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The report assesses the impact of China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on African infrastructure, economic growth, trade, and debt sustainability. While finding that Chinese investment helps close the infrastructure gap and can boost GDP, the authors note risks including debt distress in specific countries, environmental degradation, and the crowding out of local manufacturing by Chinese imports. Case studies in Kenya, Ethiopia, and Nigeria demonstrate positive outcomes in transport and energy, though the failure of Nigeria's NIGCOM satellite highlights risks of using the continent as a testing ground. The report concludes that benefits generally outweigh costs, provided African nations improve project management and negotiate more symmetrical trade and loan terms.

The report estimates that 1.2 billion tonnes of food are wasted on farms annually, representing 15.3% of global production. This waste contributes 2.2 gigatonnes of CO2 eq, approximately 4% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis reveals that high- and middle-income regions contribute a disproportionate share of harvest waste per capita. The document argues that farm-stage waste is driven not only by direct biological or technical factors but by indirect systemic drivers, including market power imbalances, rigid retail specifications, and the diversion of edible food to animal feed. It calls for a 50% reduction target from 'farm to fork' by 2030 and a shift toward holistic interventions involving governments, retailers, and citizens.

The assessment examined the awareness and challenges of transport planners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as other African regions, regarding the needs of disadvantaged groups and climate change risks. Using a mixed-method approach involving a regional survey, focus groups, and interviews, the study aims to inform a Guidance Framework for inclusive climate-resilient transport planning in Africa.

The document argues that transport is a critical driver of development but a major source of emissions, accounting for 23% of energy-related CO2. It defines sustainable transport as safe, affordable, and efficient mobility that minimizes environmental impacts. The report details the evolution of international policy from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides examples of successful interventions, such as Jakarta's BRT system and various cities' shifts toward active mobility (cycling and walking). It specifically notes the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for structural changes in urban transit, though it warns that 30 major economies continue to provide significant subsidies to fossil fuels over clean energy.

The report analyzes government energy-related spending during the COVID-19 pandemic, finding that a significant portion of recovery funds still supports fossil fuel-intensive sectors. It proposes five core principles for a 'fossil-free recovery': ending public funding for fossil fuel production, reforming fossil fuel subsidies and taxes to raise revenue, 'swapping' those funds into clean energy (access, efficiency, transport, and power), incentivizing private investment in clean electricity, and ensuring a just transition for affected workers and communities.

The paper analyzes how international lending influences African countries' integration into global value chains. It finds that Chinese lending, which focuses heavily on transport and communication infrastructure, increases the overall intensity of GVC participation. In contrast, World Bank lending, which prioritizes social sectors like education and health, helps countries move toward higher value-added, upstream positions in production networks. The study emphasizes that reducing trade costs through infrastructure is key to initial GVC access, while human capital investments support economic upgrading.

The document analyzes the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a heavy reliance on global imports and a lack of fiscal capacity for social protection. It details how governments primarily used interventionist market, trade, and production policies, while highlighting severe disruptions in input supply, labor, and logistics. The authors argue for a shift toward more agile governance, investment in infrastructure, and the effective implementation of regional trade agreements to build future resilience.

The first meeting of Ethiopia's National Community of Practice (COP) for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Climate Change took place on April 26, 2021. The meeting aimed to establish a coordinating body to address the limited integration of gender into climate actions, which previous assessments attributed to inadequate human and financial capacity within gender-mandated directorates. Key outcomes included the endorsement of the COP's Terms of Reference and the drafting of a one-year work plan featuring policy analysis, project mapping, and capacity audits. The COP is co-chaired by the Women, Children and Youth Directorates of the Ministry of Finance and the Environment, Forest and Climate Change Commission.

Andrew Steer reflects on his nine-year tenure as leader of the World Resources Institute (WRI), outlining the organizational strategies and lessons learned to effectively drive global environmental and climate change.

The Ethiopia Electric Utility (EEU) is working to increase women's representation in the electricity sector, targeting 30% female employment by 2023. These efforts include STEM scholarships, internships, the establishment of childcare centers, and the creation of policies to combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence. The program is supported by a $4.5 million allocation within the Ethiopia Electrification Program (ELEAP), funded by the World Bank and other grants.

The report examines the crisis of missing persons in Africa, documenting nearly 44,000 cases through the ICRC as of 2020. It identifies armed conflict, other situations of violence, and migration as primary drivers, noting that men and children are disproportionately affected. Families face severe psychosocial trauma, economic hardship, and legal hurdles due to a lack of domestic frameworks for declaring absence. The document advocates for the establishment of national information bureaus, improved medico-legal capacity for body identification, and the integration of missing persons into transitional justice processes.

The Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission (ERC), established in 2019, faces significant operational and political hurdles that hinder its ability to implement substantive reconciliation activities. The report identifies a lack of clarity regarding the Commission's material and temporal mandates, an oversized and technically under-qualified membership, and a lack of independence and public trust. It recommends that the Ethiopian government revise the ERC's founding proclamation to specify its focus on gross human rights violations and recurrent conflicts, restructure the Commission to be leaner and more expert-led, and empower it to recommend reparations and conditional amnesties. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that the ERC's success depends on a conducive political environment fostered by an inclusive national dialogue.

The 'Climate and Society Game' is a training tool that uses role-play to help participants understand the intersection of social identity and climate risk. Set in the fictional Indian neighbourhood of Krishna Nagar, the game asks participants to adopt character cards—representing diverse identities such as a transgender woman, an elderly grandmother, and a pastoralist—to simulate consultations on coastal flooding and resilience planning. The exercise aims to highlight barriers to participation and foster more equitable climate action.

The document analyzes the evolving economic relationship between Africa and China, highlighting the need to move from an inequitable trade balance—where Africa primarily exports primary commodities and imports manufactured goods—toward increased industrialization and foreign direct investment (FDI). It emphasizes the role of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) in attracting Chinese FDI and enhancing local value addition. Regarding infrastructure, the briefing notes that while China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) fills critical financing gaps, African nations must improve institutional capacity for fiscal management to ensure debt sustainability. Finally, it addresses the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), suggesting that African countries leverage the AfCFTA to harmonize regulations on digital services and data flow to mitigate the digital divide and harness technological advancements.

The document establishes a two-component eligibility framework for hydropower certification: a Mitigation Component and an Adaptation & Resilience (A&R) Component. The Mitigation Component uses a 'predictive screen' based on power density to identify low-risk assets, while others must undergo a GHG assessment using the G-res tool or on-site studies to meet emissions intensity thresholds of 100g CO2e/kWh (pre-2020) or 50g CO2e/kWh (post-2020). The A&R Component requires assets to be assessed via the ESG Gap Analysis Tool, with strict limits on the number of 'significant gaps' allowed and a requirement for an Environmental and Social Action Plan (ESAP) to close those gaps within 24 months. Additionally, the criteria mandate Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for indigenous peoples and public disclosure of compliance data.

The document critiques COVAX as a multi-stakeholder entity that marginalizes the World Health Organization (WHO) and replaces public health governance with a commercial banking model. It argues that COVAX is designed to protect the global pharmaceutical market and serve as a tool for geopolitical 'soft power' rather than ensuring equitable vaccine access. The author highlights that COVAX's funding mechanisms, dominated by a few wealthy nations and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, allow private interests to influence vaccine R&D and distribution, potentially risking the health and political autonomy of developing nations.

The document analyzes the evolving economic relationship between Africa and China, highlighting a trade imbalance where Africa primarily exports raw commodities and imports manufactured goods. It suggests that the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and Special Economic Zones (SEZs) can attract Chinese foreign direct investment to boost local manufacturing. While China is a primary source of infrastructure funding via the Belt and Road Initiative, the report notes concerns over debt sustainability, though it argues these are often tainted by geopolitics. Finally, it discusses the opportunities and risks of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), urging African nations to harmonize regulations and improve digital infrastructure to avoid a widening digital divide.

The policy brief argues that climate adaptation measures often have cross-border effects that can redistribute vulnerability or create 'maladaptation' if not managed through a lens of justice and connectedness. It introduces a framework combining procedural and distributive justice with a systemic understanding of global connectivity to prevent the shifting of risks from wealthy to vulnerable actors. Using case studies from the Brazilian coffee supply chain and the Blue Nile Basin, the authors demonstrate how coordinated international action and improved efficiency can mitigate regional tensions and human security risks. The brief concludes with recommendations for strengthening multilateral cooperation, developing shared normative principles, and crafting incentives to prevent 'risk-dumping'.

The report highlights that the water and sanitation sector contributes up to 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions and is highly vulnerable to climate impacts. It advocates for a shift from single-issue, siloed approaches toward integrated, local, and cross-sectoral collaborations to achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 13. Through case studies in Peru, Uganda, Germany, and Bolivia, the document demonstrates how regulatory frameworks, peer-to-peer partnerships (WOPs), and systems-thinking can reduce carbon footprints and build resilience. It concludes that while collaboration is essential, it must be implemented proportionately to avoid operational inefficiency.

The report addresses the lack of granular, standardized data on cooling finance, which currently relies on equipment sales estimates or fragmented sectoral data. To resolve this, the authors propose a 'Cooling Investment Tracking Framework' using a six-letter code-tagging system. This system evaluates four dimensions: cooling orientation (the extent to which cooling is the project's purpose), climate orientation (whether the solution is efficient, clean, or sustainable), solution type (categorized into technology, services, policy, and finance), and purpose (mapped to OECD DAC codes). The framework aims to help stakeholders quantify financial commitments, monitor the phase-out of high-GWP refrigerants, and inform national cooling action plans. The authors recommend piloting the framework with development finance institutions to create a universal standard for tracking sustainable cooling investments.