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The document identifies a sharp decline in Chinese infrastructure lending to Africa since 2016, driven by debt sustainability concerns, China's domestic economic contraction, and global shocks. In response, three trends have emerged: a diversification of lenders and partners, a shift toward 'small is beautiful' projects with smaller loans and shorter repayment windows, and the adoption of new funding models like build-operate-transfer (BOT) and integrated investment, construction and operation (IICO) to reduce sovereign debt loads.

The document critiques current green industrialisation (GI) strategies in the SADC region for remaining tethered to linear economic growth models and 'greenwashing'. It proposes a 'regenerative' alternative based on principles of holism, biomimicry, and African indigenous philosophies like Ubuntu and Ukama. Through scenario analysis, the authors present three possible futures: a business-as-usual scenario (Scenario A), a dystopian 'Apocalyptic Africa' (Scenario B) marked by extreme climate disasters and resource wars, and a 'Regenerative Revival' (Scenario C). The brief concludes that SADC must move beyond surface-level policy changes to shift deeper mental models and paradigms, recommending the use of strategic foresight, the empowerment of youth, and a 'bottom-in' approach to reach marginalised populations.

The report examines how risk mitigation and transfer (RMT) instruments, provided largely by development finance institutions (DFIs), enable renewable energy projects in SADC countries. While RMTs have been essential for reaching financial close in high-risk markets like Malawi and Mozambique, they are proving insufficient for new projects in countries facing severe debt distress, such as Zambia. The report highlights the 'halo effect' of the World Bank Group as a deterrent against payment defaults and recommends that debt restructuring packages explicitly protect climate investments.

The report evaluates the restoration of the Mallorquín Swamp in Barranquilla, Colombia, using a sustainable asset valuation (SAVi) approach. It finds that nature-based infrastructure (NBI) provides greater societal value and better climate adaptation benefits at a lower cost than grey infrastructure alternatives, particularly when combined with investments in ecotourism.

The briefing examines the shift toward a feminist foreign policy in Germany, specifically through the BMZ's 2023 Africa strategy. While acknowledging progress in aligning with African priorities like Agenda 2063 and addressing structural inequalities, the author argues that the feminist approach is currently limited primarily to development cooperation. The document calls for a more comprehensive application of feminist principles to peace and security, economic policy (specifically care work), climate action (integrating indigenous knowledge), and migration to dismantle global hierarchies and post-colonial continuities.

The PIDACC-Zambezi programme seeks USD 100 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF) to complement a total budget of USD 312.3 million. It targets the Zambezi Watercourse, where climate change is causing increased drought, flooding, and reduced hydropower potential. The programme focuses on four components: building community resilience through infrastructure and agribusiness, strengthening integrated landscape management, enhancing adaptive and institutional capacity, and programme coordination. Key targets include benefiting 3.79 million direct beneficiaries, restoring 970,000 hectares of degraded land, and reducing emissions by 37.1 million tCO2eq. The initiative emphasizes the use of digital technologies, carbon farming via the Boomitra model, and the establishment of a Direct Credit Window to de-risk private sector investment in agribusiness.

The Southern African Yearly Meeting of the Quakers calls for the South African government to implement an unconditional universal basic income (UBI) for all citizens and legal residents. The authors argue that South Africa's high unemployment and poverty have created a 'tinderbox' of social instability, and that a UBI—set at least at the upper-bound poverty line—would provide dignity, stimulate local economies, and reduce crime. They contrast UBI with means-tested social grants, noting that universality removes bureaucratic inefficiency and stigma. The document cites a 2008 pilot in Namibia as evidence of UBI's ability to improve health, education, and entrepreneurship. Proposed funding sources include taxes on carbon emissions, wealth, and resource rents, alongside reducing wasteful public expenditure.

The report analyzes how UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) are increasingly integrating climate change into their oversight of State obligations. In 2022, HRTBs made 95 references to climate change in their pronouncements, reflecting a trend toward treating the climate crisis as an urgent human rights issue. Key focus areas include the obligation of developed states to mitigate emissions, the need to phase out fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups such as children, women, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples. A landmark decision by the Human Rights Committee in Billy et al. v. Australia established a State's duty to protect individuals under its jurisdiction from climate impacts and provide effective remedies. The report emphasizes the growing role of HRTBs in defining extraterritorial obligations and the duty to regulate private corporate actors contributing to environmental degradation.

The report analyzes the increasing engagement of UN human rights treaty bodies (HRTBs) with climate change, noting that in 2022, 52 percent of outputs to States included climate-related recommendations. It highlights a shift toward more specific demands regarding mitigation, the phasing out of fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups, including children, women, and Indigenous Peoples. A landmark decision by the Human Rights Committee in Billy et al. v. Australia established a State's duty to protect individuals from climate impacts and provide effective remedy. The document argues for further HRTB guidance on extraterritorial obligations and the regulation of private business actors to prevent climate-induced human rights violations.

