This insights brief presents key themes and recommendations that emerged from the SARA activities and discussions that were convened over the course of 2021 in order to explore ways of addressing barriers and unlocking key actions to transform food systems in southern Africa.

Transformation is needed to move southern Africa’s current food system into a space that is responsive to future uncertainties, climate-resilient, as well as environmentally and socially sustainable. Research plays an integral role in this shift. This report contextualises the actions of the Southern African Resilience Academy (SARA) in 2021, a year covering many pivotal events towards food systems transformation.

New Advancing Resilience Measurement Consultation Report by USAID, GRP and University of Arizona addresses the challenges and gaps in resilience measurement and evidence by setting a common agenda for actors.

Economy and Finance for a Just Future on a Thriving Planet explores the role of economic metrics and the finance sector in a new Anthropocene context. The report synthesizes the finding of a series of dialogues by leading scientists, international organizations, investors, and other change-makers on what a new agenda for economics and finance should look like, and defines tangible pathways for action for our living planet and for prosperity for all.

Environment of Peace: Security in a New Era of Risk surveys the evolving risk landscape and documents a number of developments that indicate a pathway to solutions––in international law and policy, in peacekeeping operations and among non-governmental organizations. It finds that two principal avenues need to be developed: (a) combining peacebuilding and environmental restoration, and (b) effectively addressing the underlying environmental issues. It also analyses the potential of existing and emerging pro-environment measures for exacerbating risks to peace and security. The findings demonstrate that only just and peaceful transitions to more sustainable practices can be effective––and show that these transitions also need to be rapid.

Biodiversity risk is increasingly going to be on the corporate radar as part of ongoing work to mitigate climate change risk (and support nature-based solutions) and broader initiatives on ESG. At the same time, accounting and reporting standards for biodiversity-related risks and impacts are taking shape.

This report synthesises the main messages from the Resilience Hub and aims to help set the direction for future action towards COP27 and beyond. The report first provides an overview of the key adaptation and resilience decisions and
announcements that took place during COP26; it then presents the key messages resulting from the events of the Resilience Hub and offers concluding remarks on next steps towards COP27 and beyond.

Our ocean is changing faster than at any time in human history. Risks associated with sea level rise, storm surges and coastal flooding are multiplying, affecting billions of lives and livelihoods and threatening critical coastal ecosystems. Coastal communities in LDCs and SIDS are likely to be most severely impacted, with women and girls especially hard-hit. Key messages from the trio of Ocean Risk Reports by the the Stockholm Resilience Centre and the Global Resilience Partnership, and commissioned by the Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance (ORRAA).

Through a synthesis of peer-reviewed and grey literature, empirical data, and case studies from SIDS and LDCs, this report describes ut this show issues of equity and benefit sharing are playing out in the Blue Acceleration, highlights how SIDS and LDCs are at particular risk to stranded assets, and explores the role that finance, public or private, can play in assisting transformation towards an equitable and sustainable Blue economy.

Through a synthesis of peer-reviewed and grey literature, empirical data, and case studies from SIDS and LDCs, this report describes the prominent biophysical and anthropogenic stressors and their impacts on SIDS and LDCs, highlights the key social-ecological features of SIDS and LDCs that shape their vulnerabilities to these stressors, and suggests potential ways that can support SIDS and LDCs to mitigate ocean risks and build resilience.