Africa - Video: Recent Episodes
Center for Strategic and International Studies
The Africa Program and the Middle East Program analyze broad political, economic, and security trends in Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, respectively. The Global Health Policy Center, the Human Rights Initiative, the Prosperity and Development Project, and the Global Food Security Program each conduct work on Africa through the lens of their respective thematic areas.
Find the latest research from our scholars and CSIS events on this region below.
Please join us on Tuesday, December 3 for a public event focused on Sustainable Development Goal #1, which aims to decrease poverty and ensure social protections for the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic needs and services, and support people harmed by natural disasters and other extreme events.
Predictions suggest that 6 percent of the world population will still live in extreme poverty in 2030. People who live in extreme poverty face deprivation from social goods and services, and often live in areas where poverty is exacerbated by conflict or natural disasters. Through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #1, the United Nations seeks to end extreme poverty, measured as people living under $1.25 a day, by ensuring all people have access to economic resources, reducing the poor’s vulnerability to climate disasters and other shocks, and implementing national social protection systems and measures for all. Despite many countries including social protections within their government spending, these programs need to be brought to scale. Although the number of people living in poverty has decreased since 2015, the rate of poverty reduction is slowing and ultimately means the world will miss the United Nations target of less than 3 percent.
This event is part of the "Chevron Forum for Development" series focused on the SDGs and made possible with general support from Chevron. So far, we have hosted events focused onSDG#7: Affordable and Clean Energy,SDG#16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions,SDG#17: Partnerships for the Goals, and SDG#11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Our most recent event was focused on SDG#4: Quality Education.
Malnutrition has the potential to bankrupt countries and prevent children from reaching their full potential. Unlike other food groups, fruits and vegetables provide beneficial outcomes across all malnutrition forms. Yet, despite the nutritional punch of fruits and vegetables, current global consumption is far below the minimum daily requirements of five portions.
Join the Global Food Security Project for the release of Seeds of Change: The Power of Fruits and Vegetables to Improve Nutrition in Tanzania, a new report focusing on how the United States and other donors are trying to boost fruit and vegetable consumption in Tanzania to improve nutrition through multisectoral and public–private approaches.
The event will feature a keynote lecture by the former Tanzanian Prime Minister, the Honorable Mizengo Pinda, which will be followed by an armchair conversation. The subsequent panel discussion will explore the unique challenges to fruit and vegetable consumption and current efforts to change dietary behavior.
This event is made possible by the generous support of The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please join us for an exit interview with Susan Fine to hear her reflections and recommendations based on her distinguished career at USAID.
Susan Fine recently completed a 30-year career at USAID, serving as Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator in the Policy, Planning and Learning Bureau for the last two years. Retiring with the rank of Career Minister, Susan has extensive experience in the Sahel, East, and Southern Africa, including South Sudan during its transition to independence, and has championed effective planning and delivery of development assistance and USAID policy leadership in multiple positions in Washington. She has worked at the intersection of development, foreign policy, and humanitarian assistance at strategic and operational levels, represented US development interests in the international arena and engaged with non-traditional development actors such as China.
Susan Fine holds a master’s degree in public policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Colby College. She was a board member of the Washington chapter of the Society for International Development and a Peace Corps volunteer in Swaziland.
This event is made possible by general support to CSIS.
Please join us on October 30th for a discussion on Sustainable Development Goal #4: Quality Education.
Education plays an important role in achieving many of the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and SDG 4 aims to ensure inclusive and equitable, quality education and to promote lifelong learning opportunities for all. Yet, 262 million children and youth were not in school in 2017. Even more troubling, 750 million adults were illiterate in 2016, two-thirds of whom were women. Improving the education systems in low and middle-income countries has been a focus of the development community for years. Given the emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, developing country governments must also prepare their citizens for the workforces of the future and leverage new leapfrog technologies.
This event is part of a series CSIS is doing on the SDGs made possible by general support from Chevron. So far, we have hosted events focused on the role of the private sector, SDG 5: Gender Equality, SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals. You can find the link to all the events here.
Governments throughout Africa employ religious slogans, symbols, and doctrine to advance their political interests and to undermine religiously inspired sources of violence. Different contexts and different state capacities produce different outcomes. States that intervene too frequently in the religious realm risk undermining religious authorities who are critical allies; too little regulation can create a vacuum that is exploited by violent actors. So how do states regulate religious spaces and for what purpose? How does the state approach differ when there is strong religious diversity among the population versus when there is a large religious majority?
Our panelists will discuss how different states in North Africa and sub-Saharan Africa are approaching this issue and what contraints they face when exerting control over the religious realm.
This panel is part of the project Faith in the Balance which analyzes the distinct ways that the governments of Morocco, Tunisia, Nigeria, Kenya, and Burkina Faso attempt to manage religious affairs. The book aims to identify the objectives and consequences of state religious policies.
We are grateful to the Henry Luce Foundation for its generous support of this study.
Please join the CSIS Global Food Security Project for a discussion with a panel of experts on the relationship between climate change, political instability, and food security using current events on the African continent as a lens. The emerging consensus is that climate change poses significant national security threats. However, specific linkages between climate change and political instability are still opaque. As climate change reshapes the agricultural landscape across Africa, there is concern that higher food prices and falling yields will lead to widespread urban unrest and catalyze participation in armed extremist movements.
Preceded by a keynote from Senator Bob Casey (D-PA), the discussion will examine how climate change is interacting with demographic trends in Africa to both heighten risks associated with agriculture in rural areas and those associated with dependence on global markets in urban areas. Our panelists will explore several issues such as how averting crisis in the face of climate change and food insecurity will require:
- Better incorporation of agricultural production and food prices—both global and local—into risk assessments.
- Reinvestment in agricultural and transport infrastructure to reform global agricultural trade to make it more climate-resilient for consumers and producers in the developing world.
- Opportunities to work with regional governments to develop more inclusive responses to manage political and economic instability.
This event was made possible through general support to CSIS.
