-exploited fisheries and the improved management of 3.6 million hectares of marine protected areas (MPAs), while integrating gender equality and indigenous rights into its governance.

The report 'Losing Ground' documents the systemic human rights violations associated with the expansion of oil palm plantations in Indonesia. It details how the conversion of customary lands into industrial monocultures leads to land dispossession, violent conflict, and the erosion of indigenous cultures. The authors highlight the economic failure of many smallholder schemes, which often result in debt bondage rather than prosperity, and describe severe environmental degradation, including water pollution and the loss of biodiversity. The document calls for the adoption of the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and urges European governments to abandon biofuel targets that drive this unsustainable expansion.

The report analyzes the historical and legal mechanisms used by the Indonesian state to usurp natural resources from local communities, from Dutch colonial 'Domain Declarations' to the New Order's centralized forestry laws. It argues that the state's narrow definition of 'national interest' as commercial extraction has led to widespread deforestation, human rights abuses, and poverty. The authors propose a shift toward recognizing private community-based property rights (CBPRs) and a reinterpretation of the Indonesian Constitution (Articles 18 and 33) to prioritize local welfare and sustainable management over state-led commercial exploitation. It highlights local initiatives, such as community mapping and co-management agreements in West Papua and Kalimantan, as precedents for substantive reform.

The report examines the tensions between Indonesia's ambitious water, energy, and food security targets and its climate and conservation commitments. Using a WEF nexus framework, it identifies how competition for land and water resources can lead to deforestation and undermine emissions targets. The analysis highlights gaps in cross-sectoral and multi-scale coordination, particularly between national mandates and local government priorities. Key recommendations include accelerating the One Map Initiative to resolve data inconsistencies, prioritizing Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) in spatial planning, and aligning fiscal incentives to support local governments in transitioning to sustainable development models.

The document examines how valuable minerals can finance violence, trigger local conflicts, and weaken state governance through corruption. It provides lessons learned for development interventions, such as empowering local communities, supporting artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), and promoting corporate responsibility. The toolkit includes a survey instrument for risk assessment and lists USAID contracting mechanisms and international partners to address mineral-related conflict.