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Toward a National Strategy and Development Council: The Foreign Policy Dimension
The policy brief proposes restructuring South African governance by establishing a National Strategy and Development Council (NSDC) in the presidency. This body would transform existing cabinet clusters into directorates to ensure policy continuity and prevent ministers from making uncoordinated, sector-specific decisions. Specifically, it suggests an International Relations Trade and Security (IRTS) directorate supported by an independent, non-governmental Council on International Relations and Cooperation (CIRC) to provide expert advice and research, moving away from a 'party-state' model toward a disciplined 'developmental state'.
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Document type: Policy brief
Principles for Paris-alignment Position paper
ClientEarth proposes a principles-based framework to standardize 'Paris-alignment' and 'net-zero' strategies for the private sector. The framework consists of three core principles—Reasonable, Transparent, and Accountable—supported by eleven 'Red lines' that act as non-negotiable requirements. These include setting net-zero targets for Scopes 1-3 by 2050 at the latest, prioritizing direct value chain reductions over offsets, and linking executive remuneration to target achievement. The paper emphasizes that financial institutions must specifically disclose how they influence Scope 3 emissions through investment and underwriting decisions to ensure real-world GHG reductions.
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Document type: Statement
CONFRONTING SYSTEMIC SECURITY RISKS
The Council on Strategic Risks argues that the United States must adopt an integrated, whole-of-government approach to confront existential security threats. The authors propose the creation of a dedicated White House Strategy on Confronting Strategic Security Risks and specific National Security Presidential Directives to coordinate the Pentagon, intelligence community, and diplomatic agencies. Key recommendations include establishing a comprehensive Climate Security Strategy, creating a rapid response system for biological outbreaks, and reshaping nuclear doctrine to move away from destabilizing 'low yield' weapons and toward renewed arms control agreements.
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Document type: Policy brief
Holistics Approaches to Tackling On-Farm Food Loss
The document details a collaborative effort by WWF and produce supply chain stakeholders to address on-farm food loss, which ReFED estimates at nearly 10 million tons annually in the US. It identifies key leverage points—such as rigid contract specifications and cold chain gaps—and proposes five specific interventions: implementing the Stewardship Index for Specialty Crops (SISC) measurement tool, adopting whole crop contracts, leveraging e-commerce for imperfect produce, creating a shared food loss database, and mapping cold chain hotspots.
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Document type: Report
Written Testimony of Jonathan F. Lewis Senior Counsel Clean Air Task Force Before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy & Natural Resources “Hearing on Offshore Energy Technologies”
The document advocates for a transition to zero-carbon fuels like hydrogen and ammonia to address the high emissions of the marine shipping sector, which is identified as a "hard to abate" industry. It details production pathways including electrolysis and gas reforming with carbon capture and storage (CCS), and proposes federal policy interventions such as the American Energy Innovation Act of 2020, production tax credits, and the creation of regional fuel hubs to reduce costs and build necessary infrastructure.
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Document type: Statement
FINANCING THE SOUND MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS
The chemical industry, with 2017 sales of US$5.7 trillion projected to reach US$11 trillion by 2030, does not pay for the health and environmental costs of its products. The document argues that the public currently bears these costs, including a global disease burden of 1.6 million annual premature deaths from chemical mismanagement. To address this, the authors propose a coordinated 0.5% fee on basic chemicals (feedstocks), which could raise US$11.5 billion annually. This funding would support the development and enforcement of laws and infrastructure for chemicals management, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, and would implement the 'polluter pays principle'.
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Document type: Executive summary
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS REGARDING THE COORDINATED TAX OR FEE ON BASIC CHEMICALS
The chemical industry is a major global energy consumer and carbon emitter that externalizes significant social and health costs. Current international chemicals agreements are severely underfunded, relying on public taxpayers rather than the industry. The document proposes a 0.5% production fee on basic chemicals—the early-stage building blocks of the industry—to operationalize the 'polluter pays principle'. This mechanism could potentially raise US$11.5 billion annually, far exceeding current funding levels, to support sound chemicals management globally.
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Document type: Fact sheet
FINANCING THE SOUND MANAGEMENT OF CHEMICALS BEYOND 2020
The report argues that current funding for chemicals and waste management is inadequate, particularly in developing and transition countries, and proposes a coordinated international tax on basic chemicals to operationalize the 'polluter pays' principle. It suggests that a 0.5% tax on the production value of basic chemicals could raise approximately $11.5 billion annually, significantly exceeding current funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the Special Programme. The authors recommend an origin-based excise tax on a specific list of basic chemicals (such as ammonia, benzene, and chlorine) to ensure administrative simplicity and minimize economic distortion. The document evaluates this option against other potential taxes—including income, asset, and transaction taxes—concluding that an excise tax is the most feasible and effective mechanism for internalizing the social and environmental costs of chemical production.
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Document type: Report
A Global Registry of Fossil Fuels
The white paper argues that current fossil fuel data is fragmented and inaccessible, hindering the global effort to phase out production. It proposes a government-led, transparent registry to set a global baseline of reserves and resources, enabling strategic planning for a just transition. The proposal outlines minimum reporting requirements—including developed reserves, other reserves, and licensed resources—and suggests potential hosting arrangements such as the UNEP or UNFCCC Secretariat.
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Document type: Report
Too Big to Fail: Transforming the Amazon’s Economy from Deforestation-Driven to Inclusive and Green
The report argues that the Amazon is approaching a systemic tipping point of ecological and economic collapse due to a 'deforestation economy' that benefits a small elite. It proposes a shift toward an inclusive green economy based on standing forests, utilizing a 'bioeconomy' model that supports micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and indigenous knowledge. To facilitate this, the Fundação Amazonas Sustentável (FAS) and the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) have launched the Amazon Green Economy Hub in Manaus to coordinate policy reform, investment, and sustainable value chains.
