Lead Partner: Government of South Africa - Eskom (South Africa National Electric Utility)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: A primary requirement to assist in the electrification of Africa is to complete the interconnectors between the various countries and their respective utilities, so that Africa has one interconnected transmission grid. The transmission interconnectors are predicated on the basis that, while some countries and/or regions have excess generation capacity, others are experiencing shortages, with serious consequences for their economic and social development. While it is technically possible for each country to develop sufficient energy resources to meet their needs in the medium to longer term, this approach ignores the economic and environmental efficiencies possible through regional co-operation. This is viewed as an important first step, as it allows undersupplied countries, or countries supplied primarily by hydro-electricity, who are subject to fluctuations in supply during drought cycles, to have immediate access to a pool of electricity when required, and to contribute to such a pool when water levels are high. This facilitates uninterrupted power supply throughout Africa.
The initiative supports the diversification of electricity sources and socio-economic development. Apart from supporting NEPAD and adhering to best environmental practice, detailed design of the project will take into account synergies with existing sustainable development initiatives, such as the Peace Parks initiative, eradication of land mines and improvement of local infrastructure. The partnership aims include improving capacity for regional and sub-continental electricity trading. [more]
Lead Partner: Environment General Agency - Environment General Agency - Environment General Agency
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The main objectives of the initiative are:
♦ To critically assess successes and failures in implementing Rio decisions in each member AU country
♦ To focus on the identification of accomplishments and areas where further efforts are needed to implement Agenda 21.
♦ To ensure that all members of African Union must have a safer more prosperous future by dealing with environment protection economic development and social development issues inbalanced manner.
♦ Accelerated economic and social development of Africa with better care for environment
♦ Awareness raising at regional, national and local level and further promote Agenda 21 in Africa. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) - International Telecommunication Union (ITU)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: In preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and in the framework of the New Partnership for Africa's Development, the partners of this initiative have agreed to jointly develop a capacity building programme on the applications of Information and Communication Technologies for the establishment of Environmental Information Systems for Sustainable Development in Africa.
This partnership aims at initiating a national and sub regional capacity building programme, on the applications of the new information and communication technologies for the establishment of environmental information management and monitoring systems in Africa. It aims at generating adequate conditions for the establishment of a coherent and efficient institutional framework, and the development and appropriation of technological tools for the accessing, exchange and circulation of useful information.
Significant efforts are being made to manage natural resources and the environment, involving scientific and technical research, the implementation of appropriate programmes and projects in the field, and the harnessing of local know-how. The results, in the form of products, information and data, represent a unique scientific, technical and cultural heritage for sustainable development and the fight against poverty in Africa.
However, it has to be recognized that this information heritage is often dispersed on account of sectoral compartmentalization at the inter-institutional level, resulting of an apparent lack of information at the local level which contradicts the existence in reality of an information heritage within national and international institutions or bodies specializing in Africa throughout the world. This loss of "institutional memory" is now recognized as being one of the major obstacles to sustainable development in Africa.
The general objective of this initiative is to provide countries and regional organizations with systems for the validation, circulation and harnessing of relevant environmental information with a view to strengthening the participative approach at the different decision-making and operational levels and thereby promoting enlightened decision-making.
Specific objectives of the partnership are to respond to the needs expressed by a large number of environmental stakeholders in developing countries. As well as being a technological tool, it seeks to encourage the environmental community to share experiences and information heritage, balancing information supply and demand.
This approach aims to create a synergy of both human and financial resources, establishing environmental information systems within national programmes such as national development plans, national environmental action plans, poverty eradication plans, etc. It will also catalyze the development of National and Regional Spatial Data Infrastructures (NSDI and RSDI) for use in planning and decision making for sustainable development [more]
Lead Partner: Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The objective is ambitious forested tropical countries collaborating to reconcile forest stewardship with economic development: facilitating new and improved revenue streams in order to underpin community-driven environmentally sustainable economic growth.
