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The author argues that South Africa's foreign policy for twenty-five years has often contradicted its own constitutional human rights principles, frequently shielding rights-abusing regimes to maintain an 'anti-imperialist' stance against the West. This is evidenced by its voting records on the UN Human Rights Council, where it historically supported authoritarian states and opposed investigations into human rights violations. However, the document notes a shift starting in 2019, with South Africa supporting investigations into Myanmar and Yemen, and showing renewed support for LGBTI rights reporting.

The briefing argues that the Leaders Summit on Climate should be used to secure a 50% emissions reduction target from the US by 2030, align the 2030 targets of major economies like China and Japan with net-zero trajectories, increase climate finance for developing nations while ending public coal funding, and ensure COVID-19 recovery packages prioritize green infrastructure over fossil fuels.

The document examines the digital divide's impact on climate practitioners in Africa, Asia, and South America, identifying barriers such as unreliable electricity and high data costs while highlighting the benefits of increased accessibility and reduced travel costs. It provides specific lessons from IPCC meetings and national processes in Kenya and Peru to improve inclusivity in virtual spaces.

The submission argues that South Africa's draft NDC targets are insufficiently ambitious, aligning with a 3°C temperature increase rather than the 1.5°C or 2°C goals necessary to protect public health. It highlights the severe health risks posed by climate change in South Africa, including drought, heat, and infectious diseases, and notes that coal-fired power stations cause over 2,200 deaths annually. The authors advocate for a 'green' recovery from COVID-19, urging a shift from fossil fuel investments toward renewable energy and a commitment to phase out coal by 2034. The document proposes specific co-benefit policies in energy (e.g., adopting the Climate Justice Charter), food and agriculture (e.g., incentivizing urban agriculture), and transportation (e.g., electrifying public transit) to simultaneously reduce emissions and improve health outcomes.

In 2020, global coal power capacity grew by 12.5 GW for the first time since 2015, driven primarily by China, which accounted for 76% of new commissions. While the US and EU saw record retirements, China's new capacity of 38.4 GW offset these gains. Meanwhile, South and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, significantly reduced their planned coal pipelines due to financing difficulties and the falling cost of renewables. The report concludes that current global trajectories remain far from the IPCC 1.5C pathway, which would require the cancellation or retirement of an additional 1,350 GW by 2030.

In 2020, a significant increase in coal plant development in China offset a global retreat from coal, leading to the first increase in global coal capacity since 2015. While China commissioned 38.4 GW of new capacity, the rest of the world saw a decline of 17.2 GW, driven by record retirements in the U.S. and EU27. South and Southeast Asian nations, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Vietnam, announced plans to cut up to 62 GW of planned coal power due to falling renewable costs and financing difficulties. Despite these regional shifts, the report finds that global coal capacity remains far above the levels required to meet the IPCC 1.5 degree pathway, with an estimated 1,350 GW needing to be cancelled or retired.

In 2020, global coal-fired power capacity increased by 12.5 GW, driven primarily by China, which operated 38.4 GW of new capacity. This offset record closures in the US (11.3 GW) and EU27 (10.1 GW). While China's development grew as an economic stimulus during the pandemic, other Asian nations like Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, and the Philippines announced plans to cancel up to 62 GW of planned projects due to falling renewable costs and financing difficulties. The report concludes that current global trajectories remain far from the 1.5°C warming limit, with approximately 1,350 GW of capacity needing to be cancelled or closed to meet IPCC targets.

The report highlights a global divergence in coal power: while the US, EU, and parts of Asia are seeing record retirements and project cancellations, China's significant increase in new capacity in 2020 led to a net global growth of 12.5 GW. The document argues that current national trajectories remain far from the IPCC 1.5°C pathway, which would require the cancellation or retirement of 1,350 GW of capacity.

The report highlights a global divergence in coal power: while most of the world saw record closures and project cancellations, China experienced a significant boom in new capacity, offsetting global declines. In 2020, China's new coal capacity reached 38.4 GW, accounting for 76% of the global total. Conversely, the US and EU27 led in closures, with 11.3 GW and 10.1 GW retired respectively. In South and Southeast Asia, countries like Vietnam, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Bangladesh announced plans to cut up to 62 GW of planned coal capacity due to funding difficulties and the falling cost of renewables. The report also notes that global coal capacity is far exceeding the levels required to meet the IPCC's 1.5°C warming limit, with a projected 2,400 GW by 2030 compared to the required 1,100 GW.

The document outlines the structure of South Africa's public water sector, which spent R 41.5 billion on infrastructure procurement in the 2019/2020 financial year. It details the roles of entities like the Department of Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation (DHSWS) and Water Services Authorities (WSAs), and explains the predominantly used design-bid-build procurement model. The guide provides a comprehensive breakdown of bidding requirements, including B-BBEE compliance and the necessity of registering on the Central Supplier Database. It also highlights the importance of strategic partnerships to overcome bidding barriers and lists available platforms for trialling innovative water technologies.

