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The document examines South African business activities in the DRC across sectors such as mining, telecommunications, and agriculture, highlighting both the positive developmental impacts and the significant operational challenges posed by corruption and bureaucracy.

The study evaluates the Arctic Council's ability to function as a learning organization. It finds that while the Council successfully bridged local and global policy on persistent organic pollutants (POPs), it has struggled to reframe its role and structure to effectively address climate change and the social impacts of extractive industries. The authors argue that 'governance fit' should be viewed as an organization's capacity for learning and adaptation rather than a fixed match between the scale of a problem and the scope of the governing body.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) is calling for a review of South Africa's National Dust Control Regulations, arguing that current monitoring methods are inadequate and that the government is incorrectly treating fugitive dust as a 'nuisance' rather than a health risk. CER specifically highlights the danger of toxic substances like arsenic and uranium in gold mine residues in Gauteng and opposes a proposal to double the allowable 30-day average dust limit from 600mg/m2 to 1200mg/m2. The letter also demands that the scope of regulated activities be expanded to explicitly include gold mine tailings re-mining operations.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) submitted comments to the Department of Environmental Affairs on October 7, 2016, regarding proposed amendments to the Financial Provisioning Regulations, 2015. The CER argues that several proposed deletions of appendices and clauses would create legal uncertainty, reduce transparency, and weaken the state's ability to ensure that mining rehabilitation funds are available and used correctly.

The document examines Mozambique's reliance on FDI and overseas development assistance (ODA) for post-war reconstruction. While megaprojects in extractives and infrastructure have driven GDP growth, the paper highlights a disconnect between this growth and human development indicators. It analyzes the legal frameworks governing mining and hydrocarbons, the impact of coal and natural gas projects, and the challenges of agricultural development through initiatives like ProSAVANA. The author argues for leveraging the technology and infrastructure of the extractive sector to support agriculture and local community prosperity.

The document advocates for a legally binding UN treaty to hold transnational corporations (TNCs) accountable for human rights and environmental abuses. It highlights the failure of voluntary corporate social responsibility codes and the misuse of bilateral investment treaties (BITs) and Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanisms to challenge public health and environmental laws. Through case studies in Latin America and Africa, it illustrates how TNCs operate with impunity due to gaps in national legal systems and the lack of extraterritorial obligations for home states.

The document argues that poor environmental governance by the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) and the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) leads to systemic violations of environmental rights in South Africa's mining sector. It highlights severe impacts on water resources, including acid mine drainage and the depletion of aquifers, and notes the destruction of strategic water source areas (SWSAs). The CER identifies critical failures in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process, citing insufficient timeframes for public participation and a lack of independence among practitioners. It recommends transferring environmental regulation of mines from the DMR to environmental authorities, implementing free prior and informed consent (FPIC) for communities, and establishing 'no-go' areas for mining in ecologically sensitive zones.

The South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) is convening a National Hearing on 13-14 September 2016 to investigate socio-economic challenges in mining-affected communities across South Africa. Following consultations in KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, and Mpumalanga, the Commission identified systemic issues including non-compliance with legal and environmental obligations, failures in enforcement, insufficient community consultation, and limited social upliftment. The SAHRC has invited the Centre for Environmental Rights to provide submissions specifically regarding the efficacy of environmental compliance monitoring, the implementation of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental Management Plans (EMPs), and the impact of mining on water resources and ecosystems.

The report 'Hostile Takeover' by Global Witness exposes how the family of Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen has established a dominant grip on the country's economy and political apparatus. By mining government corporate registry data, the investigation reveals that the family has registered interests in 114 companies with listed capital exceeding US$200 million, spanning sectors from energy and mining to media and gambling. The document details how this economic power is used to reinforce political control, often through the use of proxies and shell companies to obscure ownership. It further highlights the social and environmental costs of these business interests, including forced evictions and land grabs. The report warns international investors of the legal and reputational risks of doing business with the Hun family and recommends stringent due diligence and governance reforms in Cambodia.

The document outlines the severe risks faced by environmental human rights defenders (EHRDs), particularly indigenous people and women in the Americas and Cambodia. It identifies the root causes of these threats as the prioritization of profit from resource extraction and large-scale development over community rights and environmental health. The authors argue that a legally binding regional agreement based on Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration is essential to guarantee access to information, public participation, and justice in Latin America and the Caribbean to protect EHRDs and hold both State and corporate actors accountable.

