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The report argues that while Mozambique possesses massive natural gas reserves that could drive significant GDP growth, such resource-led growth is unlikely to reduce absolute poverty without concerted investment in human capital and governance. Using the International Futures (IFs) model, the authors demonstrate that the 'Current Path' maintains high levels of extreme poverty due to rapid population growth and systemic failures in health and education. The report evaluates five sectoral scenarios—improving family planning, extending health and nutrition, advancing education, boosting agricultural production, and strengthening governance—concluding that an integrated development strategy is essential to avoid a 'vicious cycle of under-development' and to ensure that gas revenues translate into sustainable, inclusive progress.

The document outlines the assessment of Rwanda's mining policy framework conducted by the IGF. The process involves evaluating national and international frameworks across six themes—Legal and Policy Environment, Financial Benefit Optimization, Socioeconomic Benefit Optimization, Environmental Management, Post-Mining Transition, and Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM)—to measure the country's readiness to implement international best practices. This assessment serves as the first phase of a project that leads to the development of a government capacity-building program aimed at leveraging mining for sustainable development and poverty alleviation.

The document examines the South African e-commerce landscape, noting that while the market is growing—with online user penetration expected to reach 60.1% by 2021—it remains primarily a middle-class instrument. It identifies significant supply-side barriers, including high data costs and unreliable logistics, and demand-side barriers centered on a lack of trust in online payments and delivery. The author argues that while the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 2002 provides a foundational legal framework, South Africa lacks a single overarching e-commerce law and needs further policy interventions in education, financial services, and infrastructure to fully leverage the digital economy for poverty alleviation and women's empowerment.

The briefing argues that cities are critical for implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and presents an IISD tool that uses official Statistics Canada data to monitor SDG indicator trends in 13 major Canadian cities. Because global indicators cannot be directly applied to cities due to data limitations, the initiative identifies 12 specific indicators to track progress from 1995 to 2030. The tool aims to help policy-makers identify performance gaps, assess the feasibility of targets, and facilitate cross-scale coordinated action between municipal, provincial, and federal governments.

The report assesses Mozambique's development outlook to 2040, arguing that while natural gas production will drive significant GDP growth from the mid-2020s, it will not automatically reduce absolute poverty without concerted investments in human capital and governance. Using scenario analysis, the authors demonstrate that integrated pushes in family planning, health, education, agriculture, and governance can significantly reduce extreme poverty and infant mortality, whereas stalled development and delayed gas production could lead to a sharp increase in the number of people living in extreme poverty.

The document examines artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in Tanzania as a critical but under-governed source of employment and income. It argues that while the sector provides a vital livelihood for approximately 1.5 million people, it is plagued by severe health and safety risks, specifically mercury poisoning and pit collapses, and environmental degradation such as deforestation. The author contends that current legislation, specifically the 2010 Mining Act, prioritizes large-scale mining (LSM) and creates bureaucratic and financial barriers that marginalize artisanal miners. To harness the sector's potential, the paper recommends lowering licensing costs, improving geological information access, and implementing context-sensitive technology rollouts, such as mercury-recycling retorts, through partnerships between the government, private sector, and international organizations.

Scott Vaughan argues that ending hunger and extreme poverty is essential for achieving the SDGs, requiring an additional USD 11 billion in annual public spending until 2030. He emphasizes the need for improved irrigation efficiency, climate-resilient agriculture, and the reform of trade and investment policies to protect global food security from climate risks and protectionism.

The statement by Friends of the Earth International criticizes the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for investing over $3 billion in coal projects over the last decade despite recognizing climate change as a threat to poverty alleviation. It highlights the Tata Mundra Ultra Mega Coal plant in India as a primary example of environmental and social harm caused by ADB funding. The document demands that the ADB ban all coal funding and relinquish its legal immunity to allow affected communities to seek justice.

The report argues that insurance promotes growth through two primary channels: risk mitigation (protecting assets and facilitating credit) and intermediation (mobilizing long-term capital for investment). It identifies a four-stage evolution path for insurance markets, noting that most sub-Saharan African countries are currently in the first two stages, where asset insurance dominates and the intermediation-for-growth role is not yet active. The transition to the third stage—retail expansion—is hindered by low income levels, high economic informalisation, and a shortage of actuarial skills. The authors recommend stage-appropriate interventions, such as developing contractual savings solutions for the informal sector and improving domestic professional capacity, to unlock the sector's potential to support capital markets and inclusive growth.

The document argues that climate action must be integrated into macroeconomic planning and sectoral policies to achieve 'triple wins' for mitigation, adaptation, and poverty eradication. It highlights the necessity of political leadership, cross-government coordination, and the use of 'knowledge brokers' to translate scientific data into actionable policy. The report emphasizes that while international finance is a catalyst, domestic resource mobilisation and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies are critical for long-term sustainability. Case studies from Asia, Africa, and Latin America illustrate the importance of gender-sensitive approaches, participatory planning, and the role of non-state actors in scaling up local innovations to national levels.

