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The report finds that while nearly USD 4.7 billion in results-based finance has been committed since 2010, only 35% has been disbursed as of April 2019. It highlights the slow pace of negotiating Emission Reductions Payment Agreements (ERPAs) and a critical funding gap in the implementation phase of REDD+ activities. While forest carbon markets show some growth in voluntary demand, they remain a small fraction of global deforestation emissions. The document also details domestic payment mechanisms in Brazil, Colombia, and Costa Rica, and outlines various forms of support for jurisdictional-sourcing initiatives.

The document examines the design, selection, implementation, and scaling of Challenge Funds (CFs) specifically for resilience building. It compares GRP's operational experience with a broader literature review of various international CFs, such as the African Enterprise Challenge Fund and the Global Innovation Fund. Key findings emphasize the need for clear definitions of resilience, the value of multi-stage application processes to support local innovators, and the necessity of long-term strategies to move innovations beyond the 'valley of death' toward sustainable scale. The report concludes with specific recommendations for future resilience-focused challenges, highlighting the importance of adaptive management and robust, long-term impact evaluations.

The document defines anti-agricultural bias as a condition where policies and market failures disadvantage farmers relative to other economic sectors. It details four primary economic indicators for measuring this bias: the Nominal Rate of Protection, the Nominal Rate of Assistance, the Relative Rate of Assistance, and the Effective Rate of Protection. The report argues that while historical bias was driven by explicit taxes on agriculture and subsidies for industry, contemporary bias in non-transformed economies often stems from market failures, such as poor infrastructure and unbalanced market power. Through case studies of 12 countries, the report demonstrates that bias is often heterogeneous across different crops; for example, rice often benefits from protection via regional tariffs, while cash crops like tea or cashew nuts are frequently taxed. Specific country analyses reveal that in nations like Ethiopia and Zambia, high anti-agricultural bias is driven by low output prices and export bans, despite the presence of agricultural import tariffs.

The document examines how 'migration' and 'development' are defined and measured in quantitative research, highlighting a gap in evidence regarding migration aspirations, failed attempts, and involuntary immobility. It discusses the challenges of establishing causal links due to endogeneity—specifically reverse causality, self-selection, and omitted variables—and evaluates experimental and non-experimental methods to address these biases. The paper advocates for a holistic, multi-dimensional approach to development that moves beyond economic metrics to include social, institutional, and environmental outcomes.

The paper examines how social protection instruments—specifically cash transfers and public works programs—can be leveraged to build climate resilience. It identifies a substantial overlap between social protection and climate adaptation, noting that both target the most vulnerable. The authors propose three strategic shifts: enhancing the effectiveness of existing systems, integrating climate risk management (such as forecast-based early action), and layering social protection with other risk management tools like insurance. The document highlights that while social protection strongly supports absorptive and adaptive resilience, more work is needed to achieve transformative resilience.

The report examines how cell captive insurance—a model where a licensed insurer creates ring-fenced cells for other organisations—can be used in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) to bridge gaps in specialised risk cover, drive retail innovation, and facilitate market participation. It identifies four primary use cases: specialised risk management, retail innovation, insurance market participation, and the development of offshore financial centres. The document details three main regulatory models—Protected Cell Companies (PCC), Incorporated Cell Companies (ICC), and Shareholder Participation Agreements (SPA)—and provides a decision tree for regulators to determine the appropriate structure based on their policy objectives, risk transfer needs, and requirements for asset separation, capital, and governance.

At its 23rd meeting, the GCF Board approved 10 new projects totaling USD 266.90 million in GCF funding, which, with co-financing, will support over USD 1.45 billion in climate action across 10 developing countries. The Board adopted several key governance frameworks, including a compliance risk policy, an updated policy on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment (SEAH), and procedures for decision-making when consensus is not reached. Additionally, the Board established that the first replenishment period will run from 1 January 2020 to 31 December 2023 and approved four new Accredited Entities.

The document argues that standard quantitative and qualitative methods often fail to capture the non-linear, asymmetric, and multi-layered nature of the migration-development nexus. It presents QCA as a solution that identifies 'necessary and sufficient conditions' and 'equifinality' (multiple paths to the same outcome). The authors provide a guide to QCA implementation—covering calibration, consistency, and coverage—and review three case studies at the macro (EU sanctions in Africa), meso (agricultural change in China), and micro (internet penetration in Ghana) levels to demonstrate the method's utility. It concludes that QCA should be triangulated with other methods to provide robust evidence for policy.

The document details the efforts of the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) to support Namibian civil society organisations (CSOs) in engaging with the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). Following Namibia's accession to the APRM in January 2017, CSOs formed a working group in 2018 to identify 13 critical governance issues and produce a written submission presented on 21 June 2019. The brief outlines ten lessons for other countries, emphasizing the need for early familiarity with the APRM, strategic issue selection, government engagement to build trust, and the use of peer learning from other states. It concludes that the process not only pressured the Namibian government to accelerate its national APRM process but also led to the creation of 'Civic +264', a new information hub for civil society coordination.

