South Africa has played an important role in global climate negotiations, but this can be further scaled up to respond more directly to the imperative of a more geostrategic and mainstream economic framing of climate diplomacy, and debates around how t …

The climate finance priorities for COP26 identified by African stakeholders, as articulated in this report, demonstrate a keen awareness of the challenges faced in the quantum and quality of climate finance, challenges related to climate finance access …

With oceans under increasing pressure from a range of anthropogenic threats, including climate change, the need for effective partnerships for ocean governance and protection has never been more pressing. The private sector has a key role to play in su …

Globally, oceans face a range of threats. As efforts to develop sustainable blue or ocean economies accelerate, the need for evidence-based policymaking has never been more pressing. The good news is that there is a growing understanding of how the sci …

Climate change is one of the most significant intergenerational equity challenges of our time. Young people – who currently represent over 50% of the global population – are the generation who will not only be most impacted by climate change, but who w …

Women remain under-represented in energy value chains, and this is true also for the Africa region. While a range of policies and initiatives are being implemented to promote gender mainstreaming in the energy sector, there is a need to focus on effect …

This briefing presents key insights from a wider set of briefings produced through the project Partnership for a Green Transition and Energy Access: Strategic priorities for Africa and Europe, jointly implemented by the South African Institute of Inter …

The inclusiveness of tourism development is coming under close academic and policy scrutiny, including in policy debates within the Indian Ocean region through the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Coastal and marine tourism is recognised as a vital …

The inclusiveness of tourism development is coming under close academic and policy scrutiny, including in policy debates within the Indian Ocean region through the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA). Coastal and marine tourism is recognised as a vital …

The government of Kenya is increasingly prioritising the Blue Economy as a potential source of employment and economic growth. In recent years a number of sectoral initiatives have been launched, as well as new institutional structures for the integrat …

South Africa is serving as chair of the Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA), a 21-member regional organisation with significant potential to contribute to enhanced collaboration within the Indian Ocean region. While efforts to revitalise IORA have been …

Marine genetic resources hold significant potential for a range of commercial applications. Appropriate institutional and regulatory mechanisms for these resources are needed as part of a broader effort to support the conservation and sustainable use o …

The Eastern Arc Mountains in Tanzania and Kenya are an ecoregion of great ecological and socio-economic importance. The global significance of this ecoregion is manifested through its role as a carbon sink and as a habitat for a number of endemic and e …

“Southern Africa is experiencing its worst drought in at least 35 years. The drought is associated with an acute El Niño cycle, a periodic weather phenomenon that affects weather patterns across large regions of the globe, including Southern Africa. Wh …

“Fisheries play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and food security in Ghana. While there is a sizable industrial fishing fleet, more than two-thirds of Ghana’s total marine fish catch is accounted for by artisanal fishers. These fishers now sha …

“Blue Economy initiatives have proliferated in recent years, reflecting the growing prioritisation of maritime affairs within the policymaking community. Sustainability concerns related to climate change, pollution and fishing practices are an importan …

“Small-scale fisheries in South Africa play a crucial role in supporting livelihoods and contributing to food security in the country’s coastal provinces. Policy changes in recent years have sought to establish a more inclusive and equitable governance …

“Community forests in Namibia are central to promoting sustainable and participatory forest governance and enhancing livelihoods in communal land areas. Significant support from the government and the donor community has helped to establish community f …

“The discourse on African fisheries governance is dominated by themes of unrealised potential and crisis. Undoubtedly, the threats are significant: illegal fishing and overfishing by foreign industrial vessels, as well as intense fishing pressure in th …

“Until recently, exploiting valuable minerals in deep waters beyond the continental shelf has not been commercially or technologically viable. Closer to shore, limited seabed mining operations have been developed for a range of commodities, including d …

“This paper aims to inform the current debate, focusing in particular on competitive resource allocation systems (also referred to as mineral rights auction or tender systems), which certain stakeholders have proposed as an alternative to the existing …

“Mozambique is in a period of rapid transition. Since the end of civil war in 1992 sound governance, infrastructure investments and support from the donor community have helped to boost commerce and tourism. However, it is the recent discovery of signi …

“Small-scale fisheries in Africa employ over 95% of fishers and provide more than 90% of the fish consumed across the continent. In Mozambique, as elsewhere on the continent, small-scale fisheries are a crucial component of the rural economy, supportin …

“In November 2011 the Kimberley Process (KP) approved the sale of diamonds from Zimbabwe’s Marange region. The decision follows two years of contention and debate regarding human rights abuses perpetrated in the mining area and the question of whether …

“Climate change is set to have far-reaching ecological and economic consequences for the African continent and globally. Developing countries are particularly vulnerable to climate change, not only as a consequence of resource and technology constraint …