The Rainforest Coalition will facilitate substantive change within existing international frameworks, national regulations, and corporate policies. Specific to Coalition Initiatives, the Rainforest Coalition will:
Standards: Establish methodologies, standards and compliance & reporting procedures related to rainforest management, biodiversity conservation, sustainable development and climate change
Regulation: Institute domestic regulatory frameworks which uphold the policies and standards developed by the membership while seeking appropriate reform within international regulatory frameworks
Market Access: Facilitate market correction leading to more equitable market access within international markets for carbon emissions trading and certified forest products
Negotiation: Develop a cohesive negotiation platform related to the standards, regulation and market access which underpin the interaction between Developing Nations and Industrialized Economies. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Department of State - Government of United States of America - U.S. Department of State
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Central Africa- Congo Basin Summary: The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) aims to promote the sustainable management of the Congo Basins' forests and wildlife by improving communication, cooperation, and collaboration among all the partners. It does not intend to create new institutions, but through the partnership forum and transparency and information sharing to assist partners and their associates to work better. Principal objectives include the preservation of the biodiversity and ecology of the forest and wildlife, placing their protection and use on a sustainable basis for the long-term benefit of the region's inhabitants. Examples of support contemplated or extended by partners include support for community-based sustainable forest and wildlife management, better timber harvesting and processing technologies, ecotourism, increasing capacity in public and private sectors, improvement of law and law enforcement infrastructures, realizing their contributions to the alleviation of poverty. Target themes are provided by an updated regional master plan being developed by the Conference of Ministers of Forests of Central Africa (COMIFAC).The Congo Basin forest is the second largest intact tropical forest in the world. It purifies the air and it catches, cleans, and sends to the ocean the waters from millions of hectares of pristine forests upon which the Congo Basin's inhabitants depend for their livelihood and survival. Within their forests are an incredible number of species of plants, trees, animals, and insects. The forest is a global treasure whose resources must be protected and conserved for the environmental and economic good of the citizens of the Congo Basin, of Africa, and for mankind. The forest is concentrated in six countries in the Congo Basin Region.
The framework for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership is the Yaounde Declaration which was agreed to in 1999 by central African heads of State. That framework aims to protect forests through the harmonization of forest policies, protected areas, regulations against poaching and the adoption of practices for sustainable forest use. It recognized the ecological significance of key mixed landscapes which are critical to longer term forest conservation and sustainable management
[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 of Foreign Affairs - International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The initiative intends to set-up a global research and training programme, specifically directed to African scientists, in collaboration with the Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDDMM) at the University of Cape Town (South Africa), with the aim of finalising a feasibility study fro the set-up an African Regional Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The initiative is also in line with the "Cape Town Declaration" and the "Cape Town Initiative", endorsed by the Governments of South Africa and Italy, in March 2002, during the State Visit to South Africa of the President of the Italian Republic, which identifies the essential role of science and technology for sustainable development.
[more]
Lead Partner: Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) - Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Southern Africa Summary: The Expanded OUZIT Project is an integrated tourism development strategy aimed at establishing a comprehensive tourism and resource development zone in SADC.
The agreed project roll out would see the Expanded OUZIT project proceed on two parallel tracks:
a) As an integral part of the WSSD - focused on presenting SADC's TFCA's (Transfrontier Conservation Areas) - proposed and existing, as a unifying theme demonstrating the region's commitment and leadership in the preservation of bio-diversity, the conservation of two of the region's last remaining and largely untapped river systems (i.e. Okavango, and Zambezi), and as a vehicle for the upliftment and sustainable development for the rural poor.
b) The second track for progressing the Expanded OUZIT will be project driven and draw upon the TFCA scoping study.
Accordingly the agreed project roll out will:
1. Identify and prepare documentation for at least three (3) new large-scale investments in Resort Hubs around which to network TFCAs.
2. Support Capacity Building in the management and expansion of Gateway/Resort Hubs in participating member states.
3. Identify high profile and active global investors (including airlines and major tour operators) and organize a programme to engage them.
4. Address bottlenecks (infrastructure, policy, financial, load factors) impeding the provision of long haul and inter-regional air transport services. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Main objective of the Partnership is to lift the threat of imminent or medium term extinction faced by the four main kinds of great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
The immediate objectives leading to the achievement of the Partnership's goal include;
- To promote the Global Strategy for the Survival of Great Apes and Their Habitat;
- To determine the potential of sites, monitor populations of great apes and establish a database of great ape population information;
- To collate and analyse existing projects and initiatives at different levels, in order to identify gaps and set priorities in action and to encourage coordination and cooperation;
- To encourage range States to prepare and implement national action plans for the survival of great ape populations and their habitat and ensure that they have the necessary resources to do so;
- To prioritize the use of resources for optimum effectiveness and identify funding areas that are currently neglected and underfunded;
- To promote and enforce a legal framework for the survival of great apes and their habitat in the countries concerned;
- To identify and support income-generating initiatives for the benefit of communities living in and around great ape habitat and protected areas, with due consideration for indigenous communities and to ensure, where it becomes imperative to resettle indigenous people in conformity with United Nations guidelines, that compensation is paid with international support;
- To educate and raise awareness among local populations;
- To help generate new and additional funds for the survival of great apes and their habitat and to ensure that the international community in the widest sense (donor States, international organizations and institutions, non-governmental organizations and representatives of private business and industry) provides effective and coherent support to the efforts being made by the great ape range States.
