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This draft concept paper, developed by the Hemispheric Working Group on Trade and Environment, proposes the creation of an Americas Environmental Accord (AEA) to coordinate environmental sustainability and trade policies across the Western Hemisphere. It analyzes existing sub-regional models—including Mercosur, CARICOM, the Andean Community, the Central American Common Market, and NAFTA—to identify best practices for transparency, civil society participation, and the integration of environmental standards into economic agreements. The document argues that the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) process should be supported by a coherent ecological cooperation agenda to ensure long-term sustainable development.

This synthesis report by the Training for Peace (TfP) research network examines the roles, challenges, and differences between African Union (AU) and United Nations (UN) policing in peace support operations (PSOs) in Africa. Based on research from missions in Somalia, Darfur, and Mali, the report analyzes the functions of individual police officers (IPOs) and formed police units (FPUs), highlighting the need for context-specific training and guidelines for stabilization environments.

This handbook provides a comparative analysis of three key anti-corruption instruments: the SADC Protocol against Corruption (2001), the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (2003), and the UN Convention against Corruption (2003). It is designed as a tool for lawyers, policy makers, and legal drafters in Southern African countries to help them harmonize domestic legislation with these international standards, focusing on prohibited acts of corruption, preventative measures, jurisdiction, and international cooperation.

This report by Robert Mattes of the University of Cape Town uses Afrobarometer survey data from 18 African countries to compare experiences of crime and policing in South Africa with other nations on the continent. The analysis finds that while South Africa has high levels of insecurity and crime exposure, it is not exceptional in the African context. Furthermore, despite having superior physical and human capital, the South African Police Service (SAPS) often lags behind other African police forces in terms of public trust, legitimacy, and community relations.

This RMI fact sheet argues that renewables and battery storage are now more effective than natural gas for supporting economic development and energy access in the Global South, offering superior reliability, deployment speed, and cost-effectiveness while avoiding the long-term financial and security risks associated with gas infrastructure.

This research paper by the Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) investigates the relationship between vehicle weight and safety, challenging the perception that lighter vehicles are inherently more dangerous. Using a virtually modeled ultralight concept vehicle (the 'UltraLight') compared against a 2007 Ford Edge, the study demonstrates that while an unoptimized ultralight design may offer less protection to its own driver, it is significantly less aggressive toward other road users and can be improved through iterative design without adding mass.

The Rocky Mountain Institute (RMI) conducted a fact-check of a report by CNW Research/Marketing titled 'Dust to Dust,' which claimed the Toyota Prius has a greater environmental impact than the Hummer H3 SUV. Using the GREET life cycle model developed by Argonne National Laboratories, RMI found that the Prius consistently has a lower environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, even when manipulating variables to favor the Hummer.

This case study examines the challenges and proposed improvements for Transit Management Systems (TMSs) within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It highlights how the requirement for multiple national customs bonds increases the cost and time of cross-border trade and suggests adopting a participatory management structure and a single-bond model similar to the international TIR system to facilitate trade within the proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA).

This policy brief examines the development of railway infrastructure in Ethiopia, comparing the Chinese-funded Addis Ababa-Djibouti standard gauge railway (SGR) with the Turkish-built Awash-Kombolcha-Hara Gebeya/Weldiya (AKH) line. It analyzes the trade-offs between different financing models, the effectiveness of technology transfer and capacity building, and the role of Ethiopian government agency in project design.

This research paper examines the contribution of Chinese construction enterprises to local skill development in Ghana, comparing them with other foreign and local firms. Using 2016 survey data from 12 enterprises, the study finds that Chinese firms contribute positively to both short-term general and long-term specific training for local workers, often at higher rates than other foreign firms. However, structural challenges such as low technical education quality, low employee retention, and communication barriers hinder the effectiveness of skill transfer.

This policy brief compares the macroeconomic resilience of Senegal and Mali between 2000 and 2022, analyzing their responses to various domestic and global shocks. It finds that while both countries utilized fiscal and monetary measures to mitigate impacts, Mali experienced more frequent internal shocks due to security and climatic vulnerabilities. The authors propose a transition toward counter-cyclical policies and structural reforms in trade, industry, human capital, and governance to build long-term resilience.

This annex provides a comparative analysis of electrification data for 20 countries with the largest electricity access deficits, triangulating government reports, household surveys, utility data, and industry sales to identify trends and socioeconomic patterns of access.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines China's role in global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the tension between its rapid economic growth and the need for low-carbon development to meet global temperature targets.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) evaluates the role of carbon offsetting programs in climate policy. It discusses the potential for offsets to reduce mitigation costs and provide sustainability benefits, while warning of risks such as non-additionality, leakage, and permanence. The document highlights significant variability in how different protocols quantify offsets and argues for the standardization of these protocols to ensure market integrity.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute, authored by Mizan R. Khan, examines capacity building for climate change adaptation by analyzing lessons from five other international regime types: development, trade and regional economic integration, environment and natural resources protection, international human rights, and security, cooperation and humanitarian affairs.

This report, produced by the Stockholm Environment Institute for the think tank Cogito, analyzes the environmental impact of total consumption in Sweden and four specific municipalities: Gothenburg, Linköping, Malmö, and Stockholm. Using the Resources and Energy Analysis Programme (REAP) tool, the report compares consumption-based emissions—which include imported goods—against traditional national reporting, highlighting the significant gap between the two and the unsustainability of the Swedish lifestyle.

This guide by Transforma explains the transition from the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) recommendations to the IFRS S2 (NIIF S2) standard. It details how IFRS S2 replaces and expands upon TCFD by requiring greater granularity in governance, the inclusion of transition plans in strategy, more detailed risk and opportunity management processes, and industry-specific metrics aligned with SASB standards.

This research paper by the World Resources Institute argues that global indicators from UNICEF and the WHO overestimate urban water access in the global south. Based on an analysis of 15 cities, the paper finds that nearly half of households lack piped utility water, leading them to rely on private sources that are significantly more expensive. It critiques the corporatization and privatization of water utilities and proposes four action areas—extending piped networks, addressing intermittent service, improving affordability for low-income users, and upgrading informal settlements—to ensure equitable access amidst challenges like climate change and population growth.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute analyzes the diverse greenhouse gas reduction targets of G20 countries and converts them into a common metric of absolute emissions levels for the years 2020, 2025, and 2030 to improve clarity on future emissions trajectories.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the resource allocation approaches of 15 climate, environment, and development funds to provide design recommendations for the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) allocation system.