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The report examines the global tea market, highlighting the vulnerability of smallholder farmers to price volatility and climate change. It assesses the impact of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) like Fairtrade and Rainforest Alliance, noting that while they can provide price floors and premiums, a significant amount of certified tea is still sold as conventional. The document argues for a shift toward more transparent pricing, direct trade, and sustainable land management to ensure living incomes for producers.

The report argues that climate and biodiversity crises disproportionately affect marginalized groups and that nature-based solutions (NbS) must integrate gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) to be effective. It outlines three core components of GESI in NbS: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, facilitating equitable participation in decision-making, and promoting the fair distribution of benefits. The document provides a five-step implementation cycle—system understanding, risk assessment, option identification, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—supported by case studies from Vietnam, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Bolivia.

The report argues that climate and biodiversity crises disproportionately affect marginalized populations and that NbS must be gender-responsive to be effective. It proposes a framework based on three foundational elements: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, facilitating equitable participation in decision-making, and promoting an equitable distribution of benefits. The document outlines a five-step project cycle—understanding the system, risk assessment, identifying options, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—to mainstream GESI, supported by case studies from Vietnam, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Bolivia.

The brief presents evidence from the Gender Equality in a Low Carbon World (GLOW) programme, demonstrating that integrating gender-responsive policies and women's empowerment into business models enhances the productivity and viability of climate-smart SMEs. It highlights specific successes in aquaculture, hydroponics, and solar irrigation across Africa and Latin America, while urging impact investors and public financiers to adopt gender-lens investment strategies to unlock untapped markets and improve social equity.

The document presents findings from the Gender Equality in a Low Carbon World (GLOW) program, demonstrating how gender-responsive business models in agriculture and aquaculture improve productivity and market access. It highlights specific successes in Kenya, Senegal, Rwanda, and Nicaragua, while urging impact investors and public funders to adopt gender-lens investment strategies to support the energy transition.

The document outlines how gender-responsive approaches—identifying barriers for women and promoting their leadership—enhance the efficiency of climate-smart technologies in agriculture and aquaculture. Drawing on the GLOW programme (2021–2024), it provides evidence from Africa and Central America showing that empowering women leads to higher yields, better market access, and increased attractiveness for impact investors.

The report advocates for the mainstreaming of ecosystem-based adaptation (EbA) as a tool to align climate and biodiversity actions across the Rio Conventions. It highlights the potential of EbA to reduce climate hazard intensity by 26% and provide significant economic benefits, such as USD 65 billion in flood protection from mangroves. The document emphasizes the need for policy coherence between National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs), Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs), while stressing that equity and human rights-based approaches are essential for sustainable implementation.

The report argues that climate action and gender equality are synergistic and must be integrated to achieve a just transition. Based on 12 projects in 17 countries, it identifies four axes for empowerment: improving productivity of existing activities, helping women enter male-dominated sectors, consolidating low-carbon business plans, and providing access to new green technologies. Key findings highlight that women's traditional knowledge is often inherently low-carbon and that removing discriminatory barriers—such as limited land rights and social norms—can accelerate climate resilience and economic growth. The document provides specific recommendations for policymakers to integrate gender-sensitive budgeting and support women's leadership in sectors like regenerative agriculture, the blue economy, and ecotourism.

The GLOW program demonstrates that gender equality and climate action are synergistic, arguing that women's leadership and participation are essential for the effectiveness and sustainability of low-carbon transitions. Through projects in the Global South, the report identifies four pathways for empowerment: improving the productivity of existing women's economic activities via climate-smart methods, integrating women into traditionally male-dominated value chains, consolidating low-carbon business models, and creating entirely new green jobs using emerging technologies. Key findings highlight that women often possess traditional knowledge that is inherently low-carbon and that emerging technologies, such as solar irrigation and circular bioeconomy tools (e.g., black soldier fly farming), can reduce servile labor and lower barriers to entry for women. The report recommends integrating gender-transformative policies into National Determined Contributions (NDCs), increasing women's access to productive assets and digital markets, and addressing the disproportionate burden of unpaid care work as a core component of climate action.

The GLOW programme identifies four primary routes for simultaneous women's empowerment and climate action: improving existing activities, enabling entry into male-dominated sectors, consolidating low-carbon business models, and accessing new green technologies. Key findings emphasize that climate action must be rights-based and locally appropriate, as social norms significantly shape women's ability to adopt new practices. The report argues that women's leadership in decision-making and access to productive assets are essential for the effectiveness and sustainability of just transitions. It recommends integrating gender-responsive budgeting, strengthening the gender capacity of local government personnel, and promoting technologies that reduce the drudgery of unpaid care work.

