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The report examines the intersection of climate change, energy policy, and security in Southeast Asia. It identifies key vulnerabilities, including sea level rise threatening megacities and the Mekong Delta, and extreme heat reducing economic productivity. These stressors are analyzed as 'threat multipliers' that exacerbate existing geopolitical tensions in the South China Sea, fuel violent extremism through livelihood degradation, and complicate transboundary water management of the Mekong River. The document also highlights the 'energy-climate security nexus,' arguing that the region's continued reliance on coal and the pursuit of civilian nuclear power—often involving long-term partnerships with China and Russia—create new strategic risks. It concludes with a call for 'Climate Security Watch Centers,' carbon drawdown plans for ASEAN states, and a systemic shift toward renewable energy to ensure regional stability.

The policy brief proposes a shift from project-based infrastructure to a business-based model to achieve universal infrastructure coverage, particularly in developing countries. It highlights how technological disruptions in energy, transport, and water are reducing capital costs and enabling distributed infrastructure. The authors advocate for listing these infrastructure businesses on local stock exchanges to attract institutional investors and suggest implementing stewardship principles—such as master plans and impact management—to align business operations with community needs and sustainability goals.

The document examines Canada's approach to the hydrogen economy, specifically the tension between supporting 'blue hydrogen' (fossil fuel-based with carbon capture) and 'green hydrogen' (renewable-based). It argues that blue hydrogen is less environmentally effective due to methane leaks and high costs of carbon capture and storage (CCS), and is likely to be out-competed by green hydrogen by 2030. The author contends that subsidies for blue hydrogen constitute fossil fuel subsidies that undermine Canada's climate goals and net-zero 2050 target, recommending strict environmental and cost criteria for any public funding.

The document examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of e-governance tools, specifically social media and smartphones, to maintain public service delivery. It highlights South Africa's use of WhatsApp chatbots and the 'COVID Alert SA' contact tracing app as innovative examples, while noting that the 'digital divide' and concerns over surveillance and fake news remain significant barriers to digital governance across Africa.

The report details South Africa's transition from a secret nuclear weapons programme to a global advocate for nuclear disarmament and peaceful nuclear use. It analyzes the current nuclear governance framework, the state of aging facilities like the Koeberg Nuclear Power Plant, and the political and financial turmoil surrounding nuclear expansion plans, particularly during the Zuma presidency. The document highlights systemic challenges including state capture, dwindling expertise, and fragmented governance, while outlining the Ramaphosa administration's more cautious approach to adding 2,500MW of nuclear capacity.

The document examines the role of whistleblowers in combating natural resource corruption, identifying retaliation as a primary barrier to reporting. It outlines the three essential components of effective protection regimes—confidentiality, financial rewards, and independent reporting channels—and analyzes the failures of laws in the UK and Ghana. The briefing highlights how specific U.S. laws, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and the Lacey Act, can be utilized globally to target environmental crimes, and provides recommendations for conservation practitioners to support whistleblower protections.

The document outlines the structure and process for developing GCF Country Programmes, which serve as the foundation for prioritizing climate finance proposals. It details five mandatory components: country context, climate finance strategy, project priorities, institutional needs, and stakeholder engagement. The guide emphasizes alignment with national climate plans (such as NDCs and NAPs) and the role of Accredited Entities in implementing these priorities over four-year programming cycles.

The guide outlines the structure and requirements for GCF country programmes, which serve as the foundation for prioritizing climate projects and mobilizing finance. It details five essential components: country context, climate finance strategy, priority GCF projects, institutional needs, and stakeholder engagement. The document emphasizes alignment with national climate plans (such as NDCs and NAPs) and collaboration with Accredited Entities to transform priorities into funding proposals.

The document examines South Africa's strategy to mobilize R1 trillion in private investment through an Infrastructure Fund to address a widening infrastructure deficit. It analyzes three primary de-risking instruments: blended finance, the conversion of infrastructure into tradeable asset classes, and public-private partnerships (PPPs). The author argues that these mechanisms often shift excessive risk to the state through contingent liabilities and high transaction costs, while prioritizing 'bankable' economic projects over essential social infrastructure in poor and rural areas. The paper concludes that the current focus on private capital overplays benefits and underplays the risks of public-private arrangements, recommending a governance framework that prioritizes human rights and sustainable development over profit maximization.

