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The paper argues that elephant survival depends on incentivising local communities to value living elephants over ivory through effective CBNRM. It examines the evolution of these policies in Southern Africa, comparing models in Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa, while highlighting governance challenges such as elite capture and the need for diversified, non-consumptive livelihood strategies.

The document examines the shift in Southern Africa from centralized conservation to community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). It analyzes various institutional models—such as conservancies, community-based organisations (CBOs), and private game reserves—evaluating their success in balancing biodiversity conservation with rural livelihood improvement. Using Namibia and Botswana as primary case studies, the paper highlights the critical role of secure devolution of rights, transparent governance, and the need to diversify income streams beyond wildlife tourism to ensure long-term sustainability and community stewardship.

The report analyzes the maize value chain in the SADC region, emphasizing the need for coherent regional policies and improved governance structures between actors. It identifies critical gaps in infrastructure and finance, recommending the establishment of warehouse networks and receipt systems in Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique, alongside the promotion of yellow maize for animal feed and the adoption of GM certified seeds.

The document examines Mozambique's transition from civil war to sustainable peace, focusing on five key areas: disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR), economic and social development, decentralisation, justice, and natural resource investment. It argues that while government planning capacity has increased, implementation and monitoring remain weak, and short-term political gains often override long-term stability. The paper highlights the critical role of civil society in filling gaps left by the state and international actors, and warns that the management of new natural gas wealth and high national debt could either consolidate peace or fuel renewed conflict.

The document examines a long-standing boundary dispute between Malawi and Tanzania, which escalated in 2012 due to the discovery of potential oil reserves. It analyzes the failure of formal legal mechanisms, such as the SADC Tribunal, and the limitations of current preventive diplomacy tools within SADC and the African Union, arguing that a lack of political will and funding hampers regional conflict resolution.

The authors argue that traditional ecosystem services (EServ) frameworks are insufficient for modelling food provision because they focus solely on flows from nature to humans, neglecting critical human-to-nature and human-to-human interactions. To address this, the paper suggests an agent-based modelling (ABM) approach combined with a 'social-ecological governance compass' to capture how individual behaviors—categorized by cooperation, competition, conformation, and differentiation—influence collective food security outcomes. Using a case study from the Zomba District of Malawi, the paper demonstrates that cooperative economic behavior and differentiated production patterns can optimize the flow of benefits from nature to humans through social networks, such as labor exchange and food banking, which are often overlooked in market-driven paradigms.

The report details two readiness requests: one for Vanuatu to develop Climate Information Services (CIS) to support adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and one for Senegal to establish a pipeline of privately funded, grid-connected solar projects to address an acute energy crisis.

The document argues that while sub-Saharan Africa's financial sector has grown rapidly, limited access to formal financial services persists. It identifies a lack of purposeful leadership at middle and senior management levels as a constraint to financial sector development. To address this, Financial Sector Deepening Africa and Creative Metier have implemented a project since 2013 to build internal capacity through executive coaching, which serves as a critical tool for leaders to resolve complex business challenges and improve business performance.

The report outlines a framework for financing the implementation of National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), focusing on three primary sources: domestic public budgets, international public funds, and private sector investment. It emphasizes the role of NAPs in articulating priorities to secure funding and highlights the necessity of integrating adaptation into national planning and budgeting cycles. Key discussions include the use of fiscal instruments to raise domestic revenue, the challenges of tracking adaptation finance, the process of developing 'bankable' project pipelines for international funds, and the public sector's role in creating an enabling environment for private investment.

The document argues that while the SADC region faces severe energy pressures and a heavy reliance on coal and hydropower, renewable energy mini-grids offer a viable complement to national grid extension, particularly for rural populations. However, most current projects remain in the pilot phase due to unsustainable business models, vague policy frameworks, and a lack of private investment. The brief recommends adopting anchor-business-community (A-B-C) models and establishing clear regulatory frameworks to scale these solutions.

