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This report examines how insurance regulators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have adapted their supervisory processes and communication strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies a tension between providing regulatory relief to insurers and maintaining prudential soundness and consumer protection. The document highlights opportunities for regulators to drive long-term market development through digitalisation, the adoption of supervisory technology (suptech), and the responsible consolidation of fragmented insurance markets.

This policy brief examines the impact of plastic pollution on Canada's freshwater systems, highlighting how the COVID-19 pandemic increased the use of single-use plastics and personal protective equipment (PPE), thereby exacerbating the litter problem. It advocates for a transition from a linear to a circular economy and urges the Canadian government to implement a zero plastic waste strategy.

The August 2020 Peace & Security Council Report examines political instability in Africa, focusing on military takeovers in Mali, constitutional disputes in Côte d'Ivoire and Guinea, the African Union's mediation of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) dispute, and the institutional limitations of the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

This research paper by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) evaluates the local government fiscal framework in South Africa, arguing that the structural assumptions made in the 1998 White Paper on Local Government are fundamentally unsound and have led to widespread municipal financial distress and the erosion of the social wage.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that increasing electricity access, particularly through decentralized solar mini-grids, is critical to unlocking agricultural productivity and job creation in Africa. Using Uganda as a case study, the document highlights a significant 'value-addition gap' where low productivity and poor post-harvest infrastructure limit economic growth. It recommends a coordinated approach combining energy infrastructure with the reform of agricultural cooperatives, expanded access to micro- and commercial finance, and targeted micro-enterprise training for rural farmers.

The SEforALL 3-Year Business Plan 2021-2023 outlines the transition to 'SEforALL 3.0,' a strategic shift from global agenda-setting toward an implementation-focused model. The plan prioritizes data-driven decision-making, partnerships with high-impact countries, and the delivery of specific 'Results Offers' across four thematic areas: Energy Diplomacy and Advocacy, Energy Access and Closing the Gap, Energy Transitions and Climate Change, and Intersection with Other SDGs. The organization aims to mobilize USD 58.9 million over three years to accelerate progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) by 2030.

This report documents a virtual training workshop held on July 28-29, 2020, for national experts in Côte d’Ivoire. The workshop focused on the methodologies and tools required to create greenhouse gas (GHG) and black carbon inventories specifically for the waste sector, as part of a broader project to support the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal.

This report details a policy dialogue workshop organized by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) in autumn 2019. The workshop focused on developing a vision for a sustainable bioeconomy in the Öresund region by 2050, using the Foodhills platform in Bjuv, Sweden, as a concrete example of circular food production systems.

This briefing paper by WWF South Africa examines the challenges South African municipalities face as residential rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) installations disrupt traditional electricity distribution and revenue models. It highlights the tension between the financial interests of municipalities, which rely on electricity sales to cross-subsidise low-income households, and the economic incentives for affluent homeowners to install PV systems, often without registration. The document proposes the use of strategic tariff design and a new computerised decision-making tool to help municipalities manage the technical, social, and financial complexities of the energy transition.

This case study describes a legal challenge brought by Friends of the Irish Environment against the Irish government's 2017 National Mitigation Plan, which the court ultimately found to be lawful.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), acting as part of the Life After Coal campaign and other environmental justice networks, submitted written objections on July 30, 2020, against Eskom's application for a once-off suspension of compliance with New Plant Minimum Emission Standards (MES) and a variation request for the Grootvlei Power Station. The CER argues that the application is procedurally invalid, lacks a detailed decommissioning schedule, and unlawfully seeks to extend polluting activities beyond the station's end-of-life, thereby violating constitutional rights to a healthy environment.

This report examines how disruptive technologies, specifically renewable energy and ICT, can address global food security, environmental degradation, and economic vulnerability in low- and middle-income countries, with a specific case study on solar-powered electric cookers in Kenya.

This policy brief uses data from the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI’s) COVID-19 Food Trade Policy Tracker to analyze the impact of food and agricultural export restrictions introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic on food-importing countries.

This policy brief uses the International Food Policy Research Institute’s (IFPRI’s) COVID-19 Food Trade Policy Tracker to compare government reactions to the COVID-19 crisis with those during the 2007/08 food price spike, specifically focusing on food export restrictions.

A formal letter from the South African Water Caucus (SAWC) and affiliates to Minister Lindiwe Sisulu, President Cyril Ramaphosa, and other officials, demanding urgent provision of water tanks, reliable water supply, and sanitation packs for communities lacking access. The document highlights a failure by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) to respond to previous requests and warns of legal action if a response is not provided by August 3, 2020.

This research paper by the NewClimate Institute examines policy frameworks for upscaling Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) while ensuring that such efforts do not detract from greenhouse gas emissions reductions. The authors analyze various CDR approaches, their development stages, and the risks associated with using offsetting schemes, ultimately advocating for the separation of emission reduction targets from removal targets.

This report examines the evolving role of private financial institutions in the low-carbon transition, analyzing the regulatory, policy, and market pressures driving the alignment of portfolios with the Paris Agreement and the structural barriers that limit the sector's influence on the real economy.

RMI urges the California Energy Commission (CEC) to mandate all-electric new construction in the 2022 building energy code cycle to avoid significant carbon emissions and financial waste.

This report by the Alliance for Renewable Electrification (ARE), supported by GET.invest, advocates for the use of Decentralised Renewable Energy (DRE) to electrify rural health care facilities, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Centre for Environmental Rights, on behalf of the Life After Coal campaign and 350Africa.org, provides commentary on the National Treasury's 2020 Draft Technical Paper 'Financing a Sustainable Economy'. The submission argues that the Draft Paper focuses too heavily on voluntary disclosure rather than binding commitments and fails to align with the urgency of the climate crisis or South Africa's international obligations under the Paris Agreement.