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The workshop brought together practitioners and policymakers to discuss early lessons from adaptation projects in south-eastern Africa. Key discussions focused on coping with extreme events, health impacts, and energy vulnerabilities, while exploring the distinction between development and adaptation projects. The event highlighted the need for participatory, community-led approaches and better access to climate data and international funding.

The document examines the SPLA's efforts to disarm civilian populations in South Sudan following the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). It focuses on the violent disarmament of the Lou Nuer in Jonglei State, which resulted in significant casualties and looting, and contrasts this with a more peaceful process in Akobo. The author argues that the SPLA's approach was dominated by a militarist orientation and a desire to secure the south before confronting the Sudan Armed Forces (SAF) in oil-producing borderlands. The paper also criticizes the United Nations for its failure to proactively manage internal disarmament and its tendency to ignore human rights abuses in the region.

The briefing analyzes Zimbabwe's strategic options regarding membership in the SADC, COMESA, SACU, and EAC regional blocs. While Zimbabwe has significantly higher trade volumes and deeper political ties with SADC, it is attracted to COMESA due to a larger, more balanced market and faster integration progress. The author concludes that Zimbabwe is likely to join the COMESA Customs Union, though this depends on South Africa's regional role and the outcome of EU Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

The report examines how the consolidation of the global supermarket sector has shifted power to a few major retailers, creating a 'buyer-driven' commodity chain that often marginalizes smallholder farmers. While the fresh fruit and vegetable (FFV) sector offers growth potential for developing countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, supermarkets' stringent private standards and aggressive business practices create high barriers to entry. However, the report argues that smallholders maintain comparative advantages in labour-intensive and organic production. It suggests that cooperatives, outgrower schemes, and public-private partnerships can help smallholders overcome scale and infrastructure problems to access these lucrative markets.

The document evaluates the IISD internship program, which from 1997 to 2007 supported 311 young professionals across 40 countries. Findings indicate that sustainability leadership is driven by a combination of on-the-job training, a global mindset developed through overseas placements, and a shared set of values. The report emphasizes a shift toward 'leadership-by-team' and recommends that IISD expand its reach beyond Canadian youth to include professionals from developing and transitional countries through a potential international consortium.

The seminar, titled "Understanding Terrorism in Africa: Building Bridges and Overcoming Gaps," was held on 19-20 May 2007 at the University of Cairo. It aimed to address discrepancies in the definitions, roots, and strategies for combating terrorism, while analyzing the impacts of the "War on Terrorism" across different African regions. The event focused on creating an "African Voice" in global terrorism debates and strengthening the African Research Network on Terrorism and Counter Terrorism (ARNTACT). Future follow-up seminars were planned for Abuja, Nigeria, to focus on domestic terrorism and Nairobi, Kenya, to assess counter-terrorism strategies.

The report examines the remittance landscape for immigrants in Norway, comparing 42 services across 21 mechanisms, including banks, money transfer operators (MTOs), and informal hawala systems. It highlights a restrictive regulatory environment that often drives users toward illegal services, particularly for transfers to Somalia and Iraq. The analysis reveals that real costs are often hidden through exchange rate spreads, with typical costs for NOK 1,000 transfers ranging from 5% to 25%. While bank transfers can be cheaper for larger amounts, they are often slower and less predictable than MTOs. The report argues that improving financial literacy and regularizing informal services could enhance the development impact of remittances and improve immigrant integration.

The report analyzes power-sharing as a tool to mitigate civil conflict by guaranteeing political roles to potential 'spoilers'. It argues that while power-sharing can promote peace when parties are evenly matched and conflict costs are high, it may increase conflict risks when groups are unevenly matched. The authors highlight significant trade-offs, noting that power-sharing prioritizes 'ex post fairness' over democratic 'ex ante uncertainty' and can lead to high transaction costs and agency losses, such as the selection of intransigent, group-based politicians.

The document identifies significant barriers to establishing a sustainable national mine action programme in Sudan. It highlights a severe human resource deficit caused by brain drain and conflict-driven changes in work culture, alongside political tensions between North and South Sudan that impede information sharing and coordination. Furthermore, it argues that international assistance is often contradictory, prioritizing rapid emergency response over long-term capacity building, and is hampered by funding delays and a reliance on expensive international contractors.

The report evaluates a project that engaged young researchers from seven developing countries to bridge the policy gap between the information society (IS) and sustainable development (SD). It identifies key success factors for youth engagement, such as 'learning by doing' and a 'sense of ownership,' while highlighting the critical need for robust institutional and intellectual support. The document details how researchers in countries like South Africa and Kenya directly influenced national ICT strategies and emphasizes the necessity of gender-disaggregated data and specialized recruitment to effectively integrate young women into the policy process.

