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The document details how Southern Africa is experiencing temperature increases above the global average, increased frequency of heatwaves and droughts, and significant economic losses. It projects severe future risks to food security, human health, and biodiversity, while emphasizing the need for transformative adaptation and increased climate finance to build resilience.

Southern Africa has experienced warming exceeding the global average, leading to increased heatwaves, droughts, and economic losses. Future projections indicate severe risks to food systems, human health, and biodiversity, with significant GDP losses if warming reaches 2°C. Adaptation requires transformative, equity-based approaches and a substantial increase in climate finance and research funding for African institutions.

The report analyzes the 2020-2021 outputs of seven UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs), noting a significant increase in climate-related references despite COVID-19 disruptions. It highlights a shift toward questioning developed nations on mitigation and fossil fuel extraction, alongside a consistent focus on adaptation and the participation of vulnerable groups. The document also examines key individual communications, such as Teitiota v. New Zealand and Sacchi et al. v. Argentina et al., which establish precedents for climate-induced human rights violations and extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The NAP Global Network's 2021-2022 progress report highlights its efforts to accelerate climate adaptation in the Global South through three main pillars: peer learning, technical assistance, and knowledge generation. Key achievements include the expansion of in-country support programs from two to nine, the launch of the NAP Trends platform, and the delivery of gender-responsive and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) focused summits. The Network reports steady progress toward its 2025 strategy targets, including support for least developed countries (LDCs) and small island developing states (SIDS), while emphasizing the critical transition from adaptation planning to implementation.

The AfCFTA has the potential to generate USD 3.4 trillion in GDP and lift over 100 million people out of poverty by 2040, with primary gains expected in manufacturing and services. However, significant disparities in factor markets—including labour skills, technology adoption, and financial capacity—exist across the continent, with Eastern and Southern Africa generally possessing higher capacities than Central and Western Africa. The document highlights risks associated with heavy reliance on non-African financing, such as the EU-funded Africa Trade Observatory, and urges member states to leverage domestic capital markets and sovereign wealth funds. It further emphasizes that political stability and the empowerment of regional bodies are essential to protect private sector investment in cross-border infrastructure, which the World Bank estimates requires USD 47.6 billion annually.

The Kingdom of Eswatini's Initial Adaptation Communication (AdCom) identifies key climate hazards such as droughts, floods, and heatwaves, and details national efforts to mitigate these impacts through flood control, irrigation, and climate-proofed infrastructure. It highlights the role of the National Climate Change Policy (2016) and the National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2015-2020) in guiding adaptation actions involving government, NGOs, and the private sector.

The study evaluates food security for smallholders and workers in biofuel projects in Mozambique, Malawi, and Eswatini, finding that sugarcane production improved food security while jatropha production had no statistically significant positive effect.

The report examines the role of indigenous knowledge in bridging climate data gaps in Africa, highlighting how traditional observation methods and community-based forecasting can enhance the accuracy of early warning systems when integrated with scientific meteorology. It identifies the decline of this knowledge due to modernization and the preference for top-down scientific models, while providing examples of successful 'co-production' of climate information in countries like Kenya.

The document details the status of five rhino species. The greater one-horned rhino and white rhino show recovery trends, while the Javan, Sumatran, and black rhinos remain critically threatened. Poaching is a universal threat across all species, with climate change and habitat loss specifically impacting the greater one-horned rhino.

The document provides a comprehensive overview of nuclear governance across the Southern African Development Community (SADC), categorising member states by their nuclear capacity and identifying gaps in regulatory synchronisation. It highlights the critical need for harmonised policies to manage the transport of uranium ore concentrate (UOC) and radioactive sources across borders. The author proposes leveraging the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP) and the African Association of Competent Authorities (AACA) to create a more integrated regional safety and security architecture.

Climate Adaptation Notes is a proposed funding mechanism designed to mobilize private, commercial bank, and institutional investment for water and wastewater infrastructure in sub-Saharan Africa. The instrument combines short-term construction financing from commercial banks with long-term asset-based funding from institutional investors, utilizing 'first loss' subordinate debt from Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) to mitigate risk. The mechanism targets three tiers: the Southern African Common Monetary Union (or ZAR-tied countries), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the broader sub-Saharan Africa region. Success depends on the availability of deep local debt capital markets and a robust pipeline of investable projects. The instrument is currently in pre-piloting and fundraising stages.

