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The document explores how the climate crisis and energy transition are reshaping global power dynamics, particularly for the European Union. It argues that traditional geopolitics—focused on state rivalry and resource control—must be replaced by a model of 'ecological security' and 'steward statehood' rooted in human rights and social justice. Key analyses include the EU's 'open strategic autonomy,' the risks of corporate-led hydrogen projects, China's Belt and Road Initiative's energy dimensions, and the necessity of a global fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty. It emphasizes that the green transition must be a 'just transition' to avoid social backlash and that Europe should lead by example in decarbonization and multilateral cooperation.

The document argues that while Africa views migration as a demographic and development issue, the European Union has increasingly adopted a securitised approach. It identifies four key entry points for strengthening the Africa-EU partnership: remittances, legal labour migration pathways, international protection, and voluntary returns and readmissions.

The policy brief examines how private sector development (PSD) in fragile states often exacerbates conflict by mirroring patronage politics and corruption. It argues that PSD should be treated as a continuation of peace negotiations, requiring broad-based social and political consensus on economic matters. The author recommends that the UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) leverage its mandate to promote 'peace-positive' PSD, which prioritizes the reduction of horizontal inequalities, stimulates broad-based growth, and utilizes 'infrastructures for peace' to manage conflict risks. The brief suggests that companies should be treated as partners in peacebuilding, with their access to opportunities conditioned on their accountability for impacts.

The NAP Global Network's 2020-2021 report highlights a shift toward short-term technical assistance via its Country Support Hub and a focus on transitioning from adaptation planning to implementation. Key achievements include supporting 20 countries with their first Adaptation Communications (ADCOMs), facilitating peer learning on gender-responsive action and conflict-sensitive planning, and developing knowledge products on climate and disaster risk finance and insurance (CDRFI). The Network's 2025 strategy emphasizes enhancing monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) systems and elevating underrepresented voices, particularly women, in adaptation decision-making.

The NAP Global Network provides demand-driven support to developing countries through long-term in-country programs and short-term technical inputs via its Country Support Hub. Over five years, the Network has helped countries like Colombia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Ghana, Kiribati, Peru, Saint Lucia, and South Africa achieve milestones including the adoption of NAP documents, the creation of sectoral adaptation strategies, and the establishment of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems. Key lessons emphasize that building trust-based relationships with government partners is essential and that a 'value chain' of technical assistance, peer learning, and knowledge resources accelerates the transition from planning to implementation.

The 2021 Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Index reveals a slowing pace of global improvement and widening disparities in women's status. While developed countries, particularly Nordic nations, lead the index, fragile states and regions like South Asia perform poorly. The report highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated existing inequalities, particularly through job losses in female-dominated sectors and increased risks of intimate partner violence. Additionally, new indices for forcibly displaced women and subnational data for Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the United States demonstrate that national averages often conceal severe internal disparities and the compounding disadvantages of displacement.

Cooling access gaps for the rural and urban poor grew across all analyzed regions in 2021. In Africa, 776 million people across 31 high-impact countries face cooling challenges, with 215 million urban poor at highest risk. In Asia and the Middle East, the population at highest risk rose to 645 million in 2021, with significant rural poor increases in India and Bangladesh. In Latin America and the Caribbean, the number of people at highest risk in six high-impact countries reached 48.8 million, with the majority being the urban poor.

The report finds that energy finance in high-impact countries (HICs) is critically insufficient to meet SDG7 targets. In 2019, tracked electricity finance in HICs fell to USD 32 billion, with residential access funding at only one-third of the required annual investment. Clean cooking investment has stagnated around USD 130 million annually, far below the USD 4.5 billion needed. While there is a positive shift away from fossil fuel electricity generation and an increase in private finance for clean cooking, significant gaps remain, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report advocates for increased climate resilience in infrastructure, the scaling of decentralized energy solutions, and the integration of clean cooking into national climate policies and NDCs.

SEforALL's 100 Days Report details its leadership in planning the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26, its research on chronic underinvestment in energy finance, and its country-level support for energy access and COVID-19 vaccine distribution in Africa and South Asia.

The report identifies that 1.12 billion people across 76 countries are at high risk due to a lack of access to cooling, with the COVID-19 pandemic increasing this number by approximately 50 million in 2021. It highlights critical gaps in rural and urban poor populations, particularly in Africa and Asia, and examines the urgent need for sustainable cold chains for vaccine distribution. The document also promotes National Cooling Action Plans (NCAPs) and showcases passive and solar-powered cooling solutions in countries like Colombia, Rwanda, Bangladesh, and Indonesia.

