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The document analyzes the tension between the International Criminal Court (ICC) and the African Union (AU), attributing the friction to perceived bias, the influence of the UN Security Council, and a clash between retributive and restorative justice. It explores the proposed African Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR) and the Malabo Protocol as regional alternatives, while noting significant hurdles in funding and ratification. The author argues that while the ICC is limited by global power politics, Africa's path to accountability depends on the political will to ratify regional judicial frameworks and utilize hybrid courts.

The report analyzes tax incentives across 104 mining projects in 21 developing countries, finding that while legislation is the primary source of incentives, African countries rely more heavily on discretionary contracts. The most common incentives are fiscal stabilization clauses and corporate income tax breaks, both of which pose significant revenue risks. The study notes that the use of these incentives peaked in the late 1990s and again during the 2014-2016 commodity price crash, suggesting a correlation between low commodity prices and more generous tax terms.

The report examines the global sugarcane market, noting that while demand is growing in Asia and Africa, it is stagnating in developed countries due to health concerns. It highlights the rise of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs), which grew at a compound annual growth rate of about 52% from 2008 to 2016, though sales have not kept pace with production. The document identifies significant sustainability risks, including land grabbing, forced labor, and greenhouse gas emissions from field burning, and suggests that expanding VSSs in low human development countries like Sudan and Uganda could catalyze development benefits.

The NAP Global Network's 2018-2019 progress report outlines its efforts to enhance national adaptation planning in developing countries through peer learning, technical assistance, and donor coordination. Key achievements include supporting Fiji's first NAP launch, facilitating gender-responsive planning in Africa, and promoting private sector engagement in Ghana, Saint Lucia, and Vietnam. The Network provided technical support to 33 countries this year and continues to focus on aligning NAPs with Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to foster climate-resilient development.

The report finds that while online remittance use is surging among certain African diaspora communities in the UK, 'stickiness' of cash remains high in countries with underdeveloped digital payment infrastructures, such as the DRC, Zimbabwe, and Sierra Leone. Key drivers for switching to digital include convenience, price incentives, and word-of-mouth recommendations, while barriers include complex registration processes, security concerns, and a lack of awareness. The report recommends simplifying onboarding, improving marketing through community influencers, and enhancing digital payment infrastructure in receive-countries to lower costs and meet UN Sustainable Development Goals.

The report identifies storage/cold storage, decentralized renewable energy, feeder roads, and irrigation as critical rural infrastructure for ending hunger. It argues that while these assets are essential for increasing agricultural productivity and farmer income, they face significant financing barriers due to high perceived risks and low population densities in rural areas. The authors propose a mix of donor aid, public spending, and private capital, utilizing innovative instruments such as availability payments, shadow tolls, blended finance, and viability gap funding to make these projects commercially viable and sustainable.

The report identifies that the typical LCOE for well-run minigrids is at least $0.60 per kWh, which is too expensive for widespread use. It proposes six cost-reduction pathways—hardware standardization, demand stimulation, customer engagement, clustered project development, low-cost financing, and regulatory reform—to bring the LCOE down to $0.25 per kWh by 2020. The document also provides an investment roadmap to transition from grant funding to commercial debt.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a greenwashing tool for the industrial palm oil industry, failing to address a production model based on land grabbing, deforestation, and labor exploitation. It asserts that voluntary certification cannot replace state regulation and calls for a moratorium on plantation expansion and a reduction in palm oil demand.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a 'greenwashing' tool for the palm oil industry, failing to prevent deforestation and land grabbing while promoting a destructive industrial model. It calls for government moratoria on plantation expansion and a shift toward agroecology.

The document argues that the RSPO serves as a tool for 'greenwashing' the palm oil industry, masking systemic human rights violations and deforestation. It asserts that the RSPO's certification principles support a destructive industrial model based on large-scale monocultures, land grabbing, and labour exploitation. The authors call for government moratoria on plantation expansion, a reduction in palm oil demand, and the promotion of agroecology and community land rights.

The document highlights that rural electrification often fails when supply is expanded without addressing the barriers to end-use demand, such as high equipment costs and lack of financing. It provides evidence from historical US programs and modern sub-Saharan African minigrids to show that stimulating productive use improves system capacity utilization and financial viability. The authors recommend that development partners implement financing mechanisms, support the private sector in equipment sales, and update national policies to include end-use targets.

