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The document analyzes the 'arduous' journey of Zambian civil society in the APRM process, highlighting the establishment of a dedicated CSO APRM Secretariat in 2007 and its eventual closure in 2011. It details how the process was hindered by resource constraints, political instability following the death of President Levy Mwanawasa, and overlaps with a contentious national constitutional review. Key achievements include the production of an independent CSO thematic report that influenced the Country Self-Assessment Report and the Country Review Report. The author argues that the lack of a plan to monitor the National Programme of Action (NPoA) after the Secretariat's closure was a fundamental flaw, and emphasizes the need for long-term funding and collective capacity building for effective governance oversight.

The document details the Botswana APRM Popular Sensitisation (BAPS) Project, an initiative led by the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). It describes how over 35 CSOs collaborated to produce a governance report covering 12 key areas, despite challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The briefing provides a set of recommendations for other countries, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity, non-partisan coordination, and the use of ICTs to facilitate civic engagement in governance reviews.

The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and Jasoro Consulting launched the South African APRM Youth Submission on 26 May 2021. The submission resulted from a process starting in August 2020 involving over 100 youth volunteers across all provinces who identified nine key governance issues. The South African APRM National Governing Council (NGC) indicated that these inputs will form the basis of a dedicated youth section in the NGC's Country Self-Assessment Report.

The policy brief argues that South Africa's state deterioration is rooted in the politicisation of public administration, where political office-bearers use unchecked appointment and removal powers to install allies and sideline competent officials. To counter this, the author proposes a system of 'segregation of duties' where independent bodies, specifically the Public Service Commission (PSC), manage the process planning and short-listing stages to ensure technical merit, while political leaders retain the final appointment power. For municipalities, the brief suggests involving the PSC or professional associations in selection committees. Because patronage is central to current power structures, the document recommends a 'covering in' mechanism—a strategically incremental implementation via presidential proclamation—to transition departments and municipalities into the new system gradually.

The document presents the revised Standing Rules of the Executive Council (EC) of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI), updated in 2021 to accommodate virtual meetings via videoconferencing due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The document outlines the governance, membership, and operational procedures of the IAI Executive Council, including the transition to virtual meetings.

The report identifies a five-part cycle for effective mutual accountability: clarifying commitments, sharing performance information, evaluating performance through debate, experiencing reputational or relational consequences, and undertaking corrective action. It emphasizes that mutual accountability should be a constructive, learning-oriented process rather than a punitive one, supported by strong partnership foundations such as shared purpose and equalized power relationships. The findings suggest that for the SWA MAM to succeed, it must be co-designed at the national level, maintain a balance between global legitimacy and national ownership, and be integrated into existing national planning cycles.

The IAI Standing Committee for Rules and Procedures has proposed revised Standing rules for the Conference of the Parties (CoP) to accommodate virtual meetings via videoconferencing, necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The report includes the full text of the proposed revised rules governing participants, voting, elections, and administrative procedures.

The GCF Secretariat responds to an independent synthesis of its accreditation function, agreeing or partially agreeing with recommendations to improve access to resources. Key actions include updating the accreditation framework, strengthening the capacity of Direct Access Entities (DAEs), and implementing a project-specific assessment approach (PSAA) to complement institutional accreditation.

The Public Affairs Research Institute urges President Cyril Ramaphosa to strengthen the draft National Implementation Framework towards the Professionalisation of the Public Service. The author contends that current norms allow political office bearers to prioritize personal connections over expertise, contributing to corruption and the breakdown of basic services. The letter proposes granting the Public Service Commission greater institutional independence to manage the appointment and removal of senior public servants, including the head of the public service and directors-general, to ensure a capable state able to address social, economic, and climate crises.

The Zimbabwe APRM Popular Sensitisation (ZAPS) Project hosted a workshop on February 26, 2021, involving the Zimbabwean government, the APRM Secretariat, and civil society organisations (CSOs). The event focused on the role of CSOs in enhancing accountability and transparency through the APRM process. Participants from Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia shared experiences, emphasizing the need to avoid politicising the review process, the value of unified CSO collaboration, and the importance of involving youth and providing civic education to ordinary citizens.

The workshop served as a platform for youth working groups to validate a report on governance in South Africa, covering themes from institutional planning and political participation to climate change and economic empowerment. Government and APRM representatives emphasized the importance of integrating youth voices into the national review process, particularly given high youth unemployment rates. The working groups identified systemic failures in policy implementation, a lack of youth representation in political parties, and the need for a 'green, intersectional and just' future to address climate change and its compounding effects on other social issues.

