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The document argues that while using country systems (UCS) respects sovereignty and promotes national ownership, MDBs are hindered by financial, reputational, and technical risks. It recommends moving away from 'one-size-fits-all' safeguards toward tailored approaches, strengthening local capacity, and empowering MDB country offices to manage risks more effectively.

The German G20 presidency focused on 'Shaping an Interconnected World' through initiatives like the Compact with Africa and the Marshall Plan for Africa, aimed at reducing investment risks and addressing migration root causes. However, the 2017 Hamburg summit faced significant tension due to US President Donald Trump's protectionist agenda and withdrawal from the Paris Climate Change Agreement. The author suggests that a broad G20 agenda—covering everything from tax cooperation to the 2030 Agenda—may help Chancellor Merkel find common ground with the US despite deep disagreements on trade and climate.

The guide outlines five essential building blocks for green bond markets: the enabling environment, investors, issuers and project pipeline, governance, and definitions and standards. It emphasizes that while public sector support is often needed initially, a successful market must eventually become self-sustaining, diverse in its environmental objectives, and transparent in its reporting. The document provides practical frameworks for policymakers to assess their market's readiness and offers case studies from China, India, and Nigeria to illustrate effective policy incentives and issuance strategies.

The paper argues that while the water-energy-food nexus approach is popular for identifying resource interdependencies, its treatment of governance is superficial and overly technical. By reviewing the literature through risk, economic rationality, and political economy perspectives, the authors identify three primary gaps: a lack of understanding regarding the conditions for cross-sector collaboration, a neglect of multi-level governance dynamics beyond horizontal interactions, and a failure to account for the political and cognitive factors that determine policy change. The authors suggest that the nexus community must integrate insights from integrative environmental governance theory to move beyond administrative coordination and address the power relations and norms that actually drive decision-making.

As of May 2017, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) has engaged with 105 countries on 165 readiness requests, committing or spending a total of USD 34.3 million. The programme focuses on strengthening National Designated Authorities (NDAs), developing country programmes and project pipelines, and supporting the accreditation of direct access entities. Key achievements include the provision of in-kind accreditation support to 102 entities across 55 countries and the development of strategic frameworks in various regions. The report details specific activities in countries such as Tonga, Djibouti, and Namibia, and outlines the establishment of no-objection procedures in 34 countries. Additionally, it highlights regional structured dialogues in Asia and Eastern Europe and Central Asia to facilitate project pipelines and knowledge sharing.

The report argues that the UN Security Council has historically prioritised reactive conflict management and peacekeeping over prevention. It identifies significant hurdles to operationalising prevention, including a lack of unified definitions, budgetary discrepancies, and organisational fragmentation. The authors recommend establishing concrete implementation strategies, improving coordination between UN organs and the African Union, and shifting toward structural prevention that addresses the root causes of conflict.

The report estimates global fossil fuel subsidies at USD 425 billion and argues that removing consumer subsidies could reduce global carbon emissions by 6 to 8 per cent by 2050. It introduces the "SWAP" framework to transition these funds into sustainable energy and social safety nets, providing specific outlines for Bangladesh, Indonesia, Morocco, and Zambia.

The document argues that NAPs, NDCs, and SDGs are mutually reinforcing frameworks for climate-resilient development. It provides a four-quadrant framework to help countries align their NDC adaptation components with their NAP processes, depending on the progress of each. Furthermore, it positions the NAP process as an operational bridge to the SDGs, specifically targets 13.1 and 13.2, and demonstrates how sector-specific adaptation in agriculture, infrastructure, and marine resources aligns with various SDG goals. The authors emphasize the need for operational alignment through cross-referencing priorities, harmonizing indicators, and coordinating reporting structures to maximize resources and political support.

The Centre for Environmental Rights (CER) argues that South Africa's draft Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) and Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) Update are inconsistent with the Constitution, the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), and the National Energy Act (NEA). The CER contends that the plans unjustifiably constrain renewable energy while promoting new coal-fired power stations, which they claim cause severe health impacts and contribute to climate change. They highlight that coal-fired power is no longer the least-cost option and risks creating stranded assets. The document recommends removing build limits on wind and solar, excluding new coal and nuclear power, and conducting a comprehensive assessment of external social and environmental costs.

The GCF Secretariat reports progress across several operational areas, including the approval of USD 1.5 billion in funding and the signing of 19 accreditation master agreements. Key activities include the development of a gender and climate change training manual with UN Women, the processing of Project Preparation Facility (PPF) requests, and efforts to secure privileges and immunities (P&Is) through bilateral and multilateral agreements. The report also notes the recruitment of risk and monitoring specialists and ongoing engagement with UNFCCC thematic bodies.

