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This policy brief examines the role of international development finance institutions (DFIs) and multilateral development banks (MDBs) in addressing South Africa's infrastructure deficit. It analyzes the shift from a historical reluctance to seek external aid toward a current necessity driven by rising public debt and the economic impact of COVID-19. The document details the government's Infrastructure Build Programme, the establishment of the Investment and Infrastructure Office (IIO), and the creation of a ZAR100 billion Infrastructure Fund, while highlighting critical gaps in project preparation skills and procurement coordination.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of agriculture in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Southern African countries. It argues that while agriculture is often mentioned, NDCs frequently lack quantifiable commitments, detailed financing plans, and the active inclusion of farmers. The document provides recommendations for strengthening these climate policies to better support farmers' interests and enhance the agency of national farmers' organisations (NFOs).

Natural Justice (NJ), a non-profit organization, submitted comments on the draft Expropriation Bill, 2020, to the South African Department of Public Works. While welcoming the Bill's goal to replace the Expropriation Act of 1975 and allow for expropriation without compensation to redress historical land imbalances, NJ argues the draft is too state-centric, lacks climate change considerations, and fails to provide sufficient mechanisms for public oversight and the protection of vulnerable land rights holders.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) issued a press statement criticizing the 2021 South African National Budget, arguing that its focus on austerity and expenditure cuts risks economic growth, exacerbates poverty, and fails to deliver on promised COVID-19 relief.

This research paper examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the energy sector in emerging economies and developing countries, arguing that economic recovery should be aligned with climate and development goals to ensure a 'green recovery'.

This report documents a validation workshop held on 24 February 2021 by the South African Institute of International Affairs and Jasoro Consulting. The event served as a platform for youth working groups to present and validate a youth-centred report on nine key governance issues in South Africa, intended to inform the country's Second-Generation Country Review process under the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM).

This briefing by the World Resources Institute argues that the United States should set a greenhouse gas emissions-reduction target of 50% below 2005 levels by 2030. The document outlines how such a target is achievable through a combination of federal and local action, would stimulate economic growth and job creation, and is necessary to maintain international leadership and meet global warming limits of 1.5 degrees C.

A legal notice filed on February 16, 2021, in the High Court of South Africa (Gauteng Division, Pretoria), stating that the Groundwork Trust has withdrawn its application (case number 32200/20) against the Minister of Mineral Resources & Energy and the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.

The Institute for Economic Justice (IEJ) argues that the South African government's R500-billion Covid-19 rescue package has been inadequately implemented, with only about one-third of the funds materialising. The IEJ asserts that economic recovery is impossible without first providing comprehensive rescue and relief, calling for the abandonment of austerity measures by the National Treasury to support income, jobs, businesses, and health infrastructure.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) provides guidelines for its membership application process, emphasizing a commitment to collaboration and a transition toward a distributive delivery structure with regional and national hubs. The document outlines an interim review process managed by the UK global hub to screen applicants through due diligence and collaboration trials before final approval.

This report examines the acceleration of e-governance and the use of social media by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on South Africa's digital innovations and the broader challenges facing the African continent.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines South Africa's transition from a secret apartheid-era nuclear weapons programme to a state committed to nuclear non-proliferation and the peaceful use of nuclear energy. It details the country's normative frameworks, governance structures, and the challenges facing its nuclear energy expansion plans, including the legacy of state capture during the Zuma presidency and the current cautious approach under President Cyril Ramaphosa.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative analyzes the flow of climate finance in South Africa for 2017 and 2018, identifying a significant gap between current investment levels and the funding required to meet the country's Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It details the roles of public and private finance, highlighting a lack of coordination between the two and recommending the development of a central registry and innovative blended finance tools to scale investment.

This report consists of a series of expert commentaries analyzing the global geopolitical and domestic implications of the January 6 Capitol Hill attacks. The contributors discuss how the event affected the perception of U.S. democracy and influenced the foreign policies and internal political dynamics of the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, Turkey, and India.

This policy brief by the Global Resilience Partnership assesses how 15 local communities in the Global South utilized six social domains of resilience to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis emphasizes that resilience depends not only on assets but also on flexibility, social organization, learning, behavioral factors, and agency, highlighting the critical role of community-based organizations in mobilizing these responses.

A statement by Melissa Fourie of the Centre for Environmental Rights arguing that the mining industry must undergo a radical reconceptualisation to address human rights abuses, environmental destruction, and the urgent need to reduce coal use to limit global warming.

This research paper by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) identifies key strategies to accelerate climate change adaptation across Africa. Based on interviews with African scientists and practitioners, the paper advocates for a shift toward locally-led, inclusive solutions that integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific projections. It proposes three primary investment pillars: enhancing people's skills and knowledge, building climate-resilient economies, and investing in nature-based solutions.

This policy brief by the Institute for Economic Justice examines the South African government's strategy to mobilize up to R1 trillion in private sector financing for infrastructure via an Infrastructure Fund over 10 years. The document critiques the 'de-risking' mechanisms used to attract private capital—such as blended finance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and the conversion of infrastructure into asset classes—arguing that they often transfer excessive risk to the public fiscus and may fail to deliver developmental outcomes.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute maps the green bond landscape in Africa as of January 2021. It identifies the market as nascent and underdeveloped, dominated by a few states and entities, and outlines the structural barriers and opportunities for scaling up green finance to meet climate mitigation and adaptation needs across the continent.

This report synthesises 50 'Voices from the Frontline' stories from June 2020 to October 2021, documenting how local communities in Asia and the Pacific, Africa, and Latin America and the Caribbean coped with the compounding effects of Covid-19, climate change, and socioeconomic vulnerability. It examines these experiences through the lens of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting grassroots resilience and the need for external actors to support locally-led solutions.