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The global palm oil market is dominated by Indonesia and Malaysia, with demand driven by the food, personal care, and biofuel industries. While voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) like RSPO have seen significant growth, the sector continues to face critical challenges including deforestation, biodiversity loss, and human rights abuses. The report highlights the potential for expanding VSS-compliant production in Low Human Development Countries (LHDCs) such as Côte d’Ivoire and Nigeria to improve livelihoods and mitigate environmental damage.

The report examines the global sugarcane market, noting that while demand is growing in Asia and Africa, it is stagnating in developed countries due to health concerns. It highlights the rise of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), which grew at a compound annual growth rate of about 52% from 2008 to 2016, though sales have not kept pace with production. The document identifies significant sustainability risks, including land grabbing, forced labor, and greenhouse gas emissions from field burning, and suggests that expanding VSSs in low human development countries like Sudan and Uganda could catalyze development benefits.

The document analyzes the intersection of voluntary sustainability standards (VSS), the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and gender equality in agriculture. It identifies six key themes—household food security, access to productive resources, education, unpaid domestic work, decision-making, and decent work—where VSS can either support or potentially hinder women's empowerment. The guide provides specific recommendations for development organizations to ensure VSS implementation is gender-transformative and does not exacerbate existing inequalities.

The report applies the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to Lake Dal in Srinagar, India, to assess conservation options against anthropogenic pressures such as untreated sewage and fertilizer runoff. The analysis concludes that 'business as usual' and certain infrastructure projects, like a proposed road, are insufficient or counterproductive to preventing ecological collapse. The most cost-effective approach identified is a hybrid infrastructure solution combining sewage treatment upgrades, solar photovoltaic power, on-site treatment for lake dwellers, and the construction of an artificial wetland.

The report analyzes the distribution of Mexico's electricity subsidies and evaluates reform options based on socioeconomic impacts. In 2016, total subsidies reached MXN 130 billion, with the vast majority benefiting households.

The document argues that energy transitions are fundamentally about people and that early action is necessary to minimize negative impacts and maximize opportunities. It emphasizes that a just transition is a negotiated process involving workers, industry, and governments, rather than a fixed set of rules, and warns that protecting the status quo of carbon-intensive industries can lead to higher costs and missed economic diversification.

The NAP Global Network's 2017-18 progress report details its efforts to assist developing countries in defining and addressing medium- and long-term climate adaptation priorities through National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes.

The document outlines proposed amendments to India's Electricity Act 2003 to introduce direct benefit transfers for subsidies and promote renewable energy. It notes a government ambition to increase its renewable energy target to 225 GW by 2022, though external analysts are less optimistic. The report highlights a rising fiscal burden from oil subsidies, potentially reaching USD 7.4 billion in FY2019, and details significant financial stress in the power sector. Additionally, it covers the expansion of LPG connections for poor women and the transition of several states to become kerosene-free.

The document identifies storage, decentralized renewable energy, feeder roads, and irrigation as the four key infrastructure assets most strongly linked to eliminating hunger. It argues that these assets can be financed through a mix of public subsidies, private capital, and innovative instruments like availability payments and blended capital. The brief emphasizes that physical infrastructure must be complemented by 'intermediate infrastructure'—such as logistics and extension services—and local community participation to ensure long-term viability and social acceptance.

The report compares flood and drip irrigation for the SAGCOT initiative in Tanzania's Kilombero Valley. It finds that while drip irrigation has higher initial costs, it is more sustainable and financially viable when externalities—such as water savings and additional land productivity—are included. Drip irrigation is projected to unlock 10,600 additional hectares of land and reduce seasonal migration patterns compared to flood irrigation.

The document analyzes the financial and social implications of Morocco's butane gas subsidies, which cost approximately USD 967 million in 2017. It proposes a 'swap' strategy to transition from fossil fuel subsidies to investments in solar energy to mitigate the impact on low-income households and small farmers while meeting Paris Agreement goals.

