Lead Partner: World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Begun in 1999, the Cement Sustainability Initiative is a contribution of 10 major cement companies working with the WBCSD toward sustainable development. The purpose of the initiative is to:
¿ Explore what sustainable development means for the cement industry
¿ Identify and facilitate actions that companies can take as a group and individually to accelerate the move toward more sustainable practices
¿ Provide a framework through which other cement companies can learn and participate
¿ Provide a framework for engaging external stakeholders
The partnership will extend over a number of years as the cement industry develops, implements, and communicates a series of guidelines and good practices to be applied to the areas of (1) climate change management, (2) use of fuels and raw materials, (3) employee health and safety, (4) emissions reduction, (5) land use and local impacts, and (6) internal business processes. [more]
Lead Partner: European Commission
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Development Objectives: The Initiative aims to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people in extreme poverty and other MDGs by 2015, through the provision of adequate, affordable, sustainable energy services. This will be achieved within the context of beneficiary country driven activities.
Immediate Objectives: Through the Initiative the EU proposes to establish "Energy Access Partnerships" with developing countries, with the involvement of the private sector and civil society, that will develop in response to the energy needs of developing countries and regions. Through these Partnerships, donors will work with developing countries to help identify energy needs and necessary assistance to create the economic, social and institutional conditions that will enable their energy needs to be met.
The aim of the Partnerships is to enable the EU and its developing country partners, and other stakeholders, to work together to improve efforts for increasing access to energy services, particularly for poor women and men, based on their specific circumstances and requirements. Gender issues will be mainstreamed in all aspects of the Initiative. The Partnerships will ensure that existing energy activities and other initiatives will be well co-ordinated to provide coherent packages. They will be based on existing organisations, structures and procedures. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory - Italian Agency for the Protection of the Environment and for Technical Services (APAT)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: The availability of more reliable information concerning GHG emissions will enable countries with economies in transition and developing countries to comply with their obligations under the UNFCCC, namely the preparation and submission of GHG inventories and national communications, and to actively participate in Joint Implementation and Clean Development Mechanism activities.
This partnership aims therefore at supporting the preparation of consistent and reliable GHG inventories in Mediterranean countries, through exchange of information on activity indicators and emission factors, identification of QA/QC procedures and development of common methodologies.
It builds on the work of the MeditAIRaneo project, currently financed by APAT, which involves government agencies responsible for the preparation of air emission inventories in the northern shore of the Mediterranean. The expertise and the tools developed in the frame of this project (experts' network, web-site, know-how concerning Mediterranean specificities about atmospheric emissions) will be used for the development of this partnership. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Comune di Procida
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Network of European Alimentary Culture (NEAC) aims at highlighting that a strong European identity is essential and complementary to a strong local/regional identity.
A person who understands his/her own region is much better equipped to go out into Europe and to find his or her place as an active European citizen within the expanding European Union. All that based on the assumption that alimentary culture reflects a vivid image of society. Food seen, therefore, as an anthropological paradigm of society and analyzed from a variety of viewpoints constituting a repertoire which has as its objective to highlight the complexity of European food culture, acknowledging the present reality and value that it can assume.
This project is highly supportive of equal opportunities for marginalized groups, such as persons with disabilities, women, different races. Finally, our own partnership is based on cooperation of fellow teachers and researchers, both men as well as women, standing therefore for equality of chance between different genders.
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Lead Partner: Government of Spain - Government of the Basque Country - Nrg4SD Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Nrg4SD Network was formed by the "regional governments" -understood as the largest and first level of political subdivision within an individual state represented at the UN but which is above de municipal level- that attended the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development, to share information and experience about sustainable development policy-making at the regional level of governance. They agreed the `Gauteng Declaration' which is the founding document of the Network. Nrg4SD promotes understanding, collaboration and partnerships in sustainable development and seeks greater international recognition of the importance of the contribution which regions make to sustainable development. Nrg4SD aims to be a voice for, and to represent, regional governments at the global level, promoting sustainable development at regional level around the world. Nrg4SD has members from the five United Nations (UN) regions of the globe and focal points in each of them. [more]