Lead Partner: Government of United Arab Emirates - Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Main objectives of AGEDI are:
Ø To achieve more cost-effective and relevant environmental data collection and assessment,
Ø To strengthen and enhance environmental capacity to collect, analyze, use and update multi-sectoral environmental data and information in the decision making process,
Ø To develop and strengthen means of ensuring that planning for sustainable development in all sectors is based on, inter alia, quality, timely, reliable, and usable environmental data and information,
Ø To make relevant environmental data and information accessible to all stakeholders in the form, and at the time, required to facilitate its use,
Ø To strengthen existing national and international mechanisms of information collection, exchange and processing,
Ø To strengthen mechanisms for incorporating environmental information in decision making,
Ø To strengthen national capacities, including capacities within governments, NGOs and private sector, in data/information collection, handling and communication, particularly in developing countries, and
Ø To ensure full participation of developing countries in the collection, analysis, assessment, use and update of environmental data and information.
Lead Partner: City of Ancona
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Europe and North America Summary: The Aap2020 project will support and manage the implementation of Agenda 21, involving all local governments of the two sides of the Adriatic region, through a participative process meant to encourage:
* urban and coastal development in all sustainability fields;
* sustainable approach to environmental resources and ecosystems, i.e. rational energy and water supply consumption, promotion of renewable energy and so on;
* improvement in the transport, information and communication fields;
* cooperation in the juridical and administrative field;
* cooperation among citizens and institutions;
* contribution to the fulfilment of European integration of all countries involved, to support human rights defence and to encourage same opportunities for men and women.
All these themes have been approached involving all regional and local stakeholders in a "shared process" oriented to define scenarios, objectives, indicators and actions for the Adriatic Region. The final step of the process will be given by the implementation of the Adriatic Action Plan 2020.
The Adriatic Action Plan 2020 will pursue the following results:
* Dissemination of sustainable development practices through methods of "shared governance";
* Improvement of integration and exchange among communities, searching for a conscious and sustainable life style, efficacious in satisfying necessity of collective and individual development;
* Intensification of economic and business exchange to increase commercial potential of sustainable products;
* Development of local markets and autochthonous productions with valorisation of typical products and local cultures;
* Improvement of standards of environmental quality for all concerned communities;
* Increase of global efficiency in using resources, particularly in the production of consumer goods, services and commodities,
* Closing of material production and consumption cycles with matter recycling and recovery of energy incorporated in products no more used. [more]
Lead Partner: The High Institute of Tourism, Hotels and Computer
Geographical Scope: Local Summary: The Alexandria Academy Association For Science (AAAS) is a non-profit non-Governmental organization registered in Alexandria- Egypt for educational and charitable purposes. AAAS is the owner of the High Institute for Tourism, Hotels, and Computer ( HITHC), which was established with the objective of promoting education in community sustainable development. The Institute activities include: education, development of model training programs, applied research, seminars, workshops, academic programs, and university partnerships.
Both AAAS and HITHC are concerned with activities that promote the following aspects:
a) Individual and community social and economical development.
b) Community Service
c) Community self -determination
d) Sustainable Tourism development.
e) Effective natural sources management
f) Poverty eradication
g) Rural development through introducing and promoting countryside tourism. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Caribbean SIDS Summary: The main objective of this initiative is to build the organisational management capacity of NGOs and CBOs engaged in Sustainable Development activities in the Caribbean region through providing technical support with National United Nations Volunteers.
The programme ultimately aims to strengthen regional collaboration among the SIDS (where organisational representation may not be found on each individual island), and where it is critical for international partners to coordinate their efforts, while at the same time placing emphasis on building local ownership/partnerships.
The initiative aims to lead to increased participation of civil society and government counterparts in sustainable development initiatives leading to improved conservation management in the areas of biodiversity, international waters, climate change and ozone depletion, together with improved quality of life and opportunities for local communities. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Volunteers (UNV) - United Nations Volunteers (UNV)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Volunteerism can play an important role in the development of cities and towns. It adds to the overall economic output. It is also closely related to the formation of social cohesion and capital. In addition, volunteering has important contributions in regard to the social aspects of urban development - e.g. as a basis for participatory processes.
However, contributions by volunteers are still largely overlooked and under-utilized. They are seldom fully recognized, promoted and supported by local authorities and by other urban decision-makers. For example, there are only very few cases of local authorities in developing countries that strongly and widely bring volunteerism on board of their policies and that explore fully its potential. Equally, the local volunteer sector is seldom organized in a fashion that would make the best of itself.
The initiative recognizes the aforementioned facts, and aims at helping to expand the contribution of volunteerism to urban development.
Its objectives are the following:
* To raise the awareness of urban policy- and decision-makers and other local stakeholders about the untapped potential of volunteerism in urban development and to motivate them to concretely explore ways to realise such potential.
* To support interested cities to concretely explore ways to increase the contribution of volunteerism to urban development.
