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The report assesses Zimbabwe's young and dynamic fintech ecosystem, which is currently dominated by digital payments and remittances. While mobile money has significantly increased financial access, the sector faces substantial hurdles, including a lack of early-stage funding, a risk-averse regulatory environment, and a near-monopoly by Econet/EcoCash. The document provides a comprehensive SWOT and PESTEL analysis and offers short, medium, and long-term recommendations to foster a more collaborative, innovative, and inclusive digital financial system.

The document assesses the GRP Incubator's approach to scaling resilience solutions, focusing on five grantees: Groundswell, IFPRI, Mahila Housing Trust, MetaMeta, and Producers Direct. It details the Incubator's support mechanisms, including mentoring, leadership training, and financial networking, and evaluates the progress of these grantees across a three-stage scaling framework. Key findings highlight the importance of context-specific adaptation, stakeholder engagement, and the transition from grant-funded projects to sustainable business models.

The report examines the GRP's approach to fostering an environment where failure is viewed as a learning opportunity rather than a cause for penalty. Through case studies of seven projects, it highlights the importance of trust, flexible targets, and adaptive management in refining resilience solutions. Key recommendations include designing projects for 'probe-sense-respond' cycles and establishing clear failure thresholds to avoid wasting investment on ineffective pilots.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) has compiled a directory of resilience-focused initiatives, categorising them into funds and financing facilities, networks and alliances, organisations, and specific programmes and projects. The mapping covers a wide array of mechanisms, from large-scale funds like the Green Climate Fund to specialised regional initiatives such as the Africa Risk Capacity and the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility. These initiatives target various sectors including agriculture, urban infrastructure, water management, and financial risk disclosure, with a strong emphasis on supporting Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Island Developing States (SIDS), and vulnerable populations.

The Malawi National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Framework provides a structured approach to building climate resilience, integrating adaptation into national development planning, and coordinating stakeholders. It outlines five key mandates: improving community resilience through agriculture and disaster risk management, sustainable natural resource use, improving soil and land management, conserving biodiversity, and providing policy advocacy. The framework adopts a systems approach and emphasizes vertical and horizontal integration, community participation, and gender-responsiveness. It identifies critical gaps in climate modelling and institutional capacity, proposing a roadmap that includes risk and vulnerability assessments, the mobilization of private sector finance, and the integration of adaptation priorities into ministry spending plans, with support from the Green Climate Fund.

The Malawi National Adaptation Plan (NAP) Framework establishes the vision, mandates, and institutional arrangements for the country's adaptation process. It outlines a multi-pronged approach involving horizontal and vertical integration, community participation, and private sector engagement. The framework identifies five key mandates focusing on community resilience, natural resource utilization, soil and land management, biodiversity conservation, and policy advocacy. It aligns with national goals like the Malawi Growth and Development Strategy III and international targets such as the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The document details next steps, including climate risk and vulnerability assessments, the integration of adaptation priorities into ministry spending plans, and the mobilization of private sector finance, with the goal of producing the first full NAP by 2020.

The document analyzes how trade facilitation efforts in East Africa affect women informal cross-border traders, who constitute up to 70% of such trade in Africa. Using the Busia One-Stop Border Post (OSBP) as a case study, it evaluates the effectiveness of 'hard' infrastructure (like border facilities) and 'soft' infrastructure (like Simplified Trade Regimes and capacity building). While the Busia OSBP has reduced customs processing times by 80% and improved relations between traders and officials, significant gaps remain, including inadequate sanitation on the Ugandan side, limited access to formal finance, and the persistence of predatory middlemen. The paper recommends gender-sensitive infrastructure, simplified cross-border banking, and the use of the African Continental Free Trade Area to create continent-wide framework STRs.

South Africa introduced a carbon tax in 2019 to meet greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 34% by 2020 and 42% by 2025. The policy primarily targets the energy sector, which is responsible for approximately 80% of the country's emissions due to a heavy reliance on coal. While the tax aims to incentivize a shift toward renewable energy, it faces challenges including potential conflicts with WTO non-discrimination principles, the risk of carbon leakage due to a lack of border price adjustments, and negative socio-economic impacts such as increased consumer prices and potential job losses in energy-intensive industries like mining and steel. The document argues for a balanced approach that includes worker re-skilling, targeted incentives for renewables, and regional coordination through agreements like the AfCFTA to prevent protectionism and ensure a just transition.

The report finds that low-carbon energy transitions do not automatically improve social equity and can replicate existing structural inequalities if power asymmetries are not addressed. While some technologies like household solar provide benefits, others—particularly large-scale hydropower and biofuel plantations—often lead to land loss, displacement, and precarious employment. The authors argue that institutional frameworks and participatory processes, rather than the technology itself, determine whether a transition is just.

