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The Declaration on Waste Containing Nanomaterials argues that the increasing presence of manufactured nanomaterials (MNMs) in waste streams poses risks to human health and the environment due to uncertainties regarding their toxicity. The signatories call for the implementation of full producer responsibility, the restriction of transboundary waste movements, and the creation of an EU-wide public nano-product registry to ensure transparent quantification of waste flows. They further advocate for innovation in waste prevention, the development of safe recycling and disposal technologies, and the establishment of verifiable end-of-waste criteria to support a circular economy without introducing new environmental risks.

The author analyzes the growing consensus among developing nations and some developed entities regarding the need for a 'disclosure of origin' requirement in the patent system to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. This effort is framed within the context of Paragraph 19 of the Doha Declaration, which tasks the TRIPS Council with examining the relationship between the TRIPS Agreement and the CBD. While countries like Brazil, India, and others advocate for mandatory disclosure and proof of prior informed consent and benefit-sharing, opposition remains from the United States and Japan, though the European Union and Switzerland have shown varying degrees of openness to such systems.

The report examines the critical role of land and resource tenure in community-based conservation, contrasting the often-destructive nature of state-owned 'public' tenure with the adaptive and sustainable characteristics of community-based systems. It argues that when states delegitimize local tenure, they often create 'open access' conditions that lead to biodiversity loss and resource pillaging. Conversely, secure community tenure—characterized by flexible, overlapping rights and deep ecological knowledge—tends to support long-term resource stability. The authors advocate for the official state recognition of community perimeters rather than the detailed codification of customary laws, which can disrupt local flexibility. While acknowledging that tenure alone does not guarantee conservation success, the text concludes that the erosion of community rights is a primary driver of environmental degradation in many developing nations.

The report evaluates the evolution of NDCs for a diverse set of countries, scoring them on needs scope, granularity, timeframe, conditionality, implementation readiness, private sector mobilization, and alignment with national plans. It highlights varying levels of progress, with some countries like Nepal and Moldova showing strong improvements in costing and private sector strategies, while others like Andorra and Singapore maintain gaps in quantified financial needs.

The document argues that the 'COVID crisis' consists of three layers: a viral reality, a systemic crisis rooted in existing inequalities, and a 'power crisis' driven by the strategic responses of powerful actors. It contends that multistakeholderism (MSism)—exemplified by ACT-A and COVAX—serves as a tool for the Global North to maintain corporate profits and the rules of globalisation while bypassing the accountability of the UN system. The author identifies four responses by the powerful: expanding markets, protecting globalisation, a passive 'stand-back' approach that allows mass death in the Global South, and limited mitigation. The report concludes with recommendations to treat health as a global public good and return governance to multilateral frameworks.

The report identifies that while insurance innovation exists across Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, it is not yet leveraged to reach underserved segments like MSMEs and rural inhabitants at scale. Key constraints include high mobile data costs, low consumer trust, a significant STEM skills gap, and risk-averse corporate boards. Regulatory frameworks are generally not seen as major barriers, but gaps remain in digital onboarding clarity and license categories for insurtechs. The document recommends that regulators move beyond formal regulation to use proactive market engagement, streamlined supervisory processes, and upgraded digital monitoring systems to foster inclusive insurance growth.

The document provides a statistical overview of remittances from the UK to Africa, detailing the cost as a percentage of the amount sent, the size of the diaspora population in the UK, and the total annual amount of money sent for 16 African nations. Nigeria is the largest recipient by volume, with £2,363 million sent annually, while Tanzania has the highest cost of sending at 14%.

EcoBodaa is a Kenyan tech startup developing electric motorcycles tailored for the local market to replace petrol-powered bikes. Supported by Persistent Energy, the company has developed bikes with localized battery configurations and GPS systems, achieving maintenance costs up to 80% lower than petrol alternatives. While the company has struggled to recruit women as riders, it has appointed five women to leadership roles. EcoBodaa utilizes a rent-to-own model and an energy micropayment system to improve financial accessibility, and it is now 90% ready for scaling after selling 37 units.

FSD Africa co-funded the Digital Frontiers Institute (DFI) from 2016 to 2021 to train digital finance professionals in low-middle income countries. The partnership established the Certified Digital Finance Practitioner (CDFP) qualification and reached over 15,000 professionals. Key achievements include the creation of 22 Communities of Practice across 20 countries and the development of 47 DFS regulations, policies, or directives.

The document outlines a regulatory response framework consisting of four phases: identifying the impact of a systemic risk, implementing a response, monitoring efficacy, and adapting for future risks. Based on research across 31 sub-Saharan African countries during COVID-19, it emphasizes the importance of proactive engagement, the use of Suptech for data collection, and the balance between regulatory certainty and flexibility. It identifies future systemic concerns including climate risks and cyber-security.

