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This briefing discusses the developmental implications of e-commerce negotiations at the 11th WTO Ministerial Conference (MC11), advising African and developing countries on how to navigate rules regarding transparency, data flows, and regional digital strategies.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) evaluates the effectiveness of public investments in agriculture to improve food security, specifically focusing on farm support and rural development in low- and lower-middle-income countries in Africa and Asia.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies provides a comprehensive overview of the legal and policy frameworks governing migration in Africa. It details the roles of the African Union (AU), various Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and partnerships with the European Union (EU) in managing refugees, internally displaced persons, labour migration, and the fight against human trafficking and smuggling.

This research paper by the Stockholm Environment Institute analyses concessional international public climate finance flows to seven Indian Ocean and African Small Island Developing States (SIDS) between 2010 and 2015. Using OECD data, the study examines commitments, disbursements, and sectoral distribution, finding that finance is heavily concentrated in a few countries and sectors, with significant gaps in disbursement and alignment with national priorities.

This briefing discusses the role of cities as primary vehicles for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), emphasizing that urban governance and knowledge-sharing between cities can address global societal problems. It highlights how decentralization and municipal empowerment enable cities to implement pragmatic solutions, which is particularly relevant for Africa's rapidly growing urban centers.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) use of mediation as a conflict-prevention tool. It analyzes the institutional gaps, the tension between formal and informal approaches, and the need for a more structured, long-term strategy to address the root causes of conflict in Africa.

This policy brief from the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) argues that violent conflict in Africa is driven by the politics of water distribution and poor governance rather than physical water scarcity. While the continent faces significant environmental vulnerability and water stress, the authors find that scarcity often leads to cooperation rather than conflict. Instead, insecurity arises when water is managed as a 'club good,' favoring politically connected groups and allowing informal service providers, such as gangs and militias, to control access in urban areas.

The paper analyzes the G20's role in supporting sustainable development in Africa, highlighting a growing alignment between G20 initiatives, the UN's 2030 Agenda, and the AU's Agenda 2063. While acknowledging progress in areas like infrastructure and industrialization, it criticizes the lack of African consultation in key initiatives like the Compact with Africa and the absence of a G20 focus on regional economic integration. It recommends that South Africa and other African representatives push for better resourcing of the AU and NEPAD within the G20 and advocate for a more integrated, multi-stakeholder approach to SDG implementation.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the evolution of relations between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU), arguing that the relationship remains a model of dependency rather than a true partnership. It analyzes the history of various conventions and agreements, evaluates the Joint Africa–EU Strategy (JAES), and discusses the priorities of the fifth AU–EU Summit held in Abidjan in November 2017, specifically regarding youth, migration, and investment.

This policy brief analyzes the evolving migration relations between the African Union (AU) and the European Union (EU) leading up to the November 2017 AU-EU Summit in Abidjan. It highlights a fundamental mismatch in priorities: the EU focuses on stemming irregular migration and border control, while African nations prioritize development, employment, and the management of remittances. The author critiques the EU's use of aid conditionality through the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa (EUTF) and notes the lack of a unified African position on migration, which weakens the continent's leverage in bilateral and international negotiations.

Friends of the Earth International expresses its support for La Via Campesina's VII International Conference, emphasizing a shared commitment to food sovereignty, agroecology, and climate justice. The document summarizes three key declarations from the conference: the Euskal Herria Declaration, which calls for a global struggle against financial capital and imperialism; the Women's Assembly Declaration, which demands gender equality and an end to violence against women; and the Youth Assembly Declaration, which asserts the right of youth to land and resources for peasant agroecology.

This working paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) provides lessons on leveraging private sector finance for climate compatible development based on projects in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It emphasizes the need for country-specific approaches, strong public sector leadership, and the use of innovative financial instruments to bridge the gap between commercial interests and climate goals.

This executive summary assesses progress toward Goals 8 and 9 of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF), focusing on forest finance. It concludes that 'green finance' aligned with forest and climate goals is insufficient and vastly outweighed by 'grey finance'—investments and subsidies that drive deforestation. While some progress is noted in results-based REDD+ payments and impact investing, the report argues that a dramatic shift in investment is required to achieve zero deforestation.

The October 2017 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies analyzes several African security crises, including the transition of AMISOM in Somalia, the resurgence of violence in the Central African Republic, the pro-Biafra movement in Nigeria, and the African Union's initiative to combat illegal weapons. It also details the ongoing funding disputes between the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC) regarding AU-led peace operations.

This policy brief examines the rise of 36 agricultural growth poles and 9 corridors across 23 African countries, covering 3.5 million hectares. It argues that while these initiatives are intended to attract private investment and drive economic transformation, they require strong legal and policy frameworks to avoid the pitfalls of 'land grabs' and environmental degradation.

This research paper examines the 'use of country systems' (UCS) approach by multilateral development banks (MDBs) in Africa, analyzing the benefits of utilizing domestic processes over external conditionalities and the challenges that hinder its implementation.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) issued a statement to the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) expressing alarm over the bank's role in financing the proposed Thabametsi coal-fired power plant. The CER argues that such financing contradicts the DBSA's own sustainability commitments, ignores a landmark court ruling regarding climate change impacts, and exposes the bank to the risk of stranded assets.

This briefing by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the emergence of agricultural growth poles (agropoles) and corridors in Africa. It describes these as coordinated investments in infrastructure and industry designed to transition African agriculture from subsistence to commercial systems. The document outlines the operational challenges facing these projects, the necessity of robust legal frameworks to avoid creating 'enclaves', and a three-step model (vision, design, and implementation) for ensuring responsible and sustainable development.

This document introduces the results of a Mining Policy Framework (MPF) assessment for Rwanda, conducted by the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) with support from the Government of Canada. The assessment aims to help the Rwandan government target implementation efforts, inform capacity-building, and monitor progress in mining policy.

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) identifies five critical success factors for increasing the climate resilience of water infrastructure. Based on a review of six projects across Africa, South Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, the paper argues that resilience requires moving beyond engineering design to include strategic planning, stakeholder engagement, and institutional capacity building to avoid 'stranded assets' and protect economic growth.