The document assesses the state of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in Southern Africa, finding that while there is growing political commitment and various local success stories, marine concerns are frequently overshadowed by terrestrial issues in national climate policies. It identifies significant hurdles to implementation, including capacity gaps, siloed government coordination, insufficient financing, and unequal resource rights. The author recommends establishing enabling bodies to support NDCs, adopting a 'seascape' approach to integrate land-sea interfaces, and scaling innovative financing like blue carbon and debt-for-nature swaps.

The paper examines marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, focusing on how these interventions can provide sustainable livelihood opportunities. It identifies a successful incremental model used in the Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region, where periodic fishery closures (PFCs) serve as an entry point to broader conservation and restoration efforts. The study highlights the role of Locally Managed Marine Areas (LMMAs) and networks like MIHARI and Mwambao in scaling these benefits. While some projects rely on large external funding, the paper argues for community-centered designs that prioritize immediate food security to ensure long-term sustainability and uptake.

The report assesses community involvement in marine and coastal EbA within SADC countries, finding that while robust legal frameworks exist, practical implementation is often hindered by a lack of technical capacity, financial resources, and clear mechanisms for engagement. It highlights the importance of autonomous community adaptation, the disproportionate vulnerability of women, and the critical role of NGOs in bridging gaps between governments and local populations.

The report evaluates the implementation of marine and coastal ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) across SADC member states, highlighting the critical role of ecosystems like mangroves and coral reefs in protecting vulnerable coastal populations. It identifies a significant gap between the potential of EbA and its integration into national climate policies and Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). While showcasing successful regional examples—such as Madagascar's community-led mangrove projects and Seychelles' innovative blue bonds—the document notes systemic challenges including overlapping ministerial mandates, limited local government capacity, and a lack of bankable project proposals for international climate finance. It recommends mainstreaming EbA into 2025 NDC revisions and strengthening regional cooperation to scale up nature-based solutions.

The document examines Germany's transition toward a Feminist Foreign Policy (FFP) and the 2023 BMZ Africa Strategy, 'Shaping the Future with Africa'. While it acknowledges the shift toward 'respect and reciprocity' and the alignment with Africa's Agenda 2063, the author argues that the feminist approach is currently too limited to international development. The brief suggests that for FFP to be truly transformative, it must be integrated into peace and security, trade (specifically the care economy), climate change (integrating indigenous knowledge), and migration policy, while consistently tackling the structural impacts of racism and colonialism.

The document examines Germany's transition toward a feminist foreign policy (FFP) specifically within its engagement with Africa, focusing on the BMZ's 2023 Africa Strategy. While it acknowledges the strategy's commitment to overcoming structural inequalities and aligning with African-led priorities like Agenda 2063, it argues that the 'feminist reflex' is currently limited to international development and fails to systematically penetrate other critical domains such as peace and security, trade, climate change, and migration. The author suggests that for FFP to be truly transformative, Germany must move beyond gender equality platitudes to address the care economy, indigenous knowledge in climate action, and the racialized nature of migration policy.

The paper examines the transformation of German-African energy relations, moving from a focus on energy poverty and development aid to a complex mix of energy diplomacy, strategic resource interests, and hydrogen technology. It highlights a tension between 'green objectives' (renewables) and 'fossilist objectives' (LNG imports), while warning against 'energy colonialism' in large-scale projects. The author advocates for a transition toward 'energy justice' and a value-chain approach to hydrogen to ensure equitable benefits for African nations.

The document explains that many critical minerals are not mined independently but are produced as co-products or by-products of 'host' metals. This 'companionality' creates inelastic supply chains where the availability of a critical metal depends on the economic viability of a different host metal. The paper highlights risks including high price volatility, under-reporting of reserves, and the loss of strategic minerals in tailings. It suggests that reprocessing waste dumps and improving regulatory frameworks for companion metals can help bridge the supply gap for the energy transition.

The document explains that many metals critical for the energy transition and digital transformation are not extracted exclusively but as co-products or by-products of 'host' metals. This complementarity creates inelastic supply chains, high price volatility, and risks of material loss in tailings. It suggests that understanding these associations can help governments and companies identify new sources of minerals, such as reprocessing tailings, and improve national industrial strategies.

The document examines the concept of 'metal companionship,' where critical metals are often produced as co-products or by-products of major 'host' metals rather than as primary targets. This dependency creates significant supply inelasticity, price volatility, and risks of material loss in tailings. The author argues that understanding these associations can help identify new sources of metals, such as reprocessing mine waste, and inform national development strategies for producer countries.

Researchers found that climate hazards like flooding and drought drive migration from rural to peri-urban areas in Namibia. While migration provides benefits such as better access to electricity and educational opportunities, it creates human capital deficits in origin communities, often increasing the labour burden on women.