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This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive overview of the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution. It details the scientific evidence of plastic's impact on human health and the environment, the history of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, the contested elements of the proposed treaty, and the diverse interests of national governments and non-state stakeholders.

This research paper argues that Kenya can accelerate its transition to e-mobility and create more youth employment by integrating Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into the design, assembly, and maintenance of electric vehicles. While Kenya has seen a surge in EV sales and has a high renewable energy mix (90%), current policies favor the import of fully built units over local manufacturing. The paper highlights successful local innovations, such as the 'eMkoko' cargo cart, but notes that the 'jua kali' informal sector remains ignored. It recommends policy reforms to incentivize local assembly, zero-rate manufacturing machinery, and incorporate IKS into formal technical education to overcome barriers like high battery costs and inadequate rural charging infrastructure.

This research paper examines Turkey's strategic efforts to secure critical raw materials (CRMs) in Africa to support its domestic industrial goals in defence, electric vehicles, and renewables. It analyzes Turkey's diverse engagement modalities—ranging from direct extraction to integrated industrial hubs and security-linked partnerships—and proposes a trilateral cooperation framework involving the European Union (EU) and African nations to align standards and enhance supply chain resilience.

This guide by the Climate Bonds Initiative provides a framework for investors to evaluate and engage with sovereign transition plans. It outlines key elements of credible planning, including science-based targets, detailed investment and policy roadmaps, and robust governance and transparency measures, aiming to help investors assess the long-term sustainability of sovereign asset exposures.

This guide provides a strategic playbook for concessional capital providers to mobilize investment in climate-smart agrifood systems. It identifies a significant financing gap—with global climate finance for the sector reaching only USD 95 billion in 2021/22—and proposes five 'investment plays' to address market failures. These strategies include system-level alignment with national goals, large-scale natural capital restoration, strengthening shared infrastructure, expanding technical assistance for innovation, and scaling local financial intermediaries. The document includes a four-step framework for investor action and detailed case studies of blended finance vehicles operating across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

This policy brief examines the critical role of African international financial institutions (IFIs) in addressing the continent's infrastructure deficit to ensure the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA). It highlights the gap between annual infrastructure financing needs ($130–$170 billion) and actual funds raised (approximately $80 billion), advocating for a more institutionalised coordination framework among IFIs to better mobilise private capital and improve project bankability.

This briefing, produced by the ISEAL Alliance and the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), examines the integration of voluntary sustainability standards (VSSs) into trade policy instruments to facilitate sustainable trade.

This research paper examines the potential for trilateral cooperation between the European Union (EU), China, and African nations within critical raw material (CRM) supply chains. It argues that while the EU seeks to reduce its dependence on China, the deep integration of Chinese firms in midstream and downstream processing, combined with African demands for local value addition, makes a cooperative approach more viable than immediate decoupling. The author proposes a specific model for trilateral cooperation in the Democratic Republic of Congo's cobalt sector to balance the strategic interests of all three parties.

This case study examines UNI2 Microcrédito, a Colombian microfinance institution, to evaluate the applicability of the Responsible Agricultural Investment (RAI) Tool to financial intermediaries rather than direct agribusinesses. The study analyzes how UNI2 supports business compliance with the Committee on World Food Security's Principles for Responsible Investment in Agriculture and Food Systems (CFS-RAI) among its rural and urban clients within agricultural value chains.

This briefing from the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) advocates for the use of model investment contracts in the agricultural sector to promote responsible investment and sustainable development, particularly in developing countries where domestic laws may be insufficient.

This guide by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF), the operational arm of the Resilience and Sustainability Trust (RST). It provides recommendations for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) to improve coordination between finance ministries, sectoral ministries, and international development partners to better integrate climate risks into macroeconomic policy and catalyze climate finance.

The State of Green Banks 2025 report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) analyzes the global landscape of green banks, focusing on their role in bridging a USD 7.4 trillion annual climate funding gap. Based on survey data from 51 public financial institutions, the report identifies four primary models for green banks—standalone de novo banks, enhanced public development banks (PDBs), green facilities within PDBs, and country platforms—and evaluates their suitability for different economic contexts, particularly in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs).

The April 2025 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies evaluates the African Union's (AU) peace and security architecture, focusing on the second term of PAPS Commissioner Bankole Adeoye, regional divisions in North Africa, the new AUSSOM mission in Somalia, and the challenges of mediation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This policy note examines the Compact with Africa (CwA), an initiative launched in 2017 to increase private investment and infrastructure in African countries through coordinated reform agendas and stakeholder cooperation.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) describes a four-step monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) process developed for the TerraFund partnership to measure the impact of land restoration projects. This system utilizes the TerraMatch platform to collect geospatial data, field reports, and satellite imagery to track indicators such as tree survival, carbon sequestration, and job creation over six-year periods.

The report by the Africa Policy Research Institute (APRI) analyzes the landscape of bilateral and multilateral agreements between African states and global powers to secure critical minerals essential for the green energy and digital transitions. It examines the strategies of twelve key actors—including China, Russia, the EU, and the US—highlighting a trend toward resource diplomacy driven by national security concerns and the need to diversify supply chains away from dominant suppliers.

This policy brief by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) examines the role of green guarantees in mobilizing private capital for the climate transition in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It identifies key structural barriers—including complexity, lack of technical assistance, high costs, and time horizon misalignments—and presents case studies of innovative solutions from organizations such as the World Bank Group, Green Guarantee Company, TCX, GuarantCo, and a partnership between Sida and IFU.

The FSD Network Conference, held on February 19–20, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya, focused on learnings from the Gender Collaborative Programme. The event brought together financial leaders and policymakers to discuss gender-responsive financial systems, the use of alternative data for credit scoring, the impact of societal norms on women's financial autonomy, and the role of digital public infrastructure and AI in advancing financial inclusion for women across Africa.

This research paper by Jakkie Cilliers, commissioned by the Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy (wrr), examines the potential for Africa to achieve a demographic dividend. It analyzes the stages of demographic transition, the role of urbanization, and the specific conditions—such as health, education, and governance—required to convert a youthful population structure into economic growth. The paper models an ambitious 'Demographics and Health' scenario to demonstrate how accelerated improvements in fertility and mortality could enhance Africa's development trajectory and its relationship with Europe.

This policy brief examines how African youth are utilizing artificial intelligence (AI) and digital technologies to decentralize peacebuilding, shift early warning systems toward data-driven analysis, and challenge traditional conflict narratives. While youth act as key knowledge creators, the document warns that digital divides, gender gaps, and underdeveloped policy frameworks risk marginalizing these contributions and reinforcing existing power hierarchies.