Against all Odds: How Local Communities Achieve Forest Conservation in Colombia

By Sara Vélez Zapata and Gonzalo A. Vargas

In early November, Indigenous communities in the Brazilian Amazon raised their voices, reminding us that without forests there is no future: “sem floresta, não há futuro”. During the UN Climate Change Conference (COP 30), global leaders discussed how to protect tropical forests as a collective effort. However, it ended without a binding agreement to stop deforestation. Given that tropical forests are often found in countries with fragile institutional contexts, what can we learn from communities’ achievements over the last few years?

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Three Ideal Types for the Future of Development Cooperation

By José Antonio Alonso

The international aid system is undergoing one of the most acute crises in its history. Although it is often portrayed primarily as a budgetary crisis—intensified by decisions such as the Trump Administration’s cuts to foreign assistance—it in fact reflects a deeper and long-standing structural malaise. The crisis is rooted in fundamental questions about the system’s relevance, legitimacy, and capacity to adapt to the evolving global order.

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