The ongoing violence in northeastern Nigeria continues to generate substantial humanitarian consequences and shows no signs of abatement. The Government of Nigeria has been inconsistent in its campaign, alternating between disengagement and the disproportionate use of force to counter Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa. Its response to humanitarian challenges have been equally problematic; Nigerian officials have herded civilian populations into so-called garrison towns. This policy misdiagnoses the underlying drivers of the conflict and is deeply counterproductive. It has created fear and distrust in part because the government has alleged that civilians who chose not to move are Boko Haram sympathizers. This approach has implications for U.S. policy toward Nigeria in general and its assistance programs in the northeast region in particular. The panel will examine North East Nigerian current conflict dynamics, government policies toward the region, and opportunities and challenges for U.S. political, security, and humanitarian engagement.
Panelists will include: Brandon Kendhammer, Ohio University; Fati Abubakar, Documentary Photographer & Public Health Worker; Ambassador Alexander Laskaris, former Deputy to the Commander for Civil-Military Engagement, U.S. Africa Command; Dafna Hochman Rand, Vice President for Policy and Research, Mercy Corps
Moderator: Judd Devermont, Director, Africa Program, CSIS
This event was made possible through the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
The Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 17, has been ongoing for over a year. As of mid-August, there have been over 2,800 cases and 1,900 deaths. The outbreak is not expected to be contained in the near future. Some experts argue that Ebola is becoming endemic to the area and will spread regionally. Médecins Sans Frontières and other NGOs are retooling their approaches to win community trust, while WHO, the World Bank, the U.S. government, and others are putting in place plans for a renewed push in the next six months. Access by seasoned U.S. civilian public health experts to the hot zone remains highly problematic, owing to violent attacks on health providers, the limited capacity of the United States to deploy official civilian experts into austere environments, and a risk aversion born of the Benghazi tragedy. The U.S. response is further constrained by U.S. funding restrictions that limit the scope of assistance to the DRC national government.
This panel will examine how to navigate the formidable barriers to access — the chaos, insecurity, and rampant community resistance in eastern DRC – in this next phase.
Panelists will include: Admiral Tim Ziemer, Senior Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance, USAID; Ella Watson-Stryker, Humanitarian Representative, Médecins Sans Frontières; and Jeremy Konyndyk, Senior Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development
Moderator: J. Stephen Morrison, Senior Vice President and Director, Global Health Policy Center, CSIS
This event was made possible through the support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Download the Brief
For many developing countries, the absence of quality infrastructure is a significant bottleneck to sustainable economic growth. A large number of studies have demonstrated that quality infrastructure yields large scale and long-term economic dividends. Political leadership in host countries is required to ensure that quality infrastructure investments are made. With support from donor countries and multilateral development banks, such efforts to pursue sustainable quality infrastructure can be supplemented with planning and procurement practices that look at long-term economic efficiency and life-cycle costs.
CSIS, with generous support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan, undertook a comprehensive research study to examine the importance of transparency and sustainability in achieving quality infrastructure, the findings from which have been captured in a short policy brief. Through this public event, CSIS and its panel will share insights that build on the emerging consensus among G20 member states ahead of the Osaka summit. The inputs and recommendations of the policy brief will enable more quality infrastructure.
Please join us at CSIS for this timely discussion on quality infrastructure in the context of the upcoming Osaka G20 Summit.
This event is made possible through generous support from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan.
Since their first October 2017 attack in Mozambique, Islamist extremists—invariably called al-Shabaab or Ahlu Sunna wa Jama—have conducted over 110 attacks, with more than 295 civilian and military deaths. Despite this escalating violence, there are significant gaps in our understanding of the problem. There is not a consensus about the key drivers of extremism in the region, including the linkages between local, regional, and international extremist networks. Experts have struggled to identify who comprises al-Shabaab (Ahlu Sunna wa Jama), and furnish answers to key questions regarding their objectives, recruitment, or funding sources.
Join the CSIS Africa Program on Thursday, June 6, 2019, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for a half-day conference on growing insecurity in Mozambique. This event will feature two expert panels on the drivers of extremism and potential response efforts in Mozambique.
Keynote Address: Stefanie Amadeo, Director of the Office of Southern African Affairs (U.S. Department of State)
Panel 1: Examining Social, Political, and Religious Drivers
Featuring Dr. Alex Vines (Chatham House), Dr. Yussuf Adam (Universidade Eduardo Mondlane), and Dr. Liazzat Bonate (University of West Indies)
Moderated by Emilia Columbo
Panel 2: Exploring Regional and International Response Efforts
Featuring H. Dean Pittman (former U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique), Zenaida Machado (Human Rights Watch), and Dr. Gregory Pirio (Empowering Communications)
Moderated by Judd Devermont (Director, CSIS Africa Program)
This event is made possible by the general support to CSIS.
Please join us for May 31 for the public launch of our report, Rethinking Taxes and Development: Incorporating Political Economy Considerations in DRM Strategies.
This report analyzes the political economy opportunities and constraints of domestic resource mobilization on the road to self-reliance. CSIS, in partnership with DAI, conducted research in Kampala, Uganda and Monrovia, Liberia to assess the current political and economic conditions affecting DRM reform efforts. Uganda and Liberia were selected because both are low-income countries struggling to expand their respective tax bases, increase tax-payer morale, have equitable tax administrations, and implement reforms to mobilize more domestic resources. Many of the constraints in both countries relate to transparency, corruption, underdeveloped systems and low capacity of tax authorities. However, many of the constraints are more political in nature, including a lack of support in parliament, outsized influence of the elite, entrenched bureaucratic interests, resistance from the private sector, unpopular changes to legislation and general distrust of government by civil society.
This report offers a fresh perspective for U.S. policymakers and other development agencies on how they can better partner with developing country governments on the shared goal of increased DRM, focusing on addressing the political economy opportunities and constraints to increasing the impact of development efforts.
This report is made possible by DAI's generous contributions to and cooperation with the Project on Prosperity and Development.
