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This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) provides guidance and lessons for Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states on enhancing their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It emphasizes the need for inclusive stakeholder engagement, alignment with long-term development goals, and the use of quantifiable targets and evidence-based analysis to increase climate ambition and ensure effective implementation.

A keynote speech delivered by Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi of the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) at the Youth Connekt Africa Summit, advocating for increased regional labor mobility to address youth unemployment and skills gaps in Africa.

This report examines the role of indigenous knowledge systems in enhancing climate change adaptation and disaster management in Africa. It argues that integrating traditional knowledge with scientific forecasting can bridge critical data gaps, improve the accuracy of early warning systems, and increase the resilience of vulnerable farming communities.

This knowledge brief by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and ESMAP advocates for a shift from traditional equipment-ownership models to private sector-led, performance-based service models to ensure the sustainable electrification of public health and education facilities in low- and middle-income countries.

This report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the strategic partnership between India and Africa, arguing that security cooperation remains an under-exploited pillar compared to trade and investment. It advocates for a comprehensive shared security agenda centered on the African Union to enhance mutual stability and development.

This fact sheet provides a summary of the Zero Hunger Private Sector Pledge as of May 24, 2022, listing the financial commitments and geographic focus of 43 participating companies.

A case study on Climate Investor Two, a fund managed by a consortium including Climate Fund Managers and FMO to manage the EUR 160 million Dutch Fund for Climate and Development, focusing on water, oceans, and sanitation infrastructure in low- and lower middle-income countries.

This case study describes the African Risk Capacity (ARC), a sovereign risk pool and early response mechanism that provides drought insurance to African Union member states to protect food security for vulnerable populations.

This case study describes TCX, a currency hedging solution designed to reduce currency and interest risk for energy and climate investments in developing countries by enabling long-term finance in local currencies.

The Komaza Smallholder Forestry Vehicle (SFV) is a financial instrument designed to provide low-cost, long-term finance to smallholder farmers and forestry companies in Kenya by packaging tree production partnership contracts for institutional investors.

This report examines the financial risks faced by African oil and gas producers during the global energy transition, specifically the danger of 'stranded assets' and the vulnerability of National Oil Companies (NOCs). It argues that governments and NOCs often base investment decisions on unrealistic price assumptions and calls for increased transparency and the adoption of Paris Agreement-aligned scenarios to protect public finances.

The report 'Killed by Breathing' analyzes the global crisis of cooking poverty, where 3.83 billion people in 71 countries rely on solid fuels and low-quality stoves. It argues that the current 'clean cooking' sector is not on track to meet Sustainable Development Goal 7 (SDG7) due to fragmented governance, insufficient funding, and a lack of focus on end-user behavior. The authors propose a shift toward the term 'cooking poverty' to reflect the scale of the problem and recommend integrating cooking solutions into existing electrification infrastructure to leverage its finance and technical support systems.

Minutes from the May 26, 2021, GEC Steering Group meeting detailing the development of a green recovery intervention and a multi-year (2021-2026) 'social contract' programme to address inequality. The meeting also reviewed the status of five strategic priorities, including SME approach and funding pipelines, and approved a forward calendar for future meetings.

The report 'The Road to Sustainable Transport' examines the environmental and social impacts of global transportation, the evolution of international policy from the 1972 Stockholm Conference to the Sustainable Development Goals, and case studies of sustainable urban mobility. It highlights the role of public transit, non-motorized transport, and electrification in reducing carbon emissions and improving public health, while noting the potential for post-COVID-19 recovery packages to accelerate these transitions.

This policy brief examines the impact of the World Trade Organization's Trade Facilitation Agreement (TFA) and the transition to paperless trade on small-scale cross-border agricultural traders in Zambia. It highlights how digital requirements and language barriers create 'SPS-Plus' burdens for SMEs with low literacy levels, and recommends the adoption of a centralized single window system alongside targeted digital skills training and local language translations of regulatory information.

The April 2021 Peace & Security Council Report by the Institute for Security Studies examines the operational challenges of the newly merged African Union Political Affairs, Peace and Security (PAPS) department, the diplomatic deadlock over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), and governance crises in Senegal, Benin, Cameroon, and Chad.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the role of agriculture in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of Southern African countries. It argues that while agriculture is often mentioned, NDCs frequently lack quantifiable commitments, detailed financing plans, and the active inclusion of farmers. The document provides recommendations for strengthening these climate policies to better support farmers' interests and enhance the agency of national farmers' organisations (NFOs).

This report examines the acceleration of e-governance and the use of social media by governments during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a specific focus on South Africa's digital innovations and the broader challenges facing the African continent.

This briefing examines the 25-year history and impact of the Global Programme of Action (GPA) for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, detailing its role in coordinating international efforts to combat marine pollution from terrestrial sources.

This annex to the 2021 NYDF Goal 7 Progress Report provides technical and economic mitigation potential estimates for forest-related activities, analyzes the ambition of forest targets in National Determined Contributions (NDCs), and estimates the global finance needs and public finance flows for forest mitigation.