South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA)

19/06/2026

⏰ WEBINAR | Are multilateral development banks (MDBs) listening to the countries they are meant to serve?

SAIIA, in partnership with ODI Global, is hosting a webinar on 23 June to unpack the findings of a groundbreaking new report: ‘Reforming multilateral development banks: Perspectives from client countries’. It draws on an extensive online survey of nearly 650 government and officials across 125 countries, alongside 250 in-depth interviews.

Experts will discuss how can better serve their regional clients and what future presidencies should prioritise to drive meaningful reform.

➡️ Register here: https://bit.ly/4aDdxHW

We are pleased to announce our expert speakers:
👉 Annalisa Prizzon - Principal Research Fellow, ODI Global
👉 Elizabeth Sidiropoulos - Chief Executive,
👉 Dr Joseph Matola - Programme Head, Economic Resilience and Inclusion Programme, SAIIA
👉 Daniel Bradlow - Professor and Senior Research Fellow, University of Pretoria
👉 Dr Betchani Tchereni - Associate Professor, Economics, Malawi University of Business and Applied Sciences and Former Secretary to the Treasury at the Ministry of Finance in Malawi
👉 Patrick Mfungo - Assistant Director, Debt Contraction (front office), Ministry of Finance and National Planning, Zambia

16/06/2026

🆕 | The challenges facing young Africans are rooted in the systems and institutions that govern everyday life. These have transformed the issue of into a question of power, influence and access, write Litha Mzinyati and Kwakhanya Max in this article.

✊ Read more here ▶️ https://bit.ly/4vRDqMo

16/06/2026

✒️ | South Africa commemorates three significant anniversaries this year that speak of the tremendous cost at which freedom was won. Yet 50 years after one of the most pivotal moments in the country’s history, hard-won political freedom has not translated into liberty for the .

💡In this op-ed for Mail & Guardian, Isabel Bosman-Burnett and Nosipho Dube argue that one system of oppression has been replaced by another, leaving today’s youth feeling excluded and without a future.

🔗 Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/4gkN9WT

15/06/2026

⏰ IN-PERSON INVITATION | Who tells the story of war when reporters become part of the battlefield?

As warfare becomes increasingly mediated, journalists covering conflict are being targeted and killed at alarming rates.

Join Dr Richard Stupart and Associate Professor Musawenkosi W. Ndlovu as they unpack media and conflict.

📅 17 June 2026
🕛 6pm - 7:30pm
📍The Athenaeum, Cape Town

➡️ Register here: https://bit.ly/4ospiql

15/06/2026

📑 Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) can deliver truly transformative benefits, but only if it puts human rights first. Our latest report looks at Section C of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF), exploring how a human rights-based approach ensures climate action is guided by principles such as participation, non-discrimination, accountability, transparency and empowerment.

Featuring case studies from Benin and Kenya, the report demonstrates how integrating Indigenous knowledge into biodiversity planning safeguards livelihoods, drives multiple and provides lessons to strengthen state ambitions under the Rio Conventions.

➡️ Download it here: https://bit.ly/4eIDdFr

🖊️ Hannah Sack and Nadia Sitas from SouthSouthNorth

🤝 Climate and Development Knowledge Network

10/06/2026

WEBINAR | How well are Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs) actually serving client countries?

In partnership with ODI Global, we are hosting a webinar to unpack the findings of a groundbreaking new report: ‘Reforming multilateral development banks: Perspectives from client countries’.

This research draws on an extensive online survey of nearly 650 government and MDB officials across 125 countries, alongside 250 in-depth interviews.

Join us on 23 June as we bring together client country representatives, shareholders, MDB staff, and global think tanks to reflect on these findings and map out actionable paths for MDB reform.

Register here: https://saiia.org.za/event/reforming-mdbs-in-africa-what-are-the-perspectives-from-client-countries/

08/06/2026

📚 New Report | Current methodologies used by Credit Ratings Agencies disproportionately inflate risk premiums for African countries, stalling critical development.

In this policy brief, Attiya Waris outlines recommendations to address this issue, based on ongoing work aimed at structuring and establishing an African CRA, along with global discussions on the establishment of a global fiscal body to better address global fiscal shortcomings.

The AU supports establishing the Africa Credit Rating Agency to reduce bias against African sovereigns and better reflect African economies.

02/06/2026

📚 RESEARCH: While many African countries experience or are at risk of distress, governments remain reluctant to pursue restructuring due to concerns about rating downgrades, currency depreciation, and declining investor confidence.

⚖️ Calls have been made for a restructuring mechanism to ensure fairer, faster and more coordinated responses to debt crises, writes Attiya Waris.

🔗 Read more here ➡️ https://bit.ly/4v1jZ37

29/05/2026

📚 RESEARCH | African abstentions at the are frequently framed as simply engaging in fence-sitting, but their behaviour can be understood as a strategic approach shaped by historical experience, structural constraints and a desire to protect policy .

Mandira Bagwandeen, Gustavo de Carvalho and Tim Murithi argue that African states are increasingly using strategic autonomy, -building and selective engagement to navigate intensifying rivalry and a fragmented .

🔗 Read more here 👉 https://bit.ly/4uprAZz

28/05/2026

⏰ REGISTER NOW | Join us on 11 June for a hybrid dialogue hosted by SAIIA, in partnership with AUDA NEPAD where we reflect on the legacy of South Africa’s .

This dialogue will examine the implications of the US’s G20 priorities for and explore how coordination with future presidencies, including the UK, can sustain momentum on issues of strategic importance to the continent.

Join the conversation!

Event details:
📅 11 June 2026
⌚ 9am – 2pm SAST
💻 Online: Zoom
📍 In person: Sun International Time Square, Pretoria

🔔 For more information and to register, visit ➡️ https://bit.ly/g20dialogue