The CSIS Global Food Security Project and the CSIS Africa Program invite you to join a discussion on the economic decline and food insecurity crisis in Zimbabwe. According to the Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee’s 2018 Rural Livelihoods Assessment, nearly 2.4 million people in rural Zimbabwe were projected to be severely food insecure by March 2019. In the wake of Cyclone Idai, Zimbabwe's dire condition seems poised to worsen. If the current trends continue, Zimbabwe could be facing a severe humanitarian crises that rivals some of the worst in the world.
Is Zimbabwe prepared to reform its economy, address its food security challenges, and develop a sustainable strategy to response to natural disasters? How can the international community and the U.S. government support peace and prosperity in the wake of this disaster? Panelists Ashok Chakravarti, Jason Taylor, and Peter Thomas will tackle these questions and shine a light on the escalating situation in Zimbabwe to the Washington policy community.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been widely hailed for his promises to open political space, usher in economic liberalization, and remake the country’s poor record on human rights. However, to truly transform his country, Dr. Abiy must first transform agriculture, which is the nucleus of the Ethiopian economy and by far the largest employer.
Please join us for the launch of our newest report, Building a Big Tent for Agricultural Transformation in Ethiopia, which examines the past wins, current endeavors, and future challenges of Ethiopia’s Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA).
Following a keynote message from ATA’s CEO, Khalid Bomba, an expert panel will compare and contrast Ethiopia’s experience in agricultural transformation to that of other countries and explore the role that donors like the United States government can play to support such efforts for country-led development.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Download the Report Download the Brief Over the next 15 years, it is projected that more infrastructure will be built globally than currently exists. Please join the CSIS Reconnecting Asia Project and the Project on Prosperity and Development for the rollout of a new report discussing how the United States can strategically shape the global infrastructure buildout.
Opening remarks by:
Matthew P. Goodman
Senior Vice President, Simon Chair in Political Economy and Senior Adviser for Asian Economics, CSIS
Featuring a Panel Discussion with:
Ambassador Charlene Barshefsky
Senior International Partner, WilmerHale
Former U.S. Trade Representative
Stephen J. Hadley
Principal, RiceHadleyGates LLC
Former National Security Advisor
Peter Raymond
Senior Associate, Reconnecting Asia Project and Simon Chair, CSIS
Former Global Advisory Leader, Capital Projects & Infrastructure Practice, PwC
Moderated by:
Daniel F. Runde
Senior Vice President, William A. Schreyer Chair and Director, Project on Prosperity and Development, CSIS
This event is made possible by generous support from Bechtel Group, IBM, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Please join the CSIS Global Food Security Project for the launch of our newest report, Risk and Resilience: Advancing Food and Nutrition Security in Nigeria through Feed the Future, by Julie Howard and Emmy Simmons. The report examines what the new Feed the Future strategy's emphasis on resilience means in Nigeria, one of the newly-designated target countries. Nigeria, with the continent’s largest economy, is arguably the most important partner for the United States in Africa and is on the verge of a critical presidential election. Through the lens of Nigeria, especially the northeast, the report examines the risks and opportunities related to extending the highly-regarded U.S. global hunger and food security initiative to more fragile countries.
The event will feature a dialogue on why the United States’ leadership on global food security, particularly in fragile, climate, and conflict-affected regions, is critical to U.S. national security and reducing global poverty and malnutrition. How can the U.S. adapt its successful experience with facilitating inclusive, private sector driven agricultural development to more fragile environments? Can boosting resilient systems, jobs, incomes, and nutrition in the agricultural sector – where most people live and work – help address the root causes of fragility and conflict in Nigeria and other regions?
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please watch us for a public Chevron Forum focused on how the international development community, governments, and the private sector can work together to help developing countries provide affordable and clean energy (Sustainable Development Goal#7).
In September 2015, the 193-member states of the United Nations adopted the 2030 Development Agenda and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), built off of the Millennium Development Goals. The SDGs are not an official treaty, but a form of soft law aimed at eliminating extreme poverty, building partnerships, and spurring economic growth around the world. SDG#7 aims to ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all. Progress is being made, but in 2017, 1.1 billion people still lacked access to electricity. In 2016, 3 billion people (41 percent of the world’s population) were still cooking with polluting fuel and stove combinations. What are the biggest challenges to achieving SDG#7 and how can different actors collaborate more effectively?
Please join us at CSIS (1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036) for this important discussion.
This event is part of the "Chevron Forum for Development" series and made possible with general support from Chevron.
Please join the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America’s Health Security and the CSIS Africa Program on Wednesday, November 14 from 9:00am to 11:00am for a panel discussion on the Ebola outbreak in Eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. The discussion follows the publication of a new Commission Issue Brief on the crisis.
WHO leadership is critically important to ongoing Ebola response efforts. This week, Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General of Emergency Preparedness and Response, is on a delegation to the epicenter of the outbreak in the DRC with WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix to examine the state of outbreak response, including the security environment, community mobilization, strengthening programmatic response, and what additional action needs to be taken to contain the crisis.
Dr. Salama will join us on November 14 to report back on the delegation’s findings and comment on WHO’s evolving leadership and strategy. Panelists will also examine impressive progress and dangerous gaps in the outbreak response, including insecurity, upcoming elections, the role of the Ebola vaccine, and community mistrust, and will deliberate recommendations for U.S. and global leaders.
This event is made possible through generous support from Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please join the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda as it hosts the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore for a keynote address and armchair discussion. Executive Director Fore's address will outline the challenges that humanitarian organizations like UNICEF face in gaining access to the women, children, and young people living through conflict and crises. She will describe UNICEF's approach to overcoming access barriers in countries like Yemen, South Sudan, Afghanistan, and Syria. She will also discuss how UNICEF is working in fragile contexts not only to serve immediate needs, but also to support communities' resilience as they build lasting health, nutrition, water, and education systems for long-term prosperity.
For over four decades, Executive Director Fore has worked to champion economic development, education, health, humanitarian assistance, and disaster relief. Her impressive career includes being appointed as the first female Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from 2007 – 2009 and serving on the boards of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Millennium Challenge Corporation.
