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SIDS Partnership: Implementation of New Technologies for Sustainable Development
[last updated April 7, 2008 11:47 AM]
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General Information
Partnership website(s) |
Expected TimeframeJanuary 2007 - Open Ended |
Partners
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Major Groups:
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UN System:
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Other intergovernmental organizations:
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Other:
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Thematic Focus
Primary Themes:
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Secondary Themes:
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Geographic Coverage
Geographic Scope: Sub-regional AIMS, Caribbean and Pacific Island Regions
Country(ies) where the partnership is being implemented: Antigua and Barbuda, British Virgin Islands, French Polynesia, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mexico, Netherland Antilles, Palau, Panama, Philippines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Thailand, Turks and Caicos Islands |
National Focal Points
This partnership has not made any contact with the national focal points for sustainable development in the countries involved
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Goals and Objectives
Summary of the partnership's goals and objectives
The SIDS Partnership for Implementation of New Technologies for Sustainable Development, brings together United Nations Agencies with a focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), SIDS Governments, Non Governmental Agencies, and the Private Sector to raise awareness and funding for the implementation of new, underutilized, but proven technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy production, restoration of coral reefs and fisheries habitat, restoration of soil fertility, aquaculture, and waste recycling for SIDS. The partnership focuses on critical, low cost, highly effective, but little known, new technologies that are applicable on small to large scales, and which have not been covered by other venues at UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD).
Targets and Progress
Partnership targets1. Raise awareness of the partnership’s portfolio of technologies and how they can be used to address the sustainable development priorities of SIDS, as well as other countries.
2. Increase the visibility and recognition of the Partnership’s portfolio of new technologies within the UN framework, especially the CSD, with a view to increasing levels of research, funding, and implementation for the technologies. 3. Increase funding and resources available for piloting and implementing the Partnership’s portfolio of new technologies 4. Increase implementation and use of technologies in the portfolio |
Progress against targetsProgress Against Target #1:
Flagship publication to be launched in Sept 2008 (Authors invited and publication in-process) (Book launch in conjunction with the 63rd General Assembly in planning) (Preparations for publication to be made available online in planning) Floating Islands Art Exhibit in discussion stages Development and inclusion of pages within www.sidsnet.org that improve the visibility of Partnership activities in planning stages Progress Against Target #2: - Partnership held an introductory presentation at the 15th session of the CSD. More than 70 participants attended. - Tidal energy mentioned in CSD proceedings Progress Against Target #3: - A Fund Raising Event entitled "Solutions for a Sustainable Planet"on February 16th, in New York raised $8,000 USD for implementation of stated technologies, with a portion of the proceeds going towards preparations for the CSD 15 Partnership meeting on 7 May 2007. Progress Against Target #4: PAC International continues to move forward with the establishment of sustainable sea-cucumber farming in the Marshall Islands and other Pacific locations. GRCA has bio-Rock pilots ongoing globally. Full Belly Project featured on CNN Heroes segment. |
Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer
- Technology transfer/exchange
1. Create a technological alliance that provides a suite of technologies, that when employed in tandem, provide sustainable development solutions for outer island communities.
2. By raising visibility of new technologies, Partnership promotes the work of partners, many of which are working to globally implement their technologies.
3. Please see also, Additional Information Section.
Relationship to International Agreements on Sustainable Development
How the partnership contributes to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
SIDS are inherently the most vulnerable of all countries to global climate change, and their remoteness and underdeveloped economies leave them inadequately equipped to address this problem. SIDS fisheries, tourism industries, and protection from rising sea levels, increased tropical storm frequency and intensity are heavily dependent on healthy coral reefs…and these are the most climatically threatened of all ecosystems, due to global warming. SIDS have already lost most of their corals, and the rest are imminently endangered by rising global temperatures, and most daunting of all, low-lying island nations are threatened with extinction by submergence from global sea level rise.
New technologies are critically needed by SIDS to increase food security, restore their fisheries and coral reefs, protect their beaches and shorelines from rising sea level, provide clean and affordable energy for development, and increase the productivity of their soils. The thematic focus of this partnership is a collaborative approach for implementation of proven technologies that meet these critical needs, and which are not being currently applied due to lack of knowledge of their potential, inadequate funding, and the need for more effective organization to implement them.