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Document type: Report
Constitutional design options for Ethiopia
The research paper assesses the political landscape of Ethiopia, characterized by a divide between 'Ethiopianist' and 'ethnonationalist' perspectives. It analyzes theoretical models of constitutional design—specifically consociationalism, centripetalism, and integrationism—and proposes several hybrid models to reconcile these opposing views. The author argues that no single design can satisfy all parties and suggests that a combination of power-sharing, vote-pooling, and national identity-building is the most viable path toward stability.
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Document type: Research paper
Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs)
The briefing argues that India's rooftop solar sector faces significant investment barriers, including a lack of scale for debt financing and limited investor entry/exit options. It proposes Solar Investment Trusts (SEITs) as a vehicle to pool projects, diversify risk, and ensure transparency through SEBI regulation. The author estimates that SEITs could mobilize over USD 1 billion for rooftop solar within five years and reduce the cost of equity by 350-400 basis points, ultimately lowering the levelized cost of energy and increasing solar adoption.
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Document type: Briefing
Digital justice manifesto: A call to own our digital future
The Digital Justice Manifesto, launched by the Just Net Coalition, calls for the reclamation of digital power from 'intelligence corporations'. It proposes 16 principles centered on the individual and collective ownership of data, the treatment of key digital infrastructures as public utilities, and the democratic governance of datafication from a local-to-global perspective.
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Document type: Statement
Ocean accounts: a sea-change approach in ocean decision-making
The paper argues that traditional GDP-based metrics are insufficient for managing ocean economies because they ignore natural capital sustainability and social equity. It proposes the 'Ocean Accounts Framework' as a holistic alternative that integrates environmental, social, and economic data. To implement this in Africa, the authors suggest a roadmap involving cross-sectoral data sharing, international collaboration, and pilot studies in coastal regions to build human capacity and assess applicability.
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Document type: Research paper
PRINCIPIOS DE AMIGOS DE LA TIERRA INTERNACIONAL PARA UNA RECUPERACIÓN CON JUSTICIA AMBIENTAL, SOCIAL, DE GÉNERO Y ECONÓMICA
Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is a consequence of a capitalist and neoliberal system that prioritizes profit over people and nature. To achieve a 'just recovery,' the organization proposes four principles: abandoning neoliberalism and austerity, enhancing multilateral cooperation and international solidarity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and addressing the structural causes of systemic crises (climate, biodiversity, food, and care). The document calls for the nationalization of key public services, the cancellation of Global South debt, a transition to 100% renewable energy under public or community control, and the implementation of agroecological food systems. It specifically emphasizes the need to protect the rights of Indigenous peoples, Black and Afro-descendant communities, and women, while ending the impunity of transnational corporations.
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Document type: Policy brief
PRINCIPLES FOR A JUST RECOVERY
Friends of the Earth International argues that the COVID-19 pandemic is a symptom of a systemic crisis rooted in neoliberalism, capitalism, and patriarchy. The organization proposes a 'just recovery' based on four principles: abandoning austerity and neoliberalism, enhancing international solidarity, strengthening democracy and human rights, and pursuing a transformative system change. Key recommendations include the cancellation of Global South debt, the nationalization of key economic sectors, a transition to 100% renewable energy, and the implementation of food sovereignty through agroecology. The document emphasizes that recovery must not be a return to the pre-pandemic status quo but a shift toward an economy that prioritizes the sustainability of life and peoples' rights over corporate profit.
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Document type: Report
No going back to normal: Imagining a Just Recovery in South Africa
The report contends that the COVID-19 pandemic exposed deep structural faults in South Africa's economy, including extreme inequality and a dependence on fossil fuels. It advocates for a 'Just Recovery' based on five principles: prioritizing health, providing direct economic relief, supporting workers over corporations, creating resilience for future crises, and building international solidarity. The authors propose a transition to 100% renewable energy by 2050, the implementation of a 'purple economy' to value care work, and a shift toward democratic public ownership to replace market-centric neoliberal policies.
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Document type: Report
Agreement for the Coordinated Suspension of Investor–State Dispute Settlement With Respect to COVID-19- Related Measures and Disputes
The document proposes a framework for states to suspend ISDS provisions to prevent foreign investors from initiating legal claims against governments for emergency COVID-19 measures. It includes a draft agreement that defines COVID-19-related measures as 'self-judging' and suggests both multilateral and bilateral implementation paths to mitigate legal risks associated with public health and economic interventions.
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Document type: Briefing
Acuerdo para la Suspensión Coordinada de la Solución de Controversias entre Inversionistas y Estados con respecto a las Medidas y Controversias asociadas al COVID-19
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) proposes a legal framework to protect states from ISDS claims arising from emergency COVID-19 measures. The proposal suggests a coordinated suspension of ISDS provisions for any state action taken after December 1, 2019, to manage public health and national economies. It offers both a multilateral approach for broad coverage and a bilateral approach for faster implementation, emphasizing that the determination of whether a measure is COVID-related should remain at the discretion of the host state to prevent tribunal interference.
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Document type: Briefing
Accord pour la suspension coordonnée du règlement des différends investisseurs-États en ce qui concerne les mesures et les différends liés à la COVID-19
The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a proposed legal text and commentary for an agreement to suspend investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) for COVID-19 related measures. The proposal aims to protect governments from unprecedented risks of foreign investor claims resulting from emergency public health and economic interventions. It suggests both a multilateral approach for broad coverage and a bilateral approach for faster implementation, featuring a 'self-judging' definition of COVID-19 measures to ensure state sovereignty over the classification of such actions.
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Document type: Briefing