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Mountain Partnership is a voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the well-being, livelihoods and opportunities of mountain people and the protection and stewardship of mountain environments around the world. The Mountain Partnership taps the wealth and diversity of resources, knowledge, skills and expertise of its members to support positive change in mountain areas. The Partnership was launched as a type-2 outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002: the basic concept and guiding principles of the Mountain Partnership resulted from a consultative process that took place during the preparatory sessions of the WSSD with its core document (known as the Bali Document) finalized at the Fourth Session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Bali, Indonesia, 27 May - 7June 2002). Commitment to the Mountain Partnership has increased rapidly at the country, regional and international levels and concrete action is now underway to improve the lives of mountain people and protect mountain environments around the world. By March 2009, 50 countries, 16 intergovernmental organizations and 96 major group organizations (e.g. civil society, NGOs, private sector) had already joined the Mountain Partnership. A Mountain Partnership Secretariat, with financial support from the governments of Italy and Switzerland, is hosted at the central level by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Decentralized hubs of the secretariat have also been established in Latin America (hosted by CONDESAN), Asia Pacific (hosted by ICIMOD) and North America (hosted by the Banff Centre) and an Environmental Reference Centre is hosted by UNEP to provide guidance and support on environmental issues related to the Mountain Partnership.
The Mountain Partnership facilitates the effective and efficient implementation of Chapter 13, Agenda 21 and promotes, inter alia, joint initiatives based on paragraph 42 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and other related instruments regarding mountains, by enhancing on-the-ground action and by working at the policy, programme and project levels. Specific partnership initiatives have been identified by members and are focussing on priority areas of action, such as biodiversity, education, gender, policy and law, research, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable agriculture and rural development in mountains (SARD-M) and watershed management. Additionally, geographically-focussed Initiatives have been launched and are operational in the Andes, Central Asia, Europe, the Hindu Kush Himalaya and other regions. New initiatives are developed as new priority areas are identified by members. Linkages between partnership initiatives are being encouraged at the local, national, regional and global levels, with members entering into specific initiatives according to their priorities, needs and capacities.
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Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - University of Trieste - Southern African Development Community Forestry Sector Technical Coordination Unit (SADC-FSTCU)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional SADC Summary: Building upon regional development potentials and institutional consensus of the SADC Secretariat and its member states, the capacity building and development contribution of the previous DGCS_SADC cooperation project (SECOSUD I) represents a solid foundation for the present partnership initiative.
The general aim of this partnership is to produce and establish a network of management oriented spatial decision support systems (SDSS) to promote the sustainable use of natural resources by private and public stakeholders while ensuring the durable social and economic development of rural areas situated in the SADC region affected by strong growing human pressure. The SDSS will be addressed specifically to Sustainable Management of Biological Resources (SMBR) by promoting the conservation of native plants economically useful compatibly with the long-term equitable economic growth and enhancement of productive capacity in rural areas. The network will comprise informatics tools with nodes located at selected Institutions that will:
- help understand the interactions between economically useful plants and the environment where they spontaneously grow and where they are cultivated,
- provide services to improve plant productivity without compromising the biological diversity of the region. [more]
Lead Partner: Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Nile Basin Summary: (Vision); To achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from the common Nile Basin water resources.
