The African Union Commission has devised a continental plan to achieve the goals and targets of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. Yet progress has been variable and risk-creation – particularly in urban areas – continues to set many states and societies on pathways of increased disaster risk.

Decentralisation has been one of the most prominent public sector reforms endorsed by international institutions. It has been initiated in a large number of developing economies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.

Access to effective waste management services is critical in any city. Where a city’s waste management is inadequate, it has drastic effects on the environment, public health and the quality of life of urban residents.

This report highlights the headline risks to consider in climate resilient development planning for the East Africa region.

The climate risk report for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the first in a series of standardised regional climate risk reports. Understanding future climate risks depends on analysing both future climate conditions, and the socio-economic vulnerabilities exposed by those conditions.

This brief explores two different types of carbon markets: baseline-and-credit mechanisms, which are primarily structured around offsetting and enable trade in certified emissions reductions between countries and companies (an example being the Clean Development Mechanism –CDM); and cap and trade schemes or emissions trading systems (ETS), which

Covid-19 immediately triggered food security concerns. Early in the pandemic, the World Food Programme estimated that Covid-19 will double the number of people facing food crises from 130 million to 265 million in 2020.

Without innovation, farmers would struggle to raise production and productivity. Innovation explains in part why more food per capita is produced in 2020 than in 1960, despite rapid population growth.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have long pursued unconventional economic development strategies, often with great success. Equally, because of their susceptibility to exogenous shocks, which can be disproportionately more destructive than in larger states, their progress remains fragile and can be set back suddenly and dramatically.

Small Island Developing States (SIDS) have long pursued unconventional economic development strategies, often with great success. Equally, because of their pronounced susceptibility to exogenous shocks, their progress remains fragile and can be set back suddenly and dramatically, as the Covid-19 crisis and secondary impacts have shown.