We look forward to your attendance and participation for this event.
For the first time in recorded history, bacteria, viruses, and other infectious diseases do not cause the majority of deaths or disabilities in any region of the world. But the news is not all good. The recent declines in plagues and parasites have not been accompanied by the same gains in infrastructure, job opportunities, and governance that came with those health improvements in the past. That has meant the byproducts of better health – a growing young work force, less deadly cities, and the shift in countries' health needs to adults – have become potential risks for instability and impoverishment rather than drivers of prosperity. For today’s improved health to lead to broader progress, Bollyky argues, it must be embedded in a larger development strategy, including investment in quality health-care and education systems, making cities more livable, and family planning.
On Thursday, October 25 from 2:00 to 4:00pm, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center will host a conversation with Thomas J. Bollyky on his new book, Plagues and the Paradox of Progress: Why the World is Getting Healthier in Worrisome Ways. This is the first in a series of conversations intended to spotlight new thinking on health security, presented by the CSIS Commission on Strengthening America's Health Security.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
The CSIS Africa Program invites you to join, The Future of AMISOM, a panel discussion addressing the evolution, challenges, and future of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). Deployed in 2007 to counter the threat of al-Shabaab in Somalia, AMISOM remains the African Union’s most extensive and dangerous military intervention. Eleven years later, however, Somalia’s security challenges persist. As al-Shabaab continues to stage deadly attacks, questions linger regarding AMISOM’s transition, the commitment of its Troop Contributing Countries (TCCs) and the ability of the Somali National Army to stand on its own.
The event will feature Paul D. Williams, and his recent book, Fighting for Peace in Somalia: A History and Analysis of the African Union Mission (AMISOM), 2007-2017, which offers a meticulous account of AMISOM since its deployment. Paul Williams will present insights from his book on the history and obstacles of AMISOM, and address how AMISOM’s funders and troop contributors envision its future. Amanda Dory, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for African Affairs, will then weigh in on potential avenues through which AMISOM could transition from Somalia.
This event is made possible by the generous support of CSIS.
Please join us to celebrate World Humanitarian Day with Administrator Mark Green of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). World Humanitarian Day is an international celebration that commemorates both the accomplishments and sacrifices of humanitarian aid personnel who work in difficult and dangerous environments. Without their dedication to humanity, the delivery of life-saving aid and technical support to millions across the globe would not be possible. The discussion will focus on the future of humanitarian assistance, evolving challenges in the aid community, and U.S. leadership within this sector moving forward. We look forward to your attendance and participation to celebrate this special day.
The world faces complex challenges posed by a growing and aging population, forced migration, persistent poverty, urbanization, and a series of technological disruptions impacting labor. The world needs 600 million new jobs over the next 15 years just to keep up with current demand. If channeled correctly, population growth could lead to a demographic dividend. Otherwise, this wave of human energy will be lost. The adage remains true: the best social program (and best national security policy) is a job.
Institutions like the International Labor Organization (ILO) have many roles to play in this changing world: agenda setter, capacity builder, convener, and trusted partner. A tri-partite organization made up of government, labor, and the private sector, the ILO seeks to bridge differences and build a common approach. The ILO was stood up in the belief that societies are interdependent and that labor unions need thriving businesses that, in turn, want clear rules of the game and a productive and happy workforce.
As the ILO approaches 100 years of service, it has formed a Global Commission on the Future of Work. The Global Commission has convened several national dialogues seeking to understand the future of work and the changing roles of diverse stakeholders in society. Please join us for a discussion with Guy Ryder, the Director-General of the ILO as we discuss the role of the ILO in this changing context.
This event is made possible by generous support from the International Labor Organization.
The humanitarian crisis in South Sudan is the product of decades of violence and political conflict, driven by a culture of impunity, dependency, and the “weaponization of aid.” To understand this conflict better, the CSIS Humanitarian Agenda, in partnership with the CSIS Project on Prosperity and Development, hosted a panel of experts with a keynote address by Ambassador Molly Phee examining the context of the crisis and the consequences of facilitating humanitarian access in South Sudan. Discussants agreed that the violence in South Sudan is political in nature. Therefore, understanding how to work with this complex political landscape locally, regionally, and nationally is a fundamental pre-requisite to improving access to and delivery of aid. The participants were Mary Catherine “Molly” Phee, former Ambassador to South Sudan and Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Organization Affairs at the U.S. Department of State, Joel Charny, Executive Director at the Norwegian Refugee Council USA, and Kate Almquist Knopf, Director at the Africa Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University.
The current humanitarian assistance plan in South Sudan is unsustainable. In 2017 alone, the U.S. donated almost 1 billion USD of humanitarian assistance. Yet, infrastructure remains poor and insecurity plagues critical geographic areas, resulting in costly air operations to transport people and goods. According to the speakers, the fundamental driver of humanitarian challenges in South Sudan is the longstanding political conflict based on broad and unresolved differences between South Sudanese leaders. Despite the international community’s best efforts, armed groups continue to use humanitarian assistance as part of a strategy to maintain power and control civilian populations.
To adequately address South Sudan’s humanitarian crisis, the speakers agreed that donors and implementers need to work together to prioritize access and outcomes at a community level, replacing failed “redlines” at the national level. They asked that the Juba government be a better partner in enabling access while urging the international community to strive for policy changes that would restore South Sudanese agency and prioritize justice and accountability to improve outcomes for the people of South Sudan. Speakers also agreed that a solution to this crisis is contingent on unifying approaches between donors and implementers to break the cycle of impunity and dependency.
Access Challenges and Impunity
Humanitarian assistance has changed considerably over the past few decades; today’s humanitarian workers are operating in areas of protracted conflict rather than predominantly responding to natural disasters. These protracted humanitarian crises are further affected by numerous challenges, such as shifting political realities and frontline negotiations.
