Search Climate Insights Directory

The Reporting for Results-based REDD+ (RRR+) project is a three-year initiative (2017-2019) led by the Coalition for Rainforest Nations (CfRN) and the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN). It aims to build the capacity of 21 tropical and subtropical forest countries to measure and report greenhouse gas emissions and carbon stocks in agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) to the UNFCCC, thereby enabling them to access results-based REDD+ finance.

The document summarizes the conclusions of a seminar held on 9 December 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, focused on assistance and capacity-building for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1540, disarmament, and non-proliferation of chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons in Africa.

The December 2016 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the African Union's (AU) role in managing continental crises. It finds that the Peace and Security Council (PSC) often relied on regional bodies rather than leading interventions. Key issues discussed include the impact of land privatisation and climate change in Kenya's Kajiado County, the contested nature of several 2016 national elections, and the AU's efforts to promote women's rights despite a perceived failure to challenge dictatorial regimes. The report also details the funding struggles of AMISOM in Somalia and the diplomatic complexities surrounding Morocco's request to rejoin the AU.

This report provides a 2016 progress update on the first ten goals of the New York Declaration on Forests (NYDF). It evaluates global trends in natural forest loss, private sector commitments to deforestation-free supply chains, restoration pledges under the Bonn Challenge and UNFCCC, and the evolution of international climate finance and forest governance.

This research paper examines the rapid pace of urbanisation in Africa, forecasting population trends and identifying the structural challenges that hinder sustainable urban development. It focuses on the emergence of megacities and the disconnect between urban growth and economic structural transformation.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) and the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) estimates the public and private investment required to end hunger by 2030, defining the goal as reducing the hungry population to less than 5 per cent of a country's population.

The August 2016 Peace & Security Council Report details the outcomes of the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, focusing on the deadlock in electing a new AU Commission chairperson, a historic agreement on AU self-financing, and the AU's strained relationship with the International Criminal Court (ICC). It also analyzes the security crises in South Sudan, Libya, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) criticizes the World Bank's Safeguard policy for failing to guarantee that local communities have timely access to information and a voice in development projects. The author argues that prioritizing economic interests and national actors over community needs leads to negative environmental and human rights impacts, such as forced evictions and ecosystem destruction.

The July 2016 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the 27th AU Summit in Kigali, the election of the African Union Commission (AUC) leadership, the limited powers of the AUC chairperson, and the Peace and Security Council's (PSC) engagement with various African conflicts, including the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and crises in Burundi and the DRC.

The Institute for Security Studies (ISS) provides training and technical support to Uganda's judicial and law enforcement systems to improve the investigation and prosecution of complex crimes, including terrorism, organized crime, and crimes against humanity.

This research paper investigates the impact of Chinese and Indian investment in Africa's extractive industries on local industrialisation, specifically focusing on the dynamics of Zambia's copper value chain and the role of mine ownership in the development of upstream linkages.

This report examines the expansion of South African and other SADC supermarket chains across Southern Africa, analyzing the drivers of this growth, the retail models used, and the resulting impacts on local suppliers and regional trade.

This fact sheet provides a quantitative overview of the South African beef industry, detailing production distribution, supply chain integration, and international trade patterns including key import and export partners.

This policy brief examines the misuse of electric shock equipment by law enforcement agencies in Africa, arguing that such tools often facilitate torture and ill-treatment in violation of international and regional human rights frameworks. It specifically analyzes the legal landscape of anti-torture commitments in Africa and provides a detailed case study on the South African Police Service (SAPS), recommending the prohibition of handheld and body-worn electric shock devices.

The June 2016 Peace & Security Council Report examines the strained relationship between the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the UN Security Council (UNSC), focusing on coordination failures, funding disputes for peacekeeping, and the AU's struggle to implement preventive diplomacy in member states like the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The "Migration and Conservation in the Great Lakes Region" project developed a methodology, policy recommendations, and a toolkit to help conservation practitioners manage the impacts of human migration on biodiversity. Research conducted in Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda highlighted that in the Bale Mountains ecosystem, migration significantly drives land conversion and resource overexploitation.

This report assesses how human migration drives land conversion and resource overexploitation in the Misotshi-Kabogo ecosystem of the Democratic Republic of Congo, threatening local species and traditional livelihoods.

This report examines the impacts of human migration on ecosystems in the Great Lakes Region of East and Central Africa, focusing on case studies in Uganda, Ethiopia, and the DRC. It finds that while migration is not the sole driver of environmental degradation, it exacerbates existing issues such as overfishing in Lake Albert, deforestation in the Bale Mountains and Misotshi–Kabogo, and land-use conflicts. The report recommends that conservationists implement migration-sensitive strategies, including inclusive governance and the promotion of sustainable livelihoods for both migrants and host communities.

This report assesses the drivers and ecological impacts of human migration within the Misotshi–Kabogo ecosystem in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. It highlights the tension between increasing population pressures—driven by conflict and economic opportunity—and the need to protect a highly biodiverse, currently unprotected region. The authors recommend the formal establishment of Ngamikka National Park with a zoned resource-use system to balance conservation with local livelihood needs.

This report examines the survival strategies of women associated with non-state armed combatants in the South Kivu province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It argues that these women, often viewed as mere dependants, develop independent coping mechanisms and are frequently excluded from community support and formal Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) programmes.