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This IISD report examines the challenges and opportunities for consumer protection in the e-commerce sector of developing countries. It highlights a significant gap in legislative frameworks and enforcement capacity, particularly in LDCs, and analyzes how regional and multilateral trade agreements (like the WTO JSI and AfCFTA) are attempting to standardize protections against fraud and data misuse. The report recommends that developing countries leverage digital technologies, trade agreement commitments, and international cooperation to modernize their consumer protection systems.

This research paper examines the potential for trilateral cooperation between the European Union (EU), China, and African nations within critical raw material (CRM) supply chains. It argues that while the EU seeks to reduce its dependence on China, the deep integration of Chinese firms in midstream and downstream processing, combined with African demands for local value addition, makes a cooperative approach more viable than immediate decoupling. The author proposes a specific model for trilateral cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo's cobalt sector to balance the strategic interests of all three parties.

The March 2025 Peace & Security Council Report analyzes critical instability in South Sudan and Sudan, the African Union's (AU) struggles to manage post-coup transitions in several member states, and the shortcomings of AU election observer missions in 2024. It calls for the Peace and Security Council (PSC) to adopt more risk-based, high-level engagement strategies and improve internal coordination to prevent the fragmentation of states and the entrenchment of military juntas.

This policy brief examines the global race to secure critical minerals for green and digital industrial revolutions, detailing the strategies of the US, EU, UK, Canada, and China. It argues that African countries can leverage their mineral wealth through the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) by adopting a 'climate-resilient developmental regionalism' approach to build regional value chains and achieve sustainable structural transformation.

This research paper examines the role of vertical industrial policies in Africa, using the cement industries of Nigeria and Morocco as primary case studies to demonstrate how targeted government intervention can drive sustainable industrial growth and economic diversification.

This report from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes the activities and structural challenges of the African Union (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC). It evaluates the performance of the fifth Panel of the Wise, the coordination between the PSC and the Southern African Development Community (SADC), the resurgence of mercenarism in Africa, and the underutilization of policing in peace support operations. Additionally, it outlines the priorities of Cameroon during its chairship of the PSC.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the gap between Africa's vast renewable energy potential and its current capacity. It highlights the continent's critical role in the global energy transition due to its abundance of solar, wind, and hydro resources, as well as essential critical minerals. The document outlines systemic barriers to progress, including insufficient financing, a heavy reliance on imported technology, and a lack of local manufacturing. It proposes strategic interventions for the African Union and G20 to enhance technology transfer, mobilize climate finance, and integrate African nations into green value chains beyond the supply of raw materials.

This policy brief examines the current state and potential of renewable energy technologies in Africa, highlighting the gap between the continent's vast natural resources and its low installed capacity. It analyzes barriers to the energy transition, including financing shortages, reliance on imported technology, and the need for better integration into green value chains, while providing recommendations for the African Union and G20 to support a just transition.

This briefing by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the status and challenges of Article 6 (A6) of the Paris Agreement leading into and during COP29. It details the three mechanisms for international climate cooperation: Article 6.2 (bilateral trading), Article 6.4 (a UN-governed global market), and Article 6.8 (non-market approaches). The document highlights critical integrity concerns, including the risk of double counting, the lack of transparency in bilateral deals, and the controversy surrounding the use of REDD+ activities and emissions avoidance credits. It specifically notes that operational standards for A6.4 were adopted on the first day of COP29, a move criticized by some observers for lacking transparency.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes policy measures used by Costa Rica, Gabon, Indonesia, Peru, and Rwanda to combat deforestation and explores how voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) can complement these government efforts.

The December 2023/January 2024 edition of the Peace & Security Council Report evaluates the African Union's (AU) Peace and Security Council (PSC) performance in 2023, highlighting a trend toward discussing thematic issues over sensitive country crises. It examines the challenges of consensus-based decision-making, the upcoming 2024 AU chairship and PSC membership elections, and the potential impact of the UN's New Agenda for Peace on African security architecture.

This background note provides energy production and demand forecasts for Africa and the global community up to 2043, based on the International Futures (IFs) forecasting platform. It details the transition of energy sources, the growth of African energy demand driven by population increases, and the status of fossil fuel reserves and renewable energy projects across the continent.

This background note from the Institute for Security Studies analyzes Africa's energy export and import trends under a 'Current Path' forecast up to 2043, highlighting the contrast between a few major energy exporters and a majority of countries dependent on imports.

The November 2023 Peace & Security Council Report examines the diplomatic implications of the first Saudi-Africa summit, the coordination between the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) and the UN Security Council's A3 members, the precarious state of South Sudan's transition toward elections, and the AU's efforts to integrate youth into peacebuilding and economic integration via AfCFTA.

This special edition of the Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the resurgence of military coups and unconstitutional changes of government (UCGs) in Africa, specifically focusing on a 'third wave' since 2019. The report analyzes the drivers of these coups, the role of 'constitutional coups' (manipulating term limits), the impact of civil-military relations, and the effectiveness of African Union (AU) and regional sanctions.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs evaluates the effectiveness of African Union (AU) mechanisms, specifically the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the Africa Governance Report (AGR), in improving governance across Africa. The author concludes that governance standards have generally remained static or declined since 1996, and that while APRM membership correlates with better performance, the review process itself does not guarantee improvement.

This document provides the technical annexes for the 2023 Forest Declaration Assessment, detailing the definitions, regional aggregations, and methodologies used to track forest loss, degradation, restoration, and biodiversity. It includes a specific data table comparing 2022 deforestation levels against a 2018-2020 baseline for 30 high-impact countries.

This document is an annex to the 2022 Regional Assessment by the Forest Declaration Assessment, focusing on tracking progress toward forest goals in the Congo Basin. It details a monitoring framework consisting of 50 indicators across four themes—forest goals, sustainable production and development, forest financing, and forest governance—and provides a comparative summary of the laws, governing entities, and policies used to address deforestation in Cameroon, Gabon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo.

This document is a regional annex to the 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment, focusing on the Congo Basin. It details a comprehensive evaluation framework consisting of 50 indicators across four themes—forest goals, sustainable production and development, forest finance, and forest governance—designed to monitor progress in forest legality and governance based on Chatham House methodology.

The 2022 Regional Assessment by the Forest Declaration Assessment evaluates progress toward ending deforestation and land degradation by 2030 in the Congo Basin. While the region has historically low deforestation rates and serves as the tropics' largest net carbon sink, 2021 saw a jump in forest loss. The report highlights a gap between high-level political commitments and concrete implementation, noting that only Gabon and the Republic of the Congo are currently on track to meet the required annual reduction in forest cover loss.