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The paper evaluates the 'Kagame Reforms' of the African Union (AU), which aim to address bureaucratic inefficiency, funding shortages, and poor implementation of resolutions. While some structural changes have been adopted—such as reducing the number of AU commissioners and reforming summit schedules—the paper highlights significant resistance from member states, particularly within SADC and South Africa, regarding the 'Kaberuka Plan' for self-financing via an export levy. The authors argue that the long-term success of these reforms depends on overcoming national self-interest and surviving the transition of the AU presidency beyond 2019.

The report details a pilot project in Mongolia using the SDG Synergies approach to identify interactions between 17 targets from the Sustainable Development Vision (SDV) 2030. Centered on integrated water governance, the process involved a stakeholder workshop in Ulaanbaatar to map first-order interactions, followed by SEI's second-order and cluster analyses. The findings highlight the critical role of accountable governance and urban planning in driving sustainability, while identifying strong self-reinforcing synergies within the agriculture and food sectors. The project resulted in the Mongolian Cabinet approving guidelines for using the approach in sectoral policy development.

The 47th meeting of the IAI Executive Council focused on coordinating scientific priorities, financial planning, and governance structures ahead of CoP-27. Key outcomes include recommendations for the adoption of a new IAI Strategic Plan and Scientific Agenda, the proposal to create a task force to engage national funding agencies, and the recommendation to extend the IAI Executive Director's contract. The Council also addressed the need for greater geographic and subject matter diversity within the Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) and discussed capacity-building efforts in Central America and the Caribbean.

The document argues that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C limit and proposes a ten-point agenda to scale up mitigation ambition. It emphasizes the need for a whole-economy view to avoid detrimental social and economic consequences and argues that climate mitigation and sustainable development goals are synergistic rather than contradictory. The paper calls for a full transformation across all sectors to reach net zero CO2 emissions globally by 2050, requiring that all financial flows be made Paris-compatible and that countries with higher capacities support those with limited resources.

The document argues that while a low-carbon future requires increased mining of specific minerals, South Africa must shift away from coal dependence toward a 'green industrialisation' strategy. It highlights how Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) technologies can make mining less invasive and create new value chains in renewable energy components, while warning that automation and the abandonment of fossil fuels will necessitate large-scale worker reskilling to avoid social upheaval.

The document outlines a framework for G20 nations to align their near-term climate pledges (NDCs) with mid-century visions (LTSs) to achieve Paris Agreement goals. It emphasizes that such alignment avoids carbon lock-in, supports just transitions, and unlocks economic benefits, including a potential US$26 trillion in global benefits by 2030. The paper provides guidance on NDC implementation, the process for updating pledges by 2020, and the necessity of G20 support for developing countries to overcome capacity and financing gaps.

The policy brief examines the 'resource curse' in Africa, where mineral abundance often correlates with under-development due to weak institutional quality. It argues that the EU's Raw Materials Initiative (RMI) must better align with the African Mining Vision (AMV) to ensure mining catalyzes long-term development rather than remaining purely extractive. The author highlights the risks of 'Dutch Disease' and the prevalence of illicit financial flows (IFFs), noting that transparency alone is insufficient for accountability. The brief concludes that EU private sector actors and policymakers must move beyond corporate social responsibility to become 'systems shapers' who address political economy realities and reduce power asymmetries to achieve extractive justice.

The briefing outlines four strategic priorities for the upcoming UN Climate Action and SDG Summits: ramping up ambition for systemic economic change, ensuring a just transition that protects vulnerable populations, scaling high-impact solutions across six key sectors, and establishing inclusive long-term goals for carbon neutrality and equity.

The document outlines a methodology for calculating the amount of fossil fuel subsidies per unit of GDP, as required by SDG indicator 12.c.1, for both national and global estimates.

The report identifies approximately 300 international cooperative initiatives (ICIs) under the Global Climate Action Agenda, noting that Nordic countries are highly active participants, with 62% of these initiatives involving at least one Nordic country. It argues that while these initiatives vary in scale and transparency, they are critical for bridging the estimated 32 Gigaton emissions gap by 2030 required to limit temperature rise to 1.5 degrees Celsius. The analysis highlights seven specific initiatives—including the Under2 Coalition and the New York Declaration on Forests—as high-potential areas for Nordic leadership and support, aligned with the 2019 Declaration on Nordic Carbon Neutrality.

