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The document details a conference focused on the marginalization of Africa within the global economic system, specifically regarding the legacy of structural adjustment and the current lack of representative governance in international financial institutions. It identifies critical barriers to African development, including inflated risk premiums that cost the continent over $74 billion annually and the failure of the Global North to deliver over $1 trillion in promised climate financing. The report proposes a tiered reform agenda: short-term priorities include debt cancellation and increased access to Special Drawing Rights; medium-term goals focus on improving credit ratings through better data and combating illicit financial flows; and long-term goals aim for greater representation in the IMF and World Bank. Additionally, it explores the potential for Africa to leverage its natural capital and critical minerals for the energy transition, while cautioning against new dependencies on China as the world shifts toward a multipolar order.

The document highlights the challenges facing African subnational governments in managing urban food systems due to rapid urbanisation, limited authority, and fragmented policy frameworks. It argues that while local governments often lack explicit mandates and funding for food security, they are critical for building climate resilience and social equity. The brief recommends that philanthropic investment focus on multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs), capacity building for local actors, and the institutionalisation of food councils. It specifically proposes four actionable funding opportunities, including a South-South learning lab and the expansion of the AfriFOODlinks network, to transition urban food systems toward agroecological principles.

The policy brief argues that existing coal retirement mechanisms (CRMs) in Asia and Africa, such as Just Energy Transition Partnerships (JETPs), are failing due to insufficient funding, reliance on non-concessional loans, and lack of transparency. To address these failures, the authors propose ten principles. These include aligning phaseouts with 1.5°C pathways, immediately stopping all coal expansion finance, replacing coal only with sustainable renewables, and prohibiting the use of tradeable carbon offsets. The brief emphasizes that financing must be concessional to avoid increasing national debt and that the process must include social and environmental remediation for affected communities and workers.

The G20 is assessed as an effective tool for short-term macroeconomic crisis response but a failure in delivering structural economic justice. While it mobilised trillions during the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic, it has consistently prioritised creditor interests and market stability over the needs of the Global South. The report highlights systemic failures in international financial architecture reform, sovereign debt restructuring, and climate finance, where funding remains insufficient and skewed toward profitable mitigation. However, recent Global South presidencies (Indonesia, India, Brazil, and South Africa) have successfully introduced new priorities, such as taxing the super-rich and the care economy. The authors recommend that the G20 redefine 'crisis' to include social and ecological threats and adopt justice-based metrics for success.

The report by Friends of the Earth International asserts that the massive amount of public revenue lost annually to tax havens—estimated at $600 billion—is sufficient to finance a global energy revolution. Specifically, it calculates that an investment of US$7,603 billion by 2030 could provide 100% renewable energy to Africa, Latin America, and 'Other Asia'. The document advocates for the elimination of tax havens and the redirection of fossil fuel subsidies to support community-controlled renewable energy systems as a means to combat climate change and global inequality.

Mr Nelson Muffuh discusses the upcoming UN Summit of the Future, emphasizing the need to 'turbocharge efforts to bring about sustainable development and combat climate change'. He argues that the current international financial architecture and the UN Security Council are failing, particularly in their response to crises in Africa. Muffuh highlights Africa's potential in renewable energy—specifically solar power in the Sahara and geothermal energy in the Rift Valley—and calls for permanent African representation with veto power on the Security Council. He positions the Summit as a catalyst for the 'Pact for the Future', which aims to advance a New Agenda for Peace, a Declaration on Future Generations, and a Global Digital Compact.

The document advocates for a Universal Basic Income Guarantee (UBIG) in South Africa, defining it as a government commitment to ensure all adults receive a basic income to meet essential needs. It highlights that current social grants, while effective, leave a gap for adults aged 18 to 59. The text argues that UBIG would not only reduce poverty and hunger—noting that 18.3 million people lack sufficient income for basic food—but also improve health, education, gender equality, and local economic growth.

The document contends that JETP countries should leapfrog fossil gas to avoid economic volatility and asset stranding, instead leveraging their significant solar and wind resources to improve energy access and ensure a climate-safe transition.

The 2021 report on the state of cities climate finance reveals a significant gap between current investment levels and the trillions of dollars needed for urban climate action. While global urban climate finance averaged 384 billion USD annually in 2017/2018, funding is heavily concentrated in OECD countries and China, leaving developing regions like Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia severely underfunded. The report emphasizes a critical shortage in adaptation and resilience funding, which accounts for less than 10% of urban climate finance. It argues that mobilizing further investment requires 'enabling conditions' across national, city, and climate-specific levels, urging governments and international financial institutions to provide predictable funding and technical support to help cities transition to sustainable development paths.

The We Mean Business Coalition asserts that the global energy system is vulnerable due to fossil fuel subsidies and unpredictable weather, as evidenced by Storm Arwen and European supply issues. It advocates for the immediate end of public coal financing, the removal of fossil fuel subsidies by 2025, and increased public investment in green infrastructure. The text highlights the role of corporate initiatives like RE100 and the First Movers Coalition in driving demand for renewables, while noting that countries such as China, Japan, and South Korea remain difficult geographies for sourcing renewable energy.