* To support the establishment of links between different cities to exchange experiences and mutual support to further explore the contribution of volunteerism to urban development [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Enivronmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Child survival hinges on having the basic needs to support life; among these, a safe and healthy environment is fundamental.However, children everywhere are negatively affected by adverse environmental conditions. Each year, at least 3 million children under age five die due to environment-related illnesses. Acute respiratory infections annually kill an estimated 2 million children under the age of 15 and as much as 60% of acute respiratory infections worldwide are related to environmental conditions. Diarrheal diseases claim the lives of nearly 2 million children every year; 80 to 90 percent of diarrhea cases are relates to environmental conditions, especially contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
The United States is committed to improving children's health through increased collaboration among governments, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities, and UN agencies to protect children from environmental health threats. These environmental health threats include early childhood exposure to chemicals and toxic substances, unsafe and inadequate quantity of drinking water, lack of sanitation infrastructure and inappropriate hygiene, polluted indoor and outdoor air, and vector-borne diseases.
Such threats may lead to health effects ranging from developmental disorder and perinatal diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma), insect-borne diseases (e.g. malaria) and unintentional injuries.
The goal of this multi-year initiative is to develop and use children's environmental health indicators to improve children's environmental health at global, regional, national and local levels. These indicators are similar to economic indicators and their development and reporting will help fill gaps between information on environment and information on health, putting into focus the special vulnerabilities of children. Ultimately, these indicators will help guide environment, health and development policy. Global children's environmental health indicators are effective tools to:
- Improve the quality of information available in order to facilitate the ability of policy-makers to improve environmental conditions for all children;
- Assess children's environmental health and monitor the success or failure of interventions to address children's environmental health problems; and
- Measure progress and contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development goals.
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Water Governance Programme
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The CWI will support activities that ·
Protect natural resources and the environment while promoting the sustainable use and management of water resources in poor rural and peri-urban areas, and·
Improve quality of life and livelihoods for poor people through improved water supply and basic sanitation for poor communities and households in rural and peri-urban areas.
· Contribute to more effective management of local water resources to ensure long term availability of good quality water to meet needs for poor people¿s survival, health and economic activities. ·
Give priority to affordable improvements of existing systems, demonstrating innovative solutions, building local capacity; raising public awareness.
· Emphasize sustainable community-based water supply and sanitation activities and dissemination of affordable, sustainable, environmentally-friendly technologies and measures throughout a community. ·
Build local capacity; raising public awareness and demonstrating and disseminating appropriate technologies and measures.· Give priority to sustainable household-based sanitation activities dissemination of affordable, sustainable, environmentally-friendly technologies and measures throughout communities·
Develop financing mechanisms that will emphasize local service delivery for activities in water supply, sanitation and water resources management. [more]
Lead Partner: Kent State University
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Middle East: Euphrates-Tigris Basin Summary: ETIC is a riparian initiative that aims to effectively facilitate cooperation for technical, social and economically sustainable development within the Euphrates-Tigris system and in the riparian countries. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of European Community - European Commission, Directorate General Environment
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The initiative provides a platform for strategic partnerships to implement the programmes of action for the WSSD and to contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals on water. Under the initiative, the EU seeks to work with its partners to:
* Reinforce political will and commitment to action
The global water crisis is not on the agenda of many political leaders of the world. The initiative seeks to support governments in understanding the links between water, poverty and sustainable development and to help translate this into firm commitments for action. In particular, the initiative seeks to provide a mechanism to develop joint action plans to implement the programmes of action of the WSSD.
* Make water governance effective and build institutional capacity
Making water governance effective is an essential step in supporting healthy and productive lives and safe-guarding the environment. The initiative seeks to promote better water governance arrangements and good practice centred on the principles of integrated water resources management. Capacity to plan, manage and implement programmes of action at all levels is central to achieving the desired outcomes and the initiative seeks to build capacity by providing expertise and knowledge and by facilitating access to information. Research co-operation should form an import part of such these activities.
* Improve co-ordination and co-operation
A vast range of water-related activities are currently underway or planned but their inter-relationship is not always apparent. The initiative seeks to provide a platform to co-ordinate and streamline activities and to establish multi-stakeholder processes to bring partners together, including south-south collaboration and co-operation. The initiative seeks to support regional and sub-regional activities where clear commitment to collaboration exists. As a contribution to peace and security it seeks specifically to support the build-up of river basin organisations and to assist in the development and application of river basin approaches in transboundary waters.
* Increase the efficiency of existing EU aid flows
Meeting the Millennium Development Goals will require considerable financing efforts and although no exact estimates are available it is evident there is a major financing gap. The initiative seeks to make the most of available funds and to increase the effectiveness of existing and future EU aid flows. It seeks to use official development assistance as a lever for other forms of finance, including user finance and private finance, and to encourage the development of innovative funding mechanisms to create higher efficiencies. It also seeks to finance water projects with a particular focus on meeting the needs of poor customers and a sustainable environment. [more]
Lead Partner: EVE-olution Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: OUR SOLUTION:
To increase the number and profit of women entrepreneurs in developing nations with the help of retired executives from developed nations to coach them.
