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The report finds that international public finance for gas in low- and middle-income countries is four times higher than for wind or solar, risking a 'dash for gas' that locks economies into high-carbon pathways. It argues that gas is no longer a necessary 'bridge fuel' because renewables are often cheaper and more effective for power, cooking, and industry. The document recommends that international financial institutions end support for gas and instead scale up clean energy finance, focusing on grid integration, technology transfer, and a just transition for workers.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) serves as the largest dedicated climate fund for developing countries, accounting for two-thirds of all multilateral climate finance last year. The GCF focuses on bridging the adaptation finance gap, where only one-fifth of global climate funds are currently allocated. To scale action, the GCF employs a strategy involving the translation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) into investment plans, piloting innovative technologies and business models, utilizing blended finance to crowd-in private investment, and strengthening the capacity of domestic financial institutions. Key initiatives include the Global Sub-national Climate Fund and partnerships to de-risk investments in adaptation technologies and coral reef protection.

The document examines the use of carbon market infrastructure to provide results-based finance, noting that while it offers standardized metrics and crowdfunding capabilities, it often prioritizes cheap mitigation over transformative change and creates risks for small developers. It suggests that results-based finance is best suited for a niche of proven but not yet mature technologies, while nascent technologies require grants.

The document argues that while many countries have submitted long-term climate strategies, a formal decision at COP26 is necessary to provide a new timeframe for submissions, encourage regular updates, and align these strategies with short-term Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It outlines six functions for such a decision, including welcoming existing strategies and facilitating continuous improvement based on science and national developments. The author emphasizes that long-term strategies are critical for guiding structural economic shifts, sparking innovation, and ensuring a just transition for workforces.

The report argues that while carbon markets were originally designed for zero-sum offsetting, they can be repurposed for results-based climate finance (RBCF) to quantify and verify mitigation impacts. It identifies a specific 'niche' for RBCF: supporting technologies that have passed the R&D stage but are not yet market-mature. The authors highlight several limitations, including a bias toward the cheapest mitigation options, high transaction costs for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV), and a lack of effectiveness in least developed countries (LDCs) where emissions are low. To maximize impact, the report suggests shifting from rewarding to enabling through host-country policy commitments, reducing MRV stringency when credits are not used for offsetting, and complementing RBCF with upfront grants or loans.

The document argues that while the world possesses sufficient global financial assets to fund sustainable development, a significant financing gap and a persistent digital divide hinder the achievement of the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement. It traces the history of UN efforts from the 1972 Stockholm Declaration to the 2015 Addis Ababa Action Agenda, highlighting the critical need for technology transfer and financial mobilization for developing countries. The text notes that developed countries have struggled to meet the USD 100 billion annual climate finance goal and identifies barriers to technology diffusion, including intellectual property rights and insufficient absorptive capacities. It concludes by calling for better alignment between development cooperation and climate action to ensure financing does not undermine sustainable development.

The report examines the evolution of the digital divide from basic infrastructure access to access to knowledge and data. It evaluates the JSI on E-Commerce, arguing that current negotiations often presume a level of digital readiness that developing countries and LDCs lack. The document details 'enabling issues' necessary for digital inclusion, analyzes the regulatory landscape of cross-border data flows and localization, and discusses the implications of restricting government access to computer source code.

The document examines the evolution of the digital divide from basic infrastructure access (A2A) to access to knowledge and data (A2K). It assesses how the WTO's JSI on e-commerce addresses these gaps, arguing that current proposals—largely driven by developed nations—often overlook the developmental needs of LDCs and developing countries. Key areas of analysis include the necessity of 'enabling' e-commerce ecosystems, the risks of restrictive data flow and localization rules, and the impact of prohibiting government access to source code on technology transfer.

The document analyses the scope and direction of energy transition policies in 34 African countries, evaluating them against dimensions of energy justice. It finds a general shift toward market-oriented regimes using auction instruments and feed-in tariffs, but warns that an overemphasis on bankability can sideline development goals. The brief identifies several 'good practice' countries and recommends that AU-EU cooperation integrate energy justice criteria, support regional partners, and facilitate policy learning from African successes.

The document argues that individual African countries often lack the resources to transition to green energy, but regional integration via the AfCFTA can create a larger market to attract investment and skilled labor. It highlights the role of regional power pools and suggests that a strategic shift in EU development assistance toward regional rather than bilateral support, combined with knowledge and technology sharing, could further fast-track the transition.

