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The Special Investigating Unit (SIU) is identified as one of South Africa's most effective anti-corruption agencies, primarily due to its use of civil law remedies and a culture of integrity. However, it faces significant hurdles, including a cumbersome Presidential proclamation process, a precarious funding model, and a lack of legally binding authority for its recommendations. The document suggests legal amendments to the SIU Act, improved whistleblower protections, and a potential transition into a dedicated Chapter 9 anti-corruption agency.

The document outlines research and proposals for reforming South African local government, emphasizing the need to move from neoliberal cost-recovery models to 'democratic decommodification' and fiscal justice. Key themes include the use of digital platforms like fixlocal and MyRepresentative to bridge the information gap between citizens and councillors, the role of 'invented spaces' for community action on water rights, and the implementation of data-driven tools like Cape Town's Ease of Doing Business Index to improve service delivery. It also highlights failures in Performance Management Systems (PMS) in municipalities such as Polokwane and the need for gender-inclusive political communication and youth civic education to ensure meaningful participation in governance.

The report details how private equity firms profit from the detention and sheltering of immigrants in the United States through contracts for facility management, healthcare, telecommunications, and biometrics. It highlights specific instances of fiscal mismanagement and poor conditions in facilities managed by private equity-backed companies, such as DocGo and GardaWorld. The document also examines the expansion of surveillance through biometric systems like HART and the role of private equity in border militarization and deportation logistics.

The document argues that the EU's Circular Material Use Rate has stagnated, increasing only from 10.7% in 2010 to 11.5% in 2022, necessitating a shift from waste management to direct resource-use reduction. It calls for the appointment of a dedicated European Commissioner for Circular Economy to oversee binding resource-use targets, fiscal shifts from labour to raw material extraction, and the integration of circular criteria into trade policies like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism. The authors advocate for a 'Circular Single Market' to reduce geopolitical vulnerabilities and dependence on primary materials, alongside strengthened Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) frameworks and the use of public procurement as an accelerator for circularity. Additionally, the letter emphasizes the role of local and regional authorities, who are responsible for over 70% of Green Deal implementation, and the need to align funding with the top tiers of the waste hierarchy: prevention, re-use, and recycling.

The document outlines the GCF's procurement process for RFPs, detailing the use of the Oracle Supplier Portal, the 'two-envelope' system for separating technical and financial proposals, and the evaluation criteria based on a combination of points and cost. It specifies communication protocols, submission deadlines, and the legal status of the GCF, including tax exemptions in the Republic of Korea. The guide also defines rules regarding conflicts of interest, the use of former employees, and the requirements for joint ventures.

The document outlines the GCF's RFQ process, specifying that quotations are assessed on a pass/fail basis and then rated by cost. It details the use of the GCF Oracle Supplier Portal for registration and submission, communication protocols restricted to the Head of Procurement, and strict rules regarding quotation validity (90 days), prohibited file formats, and ethical conduct. It also clarifies the GCF's tax-exempt status in the Republic of Korea and the requirement for all official communications to be in English.

The report argues that Manitoba requires a massive, publicly led effort to implement deep energy retrofits (DERs)—defined as improvements reducing energy use by at least 50%—to meet 2050 net-zero targets. It estimates that 200,000 home retrofits are needed, requiring an annual investment of CAD 1.2 billion. The authors propose the creation of a Manitoba Green Bank to provide low- or no-interest financing and the adoption of a retrofit code by 2025. The strategy emphasizes a 'just transition' by prioritizing low-income renters and utilizing social enterprises to train underrepresented groups, including women and Indigenous Peoples, for the thousands of green jobs expected to be created.

The GCF Standard Terms and Conditions for Purchases (August 2024) outline the contractual obligations for contractors supplying goods or services to the Green Climate Fund. Key provisions include payment terms (30 days post-acceptance), warranty requirements for quality and non-infringement, and strict adherence to GCF's Policy on Prohibited Practices and SEAH Policy. The agreement is governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea, with disputes settled via UNCITRAL arbitration in Seoul. It also specifies GCF's tax exemptions under its Headquarters Agreement and requires contractors to uphold the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact.

PARI supports measures to increase transparency in coalition governments, such as public voting for office bearers and public coalition agreements, and the introduction of a 1% vote threshold for council seats. However, it expresses caution regarding the mandatory shift from mayoral to collective executive systems in non-majority councils, citing risks of administrative paralysis and loss of accountability. The submission also recommends extending the appointment period for office bearers from 14 to 30 days and strengthening legislative protections for municipal administrations against political interference in procurement and staffing.

