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The report examines the global coffee market, highlighting a growth in VSS-compliant production which reached at least 34% of total production in 2016. While demand is increasing in emerging economies, the sector faces risks from price volatility and climate change. The analysis identifies Ethiopia and Uganda as having high potential for VSS expansion among LHDCs.

The global tea market is growing, with retail value projected to reach USD 73 billion by 2024, driven by demand in Asia and the Pacific. While VSS-compliant tea grew significantly from 2.4% of the market in 2008 to 19.4% in 2016, the sector faces challenges including climate change, poor labour conditions, and a highly concentrated value chain. The report identifies significant opportunities to expand sustainable production in China, India, and Sri Lanka, as well as in LHDCs like Burundi and Uganda.

The Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) tool by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) integrates system dynamics simulation with project finance models to value risks and externalities typically ignored in traditional financial assessments. It applies to asset types including energy, roads, buildings, irrigation, sewerage treatment, and nature-based infrastructure. The tool aims to support the goals of the Paris Agreement and UN Sustainable Development Goals by optimizing value for money across an asset's life cycle. Case studies demonstrate its application in valuing climate-risk-related road disruptions in Morocco, the economic gains of wetland conservation in India, and the internal rate of return for wind energy in Senegal.

The policy brief examines the disproportionate dominance of South Africa within SADC and proposes a model of 'regional champions'—member states taking lead roles in specific sectors—to foster more equitable regional integration. It analyses current power dynamics using economic, military, and diplomatic metrics, identifying potential leaders in industrialisation, infrastructure, and security. The author suggests that South Africa can reduce its regional hegemony and the associated accusations of 'bullying' by supporting a more distributed leadership structure based on the comparative advantages of other member states.

The document argues that the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) complements the 1969 OAU Refugee Convention by providing modern mechanisms for burden-sharing and regional cooperation. It highlights the challenges facing the Convention, including a rise in forced returns (refoulement) and the pressure of hosting 7.4 million refugees and 17.8 million internally displaced persons in Africa. The brief suggests that the GCR's Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF) can reinvigorate African solidarity and promote durable solutions through a 'whole of society' approach involving the private sector and international financial institutions.

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 2019 SEforALL Charrettes brought together diverse stakeholders in Amsterdam to address systemic barriers to SDG7. The resulting report outlines proposed solutions across four key areas: creating a viable private sector market for clean cooking, improving data and evidence for electrification, bridging the finance gap in high-impact countries, and increasing risk appetite for last-mile electricity access.

The report finds that while electricity financing reached a record $36 billion in 2017, only about one-third benefited households, and clean cooking finance plummeted by 73% compared to 2015-2016. It highlights severe underinvestment in Sub-Saharan Africa and for vulnerable groups, while suggesting innovative financial mechanisms like results-based financing and crowdfunding to bridge the gap.

The report finds that while electricity finance reached a record USD 36 billion in 2017, it remains far below the USD 51 billion annual requirement for universal household access, with only one-third benefiting residential users. Clean cooking finance saw a severe decline, dropping 73 percent to USD 32 million in 2017. Sub-Saharan Africa remains critically under-invested, and the report highlights a lack of targeted funding for vulnerable groups, particularly women and displaced persons.

Finance for energy access in 20 high-impact countries remains significantly below the levels required to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 7 by 2030. While electricity finance reached a peak of USD 36 billion in 2017, only one-third benefited residential users. Clean cooking finance saw a dramatic 73% drop in 2017 compared to the 2015-16 average. The report highlights a critical under-investment in Sub-Saharan Africa and a reliance on large-scale grid projects over decentralized solutions. It also examines the specific barriers faced by women and displaced persons and explores innovative financing mechanisms like Result Based Financing and securitization to bridge the investment gap.