OUR MISSION:
To sustain women entrepreneurs in developing countries to emerge successfully in the global market by embracing the ¿Export Fever¿®
OUR PROCESS:
We are capitalizing potentials and selecting them by MBAs worldwide and in site tutors
We are coaching women selected with the help of motivated retired executives
OUR GOAL:
To challenge their new influence and position with their country leaders to build a healthier and secure Planet for our kids. [more]
Lead Partner: Eco Idea
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Europe and North America Summary: The actual state of natural environment depends on everyday decisions taken at the local level (at household, institutions, business and trade). The importance of environmental protection is obvious for every citizen and local stakeholder. But at the same time sustainability in everyday life, decision making in industries, institutions shops etc. is not considered. Acting for environment is not attractive at the marketing level. When we want to achieve any ecological result we have to arrange project for various players of locality.
There are three key areas:
1) For sustainable consumption (focused on noncommercial informational system for consumers) addressed to trade - consumers - schools - local authority.
2) For sustainable management (focused on reduction of paper, energy and heating use) addressed to business and institutions - local authority - media.
3) For youth eco-activation (focused on out of school activity closely coordinated with local eco policy) addressed to schools - local authority - households. [more]
Lead Partner: The EOLSS Publishers Ltd. - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), EOLSS Joint Committee
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS), the world biggest web-based archive as transdisciplinary knowledge base of sustainable development.
It is, in fact, a global partnership among thousands of scholars aimed at creating an integrated knowledge base in support of sustainable development efforts. Thus, the EOLSS Project is a project in support of all other projects related to sustainable development irrespective at the level they have been carried out: local, governmental, regional or global.
* It addresses the issue of knowledge and education for sustainability
* It is a unique archive created as a valuable source of knowledge to help other projects related to sustainable development.
* It provides a basis for inspiration. In the words of Leon M. Lederman, Nobel Laureate in Physics, the EOLSS is 'the theme of humanity, embedded in nature and constrained to find ways of maintaining a relationship with nature based on understanding and respect'
* The EOLSS has been regularly updated to be a living encyclopedia, not merely a replicated publication.
* It is innovative project- a global effort towards the creation of an integrated knowledge base in support of sustainable development
* It need not be replicated but it should be continued to enhance and update the knowledge base it develops
* It is first to inform decisions in the process of development and to inspire leadership. It is innovative in the sense that it is aimed at developing a base of integrated knowledge that addresses the contemporary issues of the world. [more]
Lead Partner: ICLEI International Training Centre (ITC)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The program aims to build capacity at the local government level for implementation / application of Environmental Management Systems (EMS) as effective and strategic tools for improving the (local) environment in order to achieve tangible impacts and improvements through municipal activities.
The partnership comprises a middle- and long-term strategy for motivating, training and supporting local governments to use and implement EMS. The focus is given on making implementation happen. In addition, this program supports good governance, local sustainable development and stakeholder involvement.
* Initiate a global strategy for implementing Environmental Management Systems in local governments.
* Support local governments world-wide to succeed in implementation and application of Environmental Management Systems.
* Set up a global training and guidance program that offers support throughout the entire process of EMS implementation i.e. accompanying measures over a longer period of time ('handhold approach'). [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: Global Water Partnership (GWP)- Mediterranean
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: The majority of the population in the Mediterranean countries (particularly in the South and East) lives in rapidly expanding cities, with considerable proportions being at the lowest income brackets. In their everyday life, a large part of the urban population suffers from water quality and quantity inadequacies, serious sanitation problems and their dwellings are frequently endangered by natural disasters (e.g. floods). These problems are in turn responsible for improper livelihood conditions, serious deterioration of their health as well as the social and natural environment.
However, at present, many major water programmes fail to consider the needs of the poor and their contribution to poverty alleviation is by far less than it could be if proper provisions are build in during the design phase.
The Euro-Mediterranean Water and Poverty Facility (WPF) aims to:
- Assist in improving the livelihoods of poor people in urban areas of the Mediterranean, particularly in relation to water and sanitation
- Contribute in designing guidelines on social performance of water pricing
- Develop guidelines and expertise in order to facilitate the integration of poverty reduction components in major water projects of the region
- Develop functional tripartite initiatives to facilitate regional and national investment on water and poverty.
Key dimensions to be addressed by the WPF are: improving livelihoods, improving health, mitigating vulnerability of the poor under extraordinary conditions and events such as disasters related to water (e.g. floods).
The WPF will not handle or manage funding but it will elaborate, in collaboration with both donors and recipient partners and the competent authorities and bodies, common strategies and action plans and will support implementation mechanisms with the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. In addition, it will act as a multiplier for sustainable investment in the water sector securing, in parallel, to the extent possible, the introduction of poverty reduction components in water projects -particularly those financed by European sources. Finally, it may act as a match-maker between the supply and demand side in projects targeting water supply and sanitation for the urban poor. [more]
Lead Partner: Sustainable Development International (SDI) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)/Iraq
Geographical Scope: National Summary: Goal: To have a sustainable, stable and prosperous Iraq where all present and future generations can live in peace and harmony with other nations and where all resources are utilised in a sustainable manner catering to the well-being of Iraq’s current and future generations and ecosystems.
Objectives:
1. Promotion of the formulation of Iraq National Sustainable Development Strategy (INSDS) document for Iraq.
2. Effective cooperation mechanism among relevant stakeholders, including public authorities, intergovernmental organisations, private sector, including small and large businesses; local and international NGOs, children, youth and women's groups, labour organisations, UN agencies, and others working in the field of sustainable development.
