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The report examines the interaction between ICCAs and international and national laws, finding that while international instruments and some national policies show progress, systemic gaps and discriminatory implementation continue to threaten these areas. It highlights the critical need for the recognition of customary land rights, self-determination, and integrated socio-ecological legislation to support community-led conservation.

The briefing examines the systemic threats facing TICCAs, highlighting a widespread lack of legal recognition for customary land rights and traditional governance. While noting positive developments in international jurisprudence and specific national programs—such as Australia's Indigenous Protected Areas and Namibia's Communal Conservancies—it argues that state legislation often remains discriminatory, fragmented, and exclusionary. The document provides comprehensive recommendations for legal reform, the adoption of human rights standards, and the implementation of non-legal support mechanisms to ensure the resilience of indigenous-led conservation.

The document details a judicial review application by Green Connection and Natural Justice to set aside the environmental authorization (EA) granted to TotalEnergies EP South Africa Block 567 (Pty) Ltd for offshore oil drilling between Cape Town and Cape Agulhas. It lists six grounds for review, including failures to assess socio-economic impacts on small-scale fishers, climate change impacts from gas combustion, and transboundary risks to Namibia. Additionally, it notes that TotalEnergies announced its withdrawal from Block 567 in July 2024 and is now seeking to have Shell joined as a party to the legal proceedings, a request opposed by the applicants.

The report analyzes Mozambique's legal landscape regarding traditional knowledge (TK), highlighting a fragmented system where protection is often indirect. While the 2007 ABS Regulation (Decree No. 19/2007) is the primary tool for biodiversity-related TK, it faces implementation challenges and is currently under revision. Other frameworks, including the Industrial Property Code and Copyright Law, offer limited or specific protections like geographical indications. The document emphasizes the role of community participation in natural resource management and identifies poverty, weak community institutions, and lack of legal awareness as major barriers to effective TK protection.

A statement from Natural Justice providing comments and recommendations on the Kilifi County Solid Waste Management Bill, 2019, focusing on administrative oversight, environmental licensing, and penalty structures.

The document explains how international law, primarily through the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), protects traditional knowledge and customary sustainable use of biodiversity. It details the obligations of CBD Parties under Articles 8(j) and 10(c), outlines voluntary instruments like the Akwé: Kon Guidelines and the Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct, and discusses other frameworks such as UNDRIP and ILO 169. The guide highlights opportunities for communities to advocate for broader rights and challenges such as the restrictive 'compatibility' requirements for legal protection.

The report evaluates the Climate Justice Movement (CJM) in Kenya, highlighting its role in shaping the Climate Change Act of 2016 and its ongoing efforts in policy advocacy and community resilience. While the movement is diverse—comprising CBOs, NGOs, and indigenous groups—it faces significant challenges, including shrinking civic space, internal fragmentation, and limited inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in formal decision-making. The study recommends operationalizing the CJM engagement framework, resolving power struggles over civil society representation in the National Climate Change Council, and adopting intersectional, gender-transformative approaches to climate action.

The guide provides a comprehensive overview of South Africa's local government system, detailing the roles of the local community, political structures, and administration. It explains the planning, implementation, and oversight cycle—specifically the Integrated Development Plan (IDP), the budget, and the Service Delivery Budget and Implementation Plan (SDBIP)—and offers practical strategies for citizens to hold municipalities accountable. It also covers the legal rights to basic services, housing, and spatial justice, while outlining the mechanisms for reporting misconduct and challenging administrative decisions.

The report examines the discovery of natural gas in the Eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the competing claims of the Republic of Cyprus, Turkey, and Turkish Cypriots. It analyzes the commercial viability of export options—such as LNG plants and pipelines to Turkey or Europe—against a backdrop of falling global gas prices due to the US shale revolution. The text argues that while hydrocarbons offer a potential 'win-win' for regional stability, their development is currently hostage to long-standing political conflicts, particularly the Cyprus problem and strained Israeli-Turkish relations. It also explores the specific challenges facing Lebanon in becoming a gas province and the role of global energy governance and major players like Russia and the EU in shaping the region's energy future.

The document examines the intersection of global climate goals, EU energy security, and the emergence of the Eastern Mediterranean as a potential gas hub. It analyzes the role of natural gas as a 'bridging fuel' for the EU, the geopolitical use of energy by Russia and Iran, and the commercial and political obstacles facing gas development in Israel, Cyprus, and Egypt, particularly following the discovery of the Zohr field.

The report examines SFA in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Somalia since 2010, finding that billions in spending have often been ineffective or counter-productive. It identifies a 'piecemeal approach' where multiple providers with diverging interests create fragmented security forces, undermining professional standards and civilian oversight. Case studies of Mali and Somalia highlight issues such as high personnel turnover, a focus on technical skills over ethics, and the diversion of equipment to illicit markets. The authors recommend long-term, coordinated partnerships based on detailed local capacity assessments to foster cohesion rather than fragmentation.

