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This policy brief examines the integration of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) into Africa, focusing on the shift from resource trade to infrastructure and industrial cooperation. It highlights the opportunities for regional integration and industrialization, while warning of the financial risks associated with debt-based lending and the need for African governments to ensure project viability and local capacity building.

This research paper by Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and Ross Herbert examines the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a voluntary governance assessment tool launched by the African Union in 2002 under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The authors analyze the APRM's structure, its five-stage review process, and the varying degrees of civil society involvement in early participating countries, while highlighting the critical importance of publishing final reports to ensure government accountability.

This report details Austria's diplomatic, trade, and development relations with Africa, particularly in the context of its 2006 European Union Council presidency. It outlines Austria's strategic focus on North Africa via the European Neighbourhood Partnership, its limited trade with the continent compared to the EU, and its targeted development assistance in East and Southern Africa.

A keynote speech delivered by Chen Xiaodong, China's Ambassador-designate to South Africa, on October 13, 2020, detailing the evolution of China-Africa cooperation. The speech emphasizes a transition toward market-driven trade, digital economy integration, and infrastructure development, while addressing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the strategic importance of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

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 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.

SEforALL's Theory of Change focuses on five outcomes to achieve SDG7: gender mainstreaming, global commitments, policy standards, financial flows, and direct energy connections. Key achievements include securing over USD 600 billion via Energy Compacts, supporting national energy plans in Nigeria and Rwanda, and delivering direct electricity connections to over 3,000 people in Madagascar.

This executive summary, published by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL), updates the 2018 'Chilling Prospects' study by analyzing cooling access across 52 climate-exposed countries. It advocates for a needs-based approach to sustainable cooling to protect vulnerable populations, ensure food and medicine security, and align with the Kigali Amendment and the Paris Agreement.

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.

The G20 Energy Access Action Plan is a multi-phase voluntary collaboration framework designed to strengthen G20 member cooperation on energy access. The first phase specifically targets improving electricity access in sub-Saharan Africa through six strategic pillars: policy and regulatory environments, technology deployment, investment and finance, capacity building, regional integration, and coordination. The plan emphasizes sharing knowledge and good practices while respecting the sovereign right of nations to determine their own energy mix.

This knowledge brief by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) examines the integration of electric cooking (eCooking) into national energy access planning for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). It argues that while electrification has progressed faster than clean cooking access, integrating the two through holistic energy planning can accelerate the transition to clean energy, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and improve health outcomes. The document reviews various modelling tools, data requirements, and policy mechanisms—such as eCooking tariffs and results-based financing—necessary to operationalize integrated energy plans.

This report by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) examines the intersection of gender equality, energy access, and Artificial Intelligence (AI). It highlights how existing gender disparities in energy and digital access are reinforced by AI development biases and funding gaps, while proposing strategies to ensure a gender-just energy transition through diverse AI teams, STEM representation, and gender-responsive policy.

This guidebook by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) provides a comprehensive overview of career pathways in the sustainable energy and international development sectors. It details the organizational structure of SEforALL, outlining roles within internal operations and external programmes, and offers guidance on the educational backgrounds, technical skills, and soft skills required for interns and analysts. The document also describes SEforALL's remote recruitment process and its commitment to diversity and inclusion in the green energy workforce.

This technical annex, published by the Stockholm Environment Institute in November 2018, identifies research needs to support Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and a related target from SDG 8. Using a combination of literature reviews and an expert workshop, the report focuses on three key themes: cross-cutting issues, natural resource management, and food waste and loss, with a particular emphasis on the Swedish context while considering both developed and developing country perspectives.

This fact sheet describes WEAP (Water Evaluation and Adaptation Planning), a software tool developed by the Stockholm Environment Institute for integrated water resources planning and policy analysis.

This guide explains how to use Collect Earth mapathons—an open-source tool combining satellite imagery and local knowledge—to monitor tree-based restoration. It details an 8-step implementation process and provides case studies from El Salvador, Ethiopia, India, and Rwanda to illustrate how the tool tracks tree cover and land-use changes against specific restoration targets.

This research paper, part of the "World Resources Report 2013-14: Creating a Sustainable Food Future," examines the impact of population growth on food security, specifically in Sub-Saharan Africa. It argues that accelerating the decline of fertility rates to reach replacement level (approximately 2.1 children per woman) by 2050 would significantly reduce food demand, spur economic growth via a demographic dividend, and mitigate environmental damage by reducing the need for cropland expansion.

This guide details the methodology and data sources used by the World Resources Institute (WRI) to create the Atlas of Forest Landscape Restoration Opportunity. The atlas identifies global areas of forest loss and evaluates the feasibility of restoration by contrasting potential forest coverage with current coverage and human pressure.

The African Cities Water Adaptation Platform (ACWA Platform) is a pan-African coalition designed to accelerate urban water resilience across Africa. Led by WRI Africa and a diverse group of partners, the platform coordinates research, technical assistance, and advocacy to address projected tripling of water demand by 2050. It operates in tandem with the African Cities Water Adaptation Fund (ACWA Fund), a blended finance instrument providing grants and investments to transform strategic water plans into investment-ready projects.

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.