The study examines how COVID-19 affected the fiscal positions and debt sustainability of MEFMI member countries, noting a sharp increase in average debt-to-GDP ratios from 63.6% in 2019 to 70.6% in 2020. It highlights the critical role of Local Currency Bond Markets (LCBMs) and international initiatives like the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) in maintaining stability. The report identifies significant gaps in operational risk management, specifically the absence of business continuity plans in most member states, and recommends strengthening institutional capacity, technology investment, and the development of transparent debt management strategies to build future resilience.

The RRI programme, a partnership between Cenfri and FSD Africa, worked to remove barriers to inclusive finance for an estimated 5.6 million people in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative focused on regulatory reform, capacity building for 750 regulators, and providing advice to 530 financial service providers to foster innovation in payments, insurance, and remittances. Key findings highlight that simple adaptations to supervisory processes are often more effective than complex regulatory sandboxes and that regional payment and data infrastructure are critical for the success of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (ACFTA).

The COVID-19 pandemic caused a sharp economic downturn in the MEFMI region, characterized by contracting GDP growth, widening fiscal deficits, and deteriorating external positions. To mitigate these effects, member states implemented a range of fiscal measures, such as VAT exemptions and social protection transfers, and monetary interventions, including cutting policy rates and reducing statutory reserve requirements. However, these responses, combined with lower revenues and higher borrowing costs, accelerated public debt accumulation and eroded debt-carrying capacity across the region. The document emphasizes the need for sustainable debt management, fiscal buffers, and economic diversification to build resilience against future shocks.

The report analyzes how MEFMI countries utilized external financing, including emergency facilities from the IMF and World Bank, to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. It details the shift in creditor composition toward bilateral and private lenders, the deterioration of debt risk ratings, and the specific policy responses adopted by member states. The document concludes with ten key lessons for public debt management during crises, emphasizing the importance of official external finance, operational risk management, and transparency.

The report examines how the COVID-19 pandemic affected local currency bond markets (LCBMs) across MEFMI member countries. It finds that while the crisis increased government borrowing needs and operational risks, most countries maintained stability through fiscal, monetary, and financial policy interventions. Key findings include a general increase in the average time to maturity of domestic debt, a shift in investor behavior toward safe assets, and the use of liability management operations like rollovers and switches. The document concludes that deepening LCBMs, strengthening debt management strategies, and improving market transparency are essential for resilience against future crises.

The Green Climate Fund (GCF) Accreditation Panel recommends the accreditation of the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) as a national direct access entity for 'small' projects (above US$ 10 million up to US$ 50 million) with a medium environmental and social risk category (B/I-2). While the IDBZ demonstrated strong alignment with GCF's gender policy and environmental and social standards, the assessment identified several fiduciary gaps. These include a lack of evidence regarding the effectiveness of its internal audit function, the operational status of its Investigations, Integrity & Loss Control Division, and the public disclosure of procurement and project evaluation data. Accreditation is recommended subject to specific conditions to be met before and after the first funding proposal and disbursement.

The Accreditation Panel recommends that the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) be upgraded to 'large' project size and 'high risk' (Category A/I-1) environmental and social risk categories. The assessment found that IFAD's fiduciary standards, project management capacities, and environmental and social safeguards fully meet GCF requirements for these expanded parameters.

The document outlines the conditions for funding proposals considered at the GCF Board's 43rd meeting. It establishes general requirements for all proposals, such as the signing of a funded activity agreement (FAA) and legal due diligence. Additionally, it specifies tailored conditions for certain projects, including requirements for grey-green infrastructure in South Sudan, staff expertise and SEAH protections for a multi-country programme (FP286), and ESIA updates and brine plume modelling for a project in Jordan.

This report by the Green Economy Coalition reviews the first ten years of the SEED Awards (2005-2015), an initiative founded by UNEP, UNDP, and IUCN to support social and environmental enterprises. It analyzes the survival and impact of 202 SEED Winners across 37 countries, highlighting the role of multi-stakeholder partnerships and tailored support in fostering green and inclusive growth at the grassroots level.

This document is a Vietnamese translation of excerpts from the 'Boom & Burst Coal 2024' report by Global Energy Monitor and its partners. It analyzes global coal power trends in 2023, highlighting a dichotomy where new construction has hit a 9-year low outside China but an 8-year high within China. The report provides a detailed assessment of Vietnam's energy transition, focusing on the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) and the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP), while noting that global coal capacity reached an all-time high in 2023.