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This report by Ember analyzes the 2023 power sector landscape in ASEAN, highlighting that electricity demand growth was entirely met by fossil fuels. It examines the costs and reliability of various renewable energy sources, the potential for regional grid interconnection, and the role of carbon financing and policy reforms in accelerating the transition to clean energy.

This report evaluates the progress of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF) five years after its inception. It finds that despite increased awareness and technological monitoring, global deforestation has accelerated, and most 2020 targets will be missed. The document highlights a critical gap in funding, where investments driving deforestation vastly outweigh those for conservation. It emphasizes that indigenous land rights and strong political will are essential prerequisites for success, while corporate progress is stalled by supply chain complexity. The report calls for a paradigm shift toward 'green finance' and nature-based solutions to align forest protection with global climate and sustainable development goals.

The report finds that Berau Regency can meet its palm oil production goals and fill its mill capacities by increasing productivity on existing land rather than expanding into forests. While company plantations operate efficiently, smallholders face significant barriers, including lack of land certificates (only 28% have them), limited access to finance, and poor integration into the supply chain, often forcing them to sell to distant mills or intermediaries. Additionally, Berau lacks CPO refineries, meaning most crude palm oil is exported to other provinces or Malaysia, limiting local value addition.

This report by Friends of the Earth International provides a critical analysis of forestry governance in Malaysia and the timber procurement policies of Japan, South Korea, and Australia. It argues that existing 'sustainable' and 'legal' timber frameworks are often rudimentary technical responses that fail to address systemic issues such as corruption, lack of transparency, and the violation of indigenous customary land rights in producer countries. The document highlights a significant gap between official policy and the reality on the ground, noting that importer countries often rely on the 'faith' of producer-country governance rather than independent verification.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the palm oil supply chain in the Berau district of East Kalimantan, Indonesia. It examines the potential for increasing production through yield improvement rather than land expansion to support regional sustainability goals. The study identifies significant inefficiencies facing smallholders, including lack of land tenure and financing, while noting that large plantation companies operate more efficiently. It also highlights the absence of local refineries, which results in most crude palm oil (CPO) being exported from the region raw.

This research paper by Nancy Peluso explores the complex relationship between the decentralization of resource management and violence in Indonesia. Using the forest and land sectors as primary examples, Peluso argues that decentralization often shifts the locus of power to local elites who may use violence to secure resource control, while the legacy of the repressive Suharto regime has normalized violent conflict and weakened the state's capacity to enforce law and order.