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The document positions cities as central actors in the global movement to end fossil fuel dependence, noting that while they are major emitters, they can lead through 'city diplomacy' and local policy. It outlines 21 key recommendations divided into two main categories: enhancing city diplomacy and removing the 'social licence' of the fossil fuel industry, and implementing sectoral decarbonisation in transportation, energy, the built environment, and waste management. The brief emphasizes that urban action must be coupled with national-level pressure to ensure a just transition for workers and marginalized communities.

The report identifies a global shift toward embedding social justice in climate action and the rise of green macroeconomic policies like the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Green Deal. While renewable energy capacity and electric vehicle sales are hitting records, the transition faces significant hurdles, including a 'gold rush' for critical minerals often lacking governance, inadequate private sector investment in nature, and a trust deficit between citizens and institutions. The document argues for a new 'eco-social contract' based on participatory governance and a fundamental reform of the multilateral financial system to support low- and middle-income countries.

The City of Cape Town has established a pioneering model for integrating small-scale embedded generation (SSEG) into its municipal grid, resulting in approximately 6,400 authorised grid-tied systems and over 140 MVA of installed capacity by June 2024. Driven by escalating national loadshedding and rising electricity costs, the City implemented a series of technical guidelines, feed-in tariffs, and smart metering infrastructure. Key initiatives include the 'Cash for Power' programme, the removal of 'net consumer' requirements to allow full account offsetting, and the 2024 launch of an online application system to reduce administrative backlogs. These efforts have facilitated between R1.7 billion and R2.6 billion in investment and created approximately 713 to 1,140 full-time equivalent jobs in the local green economy.

The document argues that industrialisation is essential for improving living standards and creating youth employment in Africa, but notes a lack of focus on this goal during the 2022 and 2023 G20 summits. It identifies a productivity gap where large firms fail to generate sufficient employment and small firms lack productivity. The author recommends that the G20 adopt a unifying theme of industrialisation to support structural transformation, agricultural productivity, and the integration of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) into global value chains.

The mid-term evaluation of Côte d’Ivoire's SNGCC 2020–2024 reveals a low overall implementation rate, with only 16% of activities fully completed. While the strategy is deemed relevant and aligned with international commitments and national priorities, it suffers from a lack of budgeting, an absent monitoring and evaluation framework, and insufficient funding for direct actions. Significant progress was made in capacity building and inter-institutional coordination, including the establishment of the National Gender and Climate Change Platform (PNGCC) and the integration of gender perspectives into the National Adaptation Plan (PNA) and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). However, the axis focused on the empowerment of women and girls has seen the least progress, with over 80% of its activities not yet implemented. The report recommends adopting a results-based management approach for the next strategy, mobilizing more internal and external resources, and expanding gender-climate training to local authorities and community leaders.

The document outlines how a guaranteed universal basic income (UBIG) serves as an investment in human capital by breaking the cycle of structural poverty. It provides evidence that cash transfers improve child health (reducing malnutrition and increasing birth weight), enhance mental health (reducing stress and depression), and boost educational attainment (increasing school enrollment and completion rates). The text highlights that a UBIG would complement existing grants, such as South Africa's Child Support Grant, by ensuring universal coverage and providing resources for school-related costs and adult retraining for a green economy.

The document outlines how a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) serves as a government commitment to ensure all citizens receive a minimum amount to meet basic needs. It details the positive impacts of cash transfers on child health, adult mental well-being, and lifelong learning, citing evidence from South Africa, Namibia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania to demonstrate how such guarantees can break cycles of structural poverty.

The document outlines how a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) serves as a tool to break the cycle of poverty by improving physical health, mental well-being, and educational attainment. It cites evidence from South Africa, Namibia, India, Kenya, and Tanzania to demonstrate that cash transfers reduce child malnutrition, increase school enrollment, and lower psychological stress. The text positions UBIG as an investment in human capital that supports lifelong learning and prepares workers for a green economy.

The Marrakech Framework outlines an African agenda for reforming the global financial architecture, focusing on debt resolution, increased concessional funding, the re-channeling of Special Drawing Rights, greater African representation in global decision-making, and a commitment to green growth. It argues that current systems, rooted in the 1950s, hinder Africa's potential and calls for a transition where the continent is a contributor of ideas and investment rather than just a beneficiary.

This Request for Quotation (RFQ) issued by GreenCape seeks a service provider to develop the system requirements and solution architecture for an online platform designed to address skills priorities in the renewable energy sector. Funded by UK Pact, the platform aims to connect industry, Post School and Education Training (PSET) institutions, and Sector Education and Training Authorities (SETAs) to align graduate skills with industry competency needs.