According to Ambassador Phee, a significant challenge facing humanitarian assistance programs in South Sudan is a “culture of impunity.” She stated that “no matter what they do they think the West will provide aid. So, they can kill humanitarian workers, they can detain them, they can extort money, they can prevent access.” Consequently, there is a dependency on foreign assistance as a source of revenue and a “weaponization of aid” by armed forces who selectively distribute aid to civilians. Similarly, Almquist Knopf argued that in places where the markets have collapsed, aid is being used to turn the wheels of a stalled economy.
Moreover, speakers discussed the effects of putting assistance into a resource-starved and heavily politicized environment, where armed actors often use civilian populations as part of their military strategies. According to Almquist Knopf, there is a need for those studying this conflict to understand how government forces are using assistance as a weapon. Charny emphasized the humanitarian imperative...
The CSIS Global Health Policy Center will host a public event to highlight lessons learned from the 5-year Saving Mothers, Giving Life (SMGL) initiative. SMGL is a public-private partnership to dramatically reduce maternal and newborn mortality, implemented in Zambia, Uganda, and Nigeria. SMGL was unique in the way it brought together partners across U.S. Government health programs and agencies, as well as external partners and host governments to focus on a singular goal. The event will feature a presentation of the outcomes of 5 years of SMGL programming followed by three high-level panel discussions that will highlight the successes and challenges of the innovative partnership.
Welcome & Opening Remarks:
Sara M. Allinder,**** Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Global Health Policy Center
Presentation of Outcomes:
Mitchell Wolfe, Chief Medical Officer and Acting Director, Washington Office, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Panel 1: Partner Country Experiences
Jesca Nsungwa Sabiiti, Ag. Commissioner, Community Health, Ministry of Health, Uganda
Kennedy Malama,Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Zambia
Inyang Asibong, Commissioner for Health, Cross River State, Nigeria
Moderated by:
Janet Fleischman, Senior Associate, CSIS Global Health Policy Center
Panel 2: Reflections from SMGL Leadership Council Partners
Jessica Bowers, Director of Grants Program, Every Mother Counts
Mary-Ann Etiebet, Executive Director, Merck for Mothers
Doug Jackson,Chief Executive Officer, Project C.U.R.E.
Herbert Peterson, Kenan Distinguished Professor, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; Past President, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
Moderated by:
Sara M. Allinder ,Deputy Director and Senior Fellow, CSIS Global Health Policy Center
Panel 3: U.S. Government Reflections on SMGL and Global Health Partnerships
Ambassador Deborah Birx, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Special Representative for Global Health Diplomacy, U.S. Department of State
Alma Crumm Golden,Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Global Health, U.S. Agency for International Development
Ambassador Scott DeLisi, Executive Director, Soarway Foundation; Former U.S. Ambassador to Uganda (2012-2015)
Moderated by:
Janet Fleischman, Senior Associate, CSIS Global Health Policy Center
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please join us on June 14th for a discussion of successful models for private sector-led economic growth in Africa.
, from the Initiative for Global Development (IGD), will frame the conversation. What are the successful models of private sector-led economic growth in Africa and how do they translate to other regions? What can U.S. private sector actors learn from these models? “Pioneering New Operating Models and Measurement Techniques for Private Sector-Led Development: Assessing Impact in Nigeria’s Niger Delta”The panel session will build off recent work at CSIS with a closer look at how market-based approaches to development can help drive sustainable change and economic opportunity in Africa. The report,
Please join us at CSIS (1616 Rhode Island Avenue NW, Washington, D.C. 20036) for this important discussion.
This event is organized in collaboration with the Initiative for Global Development (IGD). IGD is a Washington, DC-based nonprofit organization that engages and harnesses the power of the private sector to advance sustainable development and inclusive growth in Africa through business investment. This event is part of the "Chevron Forum for Development" series and made possible with general support from Chevron.
Addressing global hunger, poverty, and malnutrition has become a critical U.S. foreign policy objective and a national security measure. Whole-of-government efforts to increase agricultural production and reduce child malnutrition in target countries have earned bipartisan Congressional support and leadership, as demonstrated by the historic passage of the U.S. Global Food Security Act in July 2016. With the legislation up for reauthorization this summer, now is the time to reflect on the impact of U.S. investments in food and nutrition and the importance of sustaining U.S. leadership in global food security.
Join us to hear from Representative Betty McCollum (D-MN) and Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ), the co-sponsors of the House legislation that would reauthorize the Act through fiscal year 2021. The program will include reflections from all the former and current leaders of the U.S. government global hunger and food security initiative, Feed the Future. The panel will look back at the impact and evolution of the U.S. interagency endeavor since its start in 2010.
The public event will be from 4:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. with a networking reception to follow until 6:00 p.m.
This event is made possible through the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Please join us for a public event on how to improve governments' capability to prepare, procure, and manage Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) better.
Today, approximately 1.06 billion people live without electricity. 2.1 billion people lack access to safely managed drinking water. 250 million children in the world cannot read, write, or do basic math. Especially in developing countries, we need more and better infrastructure as well as other basic services. Yet, countries around the world struggle to find expertise and money to deliver.
Public Private Partnerships are a potent tool in governments’ arsenals, but can be tricky to get right. A new World Bank Group report says that governments still lag in preparing, procuring, and managing PPPs well. It offers recommendations to improve the quality of regulations and better deliver infrastructure service through PPPs.
Please join us for a panel discussion on Procuring Infrastructure PPPs 2018on April 17.
Early lunch begins at 11:30 a.m.
This event is made possible with generous support from the World Bank Group.
Please join us on Friday, April 6 for a public panel discussion on the proposed International Development Finance Corporation.
The U.S. needs more and better development finance capacities to complement its traditional foreign assistance capacities. As you know, the U.S. Congress has proposed the BUILD Act, new legislation to create a new International Development Finance Corporation to respond to this important need. Regardless of the final organizational arrangements, the proposed IDFC and USAID will need to work closely together. The current version of the BUILD Act addresses this need by proposing the move of USAID's Development Credit Authority (DCA), future enterprise funds, and USAID's Private Capital Group into the proposed IDFC.
