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This fact sheet describes the Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (STAND) Initiative, a collaboration between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) to support Grassroots Environmental Defenders (GEDs) facing security risks and criminalization.

This fact sheet describes the Standing Together for Environmental Defenders (STAND) initiative, a collaboration between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) designed to support grassroots environmental defenders facing security risks and systemic barriers.

This fact sheet describes the STAND Initiative (Unidos y Unidas por las Personas Defensoras del Medio Ambiente y del Territorio), a collaborative effort between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) to support environmental and territorial defenders in six countries.

This research paper examines the tension in Germany's trade and investment policy toward Africa, contrasting a history of corporate-led 'geoeconomic' interests with a more recent shift toward a morality-based foreign policy. The author argues that Germany has an opportunity to move away from extractivist models and instead support African economic self-determination through domestic resource mobilisation and regional industrial complementarities.

This report by Zero Carbon Analytics examines the role of smallholder farmers in global food security, their productivity, and their adoption of sustainable agricultural practices. It highlights that small-scale farms, particularly those between two and five hectares, produce a significant portion of the world's food and often exhibit higher land productivity and biodiversity than larger farms. The document emphasizes the importance of integrating smallholders into modern agrifood supply chains and providing financial resources to scale climate-smart agricultural practices, especially in Africa.

This research paper examines illicit financial flows (IFFs) stemming from migrant smuggling in Senegal and Sierra Leone. It analyzes how smuggling proceeds are generated, moved through formal and informal channels, and laundered into legitimate sectors. The report highlights a significant gap between the existence of anti-money laundering policies and their practical implementation, noting that financial intelligence units in both countries lack the resources and expertise to effectively 'follow the money' in smuggling cases.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines the systemic challenges facing food production in Africa and proposes specific interventions for the G20 to help the continent avoid missing the UN Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and AU Agenda 2063 targets.

This report by the African Center for Economic Transformation analyzes the cocoa value chain in Liberia, identifying significant binding constraints in production, logistics, and governance. It argues that the sector must transition from a traditional commodity model to a high-value-adding industry to drive economic transformation.

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.

The 2022 analysis by Sustainable Energy for All identifies significant global gaps in cooling access, with 1.2 billion people at high risk and 2.47 billion at medium risk. The report highlights that the population at high risk increased by 28 million since 2021, driven by urbanization and the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly in high-impact countries.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) issued a statement mourning the passing of Ciata Bishop, an international trade and investment lawyer and advisor who advocated for sustainable investment and the involvement of affected communities.

The 2022 Forest Declaration Assessment Theme 4 report evaluates global forest governance systems and their capacity to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030. It finds that while some countries have implemented effective legal tools like moratoria and inclusive policies, overall progress is insufficient, with persistent issues including widespread corruption, tenure insecurity for Indigenous Peoples and local communities, and the rollback of environmental protections in several major tropical forest nations.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the priorities and challenges for African nations leading up to COP27 in Egypt. It highlights the continent's push for climate justice, increased financial support for adaptation and loss and damage, and a 'just transition' that allows for the temporary use of natural gas to ensure energy security.

This factsheet summarizes the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report for West Africa, detailing how the region is warming faster than the global average. It highlights severe risks to food security, human health (specifically heat-related mortality and diarrhoeal diseases), and biodiversity. The report emphasizes that while adaptation options like ecosystem-based solutions exist, they are severely hindered by a lack of finance and critical data gaps in climate research.

This briefing describes Liberia's efforts to enhance sustainable agricultural investment through the renegotiation of large-scale land deals and administrative reforms following the 2006 installation of a democratically elected government.

This case study, part of the IISD 'Stories of Change' series, details Liberia's efforts to renegotiate large-scale agricultural concession agreements following its civil war. Through an interview with Ciata Bishop, the document explains how the government transitioned from outdated 'scoop and ship' contracts to a transparent, regulated framework designed to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) while ensuring community benefits, food security, and job creation.

The ARM-Harith Cities & Climate Transition Fund (The ACT Fund) is a mid-market greenfield infrastructure fund designed to expand sustainable infrastructure in West Africa. It utilizes a blended-currency mechanism to reduce financing friction at early project stages and mobilize local institutional investment through structured exit solutions.

This case study describes the establishment and operational success of the Totota Electric Cooperative (TEC) in rural Liberia, a solar hybrid mini-grid utility developed through a partnership between NRECA International and USAID/Liberia.

This report analyzes regional trends in cooling access gaps for 2021, focusing on high-impact countries in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and the Caribbean. It highlights an overall increase in populations at highest risk—specifically the rural and urban poor—across all regions, with the COVID-19 pandemic cited as a contributing factor to rising poverty and cooling access challenges.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs assesses the economic policy responses of low-income countries (LICs) in Africa to the COVID-19 pandemic. It finds that while these countries employed expansionary fiscal and monetary tools, the scale and quality of their responses were modest compared to developed and middle-income nations due to pre-existing structural bottlenecks, high debt, and limited fiscal space. The document emphasizes the need for a data-driven recovery approach, increased digital and financial inclusion, and the continued importance of official development assistance, particularly for fragile states.