The research uses content analysis to examine the integration of health within global agendas for climate change, sustainable development, disaster risk reduction, and urban transformation. It finds a lack of governance mechanisms and limited thematic synergies, suggesting that health systems strengthening and the concept of planetary health could improve the coherence of national policy implementation.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) faces a 'paradox of plenty,' where immense natural resources coexist with extreme poverty and poor human development indicators. On its current trajectory, the DRC is projected to remain a low-income country with stagnant per capita income and high poverty rates through 2050. Key constraints include endemic corruption, a massive infrastructure deficit in electricity and transport, and a high fertility rate that hinders the demographic dividend. The report models several intervention scenarios, finding that while agricultural improvements offer short-term poverty relief, long-term prosperity depends on structural economic transformation and improved governance. A combined comprehensive scenario suggests that concerted action across governance, infrastructure, human capital, and agriculture could reduce the extreme poverty rate to 9.6% by 2050.

The document examines the intersection of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement, and the Sendai Framework on Disaster Risk Reduction, using Germany as a case study to identify mechanisms for integrated policy making. It argues that while coherence is recognized as valuable, practical implementation remains a challenge due to a lack of research on enabling factors. The study identifies six good practices from the German experience, emphasizing that coherence requires strong political will and the involvement of all administrative levels, though it notes there is no universal approach to institutional coherence.

The report synthesizes findings from 49 peer-reviewed articles and 72 distinct analyses to determine what factors drive individuals to aspire to migrate. It employs a two-step model distinguishing between the formation of aspirations and their conversion into actual migration. The review identifies 32 determinants across demographic, socio-economic, individual, contextual, and migration-related domains. Key findings indicate that migration aspirations are most strongly and consistently driven by youth, male gender, the presence of migration networks, a history of international travel, and exposure to violence or insecurity. Conversely, aspirations are consistently lowered by increasing age, higher subjective well-being, and strong social attachment to the community of origin. The document also notes a significant research gap in the 'conversion' phase—how aspirations translate into actual movement—due to the logistical challenges of longitudinal panel data collection.

The Kenya WASH sector features diverse stakeholders and platforms, but broad-based coordination forums like the Joint Sector Working Group are largely dormant or dysfunctional. While 'soft' accountability mechanisms such as strategic planning and performance reporting are common, they often lack follow-up and sanctions, leading to weak mutual accountability. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily enhanced collaboration but exposed severe financial accountability gaps and corruption in public procurement. The Sanitation and Water for All (SWA) Mutual Accountability Mechanism (MAM) is being introduced to address these gaps, though its integration is hindered by the lack of active national forums.

The document argues that the creation of the African Union's Department of Political Affairs, Peace and Security (DPAPS) was primarily a financial cost-cutting exercise rather than a strategic move toward integrated crisis response. It identifies critical gaps in coordination between the African Governance Architecture (AGA) and the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), noting a risk that military and reactive approaches will continue to be prioritized over political and preventive diplomacy. The authors recommend establishing standard operating procedures, creating a strategic coordination unit (possibly a Chief of Staff), and harmonizing funding instruments to ensure sustainable support for conflict prevention. Politically, the brief emphasizes the need for a clear legal definition of subsidiarity between the AU and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and increased engagement of the AUC Chairperson in Peace and Security Council (PSC) proceedings.

The report argues that South Africa's state is in crisis due to systemic corruption and patronage, which are enabled by the unchecked power of politicians over public administrative appointments and procurement. It proposes a 'path to professionalisation' through the creation of independent checks and balances, specifically by dividing appointment processes into stages managed by independent bodies like the Public Service Commission. For criminal justice institutions (NPA, SAPS, DPCI, IPID), it advocates for transparent selection panels to insulate leadership from political interference. Regarding public procurement, the report identifies a crisis of non-compliance and capacity, proposing a single coherent statute, a unified regulatory authority, and the introduction of 'qui tam' mechanisms to incentivise private citizens to report and sue for procurement fraud.

The report argues that Algeria must implement comprehensive political, social, and economic reforms to address systemic corruption, poor governance, and an over-reliance on oil. It highlights the need to diversify the economy, improve the business environment for the private sector, and transition toward renewable energy and sustainable water management to mitigate climate impacts. Key recommendations include enhancing transparency, reducing food imports by boosting agricultural production, and aligning workforce skills with market needs.