New funding for partnerships is necessary to allow SIDS to begin taking advantage of their vast potential.
Agenda 21 (Chapter 17, Section G) calls for (1) the sustainable development of small islands with special reference to the sustainable utilization of marine and coastal resources, in order to meet essential human needs, maintain biodiversity, and improve the quality of life for island people; (2) Adoption of measures that will enable islands to mitigate against threats to their marine and coastal resources.
The Johannesburg Programme of Implementation (JPoI) calls for (1) Implementation of sustainable fisheries management and improved financial returns from fisheries; (2) Assistance to SIDS in managing coastal areas, to effectively reduce, prevent and control waste and pollution (3) Assistance to SIDS in mobilizing adequate resources and partnerships for their adaptation needs relating to the adverse effects of climate change, sea level rise and climate variability, (4) Strengthening and supporting new efforts on energy supply and services, (5) Developing and promoting efficient use of sources of energy, including indigenous sources and renewable energy (6) Reduction and management of waste and pollution and building capacity for maintaining and managing systems to deliver water and sanitation services, in both rural and urban areas; (7) Efforts to implement initiatives aimed at poverty eradication.
Relevant Sections of the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21
New technologies are critically needed by SIDS to increase food security, restore their fisheries and coral reefs, protect their beaches and shorelines from rising sea level, provide clean and affordable energy for development, and increase the productivity of their soils. The thematic focus of this partnership is a collaborative approach for implementation of proven technologies that meet these critical needs, and which are not being currently applied due to lack of knowledge of their potential, inadequate funding, and the need for more effective organization to implement them.
New funding for partnerships is necessary to allow SIDS to begin taking advantage of their vast potential.
Agenda 21 (Chapter 17, Section G) calls for (1) the sustainable development of small islands with special reference to the sustainable utilization of marine and coastal resources, in order to meet essential human needs, maintain biodiversity, and improve the quality of life for island people; (2) Adoption of measures that will enable islands to mitigate against threats to their marine and coastal resources.
The Johannesburg Programme of Implementation (JPoI) calls for (1) Implementation of sustainable fisheries management and improved financial returns from fisheries; (2) Assistance to SIDS in managing coastal areas, to effectively reduce, prevent and control waste and pollution (3) Assistance to SIDS in mobilizing adequate resources and partnerships for their adaptation needs relating to the adverse effects of climate change, sea level rise and climate variability, (4) Strengthening and supporting new efforts on energy supply and services, (5) Developing and promoting efficient use of sources of energy, including indigenous sources and renewable energy (6) Reduction and management of waste and pollution and building capacity for maintaining and managing systems to deliver water and sanitation services, in both rural and urban areas; (7) Efforts to implement initiatives aimed at poverty eradication.
Relevant Sections of the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21
Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives
Relevant Sections of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation Protection and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development ; Sustainable development in a globalizing world ; Sustainable development of small island developing States ; Means of implementation
Coordination and Implementation
Coordination Mechanism of the PartnershipPartnership employs a variety of mechanisms to ensure coordination across partners. Though only two entities are Managing Partners, the UN SIDS Unit and the GCRA, any partner has the ability to propose and pursue new objectives and projects, subject to approval. Projects to be publicized through the partnership are those executed within the auspices of the partnership, those implemented via the partnership, as well as the independent and relevant work of partners that is of relevance to the partnerships goals. In this regard, the partnership tries to be flexible given the diversity of its membership, including private sector, multilateral organizations and NGOs. Not all partners participate in every project, which adds to this flexibility. Most coordination is achieved through e-mail and in conjunction with the CSD and other major events and projects which require the participation of multiple partners. Finally, the Partnership is always evolving, and new partners are invited in to participate in events/projects at the request of managing partners.