The SEI Initiative on Climate Services focuses on creating a Participatory Framework for Climate Services (PFCS) to better connect climate science with the practical needs of users, ranging from national governments to smallholder farmers. The initiative is structured around four work packages: understanding user needs, exploring collaborative co-generation processes, improving communication methodologies, and developing a community learning space via the weADAPT platform. It draws on interdisciplinary research and case studies from both industrialized and developing countries to ensure climate information is timely, relevant, and accessible.

The report analyzes the intersection of climate change, World Heritage sites, and tourism, arguing that climate change acts as a 'threat multiplier' that degrades the outstanding universal value (OUV) of these sites while simultaneously threatening the tourism economies that depend on them. Through 30 case studies across 29 countries, it demonstrates that impacts range from glacier melt and sea-level rise to increased wildfire regimes and ocean acidification. The document emphasizes that while sustainable tourism can support conservation, unplanned development often increases site vulnerability. It concludes with recommendations for intergovernmental organizations, governments, and site managers to integrate climate science into management plans, reduce tourism's carbon footprint, and empower local and indigenous communities in adaptation efforts.

The report examines Botswana's regional diplomacy from independence to 2015, highlighting a shift from the 'quiet diplomacy' of Presidents Masire and Mogae to the more outspoken, principle-driven approach of President Ian Khama. It analyzes the institutional framework of Botswana's foreign policy, the influence of the ruling Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), and the country's pivotal role in the creation of SADC. The author argues that Botswana's foreign policy has been heavily shaped by presidential personalities and suggests the need for a structured national consensus on foreign policy interests.

The document examines the challenges and necessity of resolving maritime boundary disputes in Africa, highlighting how these conflicts hinder the 'Blue Economy' and regional security. It discusses the role of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and the 2050 Africa’s Integrated Maritime Strategy (2050 AIMS), while recommending a preference for bilateral and regional resolution mechanisms over international courts.

The document evaluates the Open Government Partnership (OGP) against other peer-review mechanisms like the APRM, UPR, and OECDA, highlighting the OGP's flexibility, civil society involvement, and potential for harmonisation with existing governance reviews to benefit African states.

The NAP Global Network is a practitioner-oriented group established in December 2014 to coordinate bilateral official development assistance (ODA) for National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in developing countries. It focuses on bridging the gap between bilateral donors and in-country actors to ensure climate adaptation support aligns with national development priorities. The Network provides peer learning through Targeted Topics Forums (TTFs) and acts as a liaison to avoid duplication of efforts among donors. It distinguishes itself from other initiatives by specifically targeting bilateral support, which the document notes constituted USD 11.28 billion in adaptation-related ODA in 2013, significantly more than multilateral support.

The document analyzes Brazil's Cooperation and Investment Facilitation Agreements (CIFAs), contrasting them with traditional bilateral investment treaties by emphasizing cooperation and state-state dispute settlement over investor-state arbitration.

The study evaluates eleven cases of private sector development to determine their relevance to smallholder agricultural investments in five African nations. Using the Committee on World Food Security's Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investments (RAI), the paper argues that investment in, by, and with smallholders constitutes private sector development. It proposes three support approaches: promoting an enabling environment, providing public goods and services, and offering direct investment support, all of which must balance the needs of both business enterprises and smallholders.

The report, developed by the Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST), addresses the lack of a common definition and reporting system for South-South co-operation (SSC). It distinguishes South-South development co-operation (SSDC) as a subset of SSC and argues that it is broader than the OECD-DAC's Official Development Assistance (ODA) definition. The document proposes a comprehensive set of indicators to assess the quality of partnerships across seven dimensions, including national ownership, horizontality, and transparency. It also explores methodological approaches for impact evaluation, suggesting a shift toward 'double-sided' results-based management that recognizes mutual benefits for both provider and recipient. Finally, it outlines a roadmap for NeST to establish a global statistical hub for SSC data in collaboration with UN agencies.

The report details strategies for achieving political commitment to National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) and explores various pathways for integrating adaptation into sectoral policies. It emphasizes the necessity of strong in-country coordination, the use of clear narratives to engage powerful ministries, and the role of south-south cooperation in building technical capacity.