3. Promotion of knowledge building, awareness, networking and partnerships among relevant groups of Iraqi Society about sustainable development;
4. Promotion of a problem-solving applied research programme at the national and local levels;
5. Promotion and contribution to the formulation, development and implementation of a National Sustainable Development Strategy Framework (NSDSF) for Iraq,
6. Promotion of Sectoral Sustainable Development Strategies (SSDS) at the national and local levels;
7. Development and Implementation of Poverty Alleviation Strategy;
8. Promotion of an Environmentally Sound Technology Plan for Iraq,
9. Establishment and promotion of an Integrated Pilot schemes package for the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction of Iraq that could be funded by donor countries, including education, health, clean energy, agriculture, housing, and capacity building;
10. Establishment of a Sustainable Iraqi Community Fund (SIrCoF) to contribute to the sustainable reconstruction and development of Iraq;
11. Establishment of intensive sustainable development capacity-building activities, including a comprehensive capacity building/development programme that should complement the on-going similar activities undertaken by public and private agencies in Iraq, as well as benefiting from other programmes such as the UNDP Capacity 2015.
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Global Land Tool Network’s (GLTN) main objective is to contribute to poverty alleviation and the Millennium Development Goals through land reform, improved land management and security of tenure. The GLTN originates from requests made by Member States and local communities world-wide to the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), who initiated the network in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the World Bank, in 2006.
The core values of the GLTN are pro poor, governance, equity, subsidiarity, affordability, and systematic large scale approach as well as gender sensitiveness.
Lead Partner: International Steering Cttee for Global Mapping (ISCGM)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Global Mapping is an international collaborative initiative through voluntary participation of national mapping organizations of the world, aiming to develop globally homogeneous geographic data set at the ground resolution of 1km, and to establish concrete partnership among governments, NGOs, private sectors, data providers and users to share information and knowledge for sound decision-making. Primary objective of Global Mapping is to contribute to the sustainable development through the provision of base framework geographic dataset, which is necessary to understand the current situation and changes of environment of the world. [more]
Lead Partner: Velo Mondial - Velo Mondial
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership/Initiative will execute a 10 year program on each continent, to be evaluated mid term in 2006 and finally in 2012, aiming at the development, promotion and implementation of Cycling Master Planning in countries and cities all over the globe with the aim to contribute to:
* CO2 emission reduction / climate change control /improving air quality
* Road safety & overall traffic management
* Poverty relief
* Sustainable economical development
* Accessibility and Emancipation
* Health promotion
The key action objectives of the Partnership/Initiative are to enhance sustainable development and improve the quality of life in urban communities. The Partnership/Initiative contributes to these objectives, by facilitating national and local authorities to develop and implement a more sustainable transport system with a significant share of non motorized modes.
The bicycle is a clean, non-polluting mode of transport that consumes no fossil fuels and little space, but still, as an alternative to the private automobile, ensures mobility and accessibility. Facilitating cycling is essential in a pro-poor policy, since it saves time and increases income generation opportunities. The Partnership/Initiative presents a broad policy framework for the facilitation of cycling.
Cycling policy directly relates to the Agenda 21 objectives. Its cross sectoral benefits for the World Summit on Sustainable development relate to the quality of life, economic growth and social equity in urban and rural areas. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Canada - International Development Research Centre (IDRC) - The Inter Islamic Network on Water Resources Development and Management (INWRDAM)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- West Asia Summary: Main goal: To legitimize the safe use of treated greywater in urban and peri-urban agriculture and to validate its use as a water demand management strategy
Specific objectives:
- To increase greywater recovery and make it more convenient and safe to handle To expand implementation of greywater treatment and use systems in the region
- To improve gardening/permaculture practices
- To strengthen local capacity to safely and efficiently reuse greywater for urban agriculture
- To promote changes in policies to encourage greater greywater reuse in the participating countries
- To minimize environmental impacts associated with greywater reuse and ascertain whether greywater treatment is necessary and cost-effective
- To strengthen the regional network that is forming between projects
- To evaluate the impacts of the project by conducting post-project evaluations
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GPA Coordination Office
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The H20 Partnership aims to further the environmental, economic and social importance of oceans, coasts, and islands, and to facilitate the realization of the Montreal commitment by governments to mitigate water pollution and resource degradation from the hilltops to the oceans.
The overall objectives of the H20 Partnership include:
* To facilitate Governments and the international community recognition of the linkages between the freshwater and marine environments and to foster closer collaboration and partnerships between river basin authorities and coastal managers since action must be taken on land to reduce, remediate and prevent pollution and degradation of the coastal and marine environment.
* To assist countries and regions in making better use of existing domestic resources and in raising new and additional financing, particularly within the context of the regional seas
* To assist countries and regions in evaluating alternative options for funding projects that address priority problems of river, coastal and marine pollution.
* To assist Governments and intergovernmental organisations in identifying opportunities for effective partnerships, including through the establishment of specific cooperative activities, alliances and networks with financial institutions.
* To assist the public sector in involving the private sector and the civil society in addressing priority problems of river, coastal and marine pollution.