The Australian High Commission states that it has no authority to grant or deny mining rights for Mineral Commodities Ltd's (MRC) proposed titanium mine in Xolobeni, as such matters fall under South African law. The Commission confirms that MRC was unsuccessful in a 2006-07 application for funding under the Direct Aid Program and received no funds. While the Australian government does not oversee overseas activities of its companies, it expects compliance with applicable laws, including those regarding foreign bribery and international sanctions, and encourages adherence to OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises and the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.

The document examines the systemic marginalisation of African communities affected by mining, highlighting the gap between official policy and the reality of environmental degradation, forced relocation, and health hazards. It details specific tools for empowerment, such as community protocols in Kenya and Zimbabwe, paralegal interventions in Sierra Leone, and strategic litigation regarding silicosis in South Africa. The text emphasizes the disproportionate burden on women and the necessity of moving beyond narrow legal definitions of 'indigenous peoples' to protect all customary landholders through the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC).

The paper estimates that Chinese financiers provided US$86.3 billion to African governments and state-owned enterprises between 2000 and 2014, a figure lower than many common beliefs. The authors argue that Chinese lending is driven by business interests—specifically generating construction contracts for Chinese firms—rather than a primary desire to secure natural resources. While transportation and energy are the largest sectors receiving funds, approximately one-third of the loans are secured by commodities or exports to mitigate risk in unstable environments. The authors warn that while a debt crisis has not yet occurred, rising debt levels and the unlikely nature of policy bank debt cancellation pose future risks.

Friends of the Earth International issued a statement on International Women's Day 2016 to protest the murder of Berta Cáceres, an indigenous Lenca leader and environmental justice activist in Honduras. The organization denounces the Honduran government for aiding transnational corporations in the appropriation of community territories and for the persecution of peaceful dissent. The statement links environmental justice to the end of violence against women and calls for an independent investigation into Cáceres' assassination, an end to impunity, and a stop to paramilitary activities in Honduras.

Friends of the Earth International (ATI) issued a statement on International Women's Day 2016 to denounce the assassination of Lenca indigenous leader Berta Cáceres in Honduras. The organization links the violence against Cáceres and other environmental defenders to a systemic intersection of patriarchy, racism, and predatory capitalism, where both women's bodies and communal territories are exploited as infinite resources for elite interests. ATI demands an independent international investigation into the murder, an end to impunity, and a cessation of paramilitary activities in Honduras supported by foreign governments.

Friends of the Earth International issues a statement on International Women's Day 2016 to protest the murder of Berta Cáceres in Honduras. The organization denounces the Honduran government for its role in facilitating the appropriation of common goods by transnational corporations and for the repression of peaceful opposition. The statement links environmental justice to the end of violence against women, arguing that both nature and women's labor are exploited within a patriarchal, capitalist, and racist system. It calls for an independent international investigation into Cáceres' death and an end to the persecution of indigenous rights defenders.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has written to the Minister of Mineral Resources, requesting the public release of compliance monitoring and enforcement data for the mining sector. The CER argues that the lack of public data allows companies to hide poor environmental compliance, which negatively impacts local communities. Although a previous Minister stated in July 2015 that mining sector data would be included in the Department of Environmental Affairs' annual National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report (NECER), the 2014-2015 NECER published in November 2015 contained no such information. The CER seeks confirmation that the 2015-2016 NECER will include this data or asks when the Department of Mineral Resources will publish its own report.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has written to the Minister of Water and Sanitation to inquire about the delayed publication of an annual report on compliance monitoring and enforcement. The CER argues that public reporting is essential to prevent companies from hiding poor environmental compliance and to protect local communities near mines and industrial facilities. The request follows a September 2015 briefing where the Department indicated the report would be published in October 2015.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) has issued an open letter to Anglo American following the company's February 2016 announcement to sell its South African coal and iron ore assets. The CER warns against a trend where large mining firms sell assets with significant environmental liabilities to smaller companies that subsequently go insolvent, leaving the state and public to bear the cost of rehabilitation. Citing cases like Harmony Gold and DRDGold, the CER argues that the transfer of mining rights constitutes administrative action requiring public participation under the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act 3 of 2000 (PAJA). The letter demands that Anglo American publicly disclose its intended transfers, Environmental Management Programmes, and financial provisions for rehabilitation to avoid adding to the 6,000 derelict and ownerless mines already existing in South Africa.

The document highlights the critical role of water in Zimbabwe's economy, particularly for agriculture, power production, and mining, and argues that water must be central to the National Climate Change Response Strategy (NCCRS). It proposes using structural and non-structural adaptation measures, including 'no-regrets actions', to mitigate climate impacts projected for 2050 and 2080.