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The Institute for Economic Justice argues that bureaucratic delays at SASSA have prevented the payment of April and May 2022 SRD grants, affecting up to 10 million people. The letter proposes emergency measures, such as payment based on applicant declarations or prioritizing previously verified beneficiaries, to prevent widespread hunger.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) challenges the Centre for Development and Enterprise's (CDE) opposition to a basic income grant (BIG) in South Africa. The IEJ argues that social protection, rather than austerity or market-led structural reform, is essential for economic growth. It asserts that cash transfers stimulate labor demand, entrepreneurship, and grassroots productivity, while progressive taxation to fund these grants can lead to positive GDP changes and employment surges without causing economic crises.

The briefing analyzes 1,047 energy policies adopted between January 2020 and November 2021, finding that most governments prioritize short-term poverty reduction over long-term inequality reduction. While 60% of policies could reduce poverty, only 11% are likely to decrease inequality. The authors identify 'win-win' policies (e.g., energy efficiency in social housing) and 'lose-lose' policies (e.g., fossil fuel extraction support), arguing that the social outcomes of energy transitions depend heavily on policy design, contextual factors, and complementary social protections.

The policy brief examines the Constitutional Financing Funds (FCFs) in Brazil's North, Northeast, and Midwest regions. It finds that while FCFs are designed to support small producers and low-income areas, the criteria for 'priority' beneficiaries and geographies have become so broad that they encompass nearly all producers and most municipalities. This lack of strict targeting has led to a concentration of resources in higher-value contracts and a small number of municipalities, particularly in the Matopiba region. Despite this concentration, FCFs remain a critical source of credit for the most underdeveloped municipalities in the North and Northeast, where alternative financing is often unavailable.

The report analyzes the Constitutional Financing Funds (FCFs) in Brazil's North, Northeast, and Center-West regions, finding that while these funds aim to support small producers and reduce regional inequalities, loose eligibility criteria have effectively neutralized these priorities. The authors demonstrate that the definition of 'priority' beneficiaries has expanded over time, allowing larger producers to access subsidized credit and leading to a concentration of resources in a small number of municipalities. Despite this, the FCFs remain a critical source of financing for the most underdeveloped regions where alternative credit is unavailable.

The Drawdown Lift fact sheet argues that climate mitigation and poverty alleviation are complementary. By analyzing 450 articles and reports, it identifies 28 climate solutions across five groups—Improving Agriculture and Agroforestry, Protecting and Restoring Ecosystems, Adopting Clean Cooking, Providing Clean Electricity, and Fostering Equality—that provide significant co-benefits for human well-being. These solutions target dimensions such as income, health, food security, and gender equality, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The report advocates for synergistic implementation and innovative finance to align climate goals with the needs of the most vulnerable populations.

The document presents the 'Drawdown Lift Human Well-being Index' and analyzes 28 climate solutions categorized into five groups: improving agriculture and agroforestry, protecting and restoring ecosystems, adopting clean cooking, providing green electricity, and promoting equality. It argues that these solutions provide significant co-benefits for human well-being, particularly in areas of income, health, food, education, gender equality, and energy, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions between 2020 and 2050.

The report argues that climate mitigation and socioeconomic development can be achieved simultaneously through synergistic solutions. It introduces the Drawdown Lift Human Well-Being Index (HWI), based on the Doughnut Economics model, to assess 12 dimensions of human well-being. The analysis focuses on five groups of solutions: Improving Agriculture and Agroforestry, Protecting and Restoring Ecosystems, Adopting Clean Cooking, Providing Clean Electricity, and Fostering Equality. The report provides evidence that these solutions can reduce greenhouse gas emissions while directly improving food security, health, income, and gender equality in low- and middle-income countries.

The IEJ calls for the transition of the social relief of distress (SRD) grant into a permanent universal basic income guarantee (Ubig) set at the food poverty line of R624, funded by a R200bn commodity-driven revenue windfall. The organization criticizes the Employment Tax Incentive (ETI) as ineffective and proposes its cancellation to raise R4.9bn for the Ubig. Additionally, the IEJ argues against proposed 3.3% real-term cuts to government programs, citing deteriorating public services in areas such as healthcare and education infrastructure.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) challenges the narrative that social grants discourage South Africans from seeking work. The document argues that unemployment is caused by structural issues—such as a poor education system, deindustrialisation, and spatial inequality—rather than a lack of motivation or a "culture of entitlement." It provides evidence that grants, including the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant, often fund the high costs of job seeking, such as transport and data, and supports the implementation of a universal basic income guarantee (UBIG) as a necessary response to long-term unemployment.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) calls for the South African government to transition from the temporary Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant to a permanent basic income support system. The author argues that while President Cyril Ramaphosa has committed to this goal, the National Treasury's fiscally conservative approach and 'technocratic machinery' threaten to undermine the policy through restrictive eligibility, low grant levels, and the blocking of social security reforms. The IEJ suggests that increasing the grant to R500 per month for 13.4 million people would be affordable using tax overruns, and proposes alternative financing mechanisms such as a social security tax, financial transactions tax, and resource rent tax to avoid reliance on VAT or personal income tax increases.