The report reveals that BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole, Société Générale, and BPCE provided $10 billion in financing to Bunge and Cargill between January 2024 and September 2025, despite the traders' exposure to deforestation risks in Brazil. Analysis shows that Bunge and Cargill are linked to 11,800 hectares of deforestation in the Amazon and 91,000 hectares in the Cerrado during this period. The document criticizes the deforestation policies of the involved banks as insufficient, lacking clear objectives, and opaque in their implementation.

The report posits that climate change is an artifact of resource inefficiency and that mitigating it can be done at a profit. It highlights that energy efficiency, switching to low-carbon fuels, and improving forestry and farming practices can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while lowering costs for businesses and governments. The text argues against the necessity of nuclear power, citing its high cost and market failure, and instead promotes wind, solar, and combined-cycle gas turbines. It suggests that market-oriented policies, such as those established by the Kyoto Protocol and the Montreal Treaty, can incentivize carbon reductions through trading mechanisms. The document concludes that the transition to a low-carbon economy can be managed without net job losses, provided there is transitional support for displaced workers in the fossil fuel sector.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of India's decentralised renewable energy (DRE) landscape, detailing deployment statistics, government schemes, and the role of R&D in driving innovation. It highlights the transition of DRE from basic lighting to productive livelihood applications and identifies 'weak-grid' areas as a significant growth market. The document emphasizes the necessity of harmonized international standards to prevent market spoilage and facilitate global trade. It also showcases the 'transformational journeys' of Indian companies expanding into Sub-Saharan Africa, leveraging digital technologies like Pay-as-you-Go (PayG) and standardized mini-grid models to address energy poverty.

The document analyzes Senegal's macroeconomic trajectory from the 1970s through the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights how the pandemic caused a significant drop in GDP growth in 2020, severely impacting sectors such as tourism, transport, and agriculture. To counter this, the Senegalese government and the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO) deployed a combination of stimulus packages, tax rebates, and liquidity measures. These interventions are credited with achieving a 1.3% real GDP growth in 2020, outperforming initial IMF forecasts of -0.4%. The paper also discusses the role of foreign direct investment, the potential of future oil and gas production, and the long-term goals of the Emerging Senegal Plan.

The document details India's shift from a restrictive, state-led 'socialistic pattern of society' to a liberalized trade regime initiated by a 1991 balance of payments crisis. It examines the reduction of tariffs, the removal of import licensing, and the opening of services sectors like IT, banking, and telecommunications to foreign investment. The author analyzes the resulting growth in GDP and total factor productivity, while noting persistent challenges in the agricultural sector and a widening trade deficit.

Belgium prioritizes Central Africa, particularly the DRC, Rwanda, and Burundi, in its foreign policy, providing significant development aid and security support. The country maintains a strong economic partnership with South Africa, characterized by high trade volumes and foreign direct investment. While Belgium focuses on sustainable development and peace-making in the Great Lakes region, its broader Africa policy is selective, concentrating resources on a limited number of partner states.

The report identifies systemic governance failures in Lesotho, including a fragmented electoral system, weak separation of powers, and inadequate decentralisation. It highlights severe socio-economic challenges such as a 47.7% poverty rate (2017), rising violent crime, and gender-based discrimination under customary law. The document argues that these issues are exacerbated by corruption, poor infrastructure, and ineffective public policy-making, recommending comprehensive constitutional and legal reforms through the National Reforms Authority (NRA).

The report examines the AfCFTA's potential to create a single market of 1.2 billion people and $2 trillion GDP, highlighting its goals to boost intra-African trade and harmonise trade governance. It details key investor considerations, including the continued relevance of Regional Economic Communities (RECs), tariff phase-down schedules, and the impact of non-tariff barriers and rules of origin. The document specifically analyses the Republic of Korea's trade and investment profile in Africa, noting a heavy reliance on natural resource imports and a relatively low FDI stock compared to other global powers. It suggests that Korean firms can find opportunities in manufacturing, digital transformation, and the use of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) to enter the continent. Finally, it recommends that Korea enhance its 'aid for trade' initiatives, focusing on infrastructure project preparation and support for African SMEs to foster mutually beneficial relations.

The document examines South Africa's nascent green hydrogen economy, positioning the country in the 'technological readiness' phase of market development. It argues that while some input manufacturing is emerging, there is a critical need for coordinated industrial and energy policies—including capital grants and electricity tax exemptions—to drive commercial production. A central focus is the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector, where the author identifies a 'wide chasm' between graduates and employment. The paper advocates for a shift toward 'anticipatory governance' and 'skills foresight' to better align vocational training with the evolving demands of the green hydrogen value chain, ensuring a just transition for workers displaced from the coal industry.