The briefing details the work of the WTO's Informal Working Group (IWG) on MSMEs, specifically the adoption of a six-part package of recommendations in December 2020 to address barriers like access to finance, information, and trade facilitation. It also analyzes the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs, particularly women-led businesses, and outlines national and international policy responses. Future plans include the development of the 'Trade4MSMEs' web platform and further exploration of digitalization and e-commerce customs duties.

The report evaluates the Paterson Park Precinct's building infrastructure in Johannesburg, comparing a business-as-usual (BAU) scenario with a green building scenario across different climate pathways (RCP 2.6, 4.5, and 8.5). Using the SAVi tool and Copernicus Climate Change Service data, the analysis finds that green buildings significantly reduce life-cycle costs through lower energy and maintenance expenditures and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. Climate change primarily increases energy costs and GHG emissions for both scenarios, though the green design remains more cost-effective. Additionally, the report identifies solar PV installations as a highly profitable investment in South Africa, particularly when accounting for electricity price inflation.

The assessment finds that nature-based infrastructure (stream renaturalization) is the most cost-efficient and climate-resilient option, providing the highest net benefits primarily through avoided flood damages and additional water supply. While grey infrastructure (concrete culverts) has the highest upfront costs and provides no environmental co-benefits, nature-based solutions maintain superior performance across various climate scenarios, although they are more labour-intensive to maintain.

The report examines the crisis of missing persons in Africa, documenting nearly 44,000 cases through the ICRC as of 2020. It identifies armed conflict, other situations of violence, and migration as primary drivers, noting that men and children are disproportionately affected. Families face severe psychosocial trauma, economic hardship, and legal hurdles due to a lack of domestic frameworks for declaring absence. The document advocates for the establishment of national information bureaus, improved medico-legal capacity for body identification, and the integration of missing persons into transitional justice processes.

The Ethiopian Reconciliation Commission (ERC), established in 2019, faces significant operational and political hurdles that hinder its ability to implement substantive reconciliation activities. The report identifies a lack of clarity regarding the Commission's material and temporal mandates, an oversized and technically under-qualified membership, and a lack of independence and public trust. It recommends that the Ethiopian government revise the ERC's founding proclamation to specify its focus on gross human rights violations and recurrent conflicts, restructure the Commission to be leaner and more expert-led, and empower it to recommend reparations and conditional amnesties. Furthermore, the report emphasizes that the ERC's success depends on a conducive political environment fostered by an inclusive national dialogue.

The document examines the failure of South Africa's energy policies to ensure affordable electricity for the poor. It highlights that poor households spend up to 17% of their income on energy and identifies two main causes: the absence of a formal definition of 'affordable energy' and the systemic failure of municipalities to distribute Free Basic Electricity (FBE) grants. Specifically, in 2019, while the national budget funded basic services for 9.8 million households, only 2 million actually received free electricity, leaving 5.4 million eligible households without the benefit and resulting in a loss of R6 billion in value.

The document argues that the promise of affordable electricity for all in South Africa, established by the Energy Act of 1998, remains unfulfilled. It identifies two primary causes: the lack of a clear government definition for 'affordable energy' and the failure of municipalities to distribute Free Basic Electricity (FBE) grants to eligible low-income households. Research indicates a significant gap in 2019, where national budget support was provided for 9.8 million households to receive basic services, but only 2 million households actually received free basic electricity through their municipalities.

The report argues that South Africa's promise of affordable electricity for the poor remains unfulfilled 20 years after the 1998 White Paper on Energy. It highlights that poor households spend a disproportionate 17% of their income on electricity and that the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) program, which provides 50 kWh per month, is severely under-implemented. The document claims that in 2019, while national funding supported 9.8 million households for free services, only 2 million actually received free electricity, leaving over 5.4 million eligible poor households without the benefit and resulting in an estimated R6 billion in diverted funds.

The document argues that South Africa's energy distribution system actively exacerbates poverty and inequality by failing to deliver on the affordable access promises of the 1998 White Paper on Energy. It identifies a critical conflict of interest where municipalities prioritize financial viability and revenue collection over the provision of Free Basic Electricity (FBE), leading to millions of funded households being denied benefits. The author contends that a 'just transition' to clean energy must include a 'just distribution' to prevent the entrenchment of a two-tier energy system.

The document argues that the goal of affordable energy in South Africa has not been met, leaving poor households to spend up to 17% of their income on energy and forcing many to use dangerous sources like paraffin and coal. It identifies two primary causes: the lack of a formal government standard defining 'affordable energy' and the systemic failure of the Free Basic Electricity (FBE) policy. Specifically, the briefing highlights a significant gap in FBE implementation, noting that in 2019, while the national budget funded free basic services for 9.8 million households, only 2 million actually received free electricity from their municipalities. This resulted in 5.4 million eligible households missing out on benefits valued at R6 billion.