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Zimbabwe's 2021 Revised NDC increases its conditional GHG emission reduction target to 40% per capita by 2030 (up from 33%) and expands its scope to cover all IPCC sectors: Energy, IPPU, Waste, and AFOLU. The report emphasizes Zimbabwe's high vulnerability to climate change, particularly in its rainfed agriculture sector, and outlines a mitigation cost of US$4,834.47 million. It introduces the National Climate Change Fund and a National Climate Finance Facility to mobilize public and private investment.

This research paper by the NewClimate Institute examines the use of carbon market mechanisms to deliver results-based finance (RBF) within the framework of the Paris Agreement. It analyzes the strengths of using CO2e as a standardized metric, identifies systemic limitations—such as the bias toward cheap mitigation and risks borne by developers—and proposes strategies to shift from rewarding to enabling climate action. The paper concludes that RBF is most effective for a specific niche: technologies that are proven but not yet mature or widely adopted.

The Green Finance Mapping Report 2020, published by the Climate Policy Initiative, analyzes the 2019 green finance commitments of the International Development Finance Club (IDFC). It details a rebound in green finance to $197 billion in 2019, with a heavy concentration in climate mitigation and a growing trend in adaptation finance. The report also examines the distribution of these funds between OECD and non-OECD institutions and their alignment with the Paris Agreement.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative, supported by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), proposes a framework for measuring climate finance flows to small-scale agriculture in developing countries and provides a snapshot of international financial commitments for 2017 and 2018.

This briefing paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyzes Green Climate Fund (GCF) funding proposals from 2015 to July 2018 to evaluate the extent of financial support directed toward energy access, particularly in high-impact and low-income countries.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the barriers sub-Saharan African countries face in accessing climate change finance. It argues that while capacity deficiencies in recipient countries are often highlighted, donor-centric processes, complex requirements, and a lack of standardized definitions significantly contribute to these challenges. The document recommends that donors undertake internal reviews to streamline processes and collaborate with recipients to establish a universal definition of climate finance.

This executive summary describes the expansion of the Good Practice Database (GPD) by the NewClimate Institute, analyzing 52 new case studies focused on the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for climate mitigation and adaptation.

RMI argues that the COVID-19 pandemic mirrors the systemic, unpredictable risks of climate change, highlighting the failure of traditional economic and financial models to manage externalities. The document advocates for a combined approach of mitigation and resilience, emphasizing the role of collective financial sector action and 'green' infrastructure to transition to a low-carbon, stable world.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute evaluates the progress of Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) in aligning their financial flows with the Paris Agreement. While a framework has been outlined, the authors argue that MDBs lack specific implementation dates, clear assessment criteria for mitigation and adaptation, and standardized reporting metrics.

The March 2020 Peace & Security Council Report details the African Union's (AU) response to the COVID-19 pandemic, political instability in Guinea-Bissau and South Sudan, geopolitical competition in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and the AU's marginal role in the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam dispute. It also outlines South Africa's priorities as the 2020 AU chair, focusing on 'Silencing the Guns', the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), and gender equality.

This briefing by the World Resources Institute outlines four critical areas for the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to address in its 2020-2023 Strategic Plan: aligning ambition with the 1.5 degrees Celsius goal, refining its approach to adaptation and loss and damage, maintaining programming quality amidst pressure for scale, and empowering developing country institutions through improved direct access.

SEI researchers developed a terminology card game as part of the Future Resilience for African CiTies and Lands (FRACTAL) project to help stakeholders in southern African cities, specifically Windhoek and Lusaka, overcome barriers in climate change adaptation planning. The game facilitates 'transdisciplinary knowledge integration' by helping participants distinguish between key concepts like weather, climate, adaptation, mitigation, and disaster risk reduction through a collaborative, non-threatening exercise. The activity is designed to build capacities and working relationships between city stakeholders and scientists to increase the uptake of science in policy.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law in January 2020, provides instructions for drafting shadow reports to United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTB). It focuses on documenting the links between national climate inaction (or harmful climate solutions) and the violation of state human rights obligations.

This guide by the Center for International Environmental Law provides a structured framework for organizations to draft parallel reports to UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs). It explains how to document the links between a state's climate inaction or ill-designed climate responses and its failure to meet human rights obligations, offering specific recommendations on content, formatting, and submission deadlines for various committees.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law synthesizes the work of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's use of General Comments, a Joint Statement with other treaty bodies, and the State reporting procedure to establish that States have human rights obligations to mitigate climate change, protect vulnerable populations, and provide international cooperation and finance.

This policy brief by the NewClimate Institute presents national greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction targets for 2030 and 2050 aligned with the Paris Agreement's temperature goals. It compares two distinct methodologies for distributing these targets: fairness-based approaches, derived from Climate Action Tracker evaluations, and cost-effectiveness approaches, based on marginal abatement cost curves.

This research paper proposes the creation of an independent Global Stocktake (iGST) to enhance the accuracy and transparency of the official Global Stocktake (GST) process under the Paris Agreement. The authors identify significant knowledge gaps in mitigation, adaptation, finance, and equity, and recommend that the iGST focus on synthesizing existing data, fostering common understandings of key climate goals, and providing forward-looking recommendations to raise global ambition.

The 2019 Global Landscape of Climate Finance report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes global climate-related primary investment from 2013 to 2018. It finds that while annual climate finance reached record levels, crossing the USD half-trillion mark in 2017 and 2018, current investment levels remain significantly below what is required to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement and a 1.5 ˚C scenario.

This briefing by Niall Reddy provides a commentary on the Public Affairs Research Institute's (PARI) position papers regarding state reform in South Africa. Reddy argues that public procurement (PP) should be transitioned from a tool for simple outsourcing or black business growth toward a strategic instrument of industrial policy (IP) and 'Procurement for Innovation' (PPfI) to drive high-productivity, innovation-led growth.

This research paper by the NewClimate Institute outlines a ten-point agenda to increase global mitigation ambition, arguing that current Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement's 1.5°C goal. It emphasizes the need for a whole-economy approach to decarbonization and the alignment of financial flows with zero-carbon development.