The Institute for Economic Justice and partner organisations advocate for transitioning the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) grant into a permanent universal basic income guarantee (Ubig) in South Africa. They argue that a Ubig is fiscally feasible through progressive taxation and would act as an economic stimulus by boosting local consumption and productivity. The authors call for the grant's value to be increased to at least the Food Poverty Line and eventually the upper bound poverty line (approximately R1,500), urging the presidency to establish a high-level review to implement this transition.

A civil society collective met with South African leadership on 18 January 2022 to advocate for the permanent extension of the R350 Covid-19 Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant and the transition to a Basic Income Guarantee (BIG). The group highlighted that the SRD grant supports approximately 10.3 million people and has reduced poverty and malnutrition, particularly among women. Key recommendations include increasing the grant to at least the Food Poverty Line of R624, integrating the grant into the Social Assistance legal framework to avoid its termination alongside the State of Disaster, and establishing a Multi-Stakeholder Task Team and a Presidential Expert Panel to manage the transition to a BIG.

The document argues that COVID-19 exacerbated pre-existing gender inequalities in the artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sector, disproportionately affecting women through job losses, reduced incomes, and increased vulnerability to gender-based violence. Using case studies from Zimbabwe, Peru, and the Philippines, it highlights how women's roles—often considered 'peripheral' or informal—left them without government support and increased their domestic burdens. The brief recommends the adoption of rapid gender analyses, sex-disaggregated data collection, and gender-responsive budgeting to create emergency and long-term structural reforms that protect marginalized women in the mining sector.

Laos is highly vulnerable to climate change but has low per capita emissions, with the transport sector being the primary source of CO2. While the government has set ambitious goals to increase forest cover to 70% and expand hydropower, these policies risk negatively impacting the livelihoods of the 70% of the population working in agriculture and forestry. The report identifies significant barriers to a just transition, including low awareness of the concept among policymakers, limited governmental capacity, data gaps, and a heavy reliance on external financing. It recommends improving cross-governmental coordination, enhancing data collection, and establishing participatory mechanisms to engage poor and marginalised communities in climate planning to ensure equitable benefit-sharing.

The report examines the intersection of climate change mitigation and social equity in Laos. While the country has low emissions and high hydropower capacity, its climate goals—such as increasing forest cover to 70%—risk harming the 70% of the population dependent on agriculture and forestry. The document argues that a 'just transition' requires inclusive planning, benefit-sharing mechanisms, and improved government capacity to prevent the further marginalization of poor and vulnerable communities.

The Ugandan government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic by implementing expansionary fiscal and monetary policies to mitigate the economic contraction caused by aggressive containment measures. While these policies helped maintain financial sector stability and provided temporary liquidity to businesses, the economy experienced a significant slowdown, with real GDP growth dropping from 6.8% in FY 2018/19 to 2.9% in FY 2019/20. The industrial and services sectors were hardest hit, contributing to a projected 34.5% increase in the number of people living below the poverty line. Fiscal strain led to a rise in public debt from $12.55 billion to $15.27 billion in FY 2019/20, while the external sector saw a contraction in foreign direct investment and tourism receipts.

The External Review finds that WRI is 'Mostly on Track' with its 2018-2022 Strategic Plan, achieving 71.3% of its targets by October 2021. While WRI remains a critical global player in environment and development, the review identifies significant risks related to rapid organizational growth, a potential tilt from research toward advocacy, and under-resourced core functions. The report highlights a need for a 'step-change' in monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) and a more systematic integration of poverty, gender, and social equity (PGSE) across its programs. WRI's Africa office is also 'mostly on track,' though it faces challenges in coordinating global programming with regional priorities.

The report analyzes 13 voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) and a joint field study by IISD and UNCTAD involving 57 interviews across six countries to determine how these standards impact poverty reduction for smallholder farmers. It identifies that VSS compliance can alleviate poverty by providing skills training, improving product quality, and increasing crop income and social capital. To maximize these benefits, the report recommends establishing living income references, improving land access, enhancing farmer knowledge, and stimulating demand for sustainable products, while urging VSS bodies to include farmers in decision-making and adopt gender-equality approaches.

The report examines how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can support poverty reduction for smallholder farmers across three dimensions: access to resources, opportunities and choices, and power and voice. Through an analysis of 13 major VSSs and interviews in six countries, it finds that while VSSs can improve crop income, natural resource management, and skills development, their overall impact on poverty is inconclusive and context-specific. Significant barriers to smallholder access include high certification costs, limited financial resources, and asymmetrical power relations in supply chains. The report recommends that VSSs better integrate gender equality, support business diversification, and harmonize standards, while urging governments to provide better land tenure and financial support to enable smallholder compliance.