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The policy brief highlights the critical role of local governments in Africa and the Global South as implementers of climate adaptation, mitigation, and biodiversity goals. It identifies systemic barriers—including severe finance gaps, technical capacity constraints, and data deficiencies—that hinder municipal action. The authors recommend that South Africa's 2025 G20 presidency establish a multi-level climate governance declaration, a dedicated local climate action forum, and a specialized finance access facility to empower subnational governments as equal partners in global climate governance.

The Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust, managed by WWF South Africa, provides this manual to facilitate public access to its records and ensure the protection of personal information. It outlines the procedures for requesting records, the associated fees, and the rights of data subjects under South African law.

The National Parks Trust of South Africa, managed by WWF South Africa, provides this manual to facilitate public access to its records and ensure the protection of personal data. It details the application process for information requests, the associated fee structure, and the rights of data subjects to object to or correct their personal information.

The Table Mountain Fund, managed by WWF South Africa, has published a guide to facilitate public access to its records under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). The manual outlines the process for requesting information, the associated fees, and the rights of data subjects regarding their personal information.

The manual outlines the procedures for accessing records held by The WWF Nedbank Green Trust, which is managed by WWF South Africa. It specifies the types of records available, the required application process, the fee structure for requests, and the rights of data subjects regarding their personal information under South African law.

The manual outlines the legal procedures for requesting records from WWF South Africa (WWF-SA) and its associated trusts. It specifies the types of records available, the required application forms, the fee structure for requests, and the processes for objecting to or correcting the processing of personal information under South African law.

The Southern African Wildlife College Trust, managed by WWF South Africa, has published this manual to comply with the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). It outlines the procedures for requesting records, the associated fee structures, and the processes for objecting to or correcting the processing of personal information. The Trust's primary objective is to fund education and training in nature conservation management at the Southern African Wildlife College, specifically subsidising costs for natural resource managers in SADC countries.

The Leslie Hill Succulent Karoo Trust, managed by WWF South Africa, has published this manual to comply with the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). It outlines the procedures for requesting records, the fees associated with such requests, the categories of information held by the Trust, and the mechanisms for data subjects to object to the processing of their personal information or request its correction.

The National Parks Trust of South Africa, managed by WWF South Africa, has published a manual to facilitate public access to its records and ensure the protection of personal data. The document outlines the legal framework, the process for requesting information, the associated fees, and the rights of data subjects regarding their personal information.

The WWF Nedbank Green Trust Manual outlines the procedures for requesting information and managing personal data under the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA). The Trust, founded in October 1990 and managed by WWF South Africa, focuses on community-based conservation and endangered species. It specifies that annual financial statements are available without a formal request, while other records—including administration, financial, and governance documents—require a prescribed application and a request fee of R140.00 for non-personal requesters. The document also details the categories of personal information processed, the conditions for trans-border data flows, and the mechanisms for data subjects to object to processing or request the correction and deletion of their information.

Dr Basani Baloyi argues that unpaid care work is an invisible economic powerhouse that sustains global systems but remains excluded from GDP calculations. The address highlights Brazil's National Caregiving Policy and South Africa's G20 priorities as models for transformation. It asserts that investing in care infrastructure—guided by the ILO's 5R framework—would generate significant GDP returns, create millions of jobs, and address the looming demographic crisis of an aging global population.

The report argues that rapid declines in battery costs have made near-continuous solar power (24/365 generation) an economic reality in sunny regions. In cities like Las Vegas, achieving 97% reliability for a constant power supply is now cost-competitive at $104/MWh, which is cheaper than new coal and nuclear power. The analysis demonstrates that a relatively small amount of storage—approximately 17 kWh of battery for every 1 kW of stable 24-hour power—is sufficient for most sunny locations. This shift allows solar to support 24/7 clean energy contracts for energy-intensive industries and significantly reduces the need for expensive grid expansions by allowing more capacity to be installed behind existing connections.

The report argues that South Africa's current free basic services (FBS) for electricity and water are insufficient to lift households out of poverty, providing only 'survival access' rather than 'developmental access'. It finds that for 40% of the population living below the lower-bound poverty line, current tariffs are unaffordable, often forcing a trade-off between paying for utilities and purchasing adequate nutrition. The document identifies 'adverse inclusion'—where physical connection to a grid exists but the terms of use are restrictive or unaffordable—as a primary barrier to socioeconomic development. It recommends increasing free electricity from 50kWh to 150kWh and water from 6kl to 8kl per month for the poorest 7.5 million households, while replacing municipal discretion in indigent registration with a national policy.

The paper examines the impact of colonial legacies and rapid urbanisation on African transportation, highlighting the contrast between South Africa's high-cost Gautrain and more inclusive BRT systems like Rea Vaya and MyCiTi. It identifies the dominance of informal paratransit, such as minibuses, as a critical gap in regulation and safety, noting high road fatality rates in Sub-Saharan Africa and Addis Ababa. The author advocates for a holistic approach combining infrastructure, travel subsidies, and the integration of informal networks, while cautioning against unchecked car ownership and conditional foreign aid.

The document asserts that Johannesburg's efforts to implement 4IR initiatives, such as its Smart City Strategy, are hindered by systemic governance weaknesses, including political instability and administrative inefficiency. It highlights specific urban challenges in transport, pedestrian safety, and waste management, proposing 4IR solutions like real-time data analytics and blockchain transparency. Drawing on a case study of Medellín, Colombia, the brief recommends shifting toward participatory budgeting, digital land registries, and integrated transport systems to ensure technological advancements reduce inequality and improve urban resilience.

The research paper examines the water crisis in Johannesburg, attributing it to a combination of municipal capacity constraints, corruption, and a national government strategy of fiscal consolidation that undermines constitutional obligations to provide basic services.

The report finds significant disparities in climate progress across South Africa, with affluent cities and provinces leading in ambition while less wealthy regions lag. It highlights a one-directional influence where provincial strategies shape city policies, particularly in the Western Cape, and notes inconsistent just transition commitments within the private sector.

The report evaluates how national, provincial, city, and corporate entities in South Africa incorporate social justice into their net zero commitments. It finds significant disparities in ambition and implementation, with wealthy urban centres leading and less affluent provinces lagging. While the financial sector and some state-owned enterprises show strong just transition frameworks, many private companies and multinational corporations rely on vague offsetting strategies with limited socio-economic integration.

The 2025 City Profiling Report for Cape Town describes a city with strong institutional governance and high service delivery standards relative to other SADC cities, yet one plagued by deep structural inequality and chronic traffic congestion. While the city maintains a clean audit record and high human development indices, it faces significant challenges in youth unemployment, informal settlement growth, and climate vulnerability, particularly regarding water scarcity and fire risk.

Dar es Salaam is one of Africa's fastest-growing cities and Tanzania's economic hub, though it faces significant challenges in infrastructure and governance. While the city's GDP is growing and it leads the country in startups and telecommunications, it is characterized by high levels of informality, with 70% of the population living in informal settlements. Public services such as water, sanitation, and waste management are underperforming, and the city is highly vulnerable to flooding and urban heat. Governance is heavily centralized, with local authorities relying on the national government for approximately 75% to 90% of their revenue, severely limiting their fiscal autonomy and ability to address local needs.