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This report examines the relationship between the African Union (AU) and civil society organisations (CSOs) over the last 20 years, focusing on governance, peace, and security. While the AU has established institutional frameworks to facilitate engagement, the report finds that CSO participation remains unpredictable and often restricted, particularly in political processes and high-level summits. It highlights the critical technical and research contributions of CSOs while identifying systemic barriers, including shrinking civic space in member states and bureaucratic hurdles within AU organs like ECOSOCC.

This research paper examines the illicit proliferation of small arms and light weapons (SALW) in the West African Sahel, focusing on Burkina Faso, Niger, and Nigeria. It identifies specific tri-border 'nodes' that facilitate trafficking and analyzes the socio-economic and security drivers, key actors, and the impact of these flows on regional stability and local economies.

The report examines the complex interplay of governance, peace, and security in the Horn of Africa, highlighting a shift from interstate to intra-state conflict. It analyzes how structural drivers—including climate change, demographic pressures, and technological advances—interact with political instability and geopolitical competition from global and Middle Eastern powers. The document evaluates the effectiveness of multilateral bodies like IGAD, the AU, and the UN, noting their struggles to maintain relevance amidst hardening state sovereignty and institutional fragility.

The document is a Community Biocultural Protocol (PBC) for the local communities of Fokontany Sahandrazana, located in the Commune of Ranomafana, Vatovavy Region. Validated in June 2023, it serves as a guide for external actors—such as researchers, students, and entrepreneurs—on the procedures, values, and conditions required to obtain prior informed consent for the collection and use of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge within the territory.

A community guide published by Natural Justice in June 2023 regarding the proposed oil and gas exploration by TotalEnergies EP South Africa B.V. (TEEPSA) in the Deep Water Orange Basin off the west coast of South Africa.

This policy brief advocates for the scaling of Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) in the coastal and marine environments of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to enhance climate resilience, conserve biodiversity, and promote socio-economic development.

This policy brief examines the integration of gender mainstreaming within climate finance, arguing that current efforts are often superficial and fail to address the root causes of gender inequality. It specifically highlights the role of public development banks (PDBs) as key vehicles for shifting financial flows toward gender-transformative climate action, recommending a move beyond 'women-focused' strategies toward a comprehensive approach that engages all genders to dismantle systemic power imbalances.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs evaluates the effectiveness of African Union (AU) mechanisms, specifically the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and the Africa Governance Report (AGR), in improving governance across Africa. The author concludes that governance standards have generally remained static or declined since 1996, and that while APRM membership correlates with better performance, the review process itself does not guarantee improvement.

This SEI fact sheet describes a project running from 2023 to 2025 aimed at promoting climate-smart water technologies and innovations to ensure sustainable water resources and rice production in the Mekong-Lancang Region.

This report details the methodology and results of mainstreaming gender equality, social equity, and poverty (GESEP) into the Environmental Strategy and Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH ESAP 2030+). The project utilized a multi-level approach involving the project team, activities, and outputs, resulting in a strategy that includes GESEP-relevant measures such as just transition plans for coal regions. While the project increased awareness among stakeholders and contributed to new national legal requirements for gender equality in development planning, it faced challenges including data gaps and pandemic-related participation limits. The authors recommend allocating dedicated financial resources (approximately 5.5% of the budget in this case) and anticipating stakeholder resistance when implementing similar equity-focused environmental policies.

This field report details a collaborative visit to Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand, from August 15th to 17th, 2023, conducted by experts from the Office of National Water Resources (ONWR), Rajamangala University of Technology Isan (RMUTI), and the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI). The visit aimed to identify pilot sites and gather insights for implementing climate-smart water technologies to support sustainable rice production in the Lancang-Mekong Region.

This report documents the project launch meeting held on June 26, 2023, for the initiative 'Promoting climate-smart water technologies and innovations for sustainable water resources and rice production under climate change in the Lancang-Mekong Region'. The meeting, hosted by the Office of the National Water Resources (ONWR) in Bangkok, aimed to align stakeholders on project objectives, review current knowledge of climate-smart water technologies, and plan regional meetings and site visits in China, Thailand, and Lao PDR.

This report examines the use of risk mitigation and transfer (RMT) instruments to enable utility-scale renewable energy investments in the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC). Through case studies in Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zambia, the authors analyze how financial instruments from development finance institutions (DFIs) help projects reach financial close by addressing offtaker, political, and currency risks. While RMTs have successfully protected existing projects during recent economic shocks, the report finds they are currently insufficient to enable new projects in countries facing severe debt distress, such as Zambia.

This policy brief by Transforma and Power Shift Africa outlines a framework for a Just Energy Transition (JET) in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. It advocates for a total phase-out of fossil fuels by 2040, emphasizing that the transition must be a comprehensive social, economic, and environmental transformation. The document highlights the need for grant-based financing from developed nations, the sustainable management of transition minerals, and the prioritization of energy access and social justice to address historical inequalities and the disproportionate impact of climate change on the Global South.

The 'New Economy for the Brazilian Amazon' report by WRI Brasil proposes a transition to a low-carbon, deforestation-free economic model for the Legal Amazon by 2050. The study argues that this pathway, which integrates a thriving bioeconomy, restored forests, and decarbonized agriculture and energy, would deliver superior economic growth and job creation compared to business-as-usual scenarios while enabling Brazil to meet its Paris Agreement targets.

Minutes from the Green Economy Coalition (GEC) Steering Group meeting on May 31, 2023, detailing the strategic framework for the 2023-2027 phase. The discussion focuses on two primary programmes: 'Renegotiating Social Contracts' to build societal support for green transformation, and 'Promoting a Shared Global Green Deal' to create a multilateral economic architecture that prevents trade wars between major powers and supports developing nations.

The 'Information Document: IAI Gender and EDI Policy Draft Implementation Plan' outlines a strategic framework to operationalize the Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Policy of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). Developed by a dedicated committee, the plan translates high-level policy objectives into eight specific operational goals and a series of actionable items aimed at reducing biases in science, improving hiring and grant selection, and increasing the visibility of equity-seeking groups within the global environmental change space.

This briefing document outlines a draft implementation plan for the Gender, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (GEDI) Policy of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI). Developed by the GEDI Committee during the 2022-2023 intersessional period, the plan translates the high-level goals of the IAI's GEDI Policy into eight specific operational goals and a series of actionable steps to improve inclusivity in scientific research, funding, and institutional administration.

This report uses the Sustainable Asset Valuation (SAVi) methodology to compare nature-based, hybrid, and grey infrastructure for flood risk management in Thessaly, Greece. It finds that nature-based infrastructure (NBI) offers the highest benefit-to-cost ratio (2.9) over 25 years, with carbon storage value alone (EUR 12.8 million) exceeding the costs of NBI and hybrid options.

This case study documents the climate-induced loss and damage experienced by the community of Kunburudhoo Island in the Maldives, focusing on beach erosion, groundwater salinization, and the limitations of community-led mitigation efforts.