* To involve civil society further in the implementation of the Global Programme of Action Wastewater Emission Targets (WET) [more]
Lead Partner: Healthy Environments for Children Alliance Secretariat- World Health Organisation (WHO) - World Health Organization
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: HECA'S DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT: A world-wide alliance to intensify global action on environmental risks to children's health that arise from the settings where they live, learn, play and sometimes work, by providing knowledge, increasing political will, mobilizing resources, and catalysing intense and urgent action.
The aim of HECA is to build a global alliance to tackle key environment and poverty-related risks to children's health that are responsible for the loss of millions of healthy years of life each year. The Alliance will focus on, and catalyse action within the environments where children spend their time (i.e., the home, the school, and the community). Particular attention will be given to improving the home environment - traditionally neglected - but where children spend a major part of their young lives, and where the most significant health threats converge. In each setting, the alliance will focus on health risks associated with lack of access to clean water, to sanitation and to clean indoor air and outdoor air. It will also act to reduce risks associated with disease vectors, hazardous chemicals, and non-intentional injuries. Addressing the multiple risks in each setting will necessitate taking a holistic, integrated approach, as health risks are complex, and often interconnected. This approach also provides a framework to highlight the links between issues, and to facilitate action, in an integrated fashion, on the range of health risks in a given setting.
The Alliance will catalyze action that is both participatory and effective, stimulating a world-wide movement. It will concentrate initially on areas where it can add the most value - broadening in scope as it develops.
The Alliances core functions include:
* Ensuring advocacy and awareness raising;
* Providing knowledge, information exchange and expertise for decision-making;
* Promoting effective policies and action, at all levels, in all sectors;
* Supporting countries and communities in creating and maintaining healthy environments for children;
* Monitoring and evaluating progress. [more]
Lead Partner: The City of Knowledge Foundation - The City of Knowledge Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Panama Center for Sustainable Development is proposed as a strategic solution to the need for an integrated knowledge management system that take into account ecosystems behavior, the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainability, and the relationship between local, regional and global processes and actions. The initiative will develop around five major objectives:
1. Promote and conduct interdisciplinary and interinstitutional research programs and activities aimed at supporting plans, policies, and the overall decission-making processes of sustainable development
2. Promote the exchange of experiences and the development of information systems necessary to spur sustainable development
3. Develop scientific and technical capabilities through specific educational and training programs aimed at the formulation and implementation of sustainable development plans, policies and actions
4. To provide a platform that integrates scientific, technological, institutional, legal, and other aspects required to support the decision making processes of sustainable development
5. To contribute to the analysis of trends in the global network of production, dissemination and utilization of knowledge for sustainable development
[more]
Lead Partner: International Solar Energy Society
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: ISES has been serving the needs of the renewable energy community since its founding in 1954. A UN-accredited NGO present in more than 50 countries, the Society supports its members in the advancement of renewable energy technology, implementation and education all over the world. Its goals include:
* Towards a Sustainable World:Encouraging the use of Renewable Energy everywhere, through appropriate technology, scientific excellence, social responsibility, and global communication.
* Realising a Global Community: Bringing together industries, individuals and institutions in support of Renewable Energy technologies - through communication, co-operation, support and exchange.
* Supporting Development: Applying practical projects, technology transfer, education, training and support to the issue of global energy development.
* Supporting the Science of Solar Energy: Stimulating and encouraging both fundamental and applied research in solar energy.
* Contributing to Growth: Ensuring individual and community growth through support of private enterprise and empowerment in the area of Renewable Energy.
* Information and Communication: Rapid access to information through tailor-made communication and exchange platforms utilising modern technology.
ISES is a multi-faceted, global membership organisation. With its long history and extensive technical and scientific expertise provided by its members, the Society is a modern, future-oriented non-governmental organisation (NGO). Clearly defined goals, extensive communication networks and practical, real-world projects are the hallmarks of ISES. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - The World Conservation Union (IUCN) - CESVI- Working for Water
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Limpopo Corridor Summary: This partnership supports participation of communities living in areas adjacent to the Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Park (GL-TFP) in the TFP establishment process. The TFP is being establishment by the Governments of Zimbabwe, RSA and Mozambique as a first step in the process of developing a broader TFCA: this in its broad concept encompasses a vast area of almost 100.000 km2, including two National Parks and a Reserved Hunting Area in Mozambique (Banhine NP, Zinave NP and Limpopo NP), Kruger NP in South Africa and Gonarezhou NP in Zimbabwe.
This partnership programme focus on poverty alleviation and the conservation of biological diversity and ecosystem functioning through institutional capacity building, and the involvement and livelihood enhancement of local communities. Its components target selected rural areas mediating nodal ecosystemic and economic fluxes (e.g. wildlife and commercial corridors and buffer zones) within the programmed large scope multipurpose cross-boundary conservation area. the Great Limpopo Trans-frontier Park (GL TFP). Ecosystem management in these areas holds the potential to make or break the GL TFP and, at the same time, to make or break the economic future of its own rural communities. With appropriate land use planning and development, the target areas can act as links between the components of the Transfrontier Park, can enhance their ecological and economic values and can provide an ecologically sound economic engine for the disadvantaged target areas.
