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The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) aims to accelerate the transition to a green, fair, and inclusive economy by acting as a bridge between business, civil society, and government. The GEC operates as a global movement of over 50 organisations, focusing on four core activities: building a narrative of change, stimulating policy across five thematic areas, mobilising national leadership through dialogue, and expanding its network of allies. Its thematic priorities include reforming financial systems, greening economic sectors, tackling inequality, valuing nature, and improving economic measurement and governance.

The Economics for Nature (E4N) partnership (2016-2022) worked to integrate natural capital into economic and business decision-making to protect and restore biodiversity. The report identifies that while the concept of natural capital helps make nature 'material' for policymakers and businesses, systemic change is hindered by a lack of a globally agreed definition of a successful economy and a divergence in capacity between the Global North and South. Key achievements include the development of the Green Economy Tracker, the '3-returns' investment framework, and the mainstreaming of natural capital into the EU Green Deal and African Development Bank programmes. The report concludes that future progress requires putting people and Indigenous Peoples at the heart of economic design, institutionalising natural capital accounting, pursuing systemic economic reform, and scaling nature-based solutions.

The Green Economy Coalition (GEC) aims to mainstream the green economy concept by 2020, focusing on environmental limits, equity, and inclusion. Its strategy centers on four core activities: global advocacy to build a 'compelling story' of transition, collaborative action across five policy building blocks (measurement, finance, sectors, fairness, and nature), mobilizing national action through regional hubs, and expanding its network to 100 collaborating organizations. The GEC seeks to influence global institutions and national governments to adopt new economic performance measures, reform the finance sector, and integrate social fairness into green planning.

The document argues that a successful green economy transition requires a fundamental overhaul of the global financial architecture to move away from short-termism and 'brown' investments. It advocates for the mainstreaming of natural capital accounting to better value ecosystem services and the adoption of inclusive policy processes that protect marginalised groups and workers. Additionally, it emphasises the critical role of SMEs and informal businesses in driving local innovation, noting that approximately 70% of MSMEs in emerging markets lack access to credit, creating a 'missing middle' financing gap.

The report finds that while Uganda's medium-term planning (NDPIII) is responsive to natural capital, actual budgetary allocations have declined, with only 28% of the 2021/22 recovery budget supporting natural capital management compared to 40% in 2020/21. It highlights significant degradation of forests and wetlands and warns that industrialization goals may further threaten biodiversity without dedicated monitoring and offset plans.

The policy brief advocates for a 'capitals approach' to economic planning, moving beyond GDP to account for natural, human, social, and produced capital. It highlights the role of natural capital in supporting the Sustainable Development Goals and limiting global temperature rises to below 1.5 degrees. The document identifies several gaps in current strategies, recommending the creation of coordinated Green Economy action plans, stronger green industrial policies, and the establishment of Natural Capital Committees reporting to Finance Ministries. It also emphasizes the importance of the Natural Capital Protocol for businesses to measure their dependencies on nature and calls for new valuation strategies for freshwater resources to combat increasing water stress.

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.

The report highlights the transformative potential of micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that operate with a 'triple bottom line' approach to benefit local environments and communities. It identifies systemic barriers to growth, including a lack of formal definitions for 'green enterprises,' prohibitive collateral requirements for loans, and a lack of financial literacy among entrepreneurs. Through case studies in India, Mongolia, Peru, Senegal, South Africa, Trinidad and Tobago, and Uganda, the document demonstrates how LGEs—ranging from organic farming and waste recycling to sustainable fisheries—are often excluded from public and private investment. The report concludes with recommendations for public finance institutions, private investors, and national policymakers to implement global taxonomies, support clustering models, and develop specific financial products for informal and micro-scale green businesses.

The policy brief examines the nature of China's energy investments in Africa, contrasting upstream extractive projects with downstream power generation. It highlights a problematic bias toward large-scale hydroelectric dams, which the author suggests may be a way for China to export its own domestic overcapacity in dam building while ignoring environmental and geopolitical risks. The document calls for African agency in agenda-setting to transition toward greener technologies like solar and fuel cells, ensuring that investments create local jobs and support structural transformation rather than merely facilitating resource export.

MAVUNOLAB is a youth-driven innovation centre implementing a project to reduce fish food loss and waste in the Lake Victoria region of Tanzania. The initiative focuses on the Dagaa value chain, where 10-22% of fish caught on the Tanzanian side is wasted, primarily due to ineffective traditional sun-drying and smoking methods. MAVUNOLAB has developed a low-cost solar-powered dryer capable of drying up to 250 kg in less than four hours as of 2024, with a goal to provide these to 150 fish processors by 2027. The project specifically targets women, who traditionally handle post-harvest processing but face high financial risks and gender inequalities, including dependency on men for fish and drying equipment. By integrating technical innovation with social empowerment, the initiative aims to reduce women's debt and improve their economic independence. MAVUNOLAB employs a community-centered approach, using needs assessments and partnerships with Beach Management Units (BMUs), local government, and Sokoine University of Agriculture to refine its technology and ensure local alignment.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Shockwave Foundation, supports agricultural entrepreneurs in East Africa. The program identifies nature-positive, scalable solutions that build climate resilience and protect biodiversity while offering a profitable revenue model. Selected winners (between 6 and 10 submissions) receive a comprehensive support package including up to 24 hours of mentoring, access to a Leadership Academy, communications support, and monitoring, evaluation and learning (MEL) assistance. Successful graduates who meet pre-agreed criteria are eligible for a cash prize of up to 50,000 USD for implementation and scaling over 12 months. Applications are assessed on a 100-point scale covering impact, innovation, equity, additionality, profitability, team experience, and risk.