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Implementation Mechanism of the PartnershipRecent coordination and implementation has included
-19 January 2007. Strategy Meeting at UN Church Center attended by Major Partners. - 16 February 2007 PAC, Global Coral Reef Alliance, Southern Caucus for Developing County NGOs, Co-Sponsors of Fund Raising Event - 7 May 2007: Partnership Fair Presentation at CSD 15, conference room 7, UN NY Headquarters - 8 May 2007: Partnership special interest presentations: UN Church Center, 2nd Floor, 10am-6pm - 2007-2008: Various informal and electronic 'meetings' to jumpstart publication, including with UN Foundation, AOSIS, IGRC, UN-SIDS Unit. - 12 May 2008: Partnership Fair Presentation at CSD 16, UN NY Headquarters |
Resources
Funding Currently AvailableAmount in US$:
Source(s):
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Non-financial resources availableType(s): Computers - Office space - Staff
Source(s): Private sector - NGO
Southern Caucus of Developing Country NGOs for Sustainable Development, Global Coral Reef Alliance, Pacific Aquaculture Cooperatives |
Funding SoughtRequired Amount in US$:
Source(s) already approached: Various funders are currently being sought to implement the partnership's portfolio of sustainable development projects.
A fund raiser event on February 16, 2007 raised $8000 USD. |
Non-financial resources soughtRequirement(s): Other
Scientists that have proven technologies that synergize with our group already in collaboration. Source(s) approached and details:
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Additional Information
Additional Relevant Information
NEW SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT TECHNOLOGIES FOR SIDS
OCEAN TIDAL ENERGY
Tidal energy is the largest sustainable and non-polluting energy resource of Pacific and Indian Ocean island nations, Cape Verde, some sites in the Caribbean, and many coastal Least Developed Countries such as Guinea-Bissau and Guyana, but is totally unutilized. Cost-competitive turbines to turn tidal currents into electrical currents are already available but are not being used. This is perhaps due to the fact that tidal energy is yet to be recognized as a viable renewable energy technology, most likely because of lack of adequate information and advocacy to become recognized by funding agencies, even though it is far cheaper than solar energy and more abundant than wind, hydro, or geothermal power. These turbines can also be used for river power without dams in land locked countries that are not dry and flat.
BIOMASS ENERGY
New kilns are available that allow any biomass, not just plant oils, to be converted into bio-fuels. This is a process distinct from the bio-diesel that can be made from palm oils or alcohol from sugar cane, and allows non-agricultural land biomass to be used to make fuels, avoiding conflict with food production.
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
The new kilns produce carbon negative energy, because they produce more black carbon char than bio-fuels. If this char, instead of being burned like charcoal, is buried, it turns into very low cost and permanent carbon sequestration, unlike the high technology carbon sequestration currently being examined.
SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION AND WASTE RECYCLING
Carbon char in soils not only increases soil carbon sinks (about 4 times larger than global vegetation, but unfortunately not included in the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism), it simultaneously greatly increases the capacity of soil to hold water and nutrients as long as the deficient nutrients in soils are added. This can be mostly cheaply done by using char to absorb and recycle waste water effluents and using them to increase soil productivity, instead of allowing them to flow into the seas and kill coral reefs and fisheries. This can turn poor soils into rich soils and allow crops to flourish that could not previously be grown.
AQUACULTURE
New methods now exist to propagate some of the most valuable and over harvested marine invertebrates for large-scale cultivation for food and pharmaceuticals. These include sea cucumbers, algae, sponges, corals, oysters, lobsters, and fishes. Unlike conventional mariculture, which reduces biodiversity, promotes diseases and parasites, and pollutes surrounding waters, the new methods are free of these serious defects.
CORAL REEF AND FISHERIES HABITAT RESTORATION
New technology increases the growth rates of corals several times faster than normal, greatly increases survival of corals under conditions of extreme high temperature stress, and greatly increases the buildup of fish and shellfish populations. This allows reefs to be kept alive where they would die, and new reefs and fisheries habitat to be grown in a few years in places where they cannot recover naturally. Because reef fisheries are collapsing due to habitat destruction, control of fishing activities cannot restore fisheries without large-scale habitat restoration. This restoration process is powered using tidal, solar, and wind energy.
