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The Powering Healthcare Solutions Catalogue provides a directory of companies offering off-grid energy systems and medical appliances for low-income regions. It highlights a variety of technical solutions, including plug-and-play systems, containerized microgrids, and solar-powered medical equipment, aimed at improving healthcare delivery in areas with unreliable electricity, such as Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

The GCF's Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) assessed four pilot RFP programmes: Enhanced Direct Access (EDA), Micro-, Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MSME), Mobilizing Funds at Scale (MFS), and REDD+ Results-based Payments (REDD+). The assessment concludes that while the RFPs are relevant to the GCF mandate and country needs, they have not been used effectively as a modality. Key failures include a lack of incentives for proponents, an inability to attract new accredited entities, and a project cycle that remains as complex and lengthy as the regular Proposal Appraisal Process (PAP). The REDD+ RFP was the most successful due to its tailored process and specialized expertise. The IEU recommends establishing the RFP as a formal institutional modality with standardized processes, transparent topic selection based on portfolio gap analysis, and incentives such as simplified accreditation.

The document critiques orthodox macroeconomic policies for ignoring social reproduction and gendered power dynamics, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. It argues that neoliberal austerity and financialisation have undermined public services and increased the burden of unpaid care on women. The authors propose a recovery based on a 'feminist green economy,' increased fiscal space through progressive taxation and debt cancellation, and a shift toward a social reproductive economy that prioritises basic income and universal access to essential services.

Cooking poverty affects 3.83 billion people across 71 countries, causing over four million deaths annually. The report argues that the current 'clean cooking' sector is fragmented and underfunded, with an annual funding gap of approximately $10 billion. It proposes a shift toward the term 'cooking poverty' to better reflect the scale of the crisis and suggests a 'Playbook' to centralize sector knowledge. Key recommendations include merging electrification and cooking efforts, utilizing carbon markets for small business finance, and adopting an incremental approach to transition households from unimproved to modern cooking.

The document examines how corruption in natural resource management (NRM) undermines human rights and how reframing corruption as a human rights issue can provide more effective solutions than a purely criminal justice approach. It uses the illegal abalone trade in South Africa and the role of rangers as case studies to illustrate how structural injustices and power asymmetries drive corruption and environmental crime. The brief advocates for integrating human rights mechanisms into anti-corruption strategies to address the root causes of illegality and protect vulnerable communities and environmental defenders.

The report estimates that 1.2 billion tonnes of food are wasted on farms annually, representing 15.3% of global production. This waste contributes 2.2 gigatonnes of CO2 eq, approximately 4% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The analysis reveals that high- and middle-income regions contribute a disproportionate share of harvest waste per capita. The document argues that farm-stage waste is driven not only by direct biological or technical factors but by indirect systemic drivers, including market power imbalances, rigid retail specifications, and the diversion of edible food to animal feed. It calls for a 50% reduction target from 'farm to fork' by 2030 and a shift toward holistic interventions involving governments, retailers, and citizens.

The assessment examined the awareness and challenges of transport planners in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, as well as other African regions, regarding the needs of disadvantaged groups and climate change risks. Using a mixed-method approach involving a regional survey, focus groups, and interviews, the study aims to inform a Guidance Framework for inclusive climate-resilient transport planning in Africa.

The document argues that transport is a critical driver of development but a major source of emissions, accounting for 23% of energy-related CO2. It defines sustainable transport as safe, affordable, and efficient mobility that minimizes environmental impacts. The report details the evolution of international policy from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the Sustainable Development Goals, and provides examples of successful interventions, such as Jakarta's BRT system and various cities' shifts toward active mobility (cycling and walking). It specifically notes the COVID-19 pandemic as a catalyst for structural changes in urban transit, though it warns that 30 major economies continue to provide significant subsidies to fossil fuels over clean energy.

The 'Investment Readiness for the Landscape Resilience Fund' project aims to bridge the gap between private investors and SMEs implementing climate-resilient practices in sustainable agriculture, forestry, and nature-based solutions. By providing technical assistance, zero-interest loans, and matchmaking services, the project seeks to make at least nine SMEs 'investment-ready,' thereby unlocking private capital for climate adaptation in developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs).