The document details a February 2017 stakeholder meeting in Cotonou, Benin, focused on the role of Savings Groups (SGs) in promoting development. It highlights how SGs act as platforms for agricultural training and value chain participation, health financing and education, and as gateways to formal financial services. The report identifies challenges such as market access for agricultural products and a tension between the need for formal regulation and the value of informal learning processes. It concludes with priorities for the sector, including the creation of a national SG working group and a national mapping of SGs.

The report details a September 2017 training workshop for UEMOA officials focused on maximizing the socioeconomic benefits of the mining sector. Key modules covered global value chains, the development of legal frameworks for local content, employment and training, and the impact of increasing mechanization. The workshop emphasized that local content cannot be achieved by decree but requires integrated national and regional policies, inclusive stakeholder consultation, and the anticipation of technological shifts that may reduce low-skilled jobs. Recommendations include strengthening national local content policies, creating regional frameworks for training and processing facilities, and exercising caution when signing bilateral investment treaties that might limit a state's ability to impose performance requirements.

The research finds that economic growth is the strongest driver of reduced international migration, while there is no discernible direct relationship between hunger levels or agricultural productivity alone and migration flows. The authors argue that to reduce migration, investments must move beyond farm-level productivity to create broader economic opportunities and off-farm activities in rural areas.

The document analyzes Ethiopia's rapid economic growth and human development progress since 1991, while highlighting persistent gaps in basic service access and agricultural productivity. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system, it compares a 'Current Path' forecast against various intervention scenarios, concluding that an integrated approach across agriculture, education, health, and governance is necessary to reach lower-middle-income status by 2025.

The paper examines the intersection of health and regionalism within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It finds that while SADC has established frameworks like the Protocol on Health (1999) and the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the SADC Secretariat has a limited role, acting primarily as a facilitator for member states and international donors. Policy implementation is left to individual governments, often outsourced to NGOs and CBOs via donor funding. Case studies in Swaziland and Zambia reveal a lack of regional policy embeddedness at the national level. However, specific cross-border initiatives targeting HIV/AIDS, malaria (E8), and tuberculosis in mining have shown progress through dedicated funding and political commitment.

The document examines the tension between 'mainstreaming' climate change adaptation—integrating it into development, business, and other policy sectors—and treating it as a specialized 'silo' of expertise. Drawing on the Adaptation Futures 2016 conference, it argues that neither approach is inherently superior; rather, the choice depends on the specific purpose and context. While mainstreaming promotes resource efficiency and policy coherence (particularly regarding poverty reduction), the author notes that it can make adaptation progress invisible, complicating monitoring, evaluation, and the tracking of earmarked finance. The brief highlights the expansion of mainstreaming into business operations and city planning, while recommending a pragmatic approach that recognizes the value of both integrated and stand-alone adaptation efforts.

The document argues that fuel subsidy reform is essential for Nigeria's economic diversification but requires a 'portfolio approach' to compensation to prevent social unrest and protect the poor. It proposes seven specific programs—including transport vouchers, mass transit schemes, and e-wallets for farmers—with an estimated first-year budget of ₦250 billion (USD 1.3 billion). The report emphasizes that these measures should be implemented through existing ministries rather than new institutions, with oversight provided by a new Directorate for Subsidy Reinvestment Monitoring under the National Planning Commission.

The document asserts that developing nations, despite contributing the least to carbon emissions, suffer the most from climate impacts. It argues that the Paris Agreement's goals can only be met if vulnerable communities are provided with sustainable energy resources and that the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge by wealthy nations is insufficient to protect lives and maintain development in health and education. The author calls for the mobilization of both public and private finance to build low-carbon economies in the global south, noting that developing and emerging economies invested $156 billion in renewables in 2015.

The document examines the partnership between FSD Kenya, the Commercial Bank of Africa (CBA), and Safaricom to launch M-Shwari. It details how FSD Kenya provided research and technical assistance to help CBA target low-income users, leading to rapid growth and increased financial inclusion. The study uses the AAER (Adopt, Adapt, Expand, Respond) framework to analyze the systemic impact of the product, including the expansion of credit access to poorer populations through the TOBOA project and the emergence of competitive products like KCB M-Pesa.

The paper argues that effective governance is a primary determinant of poverty reduction in Africa. Using the International Futures (IFs) forecasting system, it demonstrates that improving governance effectiveness (aligned with SDG 16.6) would lift more than 60 million people out of poverty by 2050, outperforming other targeted health and sanitation interventions.