Nearly 65% of adults in the Arab region remain excluded from formal financial systems, according to a new report by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The Annual SDG Review 2025 paints a sobering picture of persistent financial exclusion that is undermining the region’s ability …
Central banks, financial institutions, and large companies are increasingly embracing green finance and investment to meet climate goals and achieve carbon neutrality. Global Climate Challenges, Innovative Finance, and Green Central Banking provides a comprehensive and timely analysis of key trends in climate finance, blended finance, debt-for-climate swaps, and green monetary …
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) cause 41 million preventable deaths each year, approximately six times the number of people who have died from COVID-19 so far. The estimated economic loss resulting from the five most common NCDs is US$2 trillion annually, more than the nominal GDP of most countries in the G20. …
It has long been clear that delivering on the SDGs and global climate goals at the necessary scale requires a large step-up in financing from private sources. Yet, despite many promising ideas, success has been modest so far. Based on consultations with official agencies and market players, this Policy Brief …
In 2022, G20 leaders acknowledged the need to rapidly transform and diversify energy systems while implementing the Paris Agreement on climate change. The expansion of renewable electricity generation can help address these goals but will require substantial investment. In around half of the G20’s emerging economies, stateowned electricity utilities are …
Africa’s Development Dynamics uses lessons from Central, East, North, Southern and West Africa to develop policy recommendations and share good practices across the continent. Drawing on the most recent statistics, the analysis of development dynamics aims to assist African leaders in reaching the targets of the African Union’s Agenda 2063 …
Tax Transparency in Africa is a key output of the Africa Initiative, a programme established in 2014 to ensure that African countries are equipped to exploit the latest improvements in global transparency, to better tackle tax evasion and other illicit financial flows and ultimately improve domestic resource mobilisation to support …
This document aims to help address a growing demand for guidance on how companies can take responsibility for their emissions by contributing to climate action and the overarching global goals enshrined in the Paris Agreement. The objective is to increase understanding of the climate contribution approach and provide a common …
The Ministry of Commerce & Industry has notified the Special Economic Zones (Third Amendment) Rules, 2023. An amendment has been made to the Special Economic Zones Rules, 2006. A new rule 29B has been inserted to the existing rules. The rule outlines the procedure for importing, exporting, procuring from or …
This paper discusses the role of local governments as powerful, but often over-looked, actors in locally led adaptation. Local governments represent key stakeholders that have largely untapped potential to lead local adaptation action, mediate between local actors and national authorities, and manage climate finance to address local needs. This paper …
This Compendium Volume presents a series of guidance notes and more detailed complementary technical notes that offer practical insights in support of enhancing the climate resilience of infrastructure investment projects in Sub-Saharan Africa. This first introductory chapter starts with an overview of the investment conditions and climatic context in the …
This report reviews the physical and financial performance of 56 reporting State Road Transport Undertakings (SRTUs) in India during the financial year 2017-18 and 2018-19 in comparison with that of 2016-17. 56 out of 62 SRTUs have been analysed in this document. Thus, a major part of the SRTU ecosystem …
This paper outlines why there is need for better information on financial needs and introduces nine exploratory principles to consider in the context of international support to achieve net zero targets. The outlined principles offer a starting point for understanding and defining the finance and support needed to achieve the …
This report explores the role of risk mitigation and transfer (RMT) instruments for enabling renewable energy investments in Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) countries by examining empirical evidence from several projects in the region. Renewable energy has been one of the most successful sectors in using limited public funds to …
The oil and gas industry has some of the best and most cost-effective opportunities to reduce methane emissions. The potential to do so is clear. Some countries and companies have already demonstrated that achieving near-zero emissions from oil and gas operations is technically and economically possible. There are a growing …
Today's world stands at the crossroads of major global challenges, ranging from poverty and inequality to climate change and environmental degradation. These pressing issues underscore the essential role of sustainable development in forging a prosperous, equitable, and peaceful future for all. Building on the insights and findings of SDSN Senior …
Children are being failed by climate funding commitments, despite bearing the brunt of the climate crisis, according to this new report from members of the Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI) coalition; Plan International, Save the Children, and UNICEF. Just 2.4 percent of key global climate funds can be classified as …
This special report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) and International Finance Corporation (IFC) examines how to scale up private finance for clean energy transitions by quantifying the investments required in different regions and sectors to build modern, clean energy systems, including achieving universal access. The new global energy economy …
This discussion paper gives a brief overview of the methodology, including an analysis of the required rate of equity return or debt for solar projects, by country, under current cost-of-capital environments. While specific rates can vary considerably depending on conditions at the time of project finance needs, the overall take …
Financial and economic concerns are paramount for the international banking industry to continue supporting and investing in the global renewable energy supply system. The transition to renewable energy to achieve the mission of decarbonisation is capital-intensive and needs substantial bank involvement to evaluate the risk-return profiles of such projects. However, …
Severe climate impacts are burdening countries worldwide, particularly the least developed countries and Small Island Developing States. Each disaster adds to their existing debt, hindering recovery and trapping them in an unsustainable cycle. This paper explores the need to break this cycle through existing debt relief options, covering the link …
