Geographical Scope: Global Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Summary: - To promote the mainstreaming of rainwater harvesting into water policies and strategies in particular the integrated water resources management (IWRM) at global, regional and national levels.
- To promote implementation of rainwater harvesting as part of IWRM.
- To encourage governments and their development partners to allocate human and financial resources for implementing rainwater harvesting.
- To promote the effective cooperation between different institutions and networks involved in rainwater harvesting. [more]
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Lead Partner: Rainforest Alliance - Sustainable Food Lab
Summary: 1. To develop a set of business models that support sustainable smallholder and rural laborer inclusion in high-value, formal export and domestic markets in four distinct product clusters (dried beans, fresh vegetables, bananas, cocoa).
2. To apply these new business models (through value chain analysis and upgrading) in sub-Saharan Africa.
3. To expand these validated business models through existing and new supply chain partnerships that provide direct benefits to 158,000 smallholders and 301,000 laborers while using project results to influence existing standards.
[more]
Geographical Scope: Local Lead Partner: Yachay Wasi - Yachay Wasi
Summary: Surging from a pressing environmental need, this Partnership was implemented by the Indigenous NGO Yachay Wasi (based in New York City, USA and in Cuzco, Peru) to assess and stop the growing chemical contamination of 4 Andean mountain lakes, one of them affecting the village of Acopia in Peru, birthplace of Luis Delgado Hurtado, Yachay Wasi co-founder and president, who now resides in Cuzco, Peru.
This environmental and educational project is geared to the recovery of the circuit of 4 lakes located in the provinces of Acomayo and Canas, Dept of Cuzco, in the Peruvian Andes (altitude: 3,600 meters (11,811 feet)). There are several Indigenous communities living near these lakes with a 2002 estimated population of 25,518 inhabitants.
Lakes are: Laguna Acopia near the village of Acopia, Lagunas Pampamarca and Asnacocha (Mosoqllaqta) near the village of Mosoqllaqta, Laguna Pomacanchi near the village of Pomacanchi.
The inhabitants of these respective Indigenous villages and many other smaller Indigenous communities rely on these waters. The contamination of these lakes has been a growing problem over the past few years. The lakes waters are not used for drinking, but the fish, a daily staple from these lakes, can become a potential health hazard.
The Project has the goal to clean the waters and banks of these four lakes and to recover the biological diversity, flora and fauna representative of this important site; to educate and assist the communities on ways to prevent future contamination, which will include recycling of solid waste, building/upgrading septic tanks and laundry facilities in some villages.
One way of recovering the biological diversity of this area was initiated in May 2008: planting Native Trees around lakes and communities.
[more]
Geographical Scope: Global Lead Partner: The Coca-Cola Company - McDonald´s - Unilever - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Division of Technology, Industry and Economics
Summary: The Initiative scope consists of those in the supply, production, transport and retailing of food and drink who require point-of-sale cooling technology, including technology and component suppliers. Thus it includes supermarkets but not mobile air conditioning, general manufacturing, or general household.
Goals:
- To promote a shift in the point-of-sale cooling technology in the food and drink, food service and retail sectors towards natural refrigerants with a low-or non-Global Warming Potential.
- To do this whilst improving or (at least) equaling energy efficiency of existing fluorocarbon based technology
- To provide a working group and supportive environment for those committed to implementing natural refrigerants who will share information with each other and with suppliers on achieving the other objectives
- To outreach a wider public including other industry, governments and global society [more]
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Latin America and the Caribbean Lead Partner: International Model Forest Network Secretariat
Summary: This collaborative initiative supports the development and establishment of a Regional Network of Model Forests in Latin America and the Caribbean. Model Forests are about translating higher-level policy goals into achievable and locally relevant models of sustainable use and best practices for the conservation of all forest resources. They use locally-based partnership to find working solutions to forest resource management issues through capacity building, improved decision-making and governance systems, economic diversification, integrated resource management, and poverty alleviation.
The Regional Centre:
- provides technical support to promote and strengthen model forest development in the region;
- documents and demonstrates best practices for sustainable forest management and sustainable economic development opportunities for local communities;
- substantially strengthens the transfer of technology from Canada to the region and among countries and projects in the region;
- secures new country and institutional partners and donors. [more]
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Lead Partner: Asian Productivity Organization (APO)
Summary: The APO started its Green Productivity (GP) program in the mid-1990s in response to the challenges of sustainable development arising from the recommendations of the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992. The primary objective of the GP program is to integrate productivity improvement with environmental concerns. GP essentially addresses the triple bottom-line issues of economic profitability, environmental protection, and social fairness.