The Resilient Agriculture Innovations for Nature (RAIN) challenge, a partnership between the Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) and Munich Re Foundation, seeks proposals from not-for-profit organizations in East Africa for nature-positive agricultural innovations. Selected winners will receive up to 50,000 USD in funding, tailored mentoring, leadership training, and connections to private investors to enhance the scalability and viability of their projects. Applications are evaluated on innovativeness, impact, equity, scalability, viability, team composition, and risk.

The policy brief by the Global Resilience Partnership advocates for a systemic shift in how capital markets account for resilience-related risks. It argues that current policy frameworks and market incentives are inadequate, leaving assets exposed to increasing global shocks. The document proposes a new definition of resilience based on five attributes: diversity, redundancy, connectivity, inclusivity and equity, and adaptive learning. It emphasizes that investing in resilience, particularly in the Global South, is a risk mitigation strategy that can provide high economic returns, with benefit-cost ratios for climate adaptation ranging from 2:1 to 10:1.

The Green Outcomes Fund (GOF) is a pioneering climate finance instrument in South Africa that uses an outcomes-based payment model to de-risk investments in green SMMEs. By providing grant funding to Catalytic Finance Partners (CFPs) upon the verification of specific green outcomes—primarily permanent job creation—the GOF aims to bridge the investment gap for high-potential green businesses. The pilot phase, launched in January 2020 with a total facility size of ZAR 488.1 million, has demonstrated that such incentives can encourage fund managers to invest in sectors they previously avoided due to perceived risk. Key findings highlight the necessity of business development support for SMMEs and the importance of deep sector expertise for fund managers. While the fund has successfully created green jobs and diverted waste, it has faced challenges with slow drawdown of funds due to a prevalence of low-skilled jobs and the disruptive impact of COVID-19. The GOF is now exploring scaling strategies, including expanding its model within South Africa and extending its reach to other African countries such as Rwanda, Ethiopia, and Uganda.

The author examines how the African clothing sector can transition from a linear to a circular model to align with Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 12. It identifies three primary opportunities: promoting sustainable inputs like regenerative cotton and plant-based alternatives, greening the manufacturing process to gain a competitive advantage, and transforming the influx of second-hand clothing into a value-added recycling industry. The text emphasizes that without a proactive policy roadmap, African nations risk missing economic upgrades and failing to meet upcoming EU ecodesign regulations.

The Trade Knowledge Network (TKN), coordinated by the International Institute for Sustainable Development since 1998, is a global collaboration of research institutions across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It focuses on strengthening research capacity in developing countries to generate policy analysis on the impacts of trade and investment on sustainable development. The TKN operates through four pillars: strengthening Southern research capacity, generating innovative policy research, connecting with policy-makers, and building a global research network. Its approach is 'Southern-driven,' ensuring research is executed within the local contexts where it is applied. Recent projects have addressed regional trade integration, commodity price volatility, food security in Africa linked to climate change and land degradation, and foreign direct investment incentives in Southeast Asia. Since 1998, the TKN has partnered with over 35 institutions in 28 countries and published more than 80 reports.

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 evaluation concludes that the CMC hybrid model—combining community radio and telecentre services—is an outstanding success in promoting social inclusion, cultural resilience, and poverty alleviation. Key achievements include the integration of CMCs into local communities and the creation of new livelihood opportunities. However, the report identifies significant challenges, including a lack of internal intersectoral cooperation within UNESCO, inconsistent field office support, and the financial instability of centres relying on volunteers and limited revenue. The evaluation recommends that UNESCO establish a clearer strategic interest in the initiative, develop a more structured Results Based Management (RBM) framework for scaling up, and advocate for enabling national policy environments regarding ICT connectivity and broadcast licensing.

The document describes how the CRiSTAL framework was used in Sanzara, Kapchorwa District, to analyze the impacts of climate variability on crop production. The process revealed that water stress and environmental degradation were primary challenges, leading the community to propose and implement a water gravity flow scheme from the River Sippi to adapt to prolonged dry spells. The project, supported by the IUCN and district officials, involved an environmental impact assessment and a community action plan, with implementation beginning in April 2012.

The document describes how the conflict-sensitive conservation (CSC) approach was used to address the degradation of the Lake Edward fishery in Virunga National Park, which had been devastated by decades of violent conflict. By restructuring multistakeholder monitoring committees and implementing a support program involving awareness campaigns, law enforcement, and transboundary dialogue, the initiative improved cooperation among stakeholders, reduced illegal fishing, and increased fish yields. While not solving the broader regional conflicts, the project contributed to peacebuilding through environmental cooperation and strengthened local food security.