What is valuable in society and how shall we protect it? This report, written by David Bollier, draws upon three days of discussion by twenty thinkers and activists convened by the Commons Strategies Group.

Michel Bauwens and Vasilis Niaros of the P2P Foundation explore how new value regimes - such as for example open and contributory value accounting practices - can represent a shift towards post-capitalist practices.

Informed by the discussions at an international conference jointly organised by the German Development Institute, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and Stanford University on “Emerging Power or Fading Star? South Africa’s Role on the Continent and Beyond”, held 12–14 July 2016 in Cape Town, the articles gathered in this edition of Perspectives shed light on some of the nuances and challenges that define South Africa’s place in the world today.

The greatest threat facing the Islamic Republic of Iran today is not political, nor economic, but environmental. This report takes stock of the urgent environmental crisis, and assesses the capabilities of civil society and the Iranian authorities to develop and implement effective solutions.

The Guanabara Bay is one of Rio de Janeiros postcard symbols and venue for the regattas of the Olympic Games 2016. This book by journalist Emanuel Alencar shows that the Olympic Games passed without fulfilling one of its important promises: the clean-up of the bay.

Public space is not gender neutral. This publication brings together articles written on the basis of materials from the 5th International Gender Workshop in Tbilisi in March 2016. It shows that the history of feminism is a history not only of fighting, but also one of winning.

Year 2015 had defined the future agenda of renewable energy (RE) for the coming decades. As regards, the UN General Assembly adopted “Affordable and Clean Energy” as a sustainable development goal. Later, historic Paris Agreement suggested to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2050 which is impossible without large-scale RE production. The year 2016 also witnessed record level of RE investment and capacity addition indicating a strong business case in future. Even though, RE has been termed vital to achieve sustainable development goals, some challenges still persist, especially in developing counties, including Pakistan. Third in a series – this policy paper not only discusses the barriers hampering wind power growth in Pakistan but also provides various policy and capacity building tools to overcome problems in areas such as: a) effective management of renewable energy integration; b) better understanding for RE costs and tariff determination; and c) financial modelling techniques for better financial close.  

In terms of having water resources, Afghanistan has a considerable advantage in comparison to its neighbors. However, war and other various factors have limited the country’s ability to make use of these resources. Water infrastructure—including dams, water storage tanks, irrigation and water supply networks, hydrometric stations and metrology systems, and sewage and sanitation systems—is limited and inefficient.

Without civic engagement and participation, democratization cannot succeed. This publication sheds light on the complex mechanisms of shrinking spaces in the Western Balkans, provides analyses, and develops adequate countermeasures.

In recent years, the role and position of civil society organizations in dealing with local and regional crises are seen considering a new approach that requires finding common grounds, exchange of ideas and cooperation among civil society organizations functional in that specific region. Afghanistan and Pakistan have had complex and at times fragile political and security relations and in the meanwhile the two countries are tied in an unavoidable and undeniable trade and economic interdependency.