The document argues that the Somali conflict is driven by competition for power and resources, state repression under General Mohamed Siad Barre, and the colonial legacy of partitioning. It identifies Ethiopia's hostile policies, the lack of major-power interest, the persistence of warlords, and a lack of resources as primary obstacles to peace. The authors propose a peace-building framework involving clan-based power-sharing, the disarmament of heavy weapons, international financial support, and Islam-informed peace education to foster long-term stability.

The author argues that the common use of blanket terms like 'militia' or 'warlord' in Somalia is analytically misleading. By examining the roles of clan loyalty, economic incentives, and the emergence of 'mooryaan' (freelance gunmen), the paper distinguishes between groups that represent clan interests, those serving personal political ambitions, and those protecting commercial or religious goals. It concludes that these distinctions are essential for formulating effective security policies.

The report asserts that ten years after the first major GM crop plantings in 1996, these technologies have not reduced hunger or poverty and have instead increased pesticide use and corporate control over seeds. It highlights the dominance of Monsanto, Syngenta, and Bayer, noting that over 95% of commercial GM plants are limited to maize, soy, and cotton. The text details failures in various regions, including poor yields of GM sweet potatoes in Kenya and farmer debt in India, while accusing Monsanto of using corruption in Indonesia and aggressive legal tactics against farmers in the US.

The document outlines a timeline of milestones in sustainable development, beginning with the 1962 publication of Silent Spring. It tracks the emergence of environmental NGOs like Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, the establishment of international frameworks such as the Montreal Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol, and major UN summits including the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. The timeline also highlights critical environmental crises, such as the Bhopal chemical leak and the Exxon Valdez oil spill, alongside the development of global goals like the Millennium Development Goals.

The author critiques the World Trade Organization (WTO) for a 'one size fits all' approach that favors rich nations and undermines the policy space of developing countries. He argues that trade should be a means to an end—specifically sustainable development—rather than an end in itself. The paper proposes that a rules-based system remains viable even in a 'mosaic world' consisting of different economic models: Agoria (socially responsible capitalism), Ecodemia (economic democracy/worker ownership), and Arcadia (localism and material sufficiency). For each, the author suggests how trade principles like non-discrimination and transparency could be maintained while shifting the focus toward rewarding socially and environmentally desirable production processes.

The document analyzes the intersection of global counter-terrorism efforts and regional instability in the Horn of Africa. It highlights how the US 'war on terror' has been a 'double-edged blade,' providing resources for security but also empowering authoritarian regimes to label political opponents as terrorists. The author details the rise of radical Islamism in the region, the limitations of national and regional legislative responses, and the failures of US strategies in Somalia, specifically the backing of warlords which inadvertently strengthened the Union of Islamic Courts.

The author contends that the MDGs provide 'political camouflage' for aid agencies and oversimplify development by targeting visible symptoms like hunger and disease instead of productivity and growth. The paper argues that focusing on universal primary education may divert resources from more commercially valuable technical and vocational training. To address these gaps, the document proposes 'African Millennium Growth Goals' centered on improving commercial infrastructure, investing in rural economies, enhancing technical skills, increasing domestic lending, and reducing bureaucratic corruption.

The report examines how trade liberalization, specifically through the WTO's Doha Round and NAMA negotiations, facilitates the privatization of natural resources and harms marginalized populations. It provides case studies on the depletion of fisheries in the Philippines and Seychelles, deforestation in Indonesia and Central America, and the impact of industrial pig farming and soy expansion in Denmark and Argentina. The document advocates for food and energy sovereignty and the recognition of water as a human right over a tradable commodity.

This research paper analyzes the political decline of Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki following a failed constitutional referendum. It details how Kibaki transitioned from a reformist leader in 2002 to a figure accused of reviving ethnic cronyism, nepotism, and corruption, while failing to honor pre-election agreements and constitutional promises.

The Goldenberg scandal was a massive financial fraud in Kenya during the Daniel Arap Moi administration, estimated to have cost the country between US $600 million and US $1 billion. The scheme utilized a fake gold and diamond jewellery export operation to claim illegal export compensation and siphoned funds through the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) and various commercial banks, including the specifically created Exchange Bank. The fraud was facilitated by senior government officials who granted Goldenberg International Limited monopoly rights and preferential subsidies. The resulting economic instability led to rapid money supply growth, high inflation, and the collapse of several banks in 1993. Despite a 2003 Commission of Inquiry, the document notes the difficulty in prosecuting the perpetrators due to political interference.