The APO believes that the GP has a great potential in poverty alleviation and Integrated Community Development (ICD), based on its past experiences in Vietnam. The APO started its GP-ICD projects in 3 communities in Vietnam in 1998 and today 72 communities are implementing GP-ICD for better quality of life, which is poised to become the national program in the coming years. So far the focus has been on water supply, better sanitation, use of waste as the resource for community, natural farming etc.
Another important aspect is the possible linkage with the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Many of the GP-ICD projects have resulted in the positive impact on the environment - especially with regard to reduction in usage of coal and the subsequent reduction in the CO2 emissions which could lead to financial support for the communities / local agencies to continue their GP-ICD initiatives. [more]
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional East Asia Lead Partner: Government of Philippines - Partnership for Environmental Management of Seas East Asia (PEMSEA)
Summary: The initiative is focused on accelerating investments in environmental facilities and services at the community/local government level, for the protection and sustainable use of the marine and coastal resources of the Seas of East Asia using public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements. The project entails the establishment of partnerships between the public and private sectors, at the local, national and international levels, employing a procedure that was developed and tested by
PEMSEA in Batangas Bay, Philippines. The PPP process will be applied at six pilot sites, to refine, verify and demonstrate the approach under a variety of political, social, economic and environmental scenarios. The pilot site locations include: Bali (Indonesia), Bohai Sea (China), Danang (Vietnam), Klang (Malaysia), Manila Bay (Philippines) and Xiamen (China). Each identified pilot site has already embarked on a program of integrated marine and coastal resource management, and has created a policy and investment climate that is conducive to private sector investment and partnership.
The objectives of the initiative are as follows:
1. To verify the PPP procedure for developing pipeline projects for environmental investments at the local government level;
2. To build confidence and capabilities in public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements as an alternative delivery mechanism for financing and sustaining environmental facilities and services;
3. To establish PPP working models at selected sites in the region; and
4. To develop capacities within and among the public and private sectors to effectively implement and sustain new environmental investments in the East Asian region and elsewhere, using the experience, lessons and good practices derived from this initiative; and
5. To engage local and national governments, the private sector, national and international financial institutions, international agencies, donors, the private sector and civil society in development projects that result in practical benefits to the environment, and the social and economic well-being of coastal communities. [more]
Geographical Scope: Global Lead Partner: REN21 Secretariat - REN21 Secretariat
Summary: REN21 is a global policy network that provides a forum for international leadership on renewable energy. Its goal is to bolster policy development for the rapid expansion of renewable energies in developing and industrialised economies.
Open to a wide variety of dedicated stakeholders, REN21 connects governments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations, industry associations, and other partnerships and initiatives.
Linking the energy, development and environment sectors, REN21 strengthens the influence of the unique renewable energy community that came together at the “renewables 2004” conference in Bonn. REN21 is the network in which ideas are shared and action is encouraged to promote renewable energy worldwide. [more]
Geographical Scope: Global Lead Partner: REEEP International Secretariat
Summary: Accelerate a global market for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Systems (REES).
Tremendous financial resources from the private and public sector will be needed to meet developing and transition countries' future energy demand in a sustainable way. Obstacles prohibiting this development include a lack of reliable policies and regulatory measures, and the perceived high risk and low return investments in REES.
The removal of the obstacles to sustainable energy is urgently needed:
- Robust policies and favourable, transparent and stable regulatory frameworks are required to attract private investors and to guarantee affordable energy services to the consumers.
- New forms of financing, risk mitigation and guarantee models will be necessary to make small sized renewables and energy efficiency projects bankable and economically attractive.
REEEP aims to work as an enabler, multiplier and catalyser of institutional change, and to have a real impact over the next decade with the following objectives:
1. Significant global increase of investments in renewable energy
2. Significant global increase of energy efficiency measures
3. Significant increase in access to sustainable energy services for the poor
[more]
Geographical Scope: National Lead Partner: Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR)
Summary: The main objectives of this initiative are to:
* Promote and develop renewable energy technology appropriate to the marine and tropical environment of the Asia-Pacific region (e.g. hybrid power systems, solar home systems for remote villages)
* Assist, facilitate and support its application through technical services, education, and
training for the sustainable development of the region.
The renewable-energy-based technologies under this initiative have and will continue to result in improved quality of life and economic development of Pacific Island nations with minimal environmental impact. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.