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This report documents the April 20, 2021, virtual launch of the Civil Society APRM Submission, a result of the Botswana APRM Popular Sensitisation (BAPS) Project. The project, a collaboration between the Botswana Council of Non-Governmental Organisations (BOCONGO) and the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), aimed to integrate civil society perspectives into Botswana's African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) process.

This policy brief provides a stocktaking of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Joint Statement Initiative (JSI) negotiations on e-commerce as of February 2021. It examines how the COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption while widening the digital divide, and analyzes the current state of play in the JSI negotiations, including areas of convergence and persistent divergence among the 86 participating members.

This policy briefing examines the impact of COVID-19 on agricultural value chains within the Southern African Development Community (SADC). While the agricultural sector was less affected than others, the pandemic exacerbated existing structural challenges, including food insecurity, a reliance on subsistence farming, and infrastructure deficits. The authors argue for a 'dual approach' that supports both small-scale and commercial farming, alongside the adoption of digital technologies and the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to drive regional integration and growth.

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 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.

This policy brief by the Institute for Security Studies examines the divergent approaches to migration between Africa and Europe, arguing for a shift from securitised responses toward a collaborative partnership focused on development, legal labour pathways, and the regularisation of remittances.

The African Environmental Defenders Fund (AED Fund), launched in 2019 by Natural Justice and the International Land Coalition, provides emergency financial assistance to land and environmental defenders across Africa facing imminent threats. Between March 2020 and October 2021, the fund processed 45 applications, approving 27 for support including legal representation, relocation, and medical aid. The report highlights a significant volume of applications from Uganda and a particular vulnerability of female defenders to gender-based violence.

The FSD Africa Jobs Framework Methodology Paper describes a four-step experimental process designed to estimate and qualify the contribution of financial sector interventions to job creation and quality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The framework focuses on 'gross job creation' rather than net effects, utilizing a combination of firm-level data, sector-based multipliers, and a 'Decent Jobs Assessment' to provide a range of indicative employment figures.

This policy brief examines the fiscal impact of COVID-19 on African nations, focusing on the limitations of the G20/Paris Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI). It argues that while the DSSI provides temporary liquidity relief, it fails to address long-term solvency crises due to the non-participation of private creditors and multilateral development banks (MDBs), and the discouraging influence of credit rating agencies.

The Goal 9 assessment evaluates progress toward rewarding countries and jurisdictions that reduce forest emissions through public policies, results-based finance, and private-sector sourcing. As of 2020, nearly USD 4.7 billion in results-based finance has been committed since 2010, with disbursements increasing to over USD 260 million annually in recent years. The report also highlights the role of carbon markets, which have channeled USD 2.5 billion to forest projects over 20 years, and the emergence of domestic compliance schemes that allow forest carbon credits.

The FSD Africa Impact Report documents the organization's efforts since 2012 to reduce poverty in sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening financial markets. It details achievements in financial inclusion, capital market development, and institutional capacity building, while outlining a strategic shift toward 'FSD 2.0' to focus on jobs, basic services, and sustainable futures in response to challenges like Covid-19 and climate change.

This policy brief argues for increased investment in resilience in Malawi to mitigate the rising economic costs of extreme weather events. It introduces the 'triple dividend' of resilience—avoided losses, unlocked development potential, and co-benefits—and provides evidence from various sectors and regions showing that such investments are highly cost-effective compared to humanitarian aid.

This policy brief examines the implications of large-scale electric vehicle (EV) adoption for the mining sectors of Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states. It argues that while the region possesses vast reserves of EV-related minerals and metals (EVMM), it primarily exports raw materials. The author advocates for regional cooperation, the establishment of a public-private EVMM working group and coalition, and the adoption of a circular economy approach to ensure a just mining transition and the development of local value chains.

This research paper examines the increasing risk of African sovereign debt defaults exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic, focusing on China's role as a primary bilateral lender and the limitations of international debt relief initiatives like the DSSI.

This briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the intersection of skills transfer, gender equality, and the green energy transition in Africa. It highlights the systemic under-representation of women in energy value chains and the need for a 'just transition' that addresses unemployment risks in fossil fuel-dependent economies through reskilling and targeted AU-EU strategic partnerships.

This research paper proposes a shift in climate services from a supply-driven focus on products to a process-centric approach based on transdisciplinary collaboration. To facilitate this, the authors introduce the 'Tandem' framework, designed to guide the co-exploration and co-production of integrated climate information to support science-informed policy and climate-resilient decision-making.

This report documents a Civil Society Training Workshop held via Zoom on 31 August 2020, organized by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA). The workshop focused on the South African APRM Popular Sensitisation (SAPS) Project, aiming to empower youth organizations and civil society to co-create a written submission for South Africa's second African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) review.

This policy brief examines the rights of landlocked states to access the sea and marine resources under the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), emphasizing the necessity of bilateral, sub-regional, or regional agreements to operationalize these rights. It highlights the role of transit states and provides examples of successful transport corridors in Africa.

This report examines how insurance regulators in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) have adapted their supervisory processes and communication strategies in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It identifies a tension between providing regulatory relief to insurers and maintaining prudential soundness and consumer protection. The document highlights opportunities for regulators to drive long-term market development through digitalisation, the adoption of supervisory technology (suptech), and the responsible consolidation of fragmented insurance markets.

This report assesses Jamaica's mining policy and legal frameworks across six thematic areas to support the country's Vision 2030 national development plan. It identifies the current economic contribution of the sector and outlines the role of the Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development (IGF) in assisting the Government of Jamaica and the Ministry of Transport and Mining to improve governance and capacity.