This discussion will seek to answer a number of questions: what would be the best institutional arrangement between USAID and the new IDFC? Should DCA, future enterprise funds, and the Private Capital Group move to the new IDFC? What are the benefits and what are the downsides of doing this?
This event is made possible with general support to CSIS.
In partnership with the Danish Embassy in the United States, the Project on Prosperity and Development will be publishing a report entitled Blended Finance and Aligning Private Investment with Global Development.
Over the past few decades, the composition of development finance has flipped from being primarily funded through public-sector resources to intensified interest and investment from the private sector. Blended finance is one method to unlock private capital for development, referring to structuring global development investment deals with a mixed portfolio of public and private funds to spread and smooth risk-reward profiles, “crowd in” catalytic private investment in sustainable financing, and create markets in developing and new contexts.
Blended finance aims to manage, transfer, or mitigate the risk inherent or perceived in the developing world, while also producing a return and creating jobs and growth through investments that otherwise would not exist. Some estimates place the global market size for blended finance at $50 billion, with projections to double over the next few years.
Now, the Project on Prosperity and Development launches this new report to evaluate the impacts, opportunities, and challenges for blended finance in global development. Please join us for this timely conversation on development finance.
This event is made possible through generous support from the Royal Embassy of Denmark.
Current social movements have focused an overdue spotlight on the disadvantages faced by women and girls around the world. Join us for a discussion of both the challenges of persistent gender inequality and the inspiring strength and resilience of women and girls, especially vis-à-vis their contributions to food and nutrition security in unstable environments.
Natural and manmade disasters often reinforce and even augment gender disparities, undermining women’s prospects for recovery. The long-term and intergenerational consequences of malnutrition are also disproportionately borne by women. In light of compelling evidence that gender-sensitive investments yield impressive returns in agricultural and nutrition programming, are development stakeholders sufficiently focused on women’s empowerment? How can we better harness and leverage the strength of women as change agents in both the humanitarian and development context?
This dialogue is part of the joint CSIS Global Food Security Project and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Liaison Office for North America speaker series on agricultural development.
In the last 10 years, the United States has given almost $90 billion of foreign aid to Africa. During this time, China has become the number one exporter of goods to 19 out of the 48 sub-Saharan African countries as listed by the World Bank. Back in 2001, China was number one exporter to only one sub-Saharan African country. Is the United States willing to spend over $9 billion a year in sub-Saharan Africa and then allow countries like China and India take all the emerging business opportunities? Strong partnerships between African countries and China have major geostrategic and national security implications for the United States and the Trump administration. We need to leverage and expand on our current assets, including our traditional foreign assistance as well innovations such as Power Africa, and leverage our trade and financial institutions to help level the playing field for American businesses in Africa. To see our recommendations for the White House, Congress, business leaders, and U.S. government agencies, check out our recent commentary.
Now is the time to have this important discussion. Please join us for opening remarks from Erin Walsh and a public panel discussion on February 23.
This event was made possible by general support to CSIS.
Please join the Human Rights Initiative for a discussion about civil society resiliency and sustainability. The current phenomenon of closing civic space prompts civil society actors to explore alternative programmatic and funding models and approaches to sustain their work. It also urges donors to find ways that mutually respond to the challenges confronted by civil society organizations and to their funding priorities. During this event, experts will discuss adaptability challenges both donors and civil society organizations face within restrictive environments, and how best to address them. Panelists will also present on recent reports published through the International Consortium on Closing Civic Space.
This event is made possible by support from the Oak Foundation and the Mott Foundation.
For nearly twenty years, Boko Haram has menaced Nigeria and its neighbors. Join Dr. Alexander Thurston as he discusses his new book, which details the history of one of the world’s deadliest jihadist groups from its genesis in northeastern Nigeria in the early 2000s through its most infamous acts of violence and its 2015 alliance with the Islamic State. Dr. Thurston will be joined by two CSIS experts on African security: Africa Program director, Jennifer G. Cooke, and International Security Program Senior Fellow, Alice Hunt Friend, who will share their insights into Boko Haram and terrorism in northern Africa in general.
Copies of Boko Haram: The History of an African Jihadist Movement, will be available for sale before and after the event.
This event was made possible by the support of the Smith Richardson Foundation.
Countries experiencing significant fragility, while amounting to about 20 percent of the world’s population, are projected to be home to 80 percent of the world’s extremely poor by 2035. Societies affected by poor governance, limited institutional capability, low social cohesion, and weak legitimacy tend to exhibit erosion of the social contract, diminished societal resilience, and low levels of economic and human development. Spillover effects of fragility include increased risks of armed conflicts, forced migration, spread of diseases, organized crime, and terrorism. Ambassador Michel’s report places these challenges to security and development posed by fragility in the context of centuries-long trends toward declining violence and increased prosperity and freedom.
Please join us for the report launch and an expert-panel discussion on Managing Fragility and Promoting Resilience to Advance Peace, Security, and Sustainable Development.
This event was made possible by general support to CSIS.
Please join us for a presentation and armchair discussion with Alex de Waal, the author of “Mass Starvation: The History and Future of Famine.” Considered one of the leading experts on Sudan and the Horn of Africa, de Waal has crafted a comprehensive history of modern famines and the factors that influence their origins, duration, and severity in his latest book. This work is particularly timely with an unprecedented number of countries facing possible famine conditions in 2018—Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, Yemen, and Ethiopia.
De Waal refutes the persistent belief that famines are the result of natural disasters and overpopulation. Instead, he argues that famines are man-made. De Waal analyzes connections between the international community’s political decisions and the trajectory and severity of mass starvation. How could the United States and other global leaders play a more effective role in preventing and responding to famines? With better policies to strengthen democracy and governance, address the root causes of conflict, and ensure humanitarian access, can famine be eradicated?
The book will be available for purchase at the event.
The CSIS Energy & National Security Program is pleased to host Peter Fraser, Head of Division for Gas, Coal, and Power Markets at the International Energy Agency, for the U.S. launch of the IEA's Coal 2017: Analysis and Forecasts to 2022.