The report argues that while Bangladesh must transition to a climate-resilient, low-carbon economy, this process requires 'just transition' planning to prevent negative impacts on vulnerable individuals. It recommends enhancing inter-ministerial coordination, broadening the use of climate finance to include social support, and implementing restorative justice in worker reskilling programs to include women, youth, and poor communities. Additionally, it calls for the education sector to prepare youth for the green economy and for Bangladesh to advocate in international forums for accountability from high-emitting countries regarding social, cultural, and economic losses.

The author asserts that while climate change threatens to reduce global GDP by 14% by 2050, investments in clean energy could boost global GDP by 4% by 2030. The text emphasizes the need for a nine-fold increase in clean energy investment relative to fossil fuels by 2030 to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. It highlights the role of Temasek in funding technology-based and nature-based solutions and closing financing gaps for sustainable infrastructure in Asia through Pentagreen Capital. The author calls for visionary government policies to provide the clarity needed for private sector investment in renewables, electrification, and energy efficiency.

The briefing examines the shift toward a feminist foreign policy in Germany, specifically through the BMZ's 2023 Africa strategy. While acknowledging progress in aligning with African priorities like Agenda 2063 and addressing structural inequalities, the author argues that the feminist approach is currently limited primarily to development cooperation. The document calls for a more comprehensive application of feminist principles to peace and security, economic policy (specifically care work), climate action (integrating indigenous knowledge), and migration to dismantle global hierarchies and post-colonial continuities.

The document analyzes Russia's strategic pivot toward Africa as a means to diversify partners and evade Western sanctions following the invasion of Ukraine. It identifies three primary pillars of engagement: economic interests in mining, energy, and agriculture; geopolitical efforts to undermine Western influence in the Sahel and Mediterranean; and the promotion of multipolarity to challenge US-led unipolarity. While Africa is described as a 'policy tool' rather than a central priority, Russia leverages its lack of colonial history and non-conditional military support to gain influence among African states.

The document examines occupational air pollution in southeast Asia, highlighting that 87% of the workforce is in the informal sector, where workers face higher exposure and fewer protections. Case studies from Cambodia, Lao PDR, Viet Nam, and Thailand reveal that gender, age, and class create differentiated risks, with men often facing higher direct exposure in some roles while women face confining indoor pollution in others. The report finds a widespread lack of awareness regarding health impacts and a critical gap in government accountability due to fragmented agency collaboration. It recommends updating labour laws to include informal workers, improving occupational safety awareness, and establishing a single responsible agency for national air pollution monitoring and control.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) critiques the 2023 South African Budget, asserting that it prioritizes debt stabilization and austerity over essential public services and social protection. The IEJ highlights significant real-term funding shortfalls in healthcare, education, and social grants, and warns that conditions on Eskom's debt relief facilitate privatization and exacerbate energy poverty. The document calls for a shift toward a developmental macroeconomic framework, progressive taxation—including a wealth tax and returning the corporate tax rate to 28%—and the implementation of a permanent basic income support system to address systemic inequality and poverty.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) calls for the 2023/2024 Budget to abandon regressive macroeconomic policies and prioritize public investment in infrastructure, the green economy, and social services. The statement emphasizes the need for the state to absorb Eskom's debt, renegotiate power purchase agreements, and increase the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to the Food Poverty Line to combat extreme poverty and energy instability.

The report finds a general lack of integration of women's economic empowerment in economy-wide low-carbon transitions, with mainstream 'green economy' and 'just transition' narratives often remaining gender-blind or biased toward male-dominated industries. While feminist literature has historically focused on climate adaptation and vulnerability, sectoral practice—particularly in agriculture and forestry—shows more advanced integration of women as agents of change. Some national climate plans, such as those of Nepal and the Republic of the Marshall Islands, are identified as role models for embedding gender equality into mitigation strategies. The authors argue that current global economic recovery efforts following the Covid-19 pandemic have failed to connect decarbonisation with gender equality, risking further marginalisation of women in low- and middle-income countries.

The document assesses the attractiveness of South Africa's green economy manufacturing market, detailing policy frameworks, electricity costs, labour laws, and tax systems. It highlights significant opportunities in renewable energy, water infrastructure, and sustainable agriculture, while identifying critical bottlenecks such as load shedding, policy inconsistency, and skills shortages.

The report evaluates the African Union's (AU) first two decades, highlighting a significant gap between the creation of ambitious normative and institutional frameworks and their actual implementation. While the AU has succeeded in establishing a continental legal order and promoting multi-party democracy, it struggles with institutional incapacity, over-reliance on external funding, and a lack of political will among member states to cede sovereignty. Key areas of analysis include the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and the role of women and youth in governance. The authors argue that for the AU to achieve the goals of Agenda 2063, it must shift from a state-centric model to a people-driven organization, enhance its self-reliance, and translate its existing norms into tangible outcomes.