The paper examines how African countries attempt to move beyond the export of raw minerals through resource-based industrialisation, specifically focusing on the role of Chinese investment. It analyzes tools such as export restrictions, local content requirements, and fiscal policies, concluding that these measures often fail due to inadequate infrastructure, energy shortages, and a lack of human capital. The author argues for a shift toward 'product space diversification'—developing capabilities that allow for a broader variety of exports—rather than focusing solely on downstream mineral processing (beneficiation).

The briefing contends that the distinction between adaptation and development projects is counter-productive and that adaptation should be viewed as 'doing development differently in response to climate change.' It proposes a framework for maximizing the impact of scarce adaptation finance by establishing strong climate rationales, building national adaptive capacity across four key areas, and shifting toward devolved decision-making to empower local communities.

The report argues that inclusivity is vital for sustaining peace and must be integrated into every stage of the peace continuum, from mediation to state-building. Using Liberia and South Sudan as case studies, it contrasts Liberia's relatively successful inclusive frameworks and unified regional support from ECOWAS with South Sudan's elite-driven processes and fragmented regional response from IGAD. The document highlights that technical exercises in security sector reform (SSR) and disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) often fail if they do not address underlying political power structures and incentives for spoilers. It concludes with recommendations for the UN to prioritise joint analysis, community consultation, and support for institutionalised regional governance frameworks to ensure sustainable, inclusive peace.

The report examines the systemic marginalization of women in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), where they constitute 30% of the global workforce but are often relegated to low-value, non-digging roles. It identifies key bottlenecks, including lack of access to land, finance, and geological data, as well as cultural taboos and discriminatory legal frameworks. The document argues for gender-mainstreaming in formalization processes, the creation of women-specific financial products, and the strengthening of female miners' associations to improve women's economic independence and influence in the sector.

The report examines the effectiveness of the APRM, EITI, and OGP in four African nations, finding that while these initiatives create spaces for policy dialogue and transparency, their success is heavily dependent on sustained high-level political will, adequate funding, and institutional capacity. The EITI is identified as the most effective of the three due to its strict compliance thresholds and narrow focus on extractive sectors. Common challenges across all case studies include a significant administrative reporting burden, weak implementation of supporting domestic legislation, and a lack of coordination between different initiatives, leading to duplicated efforts.

The report evaluates the impact of the APRM, EITI, and OGP, concluding that while these initiatives provide platforms for dialogue and some policy changes, there is little measurable evidence that they consistently drive significant governance reforms. It highlights the challenges of voluntary compliance, the risk of 'open-washing' by governments, and the critical but often tokenistic role of civil society. The document recommends that donors support civil society capacity, invest in impact research, and align funding with MSI action plans to better foster accountability and transparency.

The document outlines a risk-based framework for governments to oversee the valuation of mineral exports, focusing on the technical processes of sampling, preparation, and analytical testing. It proposes three primary policy responses—direct measurement, monitoring company processes, or a hybrid approach—depending on the risk of undervaluation. The guide details the costs and requirements for establishing ISO-accredited laboratories, suggests various financing models, and recommends adopting international reporting standards like JORC or SAMREC to ensure transparency and legal defensibility in tax and royalty collection.

The document outlines three strategic options for states to control the value of mineral exports: direct measurement via a state laboratory, auditing company procedures, or a risk-based mixed approach. It details the technical process of export valuation—comprising sampling, preparation, and laboratory analysis—and discusses implementation models such as public-private partnerships and regional laboratories. The guide emphasizes that the choice of strategy should be based on the risk of under-valuation, which is higher for non-commoditized minerals, sales to related parties, and private companies. It also highlights the importance of ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation for legal defensibility and provides case studies from Sierra Leone and Guinea to illustrate the application of these strategies.

The NAP Global Network provided technical assistance to over 30 countries between November 2017 and November 2018, focusing on seven key themes including financing, gender, and monitoring and evaluation. The Network facilitated peer learning through Targeted Topics Forums and South-South exchanges, and worked to align bilateral donor support with national priorities, notably through a Donor Symposium in Barbados.