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The document examines the health consequences of biomass burning in the Brazilian Amazon, highlighting the vulnerability of children, the elderly, and Indigenous populations. It notes that air quality standards in Brazil are less stringent than WHO guidelines and that monitoring systems have not been widely implemented. The brief links these fires to land clearing for agriculture and ranching, which contributes to climate change. It recommends a moratorium on deforestation, improved public health advisories, and international cooperation to meet Paris Agreement goals.

The document argues that Southern Africa urgently needs climate adaptation funding, specifically for planned relocation, to protect populations from slow-onset climate impacts. It highlights a significant gap in adaptation finance, noting that most funding is directed toward mitigation or countries with high institutional capacity rather than the most vulnerable. The author advocates for planned relocation as a last-resort, voluntary, and developmental tool, warning against the poor outcomes associated with forced or poorly managed historical resettlements.

The document examines the shift in Mozambique's strategy from treating the Cabo Delgado insurgency as a criminal matter to accepting international military support. It details the failures of the Russian Wagner Group, the role of the Dyck Advisory Group, and the subsequent deployments of Rwandan forces and the SADC Military Mission (SAMIM). While foreign troops have achieved quick gains, such as recovering Mocímboa da Praia, the brief highlights a critical lack of transparency regarding bilateral agreements and warns that insurgents are now dispersing into smaller groups in southern districts.

China's engagement in Iraq and Syria is primarily driven by economic logic and the Belt and Road Initiative, though it increasingly faces security risks from terrorism and political instability. In Iraq, China has become a top trading partner with a heavy focus on oil, while in Syria, it provides political cover for the Assad regime and explores limited reconstruction opportunities. The document argues that China lacks a unified regional strategy, instead employing a cautious, pragmatic, and piecemeal approach that balances economic opportunism with a traditional policy of non-interference, though the need to protect assets may eventually push Beijing toward more active counter-terrorism efforts.

The document analyzes the risks associated with Colombia's dependence on thermal coal exports amidst declining global demand and proposes a transition strategy based on economic diversification and social equity. It highlights the severe poverty and environmental degradation in the Cesar and La Guajira regions, where coal mining contributes significantly to regional GDP but provides limited local employment. The brief recommends shifting from carbon-intensive industrialization to low-carbon asset diversification, implementing active labor policies, and establishing mechanisms to quantify and repair socio-environmental liabilities. It critiques current government strategies, such as 'neutral coal,' for extending the life of a declining sector rather than accelerating decarbonization.

The document argues that compensation awards in investment treaty arbitrations have become excessively large, inconsistent, and disconnected from the actual investments made. It highlights the problematic use of the discounted cash flow (DCF) method to project future earnings and the failure of tribunals to consider public interest or state ability to pay. To address this, the authors suggest reforms such as capping compensation at the amount actually invested or requiring a balance between public and private interests.

The document argues that current investment treaty compensation practices lead to excessively high awards, often based on speculative future earnings rather than actual losses. It highlights the use of the discounted cash flow (DCF) method as a primary driver of these high costs and notes that tribunals often ignore contextual factors like public interest or state capacity to pay. To address this, the authors suggest reforms such as limiting compensation to actual investment amounts or aligning awards with the host state's domestic laws.

The policy brief analyzes the socio-economic and environmental vulnerabilities of Latin America exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It argues that traditional economic reactivation measures risk perpetuating structural crises and instead proposes a 'just and resilient recovery' based on four principles: climate action, decent employment, social inclusion, and long-term financing. The document outlines four priorities for governments: applying the 'no-regression' principle to avoid environmental deregulation, ensuring short-term measures align with long-term sustainability, maximizing investment in strategic sustainable sectors (such as renewable energy and regenerative agriculture), and increasing systemic resilience through economic diversification and new progress indicators beyond GDP.

The document examines the role of climate finance in Mexico, highlighting the risks posed by the elimination of the Fondo para el Cambio Climático (FCC) and the heavy concentration of public funds in the energy sector via the Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE). It provides specific recommendations for the public sector to strengthen governance and technical capacity, and for the private sector to adopt green taxonomies and innovative financing mechanisms like impact investing and carbon bonds to meet Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The document examines the conflict in Cabo Delgado, Mozambique, asserting that while the violence is framed as militant Islam, it is rooted in long-term structural problems. It highlights how the discovery of rubies and offshore natural gas led to a 'resource scramble' that marginalised local communities and fostered grievances. The author notes that the Mozambican government's inept security response and the poor state of its military have further exacerbated the crisis. The brief concludes by comparing the situation to the Niger Delta in Nigeria, warning that without addressing socio-economic inequalities and improving governance, military interventions will be insufficient.