Objectives;
1. to develop the Water resources of the Nile in a sustainable and equitable way to ensure prosperity, security and peace for all its people
2. to ensure efficient water management and the optimal use of the resources
3. to ensure cooperation and joint action between the riparian countries, seeking win-win gains
4. to target poverty eradication and promote economic integration
5. to ensure that the program results in a move from planning to action
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Division of Policy Development and Law (DPDL)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The partners will work to:
- Help developing countries to develop action plans to complete the elimination of leaded gasoline by end 2008
- Start to phase down sulfur in diesel and gasoline fuels, long-term objective to be 50 ppm and below
-Concurrent with the aboveadopting cleaner vehicle requirements;
- Support the development and adoption of cleaner fuel standards and clean vehicle requirements by providing a platform for exchange of experiences and successful practices in developed and developing countries as well as technical assistance;
- Develop public outreach materials, educational programs, and awareness campaigns; adapt economic and planning tools for clean fuels and vehicles analyses in local settings; and support the development of enforcement and compliance programs, with an initial focus on fuel adulteration;
- Foster key partnerships between government and industry, NGOs, and other interested parties within a country and between countries to facilitate the implementation of cleaner fuel and vehicle commitments. [more]
Lead Partner: The Global Mechanism of the UNCCD
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Southern Africa Summary: This partnership seeks to link inter-governmental processes in Southern Africa with activities of the Non-governmental Organizations and Community Based Organizations. The partners commit to prepare and implement, disseminate information about, and follow-up to, activities supporting the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification. In particular, the partnership is, on a long-term basis, focusing on activities following-up to the WSSD. The partnership will additionally provide a series of constructive input to the process of establishing the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).
Specifically, the partners will seek to engage in complementary activities, joint meetings, enhanced communication, information exchange and co-ordination, which will:
* Enhance the resources available for the implementation of the CCD;
* Promote desertification issues following-up to the Legislators'Conference and WSSD in 2002;
* Create awareness among politicians and legislators about the implementation of the CCD in SADC;
* Establish linkages between the three Conventions of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro, 1992;
* Assist communities affected by land degradation and poverty in building capacity for resilience and improved livelihood; and
* Enhance capacity within the NGO community to assist in implementing the Sub-regional and National Action Plans of the CCD. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The initiative aims at ensuring a thorough involvement of African countries, through their competent ministries, offices and research institutions, in the activities implemented by the Biosafety Unit, on a basis similar to the one that has allowed the implementation of a series of activities that are being already successfully implemented with the Italian Ministry for the Environment. The objectives mentioned below will be reached through the implementation of programmes that will have to be complementary to the projects being implemented by other intergovernmental organisations, and in particular those mentioned above which are part, together with the ICGEB, of the Inter-Agency Network for Biosafety (IANB).
The initiative is also in line with the "Cape Town Declaration" and the "Cape Town Initiative", endorsed by the Governments of South Africa and Italy, in March 2002, during the State Visit to South Africa of the President of the Italian Republic, which identifies the essential role of science and technology for sustainable development.
The initiative will therefore pursue the following objectives:
* protection and exploitation of genetic resources;
* technical cooperation in the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity;
* identification of research priorities (definition of the priority traits for viable crops: improvement of the nutritional value, resistance to insects, pesticides, high salinity, other stresses);
* testing facilities and field trials (containment, availability of land);
* genetically modified organisms: procedures for risk assessment and management, national legislation(s) and public information;
* international instruments: the Cartagena Protocol, the Biosafety Clearing House, Risk Assessment Searching Mechanism.
Lead Partner: Government of South Africa - Department of Environment and Tourism (DEAT) - Government of South Africa - Statistics South Africa (StatSA)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) system, which is a statistical tool that measures the total economic impact of tourism, was developed by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) in 1995 with the objective of defining a new statistical instrument to assist government officials, business executives and stakeholders within the tourism industry to make informed decision.
The benefits of a Tourism Satellite Account (TSA) are numerous and enable a country to measure the following:
The proportion of a country's GDP i.e. the total output of all goods and services the country produces annually that are attributable to tourism activity
The size of the tourism industry relative to other sectors of a country's economy
The number of jobs generated by tourism activity
The value of public and private investment related to tourism
The effect of international tourism on a country's balance of payments
The value of government income generated by tourism in the country
The importance of a TSA for African countries is that it will provide the vital information required to assist African countries in policy formulation, decision-making and strategic planning to boost tourism growth on the continent. The information produced from a TSA would also ensure that tourism development on the continent takes place in a sustainable manner.
This initiative will result in:
* Financial investment in establishing appropriate infrastructure for the collection of tourism statistics.
* The knowledge base of officials in African countries would be greatly enhanced in as far as the application of TSA is concerned.
* The measurement of the economic impact of tourism through the provision of accurate information of African countries
* Development of policies and strategies in African countries to boost tourism growth will be informed by accurate information. [more]
Lead Partner: The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The mainstreaming of an ecosystem approach into catchment policies, planning and management. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.