The document identifies a "missing middle" in climate finance—a systemic gap where mobilized funds fail to reach local and subnational actors due to bureaucratic barriers, capacity constraints, and a preference for international intermediaries. It argues that the direct access modality is a critical tool for overcoming this gap by empowering national and subnational entities. The authors highlight that while the AF has pioneered direct access, the GCF remains dominated by Multilateral Implementing Entities (MIEs), with only 16% of approved funding channeled through Direct Access Entities (DAEs) as of March 2019. The paper recommends shifting toward a principle of subsidiarity, increasing grant-based financing, and holding MIEs accountable for transferring capacity to national institutions.

The report outlines a 'Target-Measure-Act' approach to reduce global food loss and waste, identifying regional hotspots—such as consumption in high-income regions and handling/storage in low-income regions—and proposing 10 scaling interventions to accelerate progress toward SDG 12.3.

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 examines the fragmented political and security environment in South Sudan as it attempts to implement the R-ARCSS. It details the proliferation of armed opposition groups, the concentration of power within the government, and the challenges facing the IGAD-led mediation process, including the influence of bilateral interests from regional powers like Sudan and Uganda.

Three Romanian NGOs—Alburnus Maior, Greenpeace Romania, and the Independent Center for the Development of Environmental Resources (ICDER)—are petitioning the ICSID Tribunal for amicus curiae status in the case of Gabriel Resources Ltd. v. Romania. The petitioners argue that the proposed open-pit gold mine in Roşia Montană poses severe risks to cultural heritage, including 2000-year-old Roman mining galleries, and threatens the environment through the use of cyanide, citing the 2000 Baia Mare spill as a precedent for potential disaster. They assert that their participation is essential to provide the Tribunal with unique factual and legal insights derived from their direct connection to the affected local communities and their history of strategic litigation against the project's permits. The NGOs emphasize that the case involves significant public interest, including the potential forced relocation of over 350 families and the risk of environmental degradation, which justifies transparency and civil society participation under the Romania-Canada BIT and ICSID rules.

The document examines the shift in Africa's debt structure toward non-concessional and domestic loans, identifying drivers such as commodity price shocks and fiscal deficits. It assesses the debt-carrying capacity of various African nations using IMF and World Bank frameworks, noting that several countries are in debt distress or at high risk. The briefing details current coping mechanisms, including the issuance of long-term Eurobonds and novel financial products, and recommends enhancing domestic revenue mobilization, economic diversification, and the establishment of autonomous debt management offices.

The document examines the potential for African public pension funds and Sovereign Wealth Funds (SWFs) to address an annual infrastructure investment deficit of $130–$170 billion. While these institutional investors possess long-term horizons and substantial assets—such as South Africa's $318 billion retirement fund industry—actual infrastructure investment remains low due to a preference for traditional assets, a lack of bankable project pipelines, and regulatory constraints. The paper analyzes the landscapes of five countries and identifies key barriers, including a shortage of liquid financial instruments and a lack of internal expertise to appraise complex infrastructure risks. It suggests that capacity building, resource pooling, and early engagement between developers and regulators are essential to stimulate institutional appetite for this asset class.

The report applies a 'nexus toolkit' to analyze the interactions between agricultural transformation, energy transition, and natural resource use in Rwanda, specifically within the Akagera Basin. Using policy coherence mapping and scenario modelling (Reference, Pessimistic, and Optimistic) up to 2050, the study finds that high population growth and climate change create severe pressure on water and biomass. Key findings indicate that ambitious national plans for irrigation and hydropower may be physically impossible to meet due to water scarcity, and that the transition to peat for electricity will increase GHG emissions despite reductions in cooking-fuel emissions. At the district level, the report identifies critical needs for improved water management, off-grid energy solutions, and a shift away from urban charcoal demand to combat deforestation.

The document argues that while individual CVF countries have low emissions, their collective impact is significant, equivalent to the world's fifth largest emitter. It provides a 'menu of options' for updating NDCs across key sectors—energy, transport, forests, and agriculture—while emphasizing the need for enhanced international finance, technology transfer, and robust national legal frameworks to implement these ambitions.