The document examines the risks associated with nanosilver, a nanomaterial used in over 440 consumer products, and highlights the lack of specific regulations in Canada. It details experimental evidence of nanosilver's toxicity to aquatic life and proposes a regulatory framework including risk assessments, standardized testing, and mandatory labelling.

The policy brief contends that Africa's vulnerability to crises like COVID-19 and climate change is exacerbated by low access to energy and the digital economy. It proposes that the AU-EU partnership should prioritise decentralised, renewable energy solutions to bridge the digital divide, as internet access is viewed as a critical value-added energy service and a human right. The document recommends that multi-lateral financial institutions invest in green energy, while policymakers incentivise broadband access and integrate ICT skills into education to foster economic inclusion and climate resilience.

The document examines how national investment laws can provide a pathway for foreign investors to initiate ISDS claims, potentially challenging government responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights that while treaty-based claims are more common, domestic laws—often influenced by international organization 'best practice' advice—can grant unequivocal consent to international arbitration. This creates risks of unpredictable, costly awards and a dichotomy between how domestic and foreign investors are treated. The brief suggests that governments review and potentially amend or suspend these provisions to preserve policy space during the crisis.

The document outlines the legal framework provided by UNCLOS for landlocked states to secure access to the sea and exploit living resources in the exclusive economic zones (EEZ) of coastal states. It emphasizes that while UNCLOS establishes general rights, the practical implementation depends on negotiated agreements between landlocked and transit states. The brief highlights the importance of mutual benefit, citing the Ethiopia-Djibouti agreement and the Walvis Bay Corridor Group as successful models of cooperation in Africa.

The document argues that National Development Banks (NDBs), which hold over USD 5 trillion in assets, are uniquely positioned to close the urban climate investment gap due to their domestic expertise and ability to provide local currency financing. However, their impact is limited by narrow mandates, a lack of bankable project pipelines, and insufficient internal capacity to assess climate risks. To enhance their role, the brief recommends that NDBs strengthen their climate mandates, seek accreditation from multilateral funds like the Green Climate Fund, and deploy risk-mitigation instruments such as guarantees to catalyze private investment. It also emphasizes the need for national governments to improve the financial creditworthiness of cities and integrate NDBs into the planning of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).

The document provides a detailed update on the WTO negotiations to discipline fisheries subsidies, focusing on three main pillars: illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing; overexploited stocks; and overcapacity and overfishing. It examines the proposed legal frameworks, the role of Special and Differential Treatment (S&DT) for developing nations, and institutional questions regarding transparency, dispute settlement, and the legal form of the eventual instrument.

The policy brief critiques the South African government's 'risk-adjusted' strategy for reopening the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, arguing that it prioritizes business profitability over worker safety and ignores the impact of deep social inequalities. The authors propose a 'well-being economy' framework that treats health and economic performance as intertwined. Key recommendations include democratizing the return to work through worker oversight, implementing a universal basic income guarantee, expanding social infrastructure in townships, and reversing austerity measures in the national budget to provide a genuine rescue package for the most vulnerable.

The document examines the slow adoption of cleaner cookstoves in peri-urban Kenya, arguing that a combination of service design, behavioral insights, and social-ecological systems thinking is necessary to better align stove development with user needs. Based on a study of advanced biomass pellet cookstoves near Nairobi, it recommends tailoring interventions to specific user archetypes, stabilizing the biomass pellet fuel supply chain through subsidies, and establishing localized technical support and repair networks.

The document examines how credit cooperatives in Brazil serve as critical distribution channels for rural credit, particularly for small and medium-scale producers. It highlights that while total rural credit fell by 14% in real terms between 2013/2014 and 2018/2019, cooperative lending grew by 51.3%, increasing its market share from 11% to 17.5%. The brief attributes this success to the cooperatives' proximity to borrowers, which reduces transaction costs and information asymmetry. It also details the interbank relationship where commercial banks use cooperatives to meet regulatory requirements for rural credit distribution. Geographically, cooperative presence is strongest in the South, Central-west, and Southeast, while remaining scarce in the North and Northeast.

Africa faces a significant ICT infrastructure deficit that hinders its development, requiring an estimated $3 billion annual additional investment. While the private sector has led deployment, challenges remain regarding rural access, high costs, and limited policy capacity. The document advocates for incentivising local providers, upgrading regulatory frameworks, and expanding the technical skills base to fully realise the benefits of digital transformation.