The EU is attempting to increase domestic production of net-zero technologies through the Net-Zero Industry Act (NZIA) and other strategies to reduce dependencies on China and the US. However, the author contends that the EU lacks the necessary funding to meet its 2030 targets, such as producing 40 per cent of its installation needs domestically. The document highlights a conflict between 'frugal' member states and those seeking a European Sovereignty Fund, leading to a reliance on the Temporary Crisis and Transition Framework (TCTF). This framework allows national 'matching aid', which the author argues creates unfair competition between wealthy nations like Germany and France and smaller states like Belgium. The text further critiques the use of non-price criteria in procurement and trade defense instruments, such as the Foreign Subsidies Regulation (FSR), noting they can increase costs for taxpayers and slow decarbonization. The author concludes that targeted, conditional European-level subsidies are the only viable way to ensure a just and cohesive green transition.

The document provides a legislative side-by-side analysis of the BioPreferred® Program, a USDA-managed initiative designed to increase the use of bio-based products to support economic development and replace fossil fuel-based materials. It details current mandatory and voluntary requirements for federal agencies and outlines proposed changes from the House version of the Farm Bill, particularly regarding reporting, accountability, and funding extensions through 2029.

The report examines 'state capture' in South Africa, defined as a systematic project to redirect state resources for private gain by weakening democratic institutions. It focuses on the Commission of Inquiry into Allegations of State Capture (Zondo Commission), detailing its findings on the targeting of state-owned enterprises like Transnet and Eskom, and the role of the Gupta family. The document also analyzes other South African commissions (e.g., Nugent, Mokgoro, Mpati) and provides a comparative analysis with Kenya's Bosire Commission to illustrate the limitations of commissions in achieving individual accountability. Finally, it discusses necessary reforms in public procurement, whistle-blower protection, and the professionalization of the public service to prevent future capture.

The Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) supports the Public Service Amendment Bill for shifting HR and appointment authority from executive authorities to departmental heads and barring senior public servants from political office. However, PARI argues the Bill is insufficient to fully implement the 2022 Professionalisation Framework, as it lacks enough checks and balances to prevent political corruption in the appointment of Heads of Department (HoDs) and subsequent procurement decisions.

The Civil Society Working Group on State Capture (CSWG) evaluates the Zondo Commission's impact, praising its exhaustive evidence gathering but criticising its failure to quantify the social costs of corruption and its uneven focus on private sector actors. The report calls for urgent reforms in law enforcement, public procurement, and public administration to ensure accountability and prevent future state capture.

The guide outlines four strategic initiatives for state DOTs to reduce the embodied carbon of concrete infrastructure: integrating Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) into procurement, adjusting material specifications to allow higher supplementary cementitious material (SCM) content, demonstrating Performance Engineered Mixture (PEM) designs, and piloting innovative near-zero or zero-emissions materials.

The JSR argues that the Public Procurement Bill (B18B-2023) relies on an ineffective 'administrative paradigm' rather than a 'strategic contracting paradigm'. The submission highlights significant constitutional risks, particularly regarding the removal of price as a required criterion for tenders and the conflation of preference categories. It calls for the independence of regulatory functions from the National Treasury, the introduction of incentivized whistleblowing, and the adoption of open contracting standards to combat corruption and ensure value for money.

The workshop report details discussions on the progress of South Africa's recovery from state capture, highlighting systemic obstructions in law enforcement, the need for institutional independence, and proposals for a new Office of Public Integrity. It emphasizes the role of grassroots activism and the necessity of reforming public procurement and local government governance to prevent 'state capture 2.0'.

The Procurement Reform Working Group (PRWG) criticizes the Public Procurement Bill 2023, asserting that it was rushed through Parliament with inadequate consultation and contains flaws that could amplify corruption and economic instability in South Africa. The group highlights the erosion of integrity provisions, the failure to implement Zondo Commission recommendations, and the introduction of a vague preferential procurement chapter that may lead to operational chaos and litigation.

The report identifies clinker production as the primary source of emissions in the cement sector, accounting for 88% of total emissions. It evaluates three main decarbonization levers: substituting clinker with materials like fly ash and calcined clay, replacing coal and gas with biomass, waste, or green hydrogen, and deploying CCUS. While some progress is noted in developed markets, the report warns that absolute emissions will rise as production grows in emerging markets like India and Africa unless green processes are scaled. Key barriers include supply constraints for substitutes, high upfront costs for CCUS, and a lack of carbon transport infrastructure in high-growth regions.

A civil society coalition denounces the use of tear gas by Indonesian police against residents and students in Rempang during the implementation of the Rempang Eco-City project. The statement highlights a pattern of police violence and alleges financial irregularities in the procurement of tear gas munitions, which cost Rp 2.01 trillion between 2013 and 2022. The coalition demands that President Joko Widodo order the National Police Chief to stop violent crowd control and halt further tear gas purchases pending a governance evaluation.