The report introduces Integrated Energy Productivity (IEP), a metric that expands the traditional economic definition of energy productivity to include social and environmental benefits, weighed against fossil fuel energy inputs. Analyzing data from 2012 to 2014 for seven IFIs—ADB, EBRD, EIB, IDB, KfW/DEG, OPIC, and the World Bank—the study finds that while most energy investments are IEP-positive or relevant, energy efficiency projects are significantly underfunded, representing only 14% of energy portfolios. The report identifies a lack of standardized IEP targets across IFIs and recommends mainstreaming energy efficiency through operational safeguards and a joint IFI framework for tracking impact.

The document highlights 2016 as a pivotal year for green bonds, noting the emergence of sovereign green bonds in Poland and France and the increasing use of these instruments to fund Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It argues that a green debt market of at least $1 trillion per year is necessary by 2020 to meet low-carbon infrastructure needs. Key policy tools identified include credit enhancement, tax incentives, and the establishment of official national guidelines, with specific examples of initiatives in China, India, Brazil, and Mexico.

The document examines the intersection of private sector activity and climate policy, highlighting the potential for a 'new industrial revolution' in green technology. It balances optimism regarding falling costs of renewables and new financial instruments with warnings about 'brown pillars' of the economy, market failures, and the risk of social dislocation similar to that seen during globalisation. The author argues for a public-private partnership where governments shape markets and provide social safety nets to ensure a just transition.

The document lists various entities awarded for pioneering green bond activities in 2016. Key achievements include the first green sovereign bond from Poland, the largest overall issuer (Shanghai Pudong Development Bank), and the first green bonds from several countries including Colombia, Costa Rica, Morocco, and the Philippines. It also recognizes the People's Bank of China for regulation and CICERO for its 'Shades of green' assessment model.

The document examines the gap between Africa's formal legal commitments to freedom of movement and the actual practice of migration governance. While the African Union and various Regional Economic Communities have established frameworks to promote labour mobility and economic integration, implementation remains inconsistent. West Africa is highlighted as the most advanced model, whereas Southern Africa is noted for a securitised approach to migration. The brief argues that aligning regional policies and improving communication on the net benefits of migration are essential for unlocking the continent's development potential.

The policy brief examines the increasing presence of sub-Saharan African migrants in Algeria and Morocco, noting that while they have not been significantly implicated in terrorism, their precarious socio-economic conditions and exposure to racism create vulnerabilities. It advocates for the operationalisation of regularisation schemes and the adoption of non-coercive PVE strategies based on UN pillars to prevent future radicalisation.

The report analyzes seven multilateral climate funds—the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Global Environment Facility (GEF), Adaptation Fund (AF), Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), and the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and Strategic Climate Fund (SCF)—against five strategies for transformative change: achieving impact at scale, promoting country ownership, improving efficiency, supporting equitable allocation, and increasing accountability. It finds that the proliferation of funds has led to overlapping roles and inefficiencies. The authors recommend short-term reforms to clarify fund specialization and long-term architectural changes, including the potential consolidation or sunsetting of certain funds, such as the CIFs, SCCF, and LDCF, to streamline the climate finance landscape.

The GCF Board's fourteenth meeting resulted in the approval of 10 funding proposals totaling approximately USD 788 million and the accreditation of 8 new entities. Key outcomes include the appointment of Mr. Howard Bamsey as Executive Director, the adoption of a strategy for accreditation prioritization, and a performance review of the World Bank as Interim Trustee, which highlighted a challenge regarding direct cash transfers to non-accredited executing entities.

As of November 2016, the Green Climate Fund (GCF) had approved 74 readiness and preparatory support requests for 61 countries, totaling USD 21.9 million. The programme focuses on strengthening national designated authorities (NDAs), supporting the accreditation of direct access entities, and facilitating adaptation planning. While cumulative commitments from 2014-2016 totaled approximately USD 24.6 million, projected demand for 2017 is expected to rise significantly to over USD 120 million, driven by increased interest in national adaptation plans and strategic frameworks. The GCF is also expanding its support for direct access entities and coordinating with international partners to streamline readiness support.

The GCF Secretariat is developing a request for proposals (RFP) for REDD+ results-based payments (RBPs) and guidance for early-phase engagement. Drawing on a COP 22 dialogue and existing frameworks like the Warsaw Framework for REDD+, the Secretariat is analyzing key operational elements including the scale of intervention, access modalities, carbon pricing, and the reconciliation of Cancun safeguards with GCF environmental and social safeguards. The report outlines a process for gathering further technical and stakeholder input to finalize these instruments.