The authors contend that the transition to renewable energy technologies, such as wind turbines and solar panels, relies on destructive mineral extraction that mirrors the harmful patterns of the fossil fuel era. Through initiatives like the WINDPLAN and Green Curses and Violent Conflicts projects, the researchers examine socio-environmental conflicts and protests against renewable projects in Norway, Uganda, Chile, and Bolivia. They argue that energy justice must move beyond simply increasing energy access to addressing the imbalances and contestations caused by the green transition's global value chain.

A coalition of civil society organizations is demanding that the World Bank fulfill promises of a participatory review for its Africa energy strategy. The signatories urge the Bank to prioritize renewable energy and energy access, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, while unequivocally ending financial support for fossil fuel-based development.

The document examines how climate change increases post-harvest losses in Kenya and Uganda through heightened pest and disease pressure, and proposes hermetic storage technologies (HSTs) as a solution to improve food security and farmer livelihoods.

The document analyzes the gap between the digital goals of the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the actual capacities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Zambia. It argues that while paperless trade and 'single window' systems aim to increase efficiency, low literacy rates and language barriers (reliance on English) create 'SPS-Plus' burdens that exclude many small-scale traders. The author recommends integrating digital skills training and AI-powered translation of trade requirements into local languages to ensure SMEs can benefit from the energy and economic transition toward a digital economy.

The document analyzes the vulnerability of sub-Saharan African food systems during the COVID-19 pandemic, noting a heavy reliance on global imports and a lack of fiscal capacity for social protection. It details how governments primarily used interventionist market, trade, and production policies, while highlighting severe disruptions in input supply, labor, and logistics. The authors argue for a shift toward more agile governance, investment in infrastructure, and the effective implementation of regional trade agreements to build future resilience.

The report examines gender inequality in the urban public transport sectors of Nairobi, Kampala, and Dar es Salaam, finding that transport systems are generally designed for young, fit men and fail to address the specific mobility needs, safety concerns, and employment barriers faced by women. While national constitutions and gender policies in Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya provide a foundation for equality, specific transport policies often generalize users and lack explicit gender-responsive measures. The study highlights significant risks of sexual harassment and assault, the underrepresentation of women as drivers and operators due to social stigma and structural barriers, and a lack of gender-disaggregated data to inform policy. It suggests that the introduction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) systems and the rise of online taxi-hailing services present opportunities to integrate gender-sensitive infrastructure and flexible employment for women.

The briefing argues for a mandatory product-based due diligence framework for Forest and Ecosystem Risk Commodities (FERCs) and their derivatives. It recommends that the regulation cover not only forests but all natural ecosystems and human rights violations, specifically the rights of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The authors call for equivalent obligations for financial institutions, a robust enforcement mechanism including criminal penalties and access to EU courts for harmed third parties, and accompanying measures to support producer countries and reform EU consumption patterns.

The briefing details the work of the WTO's Informal Working Group (IWG) on MSMEs, specifically the adoption of a six-part package of recommendations in December 2020 to address barriers like access to finance, information, and trade facilitation. It also analyzes the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs, particularly women-led businesses, and outlines national and international policy responses. Future plans include the development of the 'Trade4MSMEs' web platform and further exploration of digitalization and e-commerce customs duties.

The report examines the crisis of missing persons in Africa, documenting nearly 44,000 cases through the ICRC as of 2020. It identifies armed conflict, other situations of violence, and migration as primary drivers, noting that men and children are disproportionately affected. Families face severe psychosocial trauma, economic hardship, and legal hurdles due to a lack of domestic frameworks for declaring absence. The document advocates for the establishment of national information bureaus, improved medico-legal capacity for body identification, and the integration of missing persons into transitional justice processes.

The document examines how rangers can be both perpetrators and victims of corruption, driven by economic insecurity, weak governance, and social pressures. It highlights findings from the 'Life on the Frontline' survey, noting that low pay and late salary payments incentivize corrupt acts. The brief argues for a systemic approach to anti-corruption, recommending professionalization, independent oversight, and improved ranger well-being to protect biodiversity and human rights.

The GEC Steering Group met to discuss 'Building the Coalition', a strategic pathway aimed at transitioning from a UK-led hub to a distributed global network of autonomous hubs. The group emphasized organic growth, the need for sustainable resourcing, and the importance of maintaining collective integrity while decentralizing. The meeting also reviewed five strategic priorities for 2021, noting that green recovery, inequality approaches, and SME policy networks are progressing, while the network function is marked as 'amber' due to delays. The group agreed to rename the network development task force to a 'reflection and learning group'.