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The STAND Initiative, a partnership between the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the Alliance for Land, Indigenous, and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED), aims to protect environmental and territory defenders who face threats such as criminalization, physical aggression, and murder. Operating in Brazil, Guatemala, Mexico, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Liberia, the initiative focuses on strengthening prevention strategies for underserved communities and civil society organizations. Its strategy comprises three main pillars: capacity building to improve advocacy and legal accountability, the Defender Seed Grant Fund (DSGF) providing small grants for evidence-based advocacy, and the creation of collaborative alliances to strengthen local solidarity networks and increase government and private sector accountability.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) reports on its 2023 initiatives, highlighting the growth of the PREPARE Call to Action to 31 companies, the implementation of the Resilient Agricultural Innovations for Nature (RAIN) Challenge in East Africa, and the hosting of the Resilience Evidence Forum in South Africa. The statement emphasizes the financial benefits of adaptation investments and the shift toward transformative resilience and whole-systems approaches.

The document analyzes the increasing debt distress in Africa, noting that public debt reached 65.6% of GDP in 2022. It highlights the shift toward non-concessional debt and the role of private creditors, who now hold over 40% of Africa's total external debt. The brief argues that the G20's Common Framework needs reform to be more inclusive of middle-income countries and private creditors. It advocates for the establishment of an African Credit Rating Agency to counter perceived biases from global agencies and the creation of an African Debt Monitoring Mechanism by June 2024 to improve transparency. Key recommendations include restructuring multilateral development banks, extending debt repayment periods, and increasing IMF Poverty Reduction Growth Trust access limits.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Shockwave Foundation, invites proposals for nature-positive agricultural innovations in East Africa. The program aims to transition seed-level ideas into sustainable, funding-ready businesses through a structured process of mentoring, leadership training, and investment brokering. Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, start-ups, and academia from Burundi, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda. Winners receive tailored support, including up to 24 hours of mentoring over three months, access to a Leadership Academy, and potential next-stage funding for implementation and scaling over 12 months.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Munich Re Foundation, seeks innovative agricultural solutions in East Africa. The program targets not-for-profit organizations, including NGOs and academia, to develop scalable, nature-positive initiatives that build resilience for vulnerable populations and protect biodiversity. Selected winners will receive tailored mentoring, leadership training through a Leadership Academy, communications support, and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) assistance. Successful projects that graduate from the program and meet specific criteria will receive next-stage funding for implementation and scaling over a 12-month period. Applications are evaluated based on innovativeness, potential for impact, equity, scalability, viability, team composition, and risk.

The document details the friction between developed and developing nations over the design, governance, and funding of the Loss and Damage Fund established at COP27. Key disputes include whether the fund should be a standalone UNFCCC entity or hosted by the World Bank, who should contribute (with the EU suggesting wealthier developing nations like China and Saudi Arabia), and whether the finance should be grants or loans. While a recommendation for a World Bank-hosted Financial Intermediary Fund was proposed, the US abstained due to concerns over legal liability and 'reparations', and the text lacks committed financial targets from developed countries.

The document examines the disproportionate impact of climate change on African youth and their subsequent rise in activism. It highlights the gap between youth demographics and political leadership in Africa, the specific climate vulnerabilities in countries like Nigeria and Sudan, and the systemic barriers activists face, including financial constraints and state repression. The author calls for the establishment of youth councils, dedicated funding, and protection mechanisms to ensure young people can shape climate-resilient policies.

The document analyzes 24 "Seed" initiatives across six African countries to understand how marginal, bottom-up projects can drive systemic transformation in food systems. It finds that while these initiatives effectively improve distributional equity—specifically through increased self-sufficiency for vulnerable groups and economic opportunities—they struggle to achieve procedural and recognitional equity. Major barriers include misaligned funding, poor public infrastructure, and restrictive socio-cultural dynamics. The report recommends that development partners move beyond direct financial aid to amplify networks, facilitate collaborations, and support the legal recognition of land ownership to foster deeper systemic change.

The NAP Global Network's 'Envisioning Resilience' initiative uses photography and storytelling training to empower underrepresented women to document their lived experiences with climate change. By presenting these visual stories to decision-makers, the project aims to shift policy dialogue from simple consultation to meaningful engagement, highlighting the intersection of gender, social exclusion, and non-climatic vulnerabilities.

