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This report details a youth working meeting on 08 October 2020 aimed at identifying governance issues for a South African submission to the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). Participants outlined a vision for success involving increased youth representation and better service delivery, and identified key concerns such as unemployment, gender-based violence, and climate change. The project will utilize 12 working groups to develop a submission, with a final launch planned for March 2021.

This briefing analyzes international finance commitments and disbursements to Sierra Leone following the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, noting a sharp decline in energy sector investments despite the sector's importance for healthcare resilience during pandemics.

This briefing provides notes from a three-part webinar series organized by Natural Justice in October 2020. The sessions focused on the development, application, and legal recognition of community protocols within the framework of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), emphasizing community-led processes to protect traditional knowledge and biological resources.

This policy brief examines the scale and structure of the illegal wildlife trade, the historical evolution of international regulatory frameworks—specifically CITES—and the emerging debate over whether a new, legally binding international instrument is needed to address wildlife crime and zoonotic disease risks in a post-COVID-19 world.

A statement by Trend Asia arguing that the Indonesian government must resolve the financial crisis of the state electricity company, PLN, by halting the 35,000 MW power project and stopping the construction of new coal-fired power plants due to severe oversupply.

A legal notice from MacRobert Inc, acting on behalf of ArcelorMittal South Africa (Pty) Ltd (AMSA), addressed to the Minister of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries regarding an appeal filed by the Centre for Environmental Rights. The notice argues that the appeal against the postponement of compliance timeframes for Minimum Emission Standards at the Vanderbijlpark facility was submitted late and is therefore invalid unless condonation is granted.

This joint report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra examines the role of services and international services trade in supporting circular economy business models, identifying key service types, trade modes, and regulatory barriers.

This report by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the current state, structure, and growth potential of the green bonds market in Africa, highlighting its current underdevelopment and the role of multilateral development institutions.

This research paper describes the Low Emissions Analysis Platform – Integrated Benefits Calculator (LEAP-IBC), a modelling framework designed to help low- and middle-income countries quantify the simultaneous impacts of policies on air quality, human health, and climate change. The tool was applied to Bangladesh to evaluate the combined effects of its Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) and National Action Plan to reduce short-lived climate pollutants (SLCPs).

This research paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced South Africa's leadership and relations within Africa. While the author praises South Africa's multilateral coordination of the continental health response as AU chair, they argue that domestic failures—specifically institutionalised xenophobia and corruption—undermine the country's soft power and long-term leadership potential on the continent.

This policy brief proposes the creation of a legislated National Strategy and Development Council (NSDC) within the South African presidency to centralize national strategy and ensure institutional continuity across different administrations. It specifically advocates for restructuring the International Relations Trade and Security (IRTS) cabinet cluster into a directorate and establishing an independent, non-governmental Council on International Relations and Cooperation (CIRC) to provide expert advice and research.

This report analyzes the distribution of residential electricity subsidies in the Indian state of Jharkhand using a survey of over 900 households. It finds that subsidies are poorly targeted, with wealthier households receiving a disproportionate share of benefits, and proposes tariff adjustments to redirect funds toward the poor.

This report by the NewClimate Institute, PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, and IIASA provides an update on climate mitigation policies, COVID-19 response measures, and the status of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Long-Term Strategies (LTS) across 25 countries and regions between July 2019 and August 2020.

The World Resources Institute provides a three-step guide for governments and communities to transform degraded landscapes effectively. The process emphasizes the integration of biophysical data with social landscape analysis to avoid pitfalls such as planting trees in incorrect locations or violating human rights, ensuring that restoration pledges to initiatives like the Bonn Challenge and AFR100 result in high-impact outcomes.

The Market Approaches to Resilience (MAR) project (2015-19) in rural Ethiopia enhanced climate resilience for pastoralist communities by combining microfinance services with natural resource management. By intentionally targeting women for financial empowerment, the project created a 'multiplier effect' that improved household wellbeing and reduced the necessity for long-distance migration during droughts. The project reached 188,902 people and emphasized that systemic resilience requires long-term funding and the creation of a supportive institutional environment.

This policy brief argues for increased investment in resilience in Malawi to mitigate the rising economic costs of extreme weather events. It introduces the 'triple dividend' of resilience—avoided losses, unlocked development potential, and co-benefits—and provides evidence from various sectors and regions showing that such investments are highly cost-effective compared to humanitarian aid.

This report by the Climate Bonds Initiative and SynTao Green Finance analyzes the potential for green bond issuance in China to support its transition to a low-carbon economy. It details the investment needs under the 13th Five-Year Plan, the role of green finance pilot zones, and the regulatory framework governing green bonds. The document emphasizes the need for private sector capital to fill a significant funding gap and advocates for the harmonization of green definitions to attract international investors.

This report, co-authored by the Climate Bonds Initiative and Syntao Green Finance and sponsored by UK PACT, analyzes the potential for green investment and the issuance of green bonds in China. It identifies significant funding gaps for the transition to a low-carbon economy, evaluates the impact of national and local green finance policies, and highlights opportunities within green finance reform and innovation pilot zones. The document emphasizes the need for standardized green definitions, increased transparency in disclosure, and the potential for 'new infrastructure' and 'brown' industry transitions to drive future green bond issuance.

This whitepaper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) argues that current environmental assessments for transportation infrastructure in the Amazon fail to account for indirect effects, leading to an underestimation of ecological footprints. The authors propose a 'market access' approach using geoprocessing and statistical analysis to better quantify how reduced transport costs drive deforestation and agricultural expansion far beyond the immediate project site.

This whitepaper by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI/PUC-Rio) argues that current environmental and technical feasibility studies for transport infrastructure in the Amazon fail to account for indirect effects, specifically how reduced transport costs induce deforestation far from the project site. The authors propose a 'market access' approach using geoprocessing and statistical analysis to better quantify these risks and recommend that these methodologies be integrated into official project evaluations to avoid underestimating environmental costs.