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This briefing examines how public authorities can manage and modify existing public-private partnerships (PPPs) to improve their economic, environmental, and social sustainability. Using the United Kingdom's Private Finance Initiative (PFI) and its transition to Private Finance 2 (PF2) as a primary case study, the document provides a framework for 'health checks' to assess value-for-money, life-cycle environmental impacts, and social returns during the lifetime of long-term contracts.

This report details the third annual Climate Knowledge Brokers (CKB) workshop held in June 2013 in Bonn, Germany. The event focused on forging collaborative links between online knowledge brokers specializing in climate and development, sharing lessons on user engagement and internet marketing, and developing shared technical tools to improve information discoverability.

This report documents the 6th African Conference of Commandants (ACoC), held in November 2012 in Abuja, Nigeria. The conference focused on the role of staff colleges in preparing military officers to address emerging security challenges in Africa, emphasizing the need for a balance between academic education, professional military studies, and tactical training to develop flexible, intellectual leaders.

The PROVIA Guidance on Assessing Vulnerability, Impacts and Adaptation to Climate Change is an executive summary of a technical framework designed to harmonize and communicate knowledge on climate risk. It provides an iterative five-stage adaptation learning cycle—identifying needs, identifying options, appraising options, planning and implementing actions, and monitoring and evaluation—to help researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers navigate the diversity of available assessment methods and tools.

This 2012 CDKN fact sheet details technical assistance provided to Bangladesh to lead international climate negotiations on 'Loss and Damage' and the development of a participatory M&E tool for community-based adaptation that has since been replicated in Africa.

This 2012 report by the Climate Policy Initiative examines how public policies and financial injections can mitigate risks to attract private investment in green infrastructure. Through case studies in the UK, Tunisia, and Morocco, it argues that well-articulated policies and innovative risk-mitigation instruments (like first-loss protection and policy risk insurance) are essential to overcome the inertia of 'plain vanilla finance.' The report highlights the critical role of National Development Banks in emerging economies, noting that China, Brazil, and India were the largest recipients of mitigation-directed climate finance in 2011.

This executive summary by the World Resources Institute (WRI) analyzes the 'fast-start' climate finance pledges made by developed countries following the 2010 Cancun Agreements. The document evaluates whether these pledges meet international criteria regarding the balance between adaptation and mitigation, additionality, and prioritization of vulnerable nations, while highlighting significant gaps in reporting transparency and consistency.

This research paper examines Switzerland's economic diplomacy as a 'small state', detailing its strategies to influence global economic governance and protect its financial centre. It highlights Switzerland's use of inter-ministerial coordination (IDAG20), its participation in the Global Governance Group (3G), and its dual-axis strategy (proactive and preventive) to engage with the G-20 and international organisations. The paper also discusses the challenges small states face at the UN and Switzerland's specific policies on tax information exchange and financial market stability.

This report, the final part of a five-part series by WWF South Africa, SinCo, Carbon Tracker, and Trucost, synthesizes research on the financial risks and opportunities associated with carbon emissions and water scarcity for institutional investors in South Africa. It argues that many investors are 'universal owners' whose returns depend on the overall health of the economy, making them vulnerable to systemic risks from climate change and water stress. The report finds that carbon and water risks are largely mispriced in the market, with significant exposure in the energy and mining sectors, and calls for regulatory interventions and a shift toward low-carbon, water-responsible investment strategies to avoid stranded assets and ensure long-term returns.

This report documents a series of workshops organized by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) at the United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) between 2008 and 2011. The workshops focused on the intersection of Internet policy, governance, and sustainable development, exploring how technical and policy decisions regarding the Internet impact social, economic, and environmental goals.

This case study describes the operations and challenges of Sumaria Group (T) Ltd, a family-owned conglomerate headquartered in Tanzania with diverse interests in plastics, pharmaceuticals, agro-processing, and beverage bottling across Africa and Asia.

This research paper evaluates the potential of biofuels to help the UK meet emission reduction targets set in the Low Carbon Transition Plan (LCTP) and EU obligations, using a hybrid life-cycle assessment across four scenarios.

This policy brief describes the South African Renewables Initiative (SARi), a government-led effort launched in December 2011 to establish financing arrangements for scaling up renewable energy. The initiative aims to achieve a target of 19 GW of renewable electricity by 2030 while managing the incremental costs compared to coal-fired power to avoid unacceptable economic burdens on the public.

This report analyzes the state of the global securitization markets as of May 2012, examining whether recent activity in residential mortgage-backed securities (RMBS) and trade finance signals a recovery that could eventually benefit climate finance. ItS It discusses how bank recapitalization pressures have reduced renewable energy lending, which relies on banks for 95% of project finance globally, making the development of securitized clean energy assets vital for recycling capital. The report evaluates market trends in Europe and the United States, the impact of regulatory frameworks like Basel III and Solvency II, and the role of standardization initiatives like the Climate Bond Standard and the Prime Collateralised Securities Initiative (PCSI).

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The author assesses the country's progress toward its 'African Agenda,' including goals of South-South and North-South cooperation and the pursuit of permanent African representation on the Council.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The author finds that South Africa has become more confident, increasing its co-sponsorship of resolutions and successfully promoting its 'African Agenda,' particularly regarding cooperation between the UNSC and the African Union (AU).

This report summarizes a 2011 workshop on climate adaptation for transportation, highlighting that local contextual data (e.g., infrastructure condition) is often more critical for decision-making than broad climate models. It identifies significant communication gaps between scientists and engineers, calls for a central information clearinghouse, and recommends updating engineering standards to move beyond historical data. Key needs include higher-resolution precipitation data, better economic tools for cost-benefit analysis of adaptation, and increased federal support for state and local capacity building.

This research paper details the use of an automated multiplexed soil-respiration (SR) system to partition soil CO2 fluxes into root, mycorrhizal hyphae, and heterotrophic components within a UK grassland over a three-month summer period.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the European Union's REACH regulation is currently ineffective at managing the health, safety, and environmental risks of nanomaterials. The author identifies four primary regulatory gaps—identification, phase-in status, tonnage thresholds, and risk assessment—that allow nanomaterials to enter the market with insufficient data, contradicting the "no data, no market" principle. The report proposes either modifying the REACH text or creating a stand-alone "nano patch" regulation to address these deficiencies.

This report examines the potential economic impacts and fiscal burdens on the United Kingdom government and consumers if the national biofuel blending mandate were increased to 10 or 15 per cent to meet the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive (RED) target of 10 per cent renewable transport fuels by 2020.