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The New Development Bank (NDB) has funded 9 projects in South Africa and Lesotho totaling USD 3.2 billion. While the NDB has an Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and an Information Disclosure Policy (IDP), the document highlights a lack of transparency, noting that project applications, risk assessments, management plans, and Country Partnership Plans are not publicly available. The NDB delegates the responsibility for environmental and social assessments and grievance mechanisms to its clients, creating uncertainty regarding how the bank monitors the effectiveness and fairness of these processes.

This briefing paper, commissioned by Oxfam South Africa and authored by the Centre for Environmental Rights (CER), examines the information disclosure and grievance mechanisms of the New Development Bank (NDB), specifically focusing on its operations in South Africa. The document analyzes the NDB's reliance on 'country systems' for project implementation and the resulting challenges for public transparency and accountability.

This report examines the acceleration of e-governance and the use of social media by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on South Africa's digital innovations and the broader challenges facing the African continent.

This document provides guidelines for a call for Expressions of Interest (EOI) issued by the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and GEF’s Challenge Program for Adaptation Innovation. The initiative seeks to identify and scale innovative financial mechanisms that support private sector resilience solutions in Fragile and Conflict-Prone Least Developed Countries.

This research paper examines how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced South Africa's leadership and relations within Africa. While the author praises South Africa's multilateral coordination of the continental health response as AU chair, they argue that domestic failures—specifically institutionalised xenophobia and corruption—undermine the country's soft power and long-term leadership potential on the continent.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the intersection of skills transfer, gender equality, and the green energy transition in Africa. It highlights the systemic under-representation of women in energy value chains and the need for a 'just transition' that addresses unemployment risks in fossil fuel-dependent economies through reskilling and targeted AU-EU strategic partnerships.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the necessary adaptations for South Africa's trade policy following the COVID-19 pandemic. It advocates for a revised Trade Policy Strategic Framework that emphasizes regional integration through the AfCFTA and SACU, a strategic redesign of South Africa's role within the WTO, and the diversification of global trading partnerships to ensure economic resilience in the 2020s.

This report documents a Civil Society Training Workshop held via Zoom on 31 August 2020, organized by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). The workshop focused on the South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project, aiming to empower youth organizations and civil society to co-create a written submission for South Africa's second African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) review.

This policy brief examines the rights of landlocked states to access the sea and marine resources under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), emphasizing the necessity of bilateral, sub-regional, or regional agreements to operationalize these rights. It highlights the role of transit states and provides examples of successful transport corridors in Africa.

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development analyzes the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on employment within the mining sector. It examines immediate disruptions to labor and supply chains, the varying risks across the mining lifecycle, and the short-term responses from governments and corporations. The document concludes with strategic recommendations to build long-term resilience through automation, local procurement, and updated regulatory frameworks.

The May 2020 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the African Union's (AU) challenges in the Sahel, the human rights risks associated with COVID-19 states of emergency, the adaptation of peace support operations (PSOs) to the pandemic, and the economic threat to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It also analyzes the potential shift in the global order and the need for Africa to reduce its dependence on external support.

This report analyzes the evolving jurisprudence of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) from 2008 to 2019, concluding that States have legal obligations under human rights treaties to implement ambitious climate mitigation (including phasing out fossil fuels), ensure inclusive adaptation, and provide international cooperation. Key developments include a 2019 joint statement by five HRTBs and the Human Rights Committee's recognition that climate change threatens the right to life, potentially triggering non-refoulment obligations in deportation cases.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) synthesizes the work of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change. It details the CRC's use of General Comments, the State reporting procedure, and the communications procedure to establish that States have legal obligations to protect children's rights—including the rights to life, health, and culture—against the impacts of global climate change.

The 'Building a Resilient Future Outcome Document' records the proceedings of a one-day event held on 22 September 2019 in New York City, convened by the Global Resilience Partnership. The event brought together over 500 practitioners to identify actions and partnerships to accelerate climate adaptation and resilience, specifically responding to the UN Climate Action Summit's Call for Action. The document outlines high-level messages, specific commitments from seven thematic action sessions, and a roadmap for building a global movement to protect vulnerable communities from climate-related shocks.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the challenges and pitfalls associated with relying on private sector investment to bridge Africa's infrastructure financing deficit. It argues that while private capital is often promoted for its speed and lack of conditionalities, it is significantly more expensive, risk-averse, and less focused on development outcomes than public or multilateral funding. The document recommends that African policymakers strengthen domestic capacity and strategically use public funds for social infrastructure and project preparation to enhance regional agency.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) requested access to internal reports and findings from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) regarding Climate Change Risk and Vulnerability Assessments conducted in specific water management areas and water transfer projects.

The April 2019 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines critical stability challenges across Africa, focusing on the fragility of peace deals in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, the trend of constitutional amendments to extend presidential terms, and the escalating crises in Cameroon and Sudan.

The February 2019 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the election of four new members to the African Union's Peace and Security Council (PSC), the 2019 AU chairmanship of Egypt, and South Africa's upcoming 2020 chairmanship. It also analyzes the viability of a new peace deal in the Central African Republic, the humanitarian focus on refugees in 2019, and the escalating political crisis in Sudan.

This report documents a workshop held in August 2018 in Johannesburg, South Africa, hosted by the SADC Secretariat and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The meeting focused on defining and implementing 'facilitating investment for sustainable development' for SADC member states, distinguishing this approach from traditional investment facilitation and trade facilitation.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) examines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) addresses climate change within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC Convention). It focuses on the CRC's 2018 state reporting procedure, highlighting recommendations on mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and international cooperation.