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The report identifies a widening gap between coal capacity and generation, particularly in China and India, where new plants are built as 'system insurance' while renewables displace coal in actual output. Globally, the coal pipeline is narrowing geographically, with 95% of construction concentrated in China and India. However, the report notes a significant slowdown in retirements in the U.S. and EU due to policy interventions and energy security concerns. Regional analyses highlight Indonesia's growth in captive coal for industrial processing, the U.S.'s political push to sustain aging plants, and the EU's structural shift toward a coal-free system. The document also examines the impact of the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism on the Western Balkans and the challenges of rebuilding Ukraine's energy system.

The report identifies significant gaps in the governance of the Cabora Bassa oil and gas project in Zimbabwe, noting that consultations have primarily targeted political and traditional leaders rather than the broader community. It highlights extreme poverty, acute climate vulnerability, and collapsed infrastructure in Mbire and Muzarabani districts, warning that current employment patterns are driven by political affiliation and nepotism. The authors argue for the institutionalization of continuous community engagement, transparent benefit-sharing, and strategic investment in climate adaptation and essential services to avoid repeating historical patterns of extractive wealth failing to benefit local populations.

The report examines the escalation of extremist activity in southern Africa, highlighting the dual threats of far-right militancy and Islamist insurgency. It details the specific security challenges in South Africa, including the activities of the National Christian Resistance Movement and IS-linked cells, and provides an in-depth analysis of the insurgency in northern Mozambique. The author argues that the Mozambican conflict is fueled by transnational criminal networks, including human smuggling and the heroin trade, and criticizes the slow, bureaucratic responses of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the African Union (AU). The document concludes with recommendations for integrated national strategies, improved inter-agency collaboration, and a shift toward preventative governance to address the root causes of extremism.

The report examines the 'resource curse' in Southern Africa, specifically regarding LNG projects in Mozambique, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It highlights a gap between Africa's significant gas discoveries—accounting for nearly 40% of global discoveries in the last decade—and actual production due to socio-political instability. The document argues that without structural democratic reform and meaningful community consultation, resource wealth fails to translate into broad-based development, as seen in Angola. It recommends that governments and investors prioritize 'Free, Prior, Informed and Continuous Consent' and align mining projects with the Africa Mining Vision and SADC Protocol on Energy to avoid conflict and environmental degradation.

Between 2021 and 2023, mining for copper, cobalt, lithium, and nickel was linked to 334 incidents of violence or protest across 19 top-producing countries, averaging 111 per year. Nearly 90% of these events occurred in emerging and developing economies, while the majority of production is controlled by companies from advanced economies and major consumer countries, primarily China. The report warns that social unrest is likely to increase as production is forecast to spike by 2028 to meet climate goals, potentially destabilizing supply chains and increasing costs for renewable technologies.

Global Witness has withdrawn from the Kimberley Process (KP), stating that the international certification scheme has become an 'outdated' and 'cynical corporate accreditation scheme'. While the KP initially helped break links between diamonds and conflict, the organization argues it now lacks integrity due to a failure to hold governments accountable and a lack of independent verification in the diamond industry's 'system of warranties'. Specific failures cited include the KP's inability to address conflict diamonds from Côte d'Ivoire, rule breaches by Venezuela, and state-sponsored violence in Zimbabwe's Marange region. Global Witness advocates for a transition from voluntary schemes to legally mandated international standards for minerals supply chain controls, including third-party audits and public disclosure.

The document outlines a framework for analyzing payments made by oil, gas, and mining companies to governments. It details ten specific tests—ranging from simple checks of payment types to complex revenue forecast comparisons—designed to identify 'red flags' or discrepancies that may indicate revenue loss due to bad deals, tax avoidance, or lack of enforcement. The guide emphasizes the use of supplementary data, such as fiscal terms and international commodity prices, to verify the accuracy of company disclosures.

Global Witness reports that the 'rush for lithium' in Africa is failing to deliver a just energy transition, instead risking the entrenchment of corruption and ESG failures. In Zimbabwe, the Sandawana mine is linked to sanctioned elites and ZANU-PF allies, with reports of child labour and the illegal export of unprocessed ore. In Namibia, Xinfeng Investments is accused of using bribery to acquire licenses and operating an industrial-scale mine under small-scale permits to avoid environmental assessments. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Manono project has been stalled by ownership disputes and allegations that shell companies linked to former President Joseph Kabila's associates profited by millions while the state treasury received negligible funds.

The document is a popular education toolkit designed to help Southern African activists connect lived experiences of working-class women to structural inequalities in food and climate systems. It argues that care work—primarily unpaid labour performed by women—is the invisible foundation of food provision and community survival, yet is ignored by dominant neoliberal policies. The toolkit guides users through six activities to analyze social reproduction, the power dynamics of food systems, the gendered impacts of climate change, and the development of care-centred alternatives and advocacy strategies.