The future of coal - the world's dominant fuel for more than a century - continues to be one of the most pressing questions in the energy sector. Coal is under pressure in many regions of the world for its contribution to greenhouse gases. In power generation, fast-growing renewables and cheap, abundant natural gas have also complicated coal's future.
The IEA's Coal 2017 report provides a comprehensive analysis of recent trends and forecast through 2022 of coal demand, supply, and trade at both a global and regional level. The report's insights help to explain the current developments in coal markets and provide a window into the fuel's future over the next five years.
Agricultural markets are more connected and capable of delivering economic opportunity and food security today than ever before. As agricultural markets have evolved, so have the rules and regulations governing agricultural trade and value chains. For smallholder farmers in countries like Kenya and India, this new landscape presents both new opportunities and daunting challenges. A bottom-up approach to agricultural policy and regulation is necessary to bridge the needs at the farm with the requirements of the market.
Please join us for the launch of the report The Human Face of Trade: Lessons on the Enabling Environment from Kenya and India, which combines field research with concrete policy recommendations. How should the rules and regulations of agricultural trade be approached in the context of food security? How does the U.S. foster an enabling environment for agriculture through its Global Food Security Strategy?
Reception to follow the main event.
Russian efforts to influence the outcome of the 2016 U.S. presidential election drew attention to the problem of ‘fake news’ and media manipulation. The dissemination of misinformation through social media and mainstream news outlets is a global one, and Africa has not been spared. Join us for a discussion of the threat and what can be done about it, featuring case studies from Kenya and South Africa.
The 2014 Farm Bill – a critical piece of legislation that authorizes a multitude of U.S. food and agricultural programs – is up for renewal in 2018. Funding for agricultural research constitutes only a small fraction of the total Farm Bill budget. However, Farm Bill authorizations are the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s primary source of revenue for conducting agricultural science, extension, and education programming through both its own agencies and Land Grant institutions.
Despite high rates of return on investment, U.S. public spending on agricultural research and development (R&D) has remained flat while funding for other federal science agencies has soared. Stagnant agricultural R&D investments in the United States increasingly fall behind the investments of our global partners and competitors. Chinese public spending on agricultural research has surpassed that of the U.S. since 2008.
Join us for a discussion on research funding and priorities in the next Farm Bill, and the implications of U.S. agricultural R&D for both the domestic agriculture sector and for global food security. How should we understand the nexus between U.S. agricultural innovation, global food production, and economic stability? How can we better facilitate the transfer of agricultural research and technologies to developing countries? How could the next Farm Bill allow and spur the U.S. scientific community to develop research and technologies with international applications? How does the Farm Bill relate to the U.S. Global Food Security Strategy?
“Careers in Global Development” is a monthly series featuring U.S. senior-level, multilateral and NGO officials who have worked in the field of development for at least twenty years. The series is aimed at young professionals who are interested in working in development and will include a one-hour dialogue on both the specific expertise of the speaker, as well as the career path and influences along the way. It will focus on specific areas of interest, including the role of humanitarian assistance in development and U.S. foreign policy; development as a tool to counter violent extremism; and sectoral issues such as food security, health, and education.
This session features Dr. Beth Dunford, Assistant to the Administrator in the Bureau of Food Security at USAID and Deputy Coordinator for Development for Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative. In this dual role, she coordinates implementation of Feed the Future across the U.S. Government, oversees its execution, reports on results, and leads engagement with the external community to ensure that food security remains high on the development agenda. She also oversees USAID’s technical and regional expertise focused on improving food security to sustainably reduce hunger, poverty and undernutrition. A career Foreign Service Officer, Dr. Dunford most recently served as Director of USAID’s Mission in Nepal, overseeing the country’s massive earthquake recovery and reconstruction effort. Dr. Dunford has also served in Ethiopia and Afghanistan where she directed agriculture, resilience and emergency food assistance programs. Dr. Dunford earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University and her Ph.D. in Sociology from Michigan State University.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Dunford with questions surrounding his work or career advice. Please note that your RSVP is NOT necessary should you be attending the virtual webcast.
Join the conversation on Twitter using #CSISLive and #CareersinDev
On November 8, 1942, the Allies struck their first major blow against the Axis powers as a multinational invasion force landed on the North African continent. Marking the 75th anniversary of the invasion, Meredith Hindley's new book tells the story of the refugees, exiles, spies, and soldiers in Casablanca during the fighting and the role they played in the city's liberation. Please join us as Dr. Hindley discusses the history of the operation and its broader lessons for alliances, refugee communities, and post-conflict occupations.
Please join us for a public panel discussion on the lessons that can be learned from Power Africa.
The Obama Administration’s Power Africa Initiative was arguably one of the more intriguing innovations in development in recent years. Described as an initiative that brings “together technical and legal experts, the private sector, and governments from around the world to work in partnership to increase the number of people with access to power”, Power Africa has been an attempt to work more effectively between various government agencies. It also operated under the assumption that Africa presented both development challenges and business opportunities for American workers and companies. Following the welcome remarks from Daniel F. Runde, and the opening remarks from Jennifer G. Cooke, our expert panelists will assess Power Africa's progress and look for opportunities to scale and replicate the initiative to other sectors and geographies.
Kenya faces a crisis in its democratic development following the Supreme Court’s annulment of the August presidential election result and the boycott of the re-run by Raila Odinga. Mr. Odinga will explain his reasons for withdrawing from the October 26 re-run, outline his next steps, and offer his prognosis for Kenya’s democratic health, peace, and stability.
The deaths of four U.S. soldiers in Niger earlier this month have drawn attention to the deteriorating security situation in parts of the Sahel region of Sub-Saharan Africa. The attack coincided with efforts by the Sahel nations of Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, and Niger to establish a joint military force to deal with terrorism and other threats to peace in the region. Foreign ministers from the contributing nations will discuss the G-5 Sahel joint force, outline its progress to date, and explain their strategy for engaging with external partners, including the United States and France.
