FEATURES
Loving Nature through Restoration, Strengthening Communities in Timor-Leste
In Timor-Leste, a new climate initiative is working to restore ecosystems while strengthening rural resilience. The project, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with national partners, aims to help communities adapt to climate change by rebuilding the natural systems they depend on.
When Climate Vulnerability Becomes Personal
Damage to infrastructure and agriculture, disruptions to transport and services, and the costs of emergency response ripple across the economy. When such shocks recur year after year, recovery becomes partial and fragile. Each rebuilding effort begins before the last has fully ended.
From the outside, climate impacts are often described as temporary setbacks. On the ground, they feel structural. Resources that could support education, healthcare, industrial development, or job creation are repeatedly redirected toward response and repair. Public debt grows not through poor decisions, but because climate shocks leave governments with few alternatives.
When Climate Reality Hits Home: CVF-V20 Secretariat in Madagascar as a Category 4 Cyclone Makes Landfall
As a Category 4 cyclone slams into Madagascar’s coastline, the force of climate change is no longer abstract, it is immediate, physical, and deeply human. The CVF Secretariat team on the ground is witnessing firsthand how climate vulnerability translates into real-time emergency response, institutional coordination, and community resilience under pressure.
High Seas Treaty Enters Into Force
The first legally binding ocean instrument to provide for inclusive ocean governance, known as the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, entered into force on January 17, 120 days after at least 60 countries have ratified the treaty.
Liberia to Implement Carbon Levy on Maritime Shipping
The Republic of Liberia becomes the third African country to introduce a carbon levy on maritime shipping, after Djibouti’s and Gabon’s domestic implementation. Starting on March 1 this year, the country will impose a USD 25 per tonne fee on CO2 emitted by ships entering and leaving its ports.
Marshall Islands Pioneers Climate Resilience Strategy for Atoll Nations
The Blue-Green Atolls Project by the Republic of Marshall Islands begins its preparation phase after securing approval from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund and the Special Climate Change Fund. Initial stages include technical assessments, stakeholder engagement, and the mobilization of complementary public and private finance. With the United Nations Development Programme as the implementing agency, the project receives USD 38.5 million from co-financing and USD 8.537 million from the GEF Project Grant.
Lebanon Accelerates Climate Action, Launches Climate Policy Package
Risks of breaching the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal urged the Lebanese Republic to develop a climate policy package that brings together three key climate roadmaps—National Adaptation Plan (NAP 2025–2035), the updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), and the Long-Term Low Emission Development Strategy (LT-LEDS).
Samoa Shows Leadership in Early Warning System and Disaster Risk Management
Early warning and early action are among Samoa’s national strategic priorities, embedding multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk financing frameworks into the country’s governance landscape.
Malawi’s NDC Implementation: Lessons From the Past and Youth Priorities for NDC 3.0
Malawi, like many climate-vulnerable nations, has taken steady strides toward implementing its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) under the Paris Agreement. It has reaffirmed its commitment to reducing emissions, enhancing adaptation, and building climate resilience through its First Biennial Transparency Report (BTR1) and National Communication submitted to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). Despite the commitment, there are efficient gains to be made in its next round of NDC 3.0, as revealed by the NDC 2.0 stocktake.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Charts Path for Climate-Linked Investments
As part of the ongoing in-country consultations for the Pakistan Climate Prosperity Plan (CPP), the CVF-V20 delegation held a high-level roundtable with the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) of the Province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) on October 9 in Peshawar. The session brought together key provincial departments, including forestry, environment, wildlife, transport, energy, and infrastructure, to align KP’s climate priorities with the CPP framework and explore financing pathways for sustainable development.
Bringing Climate Adaptation Finance Closer to Filipino Communities
The Philippines’ Department of Finance (DOF) is leading the charge to enhance local government access to the People’s Survival Fund (PSF), the country’s flagship climate adaptation financing mechanism.
Kyrgyz Leads Global Efforts in Mountain Ecosystem Conservation
At UNGA 80, The Kyrgyz Republic’s President, H.E. Sadyr Japarov, issued a powerful call to the international community: to support and endorse the Declaration of COP-29 on Climate, Mountains, and Glaciers as a decisive step in mobilizing ambitious initiatives to protect the mountain ecosystems across the globe.