The partnership programme will be based on two components:
1. Foundation component: this will build on a pilot project implemented in the southeast lowveld of Zimbabwe (1998-2003) by CESVI in cooperation with the Rural District Councils of Beitbridge, Chiredzi and Chipinge: this pilot component has promoted community-based natural resource management in communal lands in the Limpopo and Save valleys, along the border with South Africa, Mozambique and Botswana. The target areas of the project include, inter alia, rural areas bordering the Gonarezhou National Park which have strong historical and social links with neighboring areas in Mozambique and South Africa.
2. New partnership component: this component will comprise two projects (sub-components), which will address country specific issues in a coordinated manner:
* The South African sub-component, to be implemented in cooperation with the Department of Water Affairs and SANP in areas adjacent to Kruger NP.
* The Mozambican sub-component, to be implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Tourism to address the requirements of a vast rural area between the Limpopo NP, Banhine NP, Zinave NP and the border with Zimbabwe. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Developing local capacities and mechanisms for adapting and implementing global principles and norms of sustainable urbanisation (including related MEA¿S e.g. on climate change; air quality; water management, biodiversity);Strengthening the capacities of local (and national) actors for contributing local experiences and expertise to the formulation of global principles and norms. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Decentralized Cooperation Programmes (DCP) objective is to encourage lasting South-South city-to-city cooperation for sustainable and economic development. For this purpose, DCP has established a global network of 11 associated training centres (as of Feb. 2006), which are located in Atlanta / United States; Barcelona and Bilbao / Spain; Curitiba / Brazil; Divonne-les-Bains and Lyon / France; Durban / South Africa; Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia; Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso; Plock / Poland and Shanghai / China. Each of these International Training Centres for Local Authorities and Local Actors is a hub for capacity building and knowledge sharing between local and regional authorities, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to enhance local public services. The training sessions for local authorities focus on four main areas:
- Environment and sustainable development
- Urban services
- Economic development and local governance
- Human security.
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), DPDL - United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Strengthening the capacities of local authorities and their public, private and community partners to achieve more sustainable urban development, socially, economically and environmentally;Reducing poverty by working on sustainable urbanisation through more efficiently and equitably use of environmental resources and control of environmental hazards in urban development planning. [more]
Lead Partner: Environs Australia
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This initiative seeks to link local governments, their contractors, partners and communities to sustainability products and services. Local Governments around the world are committing to sustainable purchasing and can provide a significant local market for small-medium businesses. A bioregional focus is seen as essential to growing both local sustainability industries and markets.
Objectives:
1. To develop a global alliance between local authorities associations and businesses, particularly local and small sustainability businesses in order to implement bioregional approaches to sustainable purchasing and investment
2. To jointly develop and link these bioregional initiatives to provide an international clearinghouse and model for a global network of sustainable products and services for local governments and their communities.
3. To jointly implement a consistent set of products/services assessment tools that can be used by small and medium businesses
4. To develop investment options by local governments to support local sustainability industries. [more]
Lead Partner: International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The development of management tools that integrate resource management is a crucial step in helping local government achieve sustainable public administration. The official Local Government Dialogue Paper for The World Summit on Sustainable Development Accelerating Sustainable Development: "Local Action Moves the World", published by the UN Economic and Social Council, 14. December 2001, (E/CN.17/2002/PC.2/6/Add.5) identifies Integrated Resource Management as a key "strategy for the future" to strengthen local government by public mechanisms for local sustainable development.
The partnership will support a global pilot program of Integrated Resource Management, starting from concept and program development through to pilot implementation in various municipalities throughout the world. The programme shall be driven by local government in partnership with supranational and intergovernmental organisations and support from national governments. The partnership will bring together skills, experience and capacity from the full spectrum of environmental management and from the other resource management fields, namely financial and human resource management. Being international in scope, the IRM concept will be implemented under different regional and national conditions. The main objectives of the Implementation Partnership "Piloting Integrated Resource Management" are to:
* demonstrate the applicability of IRM at the international level, as identified in the official UN Local Government Dialogue Paper.
* support the integration of resource management approaches which facilitate sustainable development
* demonstrate the value of IRM as an implementation tool to support "Local Action 21"
* develop a management tool which enables sustainability to drive priority setting
* establish capacity world wide in IRM by launching a network of regional hubs/centres of excellence
* exchange experiences in resource management approaches at an international level. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - City and County of Honolulu - Government of United States of America - City and County of Honolulu
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: The APUI Mayors' Commitments Program is a leadership capacity-building program. It will provide a comprehensive capacity-building service to local political leaders (e.g., Governors, Mayors) and city management executives (e.g., Municipal Commissioners, utility executives) in the Asia-Pacific region who wish to implement more sustainable, pro-poor development (SD) and service strategies for their jurisdictions. The APUI aims to work as a parallel and complementary partner to other programs and institutions, such as Local Agenda 21 and City Development Strategies, that are assisting city administrations in developing SD strategies.
A biennial, regional Summit of participating Governors, Mayors and city executives will be held to report and reward achievements, build new implementation partnerships, and prepare recommendations for policy reforms to provide a better enabling environment for Commitment implementation
The APUI believes that leadership to implement SD strategies involves more than individual skill and will. Leadership is the mobilisation of a community's diverse resources to address a common challenge or to achieve a common strategy. Leadership, therefore, is the product of both personal/professional abilities and an operating environment that enables innovation and sustained collaboration.