The Africa Sustainable Forestry Fund II (ASFFII) is a USD 150 million private equity fund managed by Criterion Africa Partners that invests in sustainable forestry value chains in Africa. The fund utilizes a blended equity structure comprising one commercial investor, Calvert Impact Capital, and five development finance institutions (DFIs): AfDB, BIO, EIB, FinDev, and FMO. ASFFII focuses on plantation rehabilitation, expansion, sustainable downstream manufacturing, and biomass, requiring investees to adhere to Forest Stewardship Council guidelines. The fund provides both mitigation and adaptation benefits through reforestation, sustainable harvesting, and conservation set-asides. Current investments are located in eSwatini, Gabon, South/Southern Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda, with Botswana, Kenya, and Rwanda identified as potential future markets.

The document outlines the evolution of modern biotechnology and the subsequent development of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to protect human health and biodiversity from the adverse effects of living modified organisms (LMOs). It details the Protocol's operationalization of the precautionary approach, its mechanisms for transboundary movement—such as the advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure—and its relationship with trade agreements like the WTO SPS Agreement. The brief also discusses the 2010 Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress and highlights the ongoing challenges posed by emerging technologies like synthetic biology and gene drives.

The document examines the state of agricultural value chains in the SADC region, noting that while the sector was minimally affected by COVID-19 compared to others, the pandemic exacerbated existing vulnerabilities. Key challenges identified include a heavy reliance on subsistence farming, food insecurity, and the impact of climate change. The brief argues for a 'dual approach' that supports both small-scale and large-scale commercial farming, the adoption of climate-smart technologies, digitalization of value chains, and the full implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to enhance regional trade and food security.

The document examines the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains within the SADC region, noting that while the sector was less affected than others, the pandemic intensified existing vulnerabilities. Key challenges identified include a heavy reliance on subsistence farming, food insecurity, and the effects of climate change. The authors argue for a 'dual approach' that supports both small-scale and large-scale commercial farming, the adoption of climate-smart technologies, and the digitalisation of value chains. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) is highlighted as a critical mechanism for enhancing regional trade and protecting small-scale farmers.

SADC member states generally struggle to meet the 2001 Abuja Declaration pledge to allocate 15% of national budgets to healthcare, with an average annual allocation of 5.3%. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted critical gaps in healthcare infrastructure, drug supplies, and professional staffing, while simultaneously straining regional economies. To bridge funding gaps amidst declining GDP and high external debt, the paper recommends establishing a SADC regional healthcare fund backed by the African Union, forming public-private partnerships, improving domestic tax compliance, and involving civil society organisations to ensure transparency in health financing.

The project aims to support 70,500 direct beneficiaries in rural Eswatini, particularly in the Lubombo and Shiselweni regions, to adapt to increasing droughts and floods. It proposes a three-component approach: scaling up climate-resilient land use (such as conservation agriculture and rainwater harvesting), strengthening agricultural value chains to attract private investment, and improving the enabling environment through better land access and early warning systems. The initiative seeks USD 30 million from the Green Climate Fund, with USD 25 million in co-financing from the Eswatini Ministry of Agriculture.

The document examines the failure of most SADC member states to adhere to the Abuja Declaration's pledge to allocate 15% of annual budgets to health, noting that by the end of 2018, all member states were struggling to meet this target. It identifies aid dependency and economic decline as primary barriers, while arguing that the COVID-19 pandemic serves as a critical catalyst for overhauling underfunded systems. To bridge funding gaps, the author recommends establishing a SADC regional healthcare fund backed by the African Union, forming public-private partnerships, improving domestic tax compliance, and involving civil society organisations to ensure transparency.

The report analyzes how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing disparities in health, wealth, and power, specifically highlighting 'vaccine apartheid' and the failure of multi-stakeholder governance. It critiques the reliance on private sector solutions for public crises and advocates for transformative policies, including the waiver of intellectual property rights for vaccines, progressive tax reforms, and the strengthening of universal public services to ensure a just recovery.

The NAP Global Network's 2020-2021 report highlights a shift toward short-term technical assistance via its Country Support Hub and a focus on transitioning from adaptation planning to implementation. Key achievements include supporting 20 countries with their first Adaptation Communications (ADCOMs), facilitating peer learning on gender-responsive action and conflict-sensitive planning, and developing knowledge products on climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI). The Network's 2025 strategy emphasizes enhancing monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems and elevating underrepresented voices, particularly women, in adaptation decision-making.