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This fact sheet from the South African Institute of International Affairs outlines the 'key certainties' and 'key uncertainties' regarding the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in Southern Africa, highlighting trends in urbanisation, energy costs, and climate vulnerability.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) advocates for the scaling of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the marine and coastal environments of Southern Africa. It highlights the vulnerability of SADC coastal communities to climate risks and identifies key barriers to EbA implementation, including policy silos, funding gaps, and lack of community inclusion. The document proposes the creation of a regional community of practice and a coordinated SADC strategy to enhance climate resilience and biodiversity conservation.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzes the political economy of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arguing that regional peace agreements are shaped by the shifting economic power between the eastern Kivus and the southern Katanga province.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines Botswana's need for economic diversification as diamond revenues decline. It evaluates the potential of coal and iron ore as intermediate revenue sources while arguing that long-term sustainable growth should be anchored in eco-tourism and investments in human and physical capital.

This policy briefing, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in October 2015, compares the Open Government Partnership (OGP) with other international peer-review mechanisms, including the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and the OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention Review (OECDA). It argues that the OGP's flexible, civil-society-led approach offers unique benefits for transparency and governance, and suggests that African nations should seek OGP membership and harmonise it with existing review obligations.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the gap between the African Union's (AU) normative commitments to democracy and human rights and the actual foreign policies of its member states. The author argues that strong sovereignty norms and a state-centric approach have hindered the domestication of human rights, leading to a state of 'stasis' or reversal in several countries. The brief recommends that the AU embrace global partnerships with civil society and that pivotal states like South Africa rejuvenate human rights as a core pillar of their external engagements to ensure continental stability.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) analyzes South Africa's efforts to influence political and economic reform in Swaziland since 1994. It examines the role of bilateral diplomacy, regional institutions like SACU and SADC, and the personal relationship between President Jacob Zuma and King Mswati III, concluding that South Africa's approach has been largely reactive and tempered by the Swazi government's resistance to reform.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that effective governance, specifically the devolution of rights to local communities, is the essential 'linchpin' for the sustainable management of Africa's dryland forests. It highlights the economic under-valuation of these ecosystems and calls for policy incentives that align community benefits with conservation efforts.

This 2014 policy briefing outlines a path to finalize the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between the European Union and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It identifies four critical obstacles: export taxes, the Most Favoured Nation (MFN) clause, agricultural safeguards, and rules of origin. The author argues that the EU should drop demands for export tax bans, adopt a percentage-based MFN clause, allow for immediate agricultural safeguards, and provide technical and financial support for the implementation of rules of origin to ensure the agreement's success and political viability.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines Africa's potential to become a global green hydrogen hub and outlines how G20 members can support a just energy transition on the continent. It highlights Africa's competitive advantages in renewable energy and infrastructure while detailing specific national projects and regional frameworks necessary for scaling production.

This policy brief provides an overview of local procurement regulations for the mining and petroleum sectors across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It distinguishes between demand-side policies, which encourage companies to buy locally, and supply-side policies, which support local supplier capacity. The document highlights a regional trend toward state intervention to create backward linkages from extractive activities to the wider economy, noting that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement language, the depth of regulation varies significantly, ranging from vague 'best effort obligations' to specific, measurable targets.

This case study by Mike Muller examines the political economy of water resource development and management within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It argues that a disconnect exists between local/national priorities and regional agendas, largely because the latter have been driven by donor preferences for environmental conservation over infrastructure development. The author highlights that while some bilateral projects have succeeded, the broader region has suffered from 'economic water scarcity' due to a lack of long-term finance for infrastructure, a gap recently being filled by new financiers like China and Brazil.

This report details a Civil Society APRM Sensitisation Workshop held on February 26, 2021, as part of the second phase of the Zimbabwe APRM Popular Sensitisation (ZAPS) Project. The event, hosted by the SIVIO Institute and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), brought together representatives from the Zimbabwean government, the APRM Secretariat, and civil society organisations (CSOs) from Zimbabwe and other SADC countries to discuss the role of CSOs in the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process.

This fact sheet by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) outlines various donor-funded financing programs available for renewable energy manufacturing and clean energy innovation, primarily targeting Africa and other developing regions.

This guide, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute, provides a methodology for conducting a terminology co-exploration exercise designed for climate change adaptation decision-making. It outlines a participatory process using cards to help stakeholders distinguish between related but distinct concepts such as weather versus climate and adaptation versus mitigation.

This April 2018 briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute, IDDRI, and ODI argues that climate adaptation is currently undervalued in international negotiations because it is viewed as a local problem. The authors advocate for a 'transboundary' framing of climate risk to address the interconnections between people, ecosystems, and economies in a globalised world, suggesting that the UNFCCC and the Paris Agreement provide the necessary tools to move toward a coordinated global adaptation response.

This briefing by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) describes the integration of monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) within the Tandem framework. Tandem is a holistic approach designed to enable scientists, intermediaries, and users to co-design sustainable climate services. The document advocates for an intentional MEL design based on the principles of outcome mapping to support adaptive management and ensure climate services meet the needs of vulnerable communities.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute assesses potential future risks to the global climate by analyzing proposed new coal-fired power plants and global coal market trends.

This working paper by the World Resources Institute evaluates the Green Climate Fund's (GCF) 'direct access' modality, which allows institutions in developing countries to receive funding without international intermediaries. While 62 developing country institutions were accredited as of November 2020, 67 percent of them had not yet received project approval. The paper analyzes four support mechanisms—the Readiness Programme, Project Preparation Facility, Simplified Approval Process, and Enhancing Direct Access pilot—finding that high administrative burdens, funding gaps for concept notes, and rigid eligibility criteria hinder smaller institutions from accessing climate finance.

This project document outlines a global initiative titled "Strengthening the Blue Economy: the Economic Case, Science-Informed Policy, and Transparency," executed by the World Resources Institute (WRI) and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The project aims to transition governments and businesses toward a sustainable ocean economy by developing a landmark High Level Panel (HLP) report, producing six thematic "Blue Papers," and creating a beta version of an online monitoring system called "Ocean Watch."