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This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the gap between Africa's vast renewable energy potential and its current capacity. It highlights the continent's critical role in the global energy transition due to its abundance of solar, wind, and hydro resources, as well as essential critical minerals. The document outlines systemic barriers to progress, including insufficient financing, a heavy reliance on imported technology, and a lack of local manufacturing. It proposes strategic interventions for the African Union and G20 to enhance technology transfer, mobilize climate finance, and integrate African nations into green value chains beyond the supply of raw materials.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the current state of loss and damage (L&D) finance within the UNFCCC framework, evaluating the outcomes of COP28 and outlining strategic priorities for the Global South ahead of COP29 and COP30. It advocates for L&D to be treated as a distinct third pillar of climate action, emphasizing the need for grant-based financing, equitable distribution, and a unified negotiating front to ensure climate justice for the most vulnerable communities.

This policy brief examines China's role in transferring green technology to the Global South, highlighting its leadership in renewable energy and the mechanisms used to disseminate this technology. It analyzes the achievements of initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative and the South–South Climate Cooperation Fund, while identifying critical challenges including gaps between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, and geopolitical tensions.

The OvaHerero people of Namibia and Angola developed a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) between 2022 and 2024 to protect their traditional knowledge and land rights from threats like climate change and modernisation. Supported by Natural Justice and International Rivers, the process involved a six-phase approach including community buy-in, capacity building, research across 34 villages and museums, and multiple validation rounds. The final BCP, launched in June 2024 and translated into OtjiHerero, serves as a tool for internal governance and a requirement for external parties to ensure free, prior, and informed consent.

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs argues that African policymakers must integrate social protection policies into national climate responses to protect vulnerable populations. It examines both contributory mechanisms, such as weather-based index insurance via the African Risk Capacity, and non-contributory measures, such as Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program, while emphasizing the need for increased financing from global funds to address climate-induced loss and damage.

The 'Assessing National Enabling Framework Conditions for Urban Climate Finance' is a guide and tool developed by the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance (CCFLA) and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). It provides a standardized framework for national governments to evaluate and improve the regulatory, institutional, and financial conditions—referred to as Enabling Framework Conditions (EFCs)—that facilitate subnational governments' access to climate finance.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and the Institute for Climate Economics (I4CE) examines how public development banks (PDBs) can align their operations with the Paris Agreement. It distinguishes between 'project-level alignment,' which focuses on consistency with national low-emission climate-resilient development pathways, and the 'portfolio-level net-zero' approach common in the private sector. The document evaluates 11 operational benchmarks—such as inclusion/exclusion lists and scenario modeling—and provides recommendations for PDBs to integrate these tools to maximize climate impact while maintaining their development mandates.

This policy brief examines how the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) and other international tax reforms impact the design and effectiveness of tax incentives within Special Economic Zones (SEZs), particularly in developing countries. It argues that excessive reliance on tax holidays and exemptions is often ineffective for long-term competitiveness and may now lead to revenue loss as the GMT allows other jurisdictions to collect top-up taxes. The document recommends transitioning toward cost-based incentives, improving non-fiscal investment environments, and coordinating national policy to mitigate legal risks associated with investor-state dispute settlements.

This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the impact of the Pillar Two global anti-base erosion (GloBE) rules on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), particularly in developing countries. It argues that the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) reduces the effectiveness of traditional corporate tax incentives, prompting a need for countries to shift toward non-fiscal incentives and sustainable investment models.

This policy brief examines the impact of the Global Anti-Base Erosion (GloBE) rules and the Global Minimum Tax (GMT) on Special Economic Zones (SEZs), particularly in developing countries. It argues that traditional income-based tax incentives used in SEZs are becoming less effective and may lead to revenue loss to other jurisdictions. The document recommends transitioning toward non-fiscal incentives, cost-based incentives, and better coordination between investment and tax authorities to maintain competitiveness while complying with international standards.

A fact sheet by Natural Justice detailing the proposed Maputo Floating Thermoelectric Power Plant Project in Mozambique, developed by Karpower and Electricidade de Moçambique (EDM). The project involves a natural gas-powered floating station and associated infrastructure, raising significant environmental, social, and economic concerns.

This policy brief examines China's role in transferring green technology to the Global South, highlighting its leadership in renewable energy and the mechanisms used to support sustainable development. While China has established numerous bilateral agreements and funds, the document identifies significant challenges including a gap between environmental commitments and actual impacts, limited local operational capacity, and geopolitical tensions.

This policy brief examines the current state and potential of renewable energy technologies in Africa, highlighting the gap between the continent's vast natural resources and its low installed capacity. It analyzes barriers to the energy transition, including financing shortages, reliance on imported technology, and the need for better integration into green value chains, while providing recommendations for the African Union and G20 to support a just transition.

A statement delivered by Hon. Kerrie D. Symmonds, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Barbados, on 26 June 2024, calling for the immediate entry into force of the WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies and the conclusion of negotiations on overcapacity and overfishing.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) 2020-2023 Synthesis Report details the organization's progress in advancing climate resilience through three primary pillars: innovation, knowledge, and policy. During this period (Phase II), GRP expanded its network to over 80 organizations and shifted toward a more diverse Secretariat spanning 14 countries. Key achievements include the incubation of the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA), the growth of the Resilience Evidence Coalition, and the establishment of the Resilience Hub at COP26, COP27, and COP28 to amplify Global South voices in climate policy.

This report analyzes the inclusion of fossil fuel production in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the world's top 20 producing countries and provides a framework for incorporating the COP 28 agreement to transition away from fossil fuels into third-generation NDCs and long-term low-emissions development strategies (LT-LEDS).

The REGULATING AND ENABLING INNOVATION R3LAB TOOLKIT is a practical guide published by FSD Africa in June 2024 to help insurance regulators in Africa balance the promotion of innovation with consumer protection. It provides a structured framework for conducting innovation gap and ecosystem assessments, introduces a diverse set of regulatory, supervisory, engagement, and monitoring tools, and offers guidance on converting these into actionable workplans with measurable KPIs.

This policy brief argues that social protection policies are essential for building climate resilience in Africa, where climate change threatens to push 130 million people into poverty. It highlights the role of the African Risk Capacity (ARC) for sovereign insurance and Ethiopia's Productive Safety Net Program (PSNP) as key examples of climate-responsive tools. The author emphasizes the need for increased funding from multilateral sources like the Loss and Damage Fund and the Green Climate Fund to bridge the financing gap for climate-induced economic damages.

This fact sheet by Zero Carbon Analytics explains the mechanics, predictions, and regional impacts of La Niña, the cool phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) cycle. It details the likelihood of a transition to La Niña in 2024, the increasing frequency of multi-year events, and how human-caused climate change influences these phenomena without offsetting overall global warming.

This report by Ember analyzes global electricity generation trends in 2023 across solar, wind, coal, gas, hydro, nuclear, and bioenergy. It highlights record growth in solar and wind, a slight increase in coal generation driven by droughts in China, and the gap between current growth rates and the IEA Net Zero Emissions (NZE) scenario requirements.