The report identifies storage/cold storage, decentralized renewable energy, feeder roads, and irrigation as critical rural infrastructure for ending hunger. It argues that while these assets are essential for increasing agricultural productivity and farmer income, they face significant financing barriers due to high perceived risks and low population densities in rural areas. The authors propose a mix of donor aid, public spending, and private capital, utilizing innovative instruments such as availability payments, shadow tolls, blended finance, and viability gap funding to make these projects commercially viable and sustainable.

The document identifies storage, decentralized renewable energy, feeder roads, and irrigation as the four infrastructure assets with the most robust links to ending hunger. It argues that financial viability should be viewed broadly, suggesting that government availability payments can make projects bankable even without direct user fees. The brief proposes a variety of financing tools—including viability gap funds, blended capital, and project bundling—and emphasizes the need for 'intermediate infrastructure' (logistics and transport) to link physical assets with human capacities.

The report finds that total quantified energy subsidies in India declined from INR 2,15,974 crore in FY2014 to INR 1,51,484 crore in FY2017. While support for renewables grew nearly six-fold and oil and gas subsidies dropped by 76%, subsidies for fossil fuels remained more than triple those for renewables and electric vehicles in FY2017. Electricity transmission and distribution emerged as the largest subsidy recipient, largely due to under-pricing for consumers. The document highlights the challenge of poor targeting in energy access subsidies and the stability of coal subsidies despite environmental externalities.

The report argues that early action on just energy transitions can minimize negative impacts on workers and communities while maximizing opportunities in low-carbon sectors. It outlines a 'How-To' framework consisting of four key stages: understanding the political economy context, identifying champions, making the case through inclusive communication, and implementing complementary policies such as retraining and economic diversification. The document emphasizes that a just transition is not a fixed set of rules but a negotiated process based on social dialogue and tripartism. Through case studies, it demonstrates various approaches: Canada's use of a high-level Task Force, Egypt and Indonesia's reallocation of fossil fuel subsidies into social and infrastructure programs, and Poland's use of 'golden handshakes' and regional support for mining communes. It concludes that overcoming 'carbon lock-in' requires transparent communication, tangible short-term benefits, and the mobilization of dedicated funding from sources like energy taxes or subsidy reforms.

The report evaluates multiple conservation scenarios for Lake Dal, concluding that a hybrid approach combining grey infrastructure (sewage treatment plants), solar PV power, and natural infrastructure (artificial wetlands) is the most cost-effective way to prevent ecological collapse and maximize economic benefits from tourism and fisheries.

The report analyzes transaction-level data to show that Export Development Canada (EDC) provides significant government-backed support to the oil and gas sector, which contradicts Canada's climate goals and the Paris Agreement.

The document outlines various mechanisms through which G20 nations can redirect public money—including subsidies, tax revenues, state-owned enterprise investments, and credit support—away from fossil fuels. It highlights specific national and regional successes, such as Indonesia's subsidy reforms and the EU's phase-out of coal mining subsidies, while emphasizing the need for a faster transition that protects vulnerable groups and ensures a just transition for workers.

The assessment finds that Kyrgyzstan has a generally favourable fiscal regime and updated primary mining laws, but suffers from outdated Soviet-era technical instructions, an unpredictable tax administration, and significant gaps in mine closure legislation and artisanal mining regulation. While socioeconomic and environmental impacts are nominally integrated into permitting, the report identifies a lack of integrated understanding and inconsistent community engagement. The government is actively managing uranium legacy sites with international support, but lacks a comprehensive framework for the post-mining transition of active sites.

The document examines the scale of public money supporting fossil fuels in G20 countries and presents case studies of reforms to align these flows with the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals. It highlights the use of consumption and production subsidy removals, increased taxation, and the diversification of state-owned enterprise investments. The paper argues that shifting these resources can create fiscal space for social protection, health, and clean energy, while recommending that G20 nations adopt ambitious reform timelines and protect vulnerable groups during the transition.