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This policy brief by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) argues against the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) in the protocol for the United Nations Framework Convention on International Tax Cooperation (UN FCITC). It highlights the structural failures of ISDS—including high costs, inconsistent rulings, and 'regulatory chill'—and warns that adopting such a mechanism would undermine fiscal sovereignty. The brief also draws lessons from the prolonged and complex reform efforts of UNCITRAL Working Group III to caution negotiators against the institutional lock-in and resource drains associated with international arbitration.

This community toolkit provides guidance for individuals and affected parties on how to participate in the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process for onshore oil and gas projects, outlining the legal requirements for consultation and the steps for submitting formal comments.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the challenges of community participation in the Integrated Development Planning (IDP) process within South African municipalities. Based on action research from the COMPACT programme conducted between 2022 and 2024, the document identifies systemic failures—such as tokenistic engagement, poor meeting organization, and institutional fragmentation—that lead to community disillusionment. It provides a series of recommendations to shift the IDP from a compliance-driven exercise to a genuine developmental tool, emphasizing the need for better coordination, youth engagement, civic education, and the institutionalization of feedback loops.

This policy brief by the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI) examines the functionality of ward committees in South Africa, based on action research conducted between 2022 and 2024 across 12 municipalities. It identifies systemic failures in resourcing, political neutrality, and institutional support, while providing recommendations to transform these committees into effective channels for participatory democracy.

This policy brief by the Stockholm Environment Institute examines the drivers and outcomes of policy coherence regarding Kenya's transition to a renewable electricity sector. It identifies critical synergies between renewable energy investment and socio-economic growth, while highlighting significant trade-offs between industrialization goals, coal power ambitions, and climate mitigation targets. The document argues that institutional barriers, resource constraints, and power dynamics currently hinder a just energy transition.

This policy brief proposes a trade-aware Just Transition framework for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) to manage the shift toward low-carbon, climate-resilient development. It argues that for the Caribbean, the transition is a structural regional transformation rather than a sector-specific phase-out of fossil fuels. The document outlines six guiding principles—social justice, effective governance, inclusive participation, economic resilience, alignment with climate goals, and green financing—and applies them to both at-risk sectors (energy, tourism, agriculture, forestry, transport) and growth sectors (blue economy, circular economy, orange economy).

The African Climate Foundation and Dalberg developed the NDC Investment Planner (NIP) to help African governments translate Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) from broad policy frameworks into bankable project pipelines. The NIP provides a structured, three-stage process—Identify, Evaluate, and Select and Act—to align climate ambition with investment logic and economic transformation goals.

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) Strategy 2026–2030 outlines a shift from a 'proof of concept' to a continental platform focused on ensuring Africa's climate transition is shaped by African agency. The strategy prioritizes three core areas—energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialisation—supported by cross-cutting enablers in sustainable finance and international partnerships. ACF operates as a support institution rather than a direct implementer, utilizing strategic grantmaking, fiscal hosting, and incubation to strengthen the capacity of African governments, coalitions, and communities.

The African Climate Foundation (ACF) outlines its 2026–2030 strategy to shift from a phase of expansion to one of systemic integration. The foundation aims to ensure Africa's climate transition is driven from within by supporting local institutions, coalitions, and governments through strategic grants, financial hosting, and incubation. Its framework focuses on three priority areas—energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialization—supported by cross-cutting levers in sustainable finance and international partnerships.

The report advocates for a shift in African food systems toward agroecology through catalytic philanthropic investment. It outlines a three-tiered strategy targeting local innovations (niche), policy and governance (regime), and structural regional barriers (landscape), emphasizing that systemic change requires coupling bottom-up innovation with top-down reform to address food insecurity, climate vulnerability, and structural inequality.

The African Climate Foundation's (ACF) 2026–2030 strategy focuses on shifting from broad programmatic support to integrated systems work to ensure Africa's climate transition is shaped by African agency. The strategy prioritizes three areas: clean energy access, climate resilience, and green industrialization, supported by sustainable finance and international partnerships. ACF utilizes an 'investment platform approach' combining policy reform, pipeline development, and capital connection, delivered through strategic grantmaking, fiscal hosting, and incubation.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), supported by the Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) and Promethium Carbon, has designed two financial instruments—a carbon credit-backed bond and a carbon repo facility—to address the supply-demand imbalance and liquidity challenges in South Africa's voluntary carbon market (VCM). These instruments aim to transform carbon credits into investable assets to mobilize private capital for climate mitigation projects.

The Uganda Development Bank (UDB) has designed a Currency Risk-Sharing Facility (CRSF) to scale up local-currency climate lending through its Climate Finance Facility (CFF). Developed via the FiCS Innovation Lab with technical support from the Climate Policy Initiative, the University of Leeds, and City St. George’s University of London, the CRSF aims to reduce foreign exchange (FX) exposure for UDB when borrowing in hard currencies (USD/EUR) and on-lending in Ugandan shillings (UGX). The instrument employs a layered risk-sharing approach, combining partial hedging with a tail-risk FX guarantee to protect against severe UGX depreciation while remaining more affordable than full hedging.

This report by the Climate Policy Initiative, WRI India, and CEEW analyzes the financial and regulatory landscape for Nature-based Solutions (NbS) in Indian cities. It identifies significant gaps in private sector investment, which currently accounts for only 10% of global NbS finance, and provides early recommendations to improve project bankability, diversify funding sources, and strengthen the enabling environment for urban climate resilience in India.

The European Electricity Review 2026 by Ember analyzes electricity generation and demand across the EU-27 for 2025. The report highlights a historic tipping point where wind and solar combined to produce more electricity than all fossil fuel sources for the first time, while coal reached a new historic low. Despite this progress, the EU remains dependent on imported gas, which drove up electricity prices and import costs in 2025. The report emphasizes the role of battery storage in reducing gas reliance and curtailment of clean power.

The Indian States’ Electricity Transition (SET) 2026 report evaluates 21 Indian states across three dimensions: decarbonisation, power ecosystem readiness and performance, and market enablers. It finds that progress is fragmented, with no single state demonstrating consistently strong performance across all three areas, highlighting the need for coordinated, dimension-specific interventions to achieve a system-wide transition.

The Global Resilience Partnership (GRP) briefing outlines its Innovation Challenges model, which identifies and scales locally-led resilience solutions across agriculture, urban informality, and humanitarian technology. Since 2014, the GRP has invested over US$45 million into 102 solutions across more than 30 countries, supporting over 7 million people.

This briefing by GreenCape examines the commercial challenges facing the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) agriculture sector, specifically regarding large-scale, centralised models. It argues that the industry is caught in a "Commodity Trap" by attempting to displace low-cost bulk proteins and synthetic fertilisers. The document recommends a strategic pivot toward high-performance, functional additives and bioactive soil amendments to justify premium pricing and overcome scaling and regulatory hurdles.

This case study by GreenCape examines the challenge of PET, PETG, and PVC shrink sleeves on PET food and beverage bottles in South Africa. It details how these materials disrupt the PET recycling process and advocates for a transition to floatable polyolefin materials to improve circularity.

This industry brief by GreenCape examines the transition to electric two- and three-wheelers (E2W and E3W) for last-mile delivery in South Africa. It analyzes the economic viability, operational strategies, and environmental impacts of replacing internal combustion engine (ICE) motorcycles with electric micro-mobility solutions, highlighting the role of innovative financing and charging infrastructure in overcoming high upfront costs.