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The report argues that trade liberalization in Southern Africa has had mixed results for women, often failing to account for the informal economy where 70% of sub-Saharan African informal traders are women. It highlights that legal and institutional barriers are more restrictive than social norms and advocates for regional trade agreements (RTAs) to incorporate a 'gender perspective' and support informal cross-border trade rather than eradicating it.

This report examines the mining sector in Tanzania, focusing on the economic contributions of the industry, the challenges of securing a 'social licence to operate' from local communities, and a case study of the Barrick Gold Corporation's operations within the country.

This research paper examines the security challenges facing South Africa as the host of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, specifically distinguishing between the risks of criminality and terrorism. While the author acknowledges South Africa's capability for rapid reaction, they warn that the country's counter-terrorism intelligence is compromised by politicization and complacency.

This research paper examines the African Union's (AU) challenge in addressing unconstitutional changes of government, specifically focusing on the tension between condemning incumbent leaders who manipulate constitutions to stay in power and condemning military coups that overthrow such leaders, using the situation in Niger as a primary case study.

An intervention by Heather Creech on behalf of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) at the 2009 Internet Governance Forum (IGF) supporting the renewal of the Forum's mandate while calling for broader stakeholder inclusivity.

This report analyzes the sustainability of biofuel production in Malaysia, specifically comparing national economic goals for biodiesel development against the local-level socio-economic and environmental impacts of palm oil expansion.

This report by the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) examines the state of the advanced biofuels industry in the United States following the 2008 economic recession. It analyzes national policy trends, identifies critical barriers to commercialization—including technological hurdles, market volatility, and regulatory uncertainty—and provides ten specific policy recommendations for state governments to support sustainable, local biofuel development during periods of limited fiscal capacity.

This policy briefing examines the evolving relationship between the United States and Brazil, noting that while the US now recognizes Brazil as a genuine emerging power and a vital player in global politics, translating this awareness into a concrete 'special relationship' is hindered by divergent priorities in security, trade, and regional leadership.

This policy briefing examines the impact of emerging market investors—specifically the BRIC nations (Brazil, Russia, India, and China)—on the African business landscape and the resulting challenges and opportunities for South African companies and their continental ambitions.

This research paper, prepared by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) for the UN High Level Task Force (HLTF), examines the intersection of the right to development and climate change. It focuses specifically on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) under the Kyoto Protocol, evaluating whether its design and implementation align with human rights-based criteria for development. The author argues that while the CDM mobilizes private funds for mitigation, it suffers from governance gaps, inequitable geographical distribution of projects, and a lack of procedural safeguards for affected communities.

This case study examines the impact of investment incentives on the tourism sector in Malawi, finding that such incentives are not the primary driver of foreign direct investment (FDI) and may conflict with sustainable development goals.

This research paper evaluates the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), highlighting its achievements in promoting governance and self-reflection among African states while warning of current crises regarding transparency, leadership integrity, and the marginalization of civil society.

The report 'The Carbon Rich List' by Sandbag analyzes the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS) at a company level for 2008 and projections through 2012. It identifies a group of 'Carbon Fat Cats'—companies that received excessive free permit allocations, allowing them to generate windfall profits or bank permits for future use without reducing emissions. The report highlights a systemic imbalance where the power sector bears the burden of emissions reductions to compensate for industrial surpluses, and recommends tightening the scheme through higher targets, limited offsets, and improved company-level data reporting.

This fact sheet describes a project examining the impacts of coastal environmental variability and climate change on pink shrimp (Farfantepenaeus paulensis) artisanal fisheries in the Patos Lagoon estuary of southern Brazil, focusing on social vulnerability and adaptation capacity.

The Caribbean Coastal Scenarios (CCS) project analyzes how inland activities and climate change affect coastal resources in Cuba, Dominican Republic, Hispaniola, Jamaica, and Puerto Rico. Initial findings highlight water quality degradation from sewage and damming, specifically noting nitrate/phosphate contamination in Puerto Rico and flooding caused by deforestation and agriculture in the Dominican Republic's Haina River watershed. The project utilizes hydrological models across 84 watersheds to guide sustainable coastal protection.

This fact sheet describes project CRN2014, which investigates how land use and cover change (LUCC) and climate affect soil microorganisms, specifically arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), across temperate and tropical ecosystems in the Americas.

The DIVERSUS Collaborative Research Network is developing an interdisciplinary framework to analyze how land cover change (LCC) affects functional biodiversity, ecosystem properties, and the resulting ecosystem services that support human livelihoods across diverse environments from the tropics to the tundra.

The SAEMC (South American emissions, megacities and climate) project focuses on developing regional climate change scenarios and operational chemical weather forecasting tools to address deteriorating air quality in South American megacities.

This fact sheet describes a research project focused on the Rio de la Plata Basin, examining the drivers and consequences of land use change, specifically the trade-offs between food and biofuel production and the maintenance of ecosystem services.

The project examines hydrological cycles in the American cordillera, specifically in North America and basins in Bolivia, Chile, and Argentina. Initial results include a 700-year tree-ring reconstruction showing severe 14th-century droughts in the high Andes that led to social conflict and village abandonment. In Chile, a slight decline in streamflow over the last century is noted, with significant rainfall drops in 1945 linked to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation. Additionally, drought risk in the southern Andes was higher between 1920 and 2002 than between 1346 and 1919, threatening agriculture and hydroelectric power.