A joint statement by civil society organizations challenging the claims of the International Hydropower Association that large dams are 'clean and green' solutions for the Paris Climate Agreement and UN SDGs. The authors demand a redirection of funding from large-scale hydro to decentralized renewables and the legal protection of free-flowing rivers.

The document argues that 'communication and information poverty'—characterized by lack of access to platforms, media misrepresentation, and limited media literacy—is a structural deficit that hinders the achievement of the UN 2030 Agenda. While acknowledging that SDGs 5, 9, 16, and 17 touch upon ICTs and public information, the authors contend that these are insufficient. They advocate for a rights-based approach to communication, emphasizing that freedom of expression must be supported by rights to privacy, data protection, and linguistic diversity to ensure marginalized groups can participate in decision-making processes.

The document examines the tension between current development models and disaster risk reduction, arguing that many development patterns actually drive disaster risks. It posits that while resilience is often used to integrate development and disaster risk reduction, resilience alone is insufficient without addressing the underlying power structures and drivers of risk to ensure equitable outcomes for marginalized groups.

The report examines how Kazakhstan can integrate climate adaptation into its governance structure, focusing on two primary entry points: high-level national strategic documents and sub-national development programs. It highlights a gap in methodological knowledge for conducting Risk and Vulnerability Assessments (RVAs) and suggests a model where national scientific bodies conduct RVAs while provincial departments prioritize and implement measures. The document recommends leveraging the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) process and the Green Economy Concept to mainstream climate resilience, while proposing specific adjustments to the Ministry of National Economy's Territorial Development Program to ensure investments are climate-proofed.

The document examines how Kazakhstan can vertically integrate climate action by linking national strategic documents and subnational development programs. It highlights the role of the Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of National Economy in coordinating these efforts, while emphasizing the need for improved climate information, systematic risk and vulnerability assessments (RVA), and capacity building for local authorities. The report proposes specific mechanisms to embed climate risks into regional development planning and suggests a 'training of trainers' model to sustain methodological expertise.

The Stockholm Environment Institute's SDG Synergies approach provides a systemic framework for planning sustainable development by analyzing how progress toward specific SDG targets influences others. The method involves a three-step process: customizing a subset of 20 to 40 relevant targets, scoring their direct interactions in a cross-impact matrix, and using network analysis to identify indirect 'ripple effects' and clusters of targets. This approach aims to improve priority-setting, resource allocation, and cross-sectoral collaboration by identifying targets with high positive influence and mitigating potential trade-offs.

The report examines the dilemma of the Swedish mining sector: its necessity for the low-carbon energy transition versus its negative environmental and social impacts. Through a collaborative project between Svemin and SEI, the authors developed four future scenarios for 2050 and a draft sustainability roadmap consisting of 31 robust action points. Key recommendations include improving supply chain traceability, addressing land-use conflicts with Indigenous Sami rights, and pursuing 'moonshot' projects like the 'invisible mine' to minimize surface impacts.

The document emphasizes the need for global actors and diplomats to anticipate and manage the trade-offs associated with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to ensure a sustainable world. It specifically highlights that aligning peacebuilding and climate adaptation efforts can enhance long-term stability and resilience.

The report explores how blockchain technology and 'impact tokens' can overcome systemic barriers in impact investing to better support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It identifies five primary barriers to scaling impact investing—including lack of appropriate capital and insufficient impact measurement—and proposes that impact tokens can increase trust, promote inclusion, improve data collection, and incentivize sustainable behaviors.

The Interinstitutional Working Group on Inclusive Green Economy in Uruguay, supported by GIZ and the PAGE initiative, has empowered government officials as 'change agents' to mainstream inclusive green economy (IGE) principles across various ministries. Through capacity-building in project and change management, the group coordinated specific environmental projects—such as tire reuse, industrial competitiveness in the St. Lucia Basin, and a green tourism label—and promoted green public management within government agencies. These efforts contributed to Uruguay becoming a PAGE country in 2017 and improved the management of international commitments like the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.