The 2021 Annual Monitoring Review details SEforALL's efforts to accelerate universal energy access and a just energy transition. Key achievements include the coordination of the UN High-level Dialogue on Energy (HLDE), which articulated over USD 600 billion in finance through more than 200 Energy Compacts. The organization provided targeted support to 27 countries, with significant focus on Nigeria, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. While the COVID-19 pandemic delayed some deliverables and funding for certain programmes, SEforALL reported progress in electrifying 265 healthcare facilities and leveraging USD 216.9 million for sustainable cooling. The report also highlights the 'Women at the Forefront' initiative, which provided technical training to 100 women in Kenya.

The SEforALL Virtual Youth Summit (9-11 February 2021) engaged 2,343 registered participants from 134 countries to promote Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7). The event featured high-level dialogues on the energy transition, a competition for youth-led energy innovations, and virtual fairs connecting youth to academic and career opportunities. Key outcomes included youth recommendations for the UN High-Level Dialogue on Energy and COP26, emphasizing the need for direct youth engagement in policy documentation and national delegations.

Urban air pollution in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) poses a severe risk to children's health and development, with significant burdens found in sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Children are more vulnerable due to their developing bodies and higher inhalation rates per unit of body weight. Key pollution sources include inefficient biomass combustion for cooking and heating, vehicle emissions, and waste burning, with residents of informal settlements facing the highest risks. The document advocates for integrating air quality management into climate change commitments (NDCs), investing in monitoring infrastructure—including citizen science—and adopting multi-sectoral interventions that target pollution sources rather than just symptoms.

The report highlights that while Africa currently produces and consumes a small fraction of global plastics, a 'business as usual' trajectory could lead to a 375% increase in consumption by 2060. It identifies systemic failures across the plastics life cycle—from production to secondary markets—and argues that existing policy frameworks are fragmented and overly focused on end-of-life waste management. The document advocates for a comprehensive, life-cycle approach, the integration of the informal waste sector, and the development of a new legally binding global treaty to combat plastic pollution.

The document argues that African nations should leverage the post-COVID-19 recovery to 'build back better' by adopting green finance mechanisms. It identifies green bonds as a primary tool for raising large-scale capital and emphasizes the need for targeted public finance to de-risk investments and attract private capital. The briefing details several pathways for a green transition, including the establishment of environmental funds, the deployment of renewable energy as an economic stimulus, and the implementation of green fiscal reforms such as carbon taxes. It also highlights the critical role of central banks in 'greening' the financial sector through macroprudential regulation and the development of green taxonomies to reduce information asymmetries.

The document argues that the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed structural weaknesses in global health security and created a 'triple burden' for LMICs, who must manage pre-existing noncommunicable diseases, endemic infections, and the pandemic response. It advocates for a shift from 'vertical' disease-specific funding to a 'whole systems approach' to avoid zero-sum resource shifts. The author emphasizes that domestic resource mobilisation (DRM), including tax reforms and 'best buy' spending efficiency, is the only sustainable path for healthcare strengthening, as official development assistance (ODA) is prone to a 'panic-neglect' cycle. The briefing also calls for a temporary waiver of TRIPS intellectual property provisions to ensure equitable vaccine and medicine access, drawing lessons from the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa.

The document finds that African LICs' economic responses to COVID-19 were modest and suboptimal compared to developed nations, primarily due to pre-pandemic structural weaknesses such as high debt, inflation, and limited fiscal space. While expansionary monetary policy was the most common tool, fiscal stimulus was generally low (1% to 2% of GDP), with exceptions like Senegal, Niger, and Mozambique. The brief highlights a significant financing gap in donor support and argues that recovery requires a shift toward data-driven policy, increased digital and financial inclusion, and the independence of monetary and debt management authorities.

The document examines the two-wave economic impact of COVID-19 in Africa, highlighting the first wave's disruption of trade, commodity prices, and remittances, and the second wave's risk of sovereign credit downgrades and debt defaults. It argues that limited fiscal space and high debt-to-GDP ratios leave many African nations unable to fund recovery, suggesting that central banks use monetised interventions and governments leverage digital technologies to maintain financial stability.

The document argues that 'neutral' macroeconomic policies in Nigeria and Uganda have exacerbated inequalities by primarily benefiting the formal sector while excluding the urban poor, women, youth, and informal workers. It highlights failures in cash transfer coverage, the lack of impact of monetary easing on high-risk borrowers, and the regressive nature of budget restructuring. The brief recommends leveraging electronic platforms for aid distribution, improving tax capacity, and promoting renewable energy for low-income households to ensure a more inclusive recovery.

The document marks the fifth anniversary of the Paris Agreement by calling for a national mobilization on climate and recovery in the United States and global corporate leadership. It emphasizes the role of youth activism, the 'We Are Still In' coalition, and the 'Alliances for Climate Action' in driving decarbonization. The author highlights the need for credible corporate strategies to avoid confusion over terms like 'net zero' and promotes WWF's 'Beyond Science-Based Targets' report as a blueprint for companies to maximize their climate impact.