The report warns that South Africa is on a 'worst-case' climate trajectory (RCP 8.5), which will lead to extreme heat, water scarcity, and food insecurity, disproportionately harming youth. It details regional collapses in agriculture and tourism, the expansion of informal settlements due to climate-induced migration, and the severe mental health trauma facing children. The author argues that without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels, large parts of the country may become uninhabitable, leading to systemic social conflict and economic collapse.

The document examines the intersection of industrial and trade policy with the green transition in Africa. It argues that for the continent to avoid becoming a 'net loser' in the shift to a low-carbon economy, it must move toward higher value-added production of green technologies rather than remaining an exporter of primary products. The author highlights the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) as a key mechanism for establishing regional value chains for renewable energy products. The paper also emphasizes the need for 'policy space' to protect nascent industries, warning against premature trade liberalization and unilateral 'border adjustment taxes' from developed nations. Additionally, it stresses the urgency of 'climate proofing' infrastructure to create jobs and mitigate the inevitable extreme weather events predicted by the IPCC. Finally, the paper calls for African nations to advocate for a Global Green New Deal that respects the right of developing countries to industrialize and includes meaningful resource transfers.

The report highlights a growing 'e-mobility divide' where the Global North adopts high-value lithium-ion systems while the Global South relies on affordable but toxic lead-acid batteries. It identifies critical failures in traceability and international governance, specifically within the Basel Convention, which allow for 'waste colonialism' and hazardous informal recycling. The authors argue for mandatory extended producer responsibility, the creation of regional recycling hubs, and the integration of informal workers into formal systems to ensure a just energy transition.

The document proposes a shift in South Africa's TVET sector from a jobs-centric model to a 'wellbeing economy' framework to support the emerging green hydrogen (GH2) sector. It advocates for 'skills governance'—integrating foresight, planning, and anticipation—to address unemployment and inequality. Key recommendations include establishing a skills governance working group, creating green economy skills incubator hubs, adopting innovative financing like social impact bonds, and implementing a Universal Basic Dividend (UBD) to redistribute wealth from common resources used in GH2 projects.

The report maps nearly one hundred agreements on critical minerals between African states and global actors, highlighting the strategic competition for resources. It identifies a lack of transparency in these deals and notes that while China and Russia are prominent, other actors like Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE are expanding their footprints. The analysis emphasizes that these partnerships often reflect broader geopolitical and historical ties rather than just economic needs.

The IEJ Strategy 2023–2027 focuses on producing knowledge and shifting economic discourse to achieve systemic social and economic change. The plan identifies six programmatic projects targeting macroeconomic frameworks, feminist economics, and a just transition in energy and food systems. To support these goals, the IEJ is transitioning from siloed programme areas to a project-based organisational structure and implementing a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation, and learning framework. Financially, the organisation has seen significant growth, with budgeted expenditure rising from approximately R3.2 million in 2018/19 to R34.9 million in 2023, though it continues to seek more long-term core funding.

The Mining and Environmental Justice Community Network of South Africa (MEJCON-SA) and Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) have lodged an appeal to the Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment to set aside an environmental authorisation (EA) granted by the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) on 09 May 2025 to Tetra4 (Pty) Ltd. The EA allows Tetra4 to extend its production right to incorporate 18 additional wells across 80 farm portions in the Free State Province. The appellants argue that Tetra4 used a Basic Assessment Report (BAR) process under section 102 of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA) to circumvent a previous ministerial order from 01 August 2024, which had set aside a larger 'Cluster 2' expansion due to inadequate climate and groundwater assessments.

The report argues that Africa is disproportionately vulnerable to climate change and requires substantial support from wealthier nations to transition to renewables. It suggests a gradual phasing out of fossil fuels—starting with coal, then oil, and gas beyond 2050—contrasting with more rapid shifts proposed by other bodies. Key barriers identified include the failure of initiatives like JET-Ps to raise sufficient funds, the unfunded status of the loss and damage fund, and geopolitical tensions between the US, China, and the EU. The authors advocate for a differentiated global carbon tax, the operationalization of the Global Loss and Damage Fund, and the enhancement of Africa's role as a global carbon sink to balance economic growth with climate resilience.

The GEC 2019 briefing reviews the global transition to green economies, noting that while renewable energy and green finance grew in 2018, biodiversity loss and inequality remain critical. The document outlines the GEC's mission to champion inclusion, equity, and environmental limits through financial reform, natural capital accounting, and just transitions. It emphasizes that environmental protection is dependent on improving human livelihoods, citing specific examples of community-led success and the need for structural economic reform.

The report examines country platforms (CPs) as vehicles to integrate climate finance with national development goals in emerging economies. It argues that CPs must be country-led and grounded in macro-fiscal analysis to avoid debt vulnerabilities and ensure social inclusivity. Using the South African Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) as a primary example, the document outlines criteria for effectiveness—including whole-of-government approaches and credible project pipelines—and proposes a four-quadrant analytical framework to guide their design. It also highlights the role of philanthropy in funding early-stage technical work and the necessity of overcoming structural path dependencies to achieve genuine economic diversification.