The report identifies a global shift toward embedding social justice in climate action and the rise of green macroeconomic policies like the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU Green Deal. While renewable energy capacity and electric vehicle sales are hitting records, the transition faces significant hurdles, including a 'gold rush' for critical minerals often lacking governance, inadequate private sector investment in nature, and a trust deficit between citizens and institutions. The document argues for a new 'eco-social contract' based on participatory governance and a fundamental reform of the multilateral financial system to support low- and middle-income countries.

The document argues that South Africa's domestic renewable energy market is insufficient to support a viable manufacturing sector, which requires a minimum annual demand of 3 GW to 4 GW. It identifies the Southern African Customs Union (SACU) as the most advantageous trade framework, providing preferential access to Namibia, Botswana, eSwatini, and Lesotho. The brief also highlights Zambia as a competitive SADC market due to its specific import tariffs on non-SADC countries. It recommends that manufacturers leverage the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and target off-grid electrification opportunities in countries like Nigeria, Rwanda, and Ghana.

The SUNCASA project, funded with USD 22 million by Global Affairs Canada and managed by IISD and WRI, implements nature-based solutions (NbS) to combat flooding, heat, and biodiversity loss in Dire Dawa, Kigali, and Johannesburg. The project targets 2.2 million beneficiaries, with a specific focus on gender equality and the empowerment of marginalized groups in climate adaptation planning.

The report analyzes Mozambique's development prospects through 2043 using the International Futures (IFs) modeling platform. It finds that under the current trajectory, Mozambique is unlikely to meet most of its national development goals due to governance failures, infrastructure gaps, and low agricultural productivity. While liquefied natural gas (LNG) projects are expected to boost GDP, they are not projected to significantly reduce extreme poverty without broader structural reforms. The report evaluates eight sectoral scenarios, concluding that infrastructure investment has the highest impact on GDP growth, while a combined approach across all sectors—including agriculture, governance, and trade—offers the most substantial improvements in poverty reduction and per capita income.

The toolkit outlines a structured, phased approach to integrating MEL into national adaptation planning. It emphasizes the use of logic models, such as Theories of Change, to link adaptation actions to outcomes and impacts. The guide provides detailed methodologies for selecting SMART indicators, collecting diverse qualitative and quantitative data, and conducting evaluations that integrate climate risks. It specifically highlights the necessity of gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) and the importance of deliberate learning to enable adaptive management of climate risks.

The document outlines a structured approach to implementing MEL systems across the iterative cycle of National Adaptation Planning. It emphasizes the need for pragmatic, phased development tailored to national contexts, integrating gender equality and social inclusion (GESI), and utilizing both quantitative and qualitative data to foster adaptive management and transparency.

The document outlines a structured approach to integrating monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) into National Adaptation Plan (NAP) processes. It emphasizes a sequential, pragmatic approach to system design, the use of Theory of Change (ToC) models, and the selection of SMART indicators. The guide details how to link MEL with impact, vulnerability, and risk assessments (IVRAs) and provides strategies for data collection, management, and inclusive communication. It specifically highlights the necessity of integrating gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) to ensure equitable adaptation outcomes.

The document examines the role of 'civic humanitarians'—local actors embedded in society through faith, community, or ethnic ties—within Uganda's refugee response. It argues that while Uganda's progressive policies facilitate refugee-led organisations (RLOs), the localisation agenda is hindered by stringent national registration requirements and narrow, techno-managerial definitions of accountability. The authors highlight that refugees rely heavily on sociocultural support practices (such as 'saidu' and 'ubuntu' philosophy) that remain invisible in formal humanitarian debates. To improve localisation, the brief recommends creating separate registration tracks for RLOs, developing flexible funding mechanisms, and broadening the understanding of accountability to include community-driven and relational models.

The global mini-grid market has seen significant growth, with installations in 2024 projected to be six times higher than in 2018. There is a clear transition from diesel to solar PV, with solar's share of installed capacity rising from 14% in 2018 to 59% in 2024. While funding has increased—with total committed funding for ongoing programmes exceeding USD 3.1 billion—a significant financing gap remains, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. The sector is shifting toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) business models and innovative technologies like mesh grids and lithium-ion batteries to improve financial viability. However, the report notes that regulatory implementation often lags behind formal policy, and there is a critical need for standardized reporting and better data sharing to attract private investment.

The 2024 State of the Global Mini-Grids Market report highlights a significant expansion of the sector, with installations increasing six-fold since 2018. It documents a transition from diesel-heavy systems to solar photovoltaic (PV) and lithium-ion battery storage, driven by a 90% drop in solar panel costs over the last decade. The report emphasizes the shift toward Productive Use of Energy (PUE) to ensure financial viability and the emergence of innovative models like mesh grids for low-density areas. While total committed funding has exceeded 3.1 billion USD, the report identifies a persistent financing gap and slow disbursement rates, averaging 57% as of March 2024. It recommends the adoption of integrated energy planning, standardized regulatory tools, and a greater focus on local developers to achieve universal electricity access by 2030.