Partnership results would include:
- Improved local input into the design of infrastructure, housing, and service systems for their communities, including better consideration of long-term financial sustainability;
- Stronger involvement of sub-national and local political leaders in the preparation and implementation of local strategies and initiatives for sustainable development;
- Development of a tradition, within in the regional community of local government, to base political leadership on clearly defined commitments, objectives and reportable results;
- Improved national-level support and enabling conditions for bottom-up sustainable development initiatives;
- Identification and clarification of policy barriers to the effective participation of local communities in the implementation of Agenda 21 and related sustainable development agreements;
- Stronger representation and voice for sub-national and local government in national and regional processes for pro-poor sustainable development;
- Improved co-ordination of capacity-building support for sub-national and local leaders in the region;
- Increased partnerships between local authorities and national/regional/international NGOs and Major Group organisations to support implementation of local sustainable development strategies. [more]
Lead Partner: International Center of Resources and Innovation for the Sustainable Development-CIRIDD (former Association Agora 21) - Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (IEPF - Institut de la Francophonie Numérique - Unité Jeunesse)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The aim of the project is to create an information and discussion platform for sustainable development that is accessible to the various groups concerned (States and public administrations, local governments and international bodies, associations, the economic sector, scientists and the academic community, and ordinary citizens) by facilitating exchanges and integration of the available data on a network of Internet sites distributed throughout the French-speaking world.
The second objective is to develop the use of French regarding these topics for the sake of linguistic plurality at the international level, thereby helping to reinforce the capacities of French-speaking participants, especially in the organization of preliminary debates for major conferences. This platform is also an experimental ground for research and development into new tools and approaches that will be transferred to the partners. It will be an extension of various projects and actions. [more]
Lead Partner: Observatoire Méditerranéen de l'Energie (OME)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The Southern Mediterranean region is facing high demographic and socio-economic development growths. In this context, energy demand is expected to increase. Presently, 83% of TPES in the region is satisfied by hydrocarbons. According to the OME BAU scenario, this will continue (annual increase of about 4.3% during 2005-2020). Consequently, CO2 emissions are expected to rise by 240% over the same period. This is unsustainable and many options do exist allowing the region evolving in a more sustainable energy development path. The region is indeed endowed with high potential of energy efficiency and renewable energy that need to be better exploited. Indeed, in addition to security of supply concerns, SEMCs need to address urgently climate changes as recent studies (GIEC…) confirm the vulnerability of the region and the important damages of their effects on their economies and development.
The aim of MEDITEP, a think tank on energy in the Mediterranean region, is to pursue and deepen the work already initiated within the “Summer Mediterranean University” (UMET) on the shared concerns adopted from the start: how can energy scenarios in the Mediterranean be followed up and evaluated? How is the situation evolving, how is it placed with respect to the initial and alternative scenarios? Are these scenarios acceptable and what are their impacts? and then to continue exploration of more specific topics: territories and sustainable development, globalization and new energy markets, investments & financing tools, technological innovation, technology transfer, research and development, regional cooperation, climate change, etc.
Several organisations and initiatives already work on these issues, but link and dialogue are missing. These are very important and need to be established in a stable way in order to allow better cooperation and facilitate convergence of efforts and achieve a sustainable development in the region.
Thus, the objectives of MEDITEP are to:
- Create a common framework for dialogue among all stakeholders from decisions makers to civil society on sustainable energy prospect in the region with particular focus on energy efficiency, access to energy and renewable energy;
- Investigate emerging concerns that need to be addressed and promote the dialogue and research on them;
- Make proposals to decision makers, international organizations, etc. on how to enhance sustainable energy in the region and to continue to instill a sense of urgency as to the decisions to take;
- Exchange experiences, knowledge and best practices;
- Promote networking on specific topics to be defined;
- Foster research, training, expertise and capacity building;
- Broad dissemination of information and awareness;
- Provide a single window information as a strong tool allowing update and exhaustive information on energy and sustainable development in the Mediterranean region, linking together institutions and initiatives working on these issues on the region. [more]
Lead Partner: International Union of Local Authorities (IULA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: A coalition of cities and their international, regional and national associations, UN-HABITAT and the World Bank to mobilise and assist local authorities in designing local action plans for the realisation of the Millennium Declaration, especially the goal "to improve, by 2020, the lives of 100 million slum dwellers". [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This initiative seeks to revive south-south transfers of know-how, expertise and technology to address critical social, economic and environmental issues associated with urbanisation and globalisation. A key indicator of success will be the revival of institutional programmes and support mechanisms for South-South cooperation. It also seeks to enhance the collective efficiency of international support programmes through harmonised approaches and the systematic sharing and exchange of working tools and instruments.
