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This March 2019 report by Global Energy Monitor, the Sierra Club, and Greenpeace analyzes global coal power plant trends, highlighting a general decline in new construction and planning, contrasted by specific policy shifts in China and continued development in Southeast Asia.

This briefing tracks the integration of human rights into UN climate governance from 2010 to 2019. It highlights the progression from the Cancun Agreements to the Paris Agreement, where human rights, health, and the rights of indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups were explicitly recognized. The document details how COP decisions have mandated human rights considerations in capacity building, gender action, and loss and damage. It also reports that by December 2017, 76 Parties had referenced human rights in national reports and 24 countries had included them in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions.

This briefing by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines public sector green bond activity and policy developments during 2018. It details sovereign issuances, the creation of green bond market development toolkits for emerging markets, the European Union's progress toward a sustainable finance taxonomy, and the increasing role of central banks in managing climate-related financial risks.

This IISD report presents the results of a 2018 online survey of 72 respondents from 54 developing countries regarding their investment treaty negotiation processes. It examines trends in treaty renegotiation, the impact of investment disputes, the use of model treaties, ratification procedures, and the specific government agencies involved in leading and supporting these negotiations.

This report by the World Resources Institute argues that securing community land rights is a cost-effective strategy for achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and mitigating climate change. It highlights the gap between the amount of land inhabited by indigenous and rural communities and the amount legally recognized by national governments, warning that this insecurity leads to deforestation and poverty. The document advocates for legal reforms, simplified formalization procedures, and a more equitable playing field between communities and corporate interests to protect global carbon sinks and biodiversity.

The report 'Energizing Finance: Understanding the Landscape 2019', produced by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and Climate Policy Initiative, analyzes public and private finance commitments for electricity and clean cooking in 20 high-impact countries (HICs) from 2013 to 2017. It finds that while electricity finance reached a record high in 2017, it remains far below the levels required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) by 2030, particularly for residential users and in Sub-Saharan Africa. Clean cooking finance saw a severe decline in 2017, further widening the investment gap.

This briefing document provides context for the 2019 Green Economy Coalition (GEC) Global Meeting in Cape Town. It reviews the state of the global green transition in 2018, outlines the GEC's ten-year history and mission to champion inclusion, equity, and environmental limits, and defines the meeting's focus on ensuring 'everyone gets a stake' in the transition through participation, livelihoods, and ownership rights.

The 2019 SEforALL Charrettes Report details a two-day design-thinking event held in June 2019 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The event brought together 115 diverse participants to generate 'disruptive solutions' to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7), specifically focusing on universal access to electricity and clean cooking by 2030.

The 2019 Energizing Finance report reveals a significant funding gap for SDG7, with electricity and clean cooking investments falling far short of universal access needs. While electricity finance hit a record USD 36 billion in 2017, most went to grid-connected renewables and non-residential users, leaving off-grid solutions and Sub-Saharan Africa underfunded. Clean cooking finance collapsed by 73% in 2017 to USD 32 million. The report emphasizes the need for innovative financing and targeted support for vulnerable groups, particularly women.

This briefing from the Stockholm Environment Institute introduces a typology framework designed to analyze trade-offs in decision-making regarding development and disaster risk reduction (DRR). It argues that while development is necessary to reduce vulnerability, poorly planned decisions can increase risk, creating a cycle where disasters destroy development investments. The document outlines five dimensions of trade-offs—aggregation, participation, equity, time, and risk—and demonstrates their application to the 'Build Back Better' concept to identify opportunities for transformative change in disaster recovery.

The 'People Power Now!' Energy Manifesto, published by Friends of the Earth International in November 2018, calls for a systemic overhaul of the global energy system to achieve climate justice and energy sovereignty. The document argues that the current economic model, driven by corporate profit and the commodification of nature, is unsustainable and must be replaced by a people-centered system based on 100% renewable energy, energy sufficiency, and social equity.

This manifesto by Friends of the Earth International calls for a systemic transformation of the global energy system to achieve energy sovereignty and climate justice. It argues that the current economic model, based on privatization and the commodification of nature, has led to ecological and social crises. The document outlines ten key demands, emphasizing that energy should be treated as a common good rather than a commodity, and advocating for a transition to 100% renewable energy that is decentralized, community-controlled, and socially just.

This manifesto by Friends of the Earth International calls for a radical transformation of the global energy system, moving away from a profit-driven model toward 'energy sovereignty' and climate justice. It advocates for energy to be treated as a common good, the universal right to energy sufficiency, and a transition to 100% renewable energy that is decentralized, community-controlled, and equitable between the Global North and South.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines policies and strategies used by governments to promote direct local employment in the mining sector. It outlines a five-step process for developing local employment policies and categorizes interventions into regulatory 'stick'-based approaches and facilitative 'carrot'-based incentives. The document emphasizes the importance of matching labour supply with industry demand, promoting gender equity and Indigenous participation, and preparing for technological shifts such as automation.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the use of 'security for costs' in investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), where tribunals require investors to deposit funds to cover a state's potential legal costs. The document analyzes the high financial burden on taxpayers, the challenges states face in obtaining such orders due to high judicial thresholds, and the impact of third-party funding. It concludes by recommending stronger, more explicit treaty language to ensure states can recover costs and prevent 'arbitral hit and run' scenarios.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the use of 'security for costs' (cautionnement pour frais) in Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). It analyzes why states seek these deposits to protect taxpayers from high defense costs and speculative claims, the legal obstacles they face due to vague arbitration rules, and the current restrictive jurisprudence of tribunals. The document concludes by recommending that states integrate specific, robust security for costs provisions into their investment treaties to ensure a more equitable balance between investors and states.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that South Africa's unemployment crisis is a macroeconomic phenomenon that cannot be solved through microeconomic interventions alone. The document criticizes the 'orthodox' macroeconomic framework adopted since 1996, characterizing both fiscal and monetary policies as contractionary and detrimental to job creation. It proposes a shift toward a developmental macroeconomic approach, featuring a significant fiscal stimulus and a restructured monetary policy mandate to prioritize employment and productive investment over strict inflation targeting.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a strategic framework for governments to design and implement local content policies in the mining sector. It outlines a four-step process—aligning with national objectives, taking stock of capabilities, crafting specific policies, and establishing monitoring mechanisms—to ensure mining investments contribute to sustainable, inclusive economic development and diversification.

This research paper argues that while non-state actor initiatives in the refrigeration and air-conditioning (RAC) sector are currently limited, end-users like supermarkets, hotels, and cold stores have significant potential to reduce emissions through energy efficiency and the adoption of low-GWP refrigerants. The author emphasizes that voluntary action must be supported by mandatory government regulation and the formation of alliances to overcome regulatory, financial, and informational barriers.

This report analyzes the effectiveness of peer learning and peer pressure within three Multi-Stakeholder Initiatives (MSIs): the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the Open Government Partnership (OGP), and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). It evaluates how these initiatives use mutual dialogue, best practices, and sanctions to improve governance, transparency, and accountability among member states.