Global humanitarian needs are at an unprecedented level. Right now an estimated 141 million people across 37 countries require humanitarian assistance, and the number keeps rising. In a landscape marked by protracted conflicts, natural disasters, and over 65 million displaced persons, the international community faces the daunting challenge of providing both immediate live-saving, emergency relief and long-term support for risk reduction and disaster mitigation.
Improving humanitarian assistance is a foreign policy priority. The complex, multilateral humanitarian response system is stretched and in need of reform. Funding challenges remain a primary concern, as increased humanitarian demand is far outpacing global contributions.
Please join us for a discussion on global trends in the humanitarian space as part of the official launch of the Humanitarian Agenda, a new, center-wide CSIS program created in partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA). The launch is an opportunity to reflect on evolving trends in humanitarian assistance and to discuss how the global community can more effectively deliver humanitarian aid.
Speakers will explore emerging challenges and share innovative solutions. How will fragile states and protracted conflicts impact domestic priorities, foreign policy, and the international landscape? Will the United States remain the global leader in humanitarian response? What are the best practices to prepare and respond to sequential natural disasters? What are the major gaps on-the-ground and what critical new capacities do we have to create to address them?
Please join the Center for Strategic and International Studies for a discussion on senior leadership and diversity. The conference will look at the strategic imperatives for diversifying the senior ranks of U.S. national security agencies and look at new talent management approaches in leading U.S. global companies. The event will feature a keynote address by U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, followed by two panels with senior government and corporate representatives.
9:15 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.
Welcome – Ambassador Deborah McCarthy, Executive Director, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project
Introduction of Keynote Speaker – Dr. John Hamre, CSIS President and CEO
9:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
Keynote Address - U.S. Senator Ben Cardin (D-MD), Ranking Member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.
Panel I Discussion – Diversity: The U.S. National Security Advantage
Introduction of Panel I – Ambassador Deborah McCarthy, Executive Director, Diversity and Leadership in International Affairs Project
- The Honorable Thomas A. Shannon, Under Secretary for Polticial Affairs, U.S. Department of State
- Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, Former Director General, U.S. Department of State, 2015 Economist 'Top Diversity Figures in Public Life'
- Mr. Wa'el Alzayat, Chief Executive Officer, Emgage, former Senior Advisor on Iraq and Syria, USUN
- Ms. Sandra Stanar-Johnson, Director, Equal Employment Opportunity and Diversity, NSA
10:45 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Panel II Discussion – Diversity and Inclusion: The Global Business Advantage
Introduction of Panel II – The Honorable Lauri Fitz-Pegado, Partner, The Livingston Group, LLC
- General Lester Lyles, USAF (ret.), Board Member, American Security Project, Chairman of the Board, USAA, Chairman, NASA Advisory Council
- Ms. Cynthia Bowman, Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, Bank of America, Top 50 Senior Executives Under 50, Diversity MBA Magazine
Please note that the agenda is subject to last-minute change.
We are pleased to host Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for a discussion on ending the scourge of modern slavery. The United States, international partners, and the United Nations are waging a multidimensional campaign, which combines efforts to counter illicit and terrorist financing, weapons and narcotics smuggling, and the trade in foreign fighters. The criminal activities which support and facilitate modern slavery make the United States more insecure, undermine the rule of law, and shatter the lives of the individuals and their families caught up in this lethal nexus. Following the conversation with Senator Corker, our expert panel will discuss how these networks interact and will offer pragmatic recommendations to combat modern slavery.
This conversation is made possible by generous support from the Embassy of the Principality of Liechtenstein.
While radicalization is a complex process, Salafism is widely considered the branch of Islam that constitutes the basis for the radicalization of Muslims worldwide. States in East Africa have addressed the challenge of managing jihadi Salafism differently. Drawing on his research in two Christian-majority countries, Kenya and Uganda, Dr. Elischer will explain how different state strategies for managing Islam have led to contrasting outcomes. While Uganda has successfully managed jihadi Salafism through a strong, state-led Islamic association, Kenya has lacked an effective mechanism to engage its Muslim communities in a constructive manner, suffering serious incidents of jihadi Salafi-inspired violence. Dr. Elischer will explain the implications of his research for U.S. policymakers seeking to understand radicalization in Africa.
As you know, there are an unprecedented 65.6 million people who have been forcibly displaced from their homes worldwide, and growing at a rate of 20 people per minute. The complexity and volume of this modern-day displacement often traverses previously defined categories and roles of migration formulated in the years around World War II. An estimated 1.3 million people sought asylum in the European Union (E.U.) in 2015 alone, surpassing the peak record of 670,000 following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the 1990s Yugoslavia conflict. Many European nations have incurred significant costs from migration movements. A small nation of 9.5 million, Sweden is expected to have taken in a number of refugees totaling nearly two percent of its population, more acceptances per capita than any other European nation. The fiscal cost of asylum seekers reached 1.0 percent of Sweden’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2016. In the same year, Denmark spent 0.57 percent of its GDP, and Germany spent 0.35 percent of its GDP on asylum seekers. It is generally understood that this level of displacement has had a profound and unprecedented level of impact in the humanitarian, security, and economic spaces in Europe.
How can European governments and multilateral stakeholders in the region work cohesively to develop an effective and sustainable approach to migration?
The CSIS Energy and National Security Program is pleased to host Heymi Bahar, Project Manager of the Renewable Energy Division at the International Energy Agency (IEA), for a presentation of the IEA's Renewable Energy Market Report 2017 (formerly titled Medium-Term Renewables Market Report). The report provides a detailed market analysis and overview of renewable electricity capacity and generation, biofuels production, and heat consumption, as well as a forecast for the period between 2017 and 2022. This year's report also assesses the off-grid solar market in Africa and developing Asia and the contribution of electric vehicles to renewable road transport.
Additionally, the Renewable Energy Market Report 2017 identifies a set of policy improvements in key markets that could accelerate the growth of renewables in the electricity sector as well as transport biofuels, necessary in all sectors for increased decarbonisation on track with long-term climate goals.
Kevin Book, Senior Associate (Non-resident) with the CSIS Energy & National Security Program, will moderate.