The document analyzes energy transition policies in 34 African countries, categorizing them as direct, integrative, or enabling. It identifies a trend toward market-oriented regimes using auction instruments and de-risking tools, while highlighting that only a few countries—including South Africa, Rwanda, Kenya, Mauritius, Ethiopia, and Egypt—effectively integrate energy justice (distributive, recognitional, and procedural) into their frameworks. The authors warn against over-reliance on market forces and recommend that AU-EU cooperation prioritize energy justice criteria, capacity building, and regional partnerships to ensure a just transition.

The document argues that the rapid government action and public support seen during the COVID-19 crisis provide a momentum that should be used to implement long-term green recovery strategies rather than short-term fixes. It emphasizes the need for a clear EU-wide dimension to investments to lower finance costs and suggests that recovery packages must prioritize social equity and local self-sufficiency to reduce vulnerability. The paper highlights the importance of defining 'green' across different sectors and suggests that cooperation on technology transfers and intellectual property, similar to WHO initiatives during the pandemic, should be applied to climate and clean energy action. It also notes the tension between EU reindustrialization and the needs of the Global South, as well as the geopolitical implications for Border Carbon Adjustment proposals.

The document analyzes the energy transition in North Africa, noting that electricity generation must nearly double by 2030 to meet growing demand. While the region is expanding renewable energy capacity and implementing efficiency regulations, natural gas is projected to remain the dominant power source by 2030 unless international financial support and technology transfer accelerate. The author highlights a tension between the region's low historical emissions and its high vulnerability to climate change, warning that insufficient climate finance from developed countries risks the region's ability to meet its Paris Agreement commitments.

The GCF's 2020-2023 updated strategic plan focuses on promoting a paradigm shift toward low-emission and climate-resilient development. Key goals include balancing funding between mitigation and adaptation, increasing direct access funding, and scaling up private sector mobilization. The plan emphasizes strengthening country ownership through the alignment of investments with national climate strategies like NDCs and NAPs. Operationally, the GCF aims to simplify accreditation processes, optimize project approval speeds, and enhance institutional capacity to better serve vulnerable regions, including LDCs, SIDS, and African states.

The 2019 Chile/Madrid Climate Change Conference, the longest in UNFCCC history, failed to reach a consensus on the operationalization of Article 6 regarding market and non-market mechanisms. While the conference achieved progress on the Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage and the Lima Work Programme on Gender, it was marked by significant disconnects between scientific demands for ambition and the limitations of multilateral negotiations. Key unresolved issues, including long-term climate finance and common time frames for NDCs, were deferred to future sessions under Rule 16.

The report examines local content policies (LCPs) in the mining sector, specifically focusing on local procurement. It details how 'local' is defined through geography, value addition, and ownership, and outlines various demand-side and supply-side policy options. The document emphasizes that for these policies to succeed, they must be supported by pre-conditions such as capacity analysis, a conducive business climate, and strong monitoring and enforcement mechanisms.

The report serves as a reference tool listing over 60 UNFCCC decisions and reports that acknowledge the role of Indigenous Peoples and their traditional knowledge in climate mitigation and adaptation. It highlights the establishment of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform and recalls the minimum standards for survival and dignity set by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

The document describes the Paris Agreement rulebook as the essential set of rules and guidelines required to implement the 2015 Paris Agreement. It highlights that while the Agreement established global temperature goals and the mechanism of nationally determined contributions (NDCs), it left the operational details—such as reporting standards, transparency of climate finance, and the balance between mitigation and adaptation—to be decided. The author notes that negotiations at COP 24 are complicated by the need to balance the responsibilities of developed and developing countries and the interlinked nature of transparency, the global stocktake, and compliance.

The report outlines critical knowledge gaps across four themes essential for achieving SDG 17 and the broader 2030 Agenda. It emphasizes the need for research on the relationship between quality of government and sustainability outcomes, the development of tools for policy coherence, the removal of barriers to technology transfer in least developed countries, and the creation of empirical metrics to evaluate the effectiveness of multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The report analyzes local content policies (LCPs) used by mineral-rich nations to increase the use of domestic labor, goods, and services in the mining sector. It details various policy instruments—ranging from mandatory quotas and ownership requirements to government incentives and voluntary business initiatives—and examines their practical application in countries such as Norway, Chile, Ghana, and Brazil. The document argues that LCPs often fail when implemented as blanket provisions without clear objectives or sufficient industrial capacity. It identifies critical prerequisites for success, including institutional readiness, a favorable business climate, and a long-term vision that transcends political cycles. The report concludes that effective LCPs require a combination of quantitative and qualitative measures, robust monitoring through key performance indicators, and strong partnerships between governments, mining firms, and local suppliers to ensure sustainable economic diversification.