The document examines how progressive taxation can address extreme poverty and economic inequality, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Africa. It evaluates several tax instruments, including Financial Transaction Taxes (FTTs), net wealth taxes, property taxes, and Resource Rent Taxes (RTT), detailing their potential to generate revenue for social protection and climate justice. Using South Africa as a case study, the brief provides specific revenue estimates for various progressive measures, such as a net wealth tax that could raise between R70 and R160 billion.

The CAPA Initiative, funded by Global Affairs Canada, implements nature-based solutions (NbS) to protect biodiversity and strengthen climate resilience. In Belize, activities focus on reforestation in the Maya Forest Corridor and coral reef health in marine reserves. In Fiji, interventions include flood mitigation buffers and sustainable fisheries. In the Greater Virunga Landscape (Uganda), the project focuses on restoring agricultural lands and promoting climate-resilient livelihoods. In the Kavango–Zambezi Landscape (Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and Angola), efforts target forest restoration and the stabilization of wetlands and headwaters. Global-level support is provided by IISD through research, capacity strengthening, and gender-responsive approaches.

The Climate Adaptation and Protected Areas (CAPA) Initiative implements nature-based solutions for climate adaptation across the Kavango-Zambezi (KAZA) landscape, which spans Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The initiative focuses on restoring forest cover, stabilizing water sources, and restocking native wildlife, while providing technical and financial training to women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Specific project sites include the Cuando River basin in Angola, the Sioma Ngwezi and Mosi-Oa-Tunya ecosystems in Zambia, Bwabwata National Park in Namibia, and areas around Hwange and Chizarira National Parks in Zimbabwe.

The paper examines the transition of Africa's clothing and textile industry from a linear to a circular model. It identifies three primary opportunities: promoting sustainable inputs (such as regenerative cotton and alternative fibers), 'greening' the garment manufacturing process to gain a competitive advantage, and transforming the influx of second-hand clothing into a value-added recycling and upcycling industry. The author emphasizes that without a proactive policy approach and investment in technology and infrastructure, African nations risk missing economic opportunities and failing to comply with upcoming EU eco-design regulations.

The document defines standards for sustainable trade as non-legally binding instruments that integrate environmental and social sustainability into the trading process. It argues that while these standards can reward sustainable production, they may unfairly restrict market access for developing countries due to information gaps, high compliance costs, or irrelevant requirements. The paper details the institutional capacities needed to develop, apply, and demonstrate compliance with these standards, and proposes a demand-driven, regional approach to capacity building involving South-South cooperation and private sector engagement.

The Second All Stakeholders' Conference in Zimbabwe failed to resolve fundamental disagreements between ZANU-PF and the MDC formations regarding the draft constitution, specifically concerning the powers of the presidency and security sector reform. While cosmetic amendments were approved, key constitutional issues remain contested. The process is governed by the Global Political Agreement (GPA), with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) acting as a guarantor. There are concerns that the final draft may reflect political compromises rather than popular views and that President Robert Mugabe may attempt to exert undue influence over the final outcome, potentially violating the GPA.

Following independence in 1980, Zimbabwe's land distribution was highly unbalanced, with a small minority of white commercial farmers controlling the most productive land while the majority of the black population lived on poorer soil in lower rainfall areas.

The death of Vice President Simon Vengesayi Muzenda on 20 September 2003 has accelerated the struggle for succession within ZANU PF, as factions compete for the vacant second-vice-presidential post to signal President Robert Mugabe's preference for a successor. Additionally, Muzenda's passing has created a power vacuum in the Masvingo province, increasing the risk of a permanent party split in that region.

The Zimbabwean government is preparing to introduce legislation to regulate NGOs, which analysts suggest is a strategy to marginalise civic organisations that challenge the ruling party's political hegemony. The proposed Bill is expected to specifically target groups focused on human rights, good governance, and democracy, potentially threatening the survival of NGOs and the safety of independent activists.

This text is the introductory material for a book titled 'The many faces of human security: Case studies of seven countries in Southern Africa', produced by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) with funding from the Royal Danish embassy in South Africa. It outlines the collaborative effort between the ISS, the Southern African Peace and Security Network (SAPSNet), and various academic and strategic partners across seven Southern African nations to explore the concept of human security in a region historically dominated by state security priorities.

The document discusses the paradigm shift within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) regarding the link between stability and economic development. It highlights that member states, including some of the world's poorest nations, recognize that investment and growth require peace and democracy. This recognition has led to the creation of the Organ for Defence, Politics and Security to focus on conflict mediation, preventive diplomacy, and peacekeeping, signaling a move away from absolute sovereignty toward legitimate scrutiny of internal affairs.