The report examines the actions of 14 African countries at the UN Human Rights Council in 2017. It finds that the African Group is no longer a unified voting bloc, with significant divergence in how members approach human rights. Botswana, Ghana, and Rwanda are identified as the strongest defenders of international human rights among the group, while Burundi, Egypt, and Nigeria are characterized as the most antagonistic. The analysis highlights a recurring tension between the principle of national sovereignty and the universality of human rights, particularly regarding 'item 4' resolutions that mandate investigations into specific countries without their consent.

The paper argues that while youth are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, they possess significant potential to drive adaptation efforts if shifted from a narrative of passive victimhood to one of active empowerment. It identifies institutional barriers such as tokenism and lack of platforms, as well as capacity challenges including limited funding and gaps in technical knowledge. The authors advocate for institutionalizing meaningful youth engagement, integrating climate education into national curricula, and creating dedicated financial mechanisms for youth-led adaptation projects.

Mighty Earth expresses concern over the Ivorian government's plan to empty protected areas of inhabitants to combat deforestation, noting that 1.5 to 2 million people in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana live in such areas. The organization highlights a history of abuses during evictions and argues that the global chocolate industry, which funded illegal cocoa production, has a moral responsibility to compensate expelled farmers.

The paper finds that removing fossil fuel subsidies across 26 modeled countries leads to an average 6% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, which increases to 13.2% if combined with a 10% energy tax and reinvestment in renewables and energy efficiency. Globally, the removal of these subsidies is estimated to reduce emissions by 6.4% to 8.2% by 2050. The study highlights that governments save an average of USD 93 for every tonne of CO2e removed through subsidy reform, with total cumulative fiscal savings across the 26 countries reaching USD 2.56 trillion by 2030.

The document provides a comparative overview of National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes in multiple countries, detailing their specific strategic approaches, priority sectors, and implementation milestones. It emphasizes the integration of climate adaptation into national development planning, the importance of cross-sectoral coordination, and the mobilization of climate finance to build resilience against diverse hazards such as sea-level rise, droughts, and extreme weather events.

The GCF Secretariat report for early 2019 details progress across six strategic goals. Key achievements include the launch of the first formal replenishment process, the development of a Theory of Change to drive paradigm shifts, and the expansion of the Readiness Programme. While the number of projects under implementation rose to 51 by 30 April 2019, the Secretariat noted bottlenecks in signing agreements due to the immediate effectiveness of new Board policies. The report also highlights the operationalization of a 'community of practice' with 28 expert organizations and the refinement of second-level due diligence processes.

The document evaluates forest governance in nine tropical countries, noting improvements in legal frameworks and multi-stakeholder engagement driven by Voluntary Partnership Agreements (VPAs) and REDD+. However, it highlights critical failures in cross-sectoral policy coherence, the rule of law, and the implementation of free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC). While transparency has increased through digital tools, accountability remains limited by corruption and insufficient resources for law enforcement.

Nigeria is Africa's largest recipient of remittances, with 2018 inflows reaching USD 24.2 billion, yet the market is characterized by high informality and significant barriers to formal service expansion. While the country possesses a sophisticated national payment system and high internet penetration, formal remittance growth is hindered by tight foreign exchange controls, high licensing requirements, and a lack of financial access points in rural areas. The report highlights a stark contrast in costs between corridors, with USA and UK transfers being competitive while the Cameroon corridor remains exorbitant. Key recommendations include incentivizing mobile network operator participation through Payment Service Bank licenses, revising capital outflow limits, and harmonizing biometric identity systems to reduce onboarding friction.

This research paper assesses the impact of removing consumer fossil fuel subsidies by 2025 across 26 countries, finding a simple average GHG emission reduction of 6% by 2030 compared to business as usual. The study argues that while FFSR alone is insufficient to meet Paris Agreement goals, combining it with a 10% energy tax and reallocating 30% of savings into renewable energy and energy efficiency could increase average reductions to 13.2% by 2030. It highlights that FFSR is a cost-effective tool, saving governments an average of USD 93 per tonne of CO2e removed. The paper also reviews the regressive nature of fuel subsidies and advocates for 'subsidy swaps' toward sustainable energy and social safety nets, noting that only 8% of current NDCs explicitly include FFSR.

The policy brief argues that South Africa's 2017 White Paper on International Migration (WPIM) neglects the 'feminisation of migration,' leaving women migrants vulnerable to exploitation and violence. While women's migration to South Africa has quadrupled since 1990, current legislation remains gender-neutral, failing to address gender-specific drivers or the economic potential of women's remittances and entrepreneurship. The author highlights risks in the informal sector and the potential for human rights violations in proposed border processing centres, urging the government to adopt gender-disaggregated data and targeted protection strategies.

The document outlines a framework for G20 nations to align their near-term climate pledges (NDCs) with mid-century visions (LTSs) to achieve Paris Agreement goals. It emphasizes that such alignment avoids carbon lock-in, supports just transitions, and unlocks economic benefits, including a potential US$26 trillion in global benefits by 2030. The paper provides guidance on NDC implementation, the process for updating pledges by 2020, and the necessity of G20 support for developing countries to overcome capacity and financing gaps.