The document outlines a comprehensive framework for CITES Management Authorities to establish and issue Legal Acquisition Findings (LAF). It details the necessary legal preparations, the step-by-step verification process for the chain of custody, and specific documentary requirements for various taxa, including wildlife, plants, and timber. The guide emphasizes a risk-based approach to verification and the importance of transparent, public-facing national guidelines to prevent fraudulent trade.

The document outlines a comprehensive framework for CITES Management Authorities to verify the legal acquisition of fauna and flora. It details the preparation of national guidelines, the assessment of chain of custody documentation, and the application of risk-based verification techniques to prevent illegal wildlife trade.

The document serves as a technical guide for CITES Management Authorities to implement Legal Acquisition Findings (LAF). It details the process of verifying the 'chain of custody'—the chronological documentation of a specimen from extraction to export—to ensure compliance with national and international laws. The manual outlines steps for preparing national guidelines, evaluating legal frameworks, and applying risk-based assessment methods to determine if a specimen was acquired legally (positive LAF) or illegally (negative LAF). It provides specific documentation requirements for different taxa, including timber, marine species, and captive-bred animals, and emphasizes the importance of transparency and public accessibility of these guidelines to prevent fraud and illegal trade.

The Second Amended and Restated Framework Grant Agreement defines the relationship between the Green Climate Fund (GCF) and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as a delivery partner. It outlines the processes for the approval and disbursement of grants for Readiness and Preparatory Support, the responsibilities of GGGI in managing these funds—including the use of implementing entities—and the compliance requirements regarding environmental, social, and gender policies. The agreement also specifies financial reporting, audit rights, and the legal mechanisms for dispute resolution through the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

The South African EV ecosystem is currently nascent and dominated by private sector activity, with limited local commercial production of battery cells and a reliance on imported components. While the country possesses significant reserves of battery minerals like manganese, it lacks extensive beneficiation capacity. The automotive sector, a major GDP contributor, is pivoting toward EVs to maintain competitiveness in export markets that are phasing out internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles. Key barriers to adoption include high upfront costs, inadequate charging infrastructure, and a chronic shortage of technical skills. The report recommends that the City of Cape Town intervene through targeted incentives, procurement of EV fleets, and the development of charging infrastructure and skills training to stimulate a viable local value chain.

The report provides a comprehensive overview of energy transition progress in Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Pakistan, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, South Korea, Turkey, and Vietnam. It highlights the role of independent think tanks in driving policy breakthroughs, such as coal phase-outs and renewable energy targets, while identifying systemic barriers including political resistance, grid limitations, and financing gaps. The document argues that while technology strategies (renewables and electrification) are converging, national implementation is shaped by distinct local political and social factors.

The document analyzes the economic dependence of Colombia and its producing regions on coal, highlighting the vulnerability of public finances to declining international demand and the COVID-19 pandemic. It examines the General Royalty System (SGR) and projects that despite recent legal reforms to increase direct allocations to producing regions, the downward trend in coal production will lead to significant losses in royalty revenues for departments like Cesar and La Guajira by 2030.

The document serves as an FAQ for an open letter initiative by the We Mean Business Coalition, targeting G20 nations. It outlines the necessity for G20 countries to increase their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. The letter calls for specific policy shifts, including an immediate end to new coal projects, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, and mandatory climate-related financial disclosures. It emphasizes the G20's unique responsibility given they represent approximately 90% of global GDP and nearly 80% of global greenhouse gas emissions.

The document is a FAQ for businesses on an open letter to G20 leaders, calling for strengthened Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050. It outlines key policy demands, including ending coal financing, removing fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, and implementing climate-related financial reporting.

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 briefing outlines four priority areas for climate negotiations leading up to COP26: finalizing the Paris Agreement rulebook (specifically common timeframes for NDCs, transparency frameworks, and Article 6 carbon markets), establishing metrics for adaptation and loss and damage, addressing the shortfall in public climate finance for developing nations, and bridging implementation gaps for the 'decade of ambition'. It highlights the role of the 2020 Climate Dialogues in maintaining momentum and warns that a lack of public funding and transparency from developed nations threatens trust and the success of future negotiations.