The document analyzes policy coherence between the Paris Agreement's NDCs and the 2030 Agenda's SDGs in Germany, Kenya, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Sweden, and the Philippines. It finds that while synergies exist, significant conflicts often emerge around energy transitions, economic growth, and inequality (SDG 10). These incoherencies are driven by institutional fragmentation, conflicting national ideologies, and vested interests. The authors argue that achieving both agendas requires moving beyond institutional fixes to address deep structural changes and political dynamics.

The report details the preparatory phase of a GCF-funded project in Benin, focusing on fiduciary and procurement capacity assessments of the Ministry of Livelihood and Sustainable Development (MCVDD). While no field activities were executed during the reporting period, the project established a Project Cooperation Agreement and developed terms of reference for a Project Management Unit. The project aims to restore 3,600 hectares of forest and improve 3,000 hectares of farmland to benefit 22,000 people directly.

The paper outlines three primary areas where South Africa can exert leadership as AU chair: 'Silencing the Guns' by mediating conflicts in Libya and South Sudan; ensuring the timely implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) by July 1, 2020; and revitalizing the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) to improve continental governance.

This report synthesizes lessons from six country case studies to provide recommendations for designing 'Energy Safety Nets'—social assistance mechanisms intended to ensure the poorest populations can afford both the initial connection to and the ongoing consumption of modern energy services to meet SDG7 goals by 2030.

This guide provides a framework for policymakers and financiers on implementing Energy Safety Nets to ensure the poorest populations can access modern energy services, drawing on experiences from six countries.

The report evaluates emission pathways and technology options for Kenya's electricity sector to ensure alignment with the Paris Agreement and sustainable development goals. It argues that avoiding coal and limiting natural gas in favor of geothermal, mini-grids, and energy efficiency is essential for a Paris-compatible trajectory. The document highlights a misalignment between previous climate documents and actual sector planning, recommending integrated planning processes and the creation of a Long-term Strategy to provide transparency and a clear economic vision.

The study examines the sustainability of charcoal production in Kitui County, Kenya, to address the growing urban demand for fuel in East Africa. By employing stakeholder workshops, informant interviews, and agent-based modelling, the research integrates local perspectives and data to assess policy performance. The interdisciplinary methodology allowed for the analysis of micro-interactions, financial flows, biomass extraction, and issues related to agency and corruption.

The global green bond and green loan market reached a record USD 257.7 billion in 2019, a 51% increase over 2018. Growth was primarily driven by Europe, which accounted for 45% of global issuance. The USA, China, and France remained the top-ranked countries, together representing 44% of the market. Energy and Buildings were the dominant sectors for use of proceeds, each holding approximately 30% market share. Certified Climate Bonds grew by 86% to reach USD 45 billion, with cumulative certified issuance surpassing the USD 100 billion milestone. The market also saw increased diversification with debut issuances from emerging markets including Kenya, Barbados, and Saudi Arabia.

The report evaluates global security threats under two warming scenarios: a 'Near Term' scenario (1-2°C) and a 'Medium-Long Term' scenario (2-4+°C). It concludes that even low levels of warming present high to very high risks, while higher warming levels pose catastrophic and potentially irreversible threats to global stability. The analysis is structured around U.S. Geographic Combatant Command areas, detailing how climate-induced physical shocks and social tensions act as threat multipliers that can lead to state failure, resource conflict, and the breakdown of international alliances.

The document argues that the National Adaptation Plan (NAP) process is uniquely suited to support peacebuilding in fragile states because its long-term, holistic, and participatory nature aligns with the timelines and goals of conflict recovery. It highlights that climate risks and conflict often share drivers, such as poverty and weak governance, and that failure to adapt can exacerbate resource competition. The briefing provides examples of countries like Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Palestine that have integrated conflict dynamics into their NAPs, while noting ongoing challenges such as the lack of climate data in conflict zones and the exclusion of refugees from planning processes.

The document argues that for fragile states, climate change and conflict often share drivers and mutually reinforce each other, making the integration of adaptation planning and peacebuilding essential. It highlights how the NAP process, through its long-term, holistic, and participatory nature, can serve as a platform for conflict prevention and trust-building. The text provides examples from countries like Sudan, Burkina Faso, and Palestine where climate adaptation is used to mitigate resource-based conflicts or where active conflict severely hinders adaptation capacity. It concludes by identifying key challenges, including the need for transboundary planning and the inclusion of marginalized populations like refugees.