The report examines the vulnerability of agro-pastoral value chains in Kenya's arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) to climate change, specifically focusing on temperature increases and rainfall variability. Using the VC-ARID methodology, it analyzes eight value chains: pasture/fodder, livestock, bee, gum and resin, aloe, poultry, mango, and beadwork. Findings indicate that rising temperatures and water stress generally reduce productivity for livestock, poultry, and fodder, while potentially increasing yields for gum and resin. The report emphasizes the need for transformative adaptation, including the formalization of cooperatives, improved market infrastructure, and the integration of gender-inclusive policies to enhance community resilience.

This briefing, submitted by Natural Justice and the Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa (E.L.C.A), provides commentary on a zero draft study by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) regarding the impact of climate change on human and people's rights in Africa. The document evaluates the study's identification of vulnerable groups and rights, critiques its approach to corporate accountability and extractive industries, and offers recommendations to strengthen the protection of indigenous peoples, children, and the environment through legal and monitoring frameworks.

The document identifies three priority policy areas for food systems transformation (FST) to enhance food security and climate resilience: reducing post-harvest losses, scaling up biofortification of staple crops, and improving food safety. It argues that while these issues are recognized in national policies across Eastern and Southern Africa, implementation is hindered by limited resources, capacity gaps, and a disproportionate focus on staple crops over high-nutrition crops.

The report forecasts a significant increase in Africa's energy demand due to population growth, projecting that it will overtake the EU27 by 2043. While Africa possesses vast oil, gas, and hydropower reserves, its current energy mix remains heavily reliant on fossil fuels, with 'other renewables' making up only 1.6% of production in 2023. The document highlights a trajectory where Africa will eventually become a major global source of carbon emissions from fossil fuels, overtaking the EU by 2034.

The report identifies Africa as a net energy exporter, though it forecasts that total energy demand will exceed production by 2039. While a small group of countries like Algeria, Nigeria, and Angola maintain high export values, a significant number of African nations remain heavily dependent on energy imports, a group expected to expand by 2043.

The report identifies a disconnect between green technology programmes and youth employment policies in Africa, noting that while energy and agriculture are primary focuses, there is significant untapped potential in ICTs, indigenous knowledge, and local manufacturing to create sustainable jobs for young people.

Smallholder farms, particularly those between two and five hectares, produce 46% of the world's food and often exhibit higher land productivity and biodiversity than larger farms. While they are critical for global supply chains of products like coffee, cocoa, and tea, they face a 'yield gap'—ranging from 11% in East Asia to 76% in Sub-Saharan Africa—that could be closed through better access to modern agrifood chains and technology. In Africa, the adoption of climate-smart practices such as agroforestry and organic manure is heavily influenced by the availability of finance and credit. Smallholder agriculture is a primary economic driver in many developing nations, contributing 23% to the GDP of Sub-Saharan Africa.

The analysis reveals a significant gap between the mention of gender in African NDCs and the implementation of substantive gender-responsive actions. While 90% of assessed NDCs reference gender, only 23% include gender-responsive budgeting and 32% are informed by a gender analysis. The paper highlights that high levels of climate finance mobilisation in countries like Morocco, South Africa, and Egypt have not translated into gender-responsive budgeting. Furthermore, private climate finance remains heavily concentrated in the energy sector (74%), which typically has lower female participation compared to the agriculture, forestry, and other land use (AFOLU) sector, which received only 7% of funding.

The document advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) in South Africa, defining it as a government commitment to ensure all adults receive a minimum income to meet basic needs. It argues that current social grant systems have gaps, particularly for adults aged 18 to 59, and that a UBIG would address systemic poverty, improve health and education outcomes, and stimulate local economies. The text asserts that such a guarantee is a constitutional right under Section 27 of the South African Constitution and aligns with international obligations under the ICESCR.

The document outlines how a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) can address systemic gender inequalities and social instability in South Africa. It highlights the economic vulnerability of women, who face higher unemployment and perform unpaid care work, and suggests that unconditional cash transfers can increase women's autonomy and reduce intimate partner violence. Additionally, the text argues that UBIG fosters social cohesion by reducing poverty-related crime and increasing trust in local governance, provided the benefit is universal rather than means-tested.

This fact sheet from the Institute for Economic Justice argues that a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG)—defined as a continuous government payment or provision forS provided to all residents to meet basic needs—can improve gender equality and social cohesion. It highlights how UBIG can reduce poverty and financial dependence for women, decrease intimate partner violence, and lower crime rates, provided the payments are unconditional and universal rather than targeted.