SHORE PROTECTION
New methods to grow reefs in front of shorelines turn severely eroding beaches into rapid growth in a few years. In the Maldives, the lowest country on earth, a beach that was being piled high with sandbags to keep trees and building from falling into the sea, grew 15 meters in a few years after a reef was grown in front of it. This technology is the only hope for low lying shorelines to protect themselves from sea level rise while restoring their beaches, fisheries, and ecotourism resource, and uses non-polluting local renewable energy resources to grow reefs at a fraction the cost of seawalls that provide none of these benefits.
Additional relevant websites for this partnership:
www.globalcoral.org,
www.pacinternational.org,
www.southngocaucus.org
www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sids/sids.htm
www.sidsnet.org
www.fullbellyproject.org,
www.eprida.org
www.magnefuels.com
OCEAN TIDAL ENERGY
Tidal energy is the largest sustainable and non-polluting energy resource of Pacific and Indian Ocean island nations, Cape Verde, some sites in the Caribbean, and many coastal Least Developed Countries such as Guinea-Bissau and Guyana, but is totally unutilized. Cost-competitive turbines to turn tidal currents into electrical currents are already available but are not being used. This is perhaps due to the fact that tidal energy is yet to be recognized as a viable renewable energy technology, most likely because of lack of adequate information and advocacy to become recognized by funding agencies, even though it is far cheaper than solar energy and more abundant than wind, hydro, or geothermal power. These turbines can also be used for river power without dams in land locked countries that are not dry and flat.
BIOMASS ENERGY
New kilns are available that allow any biomass, not just plant oils, to be converted into bio-fuels. This is a process distinct from the bio-diesel that can be made from palm oils or alcohol from sugar cane, and allows non-agricultural land biomass to be used to make fuels, avoiding conflict with food production.
CARBON SEQUESTRATION
The new kilns produce carbon negative energy, because they produce more black carbon char than bio-fuels. If this char, instead of being burned like charcoal, is buried, it turns into very low cost and permanent carbon sequestration, unlike the high technology carbon sequestration currently being examined.
SOIL FERTILITY RESTORATION AND WASTE RECYCLING
Carbon char in soils not only increases soil carbon sinks (about 4 times larger than global vegetation, but unfortunately not included in the Kyoto Protocol and the Clean Development Mechanism), it simultaneously greatly increases the capacity of soil to hold water and nutrients as long as the deficient nutrients in soils are added. This can be mostly cheaply done by using char to absorb and recycle waste water effluents and using them to increase soil productivity, instead of allowing them to flow into the seas and kill coral reefs and fisheries. This can turn poor soils into rich soils and allow crops to flourish that could not previously be grown.
AQUACULTURE
New methods now exist to propagate some of the most valuable and over harvested marine invertebrates for large-scale cultivation for food and pharmaceuticals. These include sea cucumbers, algae, sponges, corals, oysters, lobsters, and fishes. Unlike conventional mariculture, which reduces biodiversity, promotes diseases and parasites, and pollutes surrounding waters, the new methods are free of these serious defects.
CORAL REEF AND FISHERIES HABITAT RESTORATION
New technology increases the growth rates of corals several times faster than normal, greatly increases survival of corals under conditions of extreme high temperature stress, and greatly increases the buildup of fish and shellfish populations. This allows reefs to be kept alive where they would die, and new reefs and fisheries habitat to be grown in a few years in places where they cannot recover naturally. Because reef fisheries are collapsing due to habitat destruction, control of fishing activities cannot restore fisheries without large-scale habitat restoration. This restoration process is powered using tidal, solar, and wind energy.
SHORE PROTECTION
New methods to grow reefs in front of shorelines turn severely eroding beaches into rapid growth in a few years. In the Maldives, the lowest country on earth, a beach that was being piled high with sandbags to keep trees and building from falling into the sea, grew 15 meters in a few years after a reef was grown in front of it. This technology is the only hope for low lying shorelines to protect themselves from sea level rise while restoring their beaches, fisheries, and ecotourism resource, and uses non-polluting local renewable energy resources to grow reefs at a fraction the cost of seawalls that provide none of these benefits.
Additional relevant websites for this partnership:
www.globalcoral.org,
www.pacinternational.org,
www.southngocaucus.org
www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sids/sids.htm
www.sidsnet.org
www.fullbellyproject.org,
www.eprida.org
www.magnefuels.com