Expected results
(i) More effective and operational transfers of know-how and technology in sustainable urban development between cities and their civil society partners based on the matching of supply with demand for knowledge, expertise and experience;
(ii) More coherent and efficient support systems for city-to-city cooperation based on collective sharing of tools, methods and support mechanisms;
(iii) Renewed mechanisms for international support programmes for south-south city-to-city cooperation, technology transfers and exchange of expertise. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Canada - Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Andean region Summary: The current project was made possible as a result of the strong institutional bonds created by a previous four Andean country multi-national initiative (funded through CIDA and NRCan, 1996-2002). The Project goal is to improve the quality of life for peoples of the Andes by reducing the negative impact of natural hazards (volcanoes, earthquakes and landslides). Through the project, updated and integrated geoscience and geospatial information on natural hazards will be provided for: 1- land use planning and, 2- natural hazard mitigation.
The Project will transfer technologies to the National Andean Geoscience Institutions of Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Venezuela to enhance their capacity to efficiently and effectively provide on a continuous basis the required services:
1. To provide to the governments, communities, and planners geoscientific information fundamental to good decision making with respect to the placement of public works (infrastructure), and human settlements;
2. To contribute to mitigation of the effects of natural hazards on the local population and public works (infrastructure), to support sustainable development with more disaster resistant communities;
3. To increase the capacities of the Geoscience Agencies in the evaluation of geological hazards; and
4. To assist other government organizations such as Civil Protection agencies to incorporate geoscience information into emergency plans. [more]
Lead Partner: Association of American Geographers
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The general goal of My Community, Our Earth -- Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development is to build geographically literate generations able to use this knowledge in their everyday lives to bring about true sustainable development. In particular, the Program seeks to provide students and international leaders with the opportunity to discover and address real issues in their communities and their regions with respect to sustainable development issues, particularly Agenda 21, WSSD topics, UNCSD themes, and the Millenium Development Goals. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Building nationally the capacities of local and central governments, associations of local authorities, and training institutions to routinely integrate the lessons of experience from local demonstrations into national sustainable urbanisation and poverty alleviation policies, up-scaling strategies, and associated legal frameworks. In other words: Developing institutional frameworks and national networks for sustained EPM support. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Enivronmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: NEISGEI consists of 1) a globally distributed database of air pollutant emissions information in well documented formats at the local, regional, national, and global scales; 2) computer software that will enable users to retrieve, compile, and analyze relevant emissions information from the globally distributed database using the World Wide Web; and 3) a global network of air emissions experts in government, industry, and academia. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Canada - Natural Resources Canada (NRCan)
Geographical Scope: National Summary: To transfer and adapt modern technologies that will improve the way the groundwater resources of the crystalline terranes of the semi-arid northeast of Brazil are developed and managed, which in turn will translate into more abundant and better quality water for the population. To enhance awareness in the population in regards to environmental protection and water conservation issues by providing appropriate education programs. Improve the plight of women in the community through gender equity programs aimed at enhancing their role in the decision-making process regarding management of the water resources. [more]
Lead Partner: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Pacific Program - Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) - South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The initiative aims to achieve its objective through the mainstreaming of biodiversity at all levels, including such issues as:
* Methods (both scientific and traditional) and field activities for the identification, protection, conservation and sustainable use of Pacific biodiversity access and equitable benefit sharing from the use of genetic resources protection and strengthening of traditional knowledge, practises innovation and management systems putting real economic value on biodiversity.
* A complementary and participatory approach to conservation will be promoted, including both ex situ and in situ strategies, developed on the basis of both scientific and traditional knowledge.
* A key strategy will be to protect and strengthen traditional knowledge on the use of biodiversity - including agricultural, forestry, wildlife and marine resources - for food, medicine, fibre, shelter and ceremonial purposes - and other relevant expressions of culture in the Pacific Islands. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia Summary: Mission statement: To contribute to the protection and improvement of the environment, an improvement in quality of life, and the promotion of sustainable development in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia, through partnership projects involving the public and private sectors and civil society.
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This initiative will tie together several ongoing and new initiatives through a comprehensive knowledge management system. It will link and harmonise databases, case studies, casebooks, training tools and materials, technical cooperation tools and instruments, and policy and partnership endeavours of global programmes and technical advisory services.
The initiative is also designed to work closely with other Level 2 partners' commitments for WSSD in, inter alia, Water for African and Asian cities, City-to-City Cooperation, and Training local authorities for sustainable urban development.
The initiative aims to mainstream lessons learned from successful practices, policies and legislation in pro-poor, gender-sensitive urban development and in decentralisation and the empowerment of local authorities.
The initiative aims to learn from Best Practices, good policies and enabling legislation: aimed at feeding the lessons from best practices into the capacity development of local authorities, supported by UN-HABITAT, research & training institutions and individual cities.
Expected results include -
(a) More socially-inclusive and environmentally-sound urban development, particularly in developing countries, through the adoption of pro-poor, gender-sensitive urban policies;
(b) More sustainable urbanisation processes and urban governance frameworks through decentralisation and the empowerment of local authorities. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To promote cohesion and collective efficiency in the international support available to the development of local capacities for sustainable urbanisation. This will be accomplished by facilitating joint policy formation between leading international associations of local authorities, international support programmes, and funding agencies on the basis of a systematic information service.
Key Objectives
1. To improve international support to local authorities and their partners in the area of local capacity development for sustainable urbanisation
2. To provide an effective framework for developing city-to-city cooperation ideas, practices and dialogue among the key partner sectors (local government associations, support programmes, donors)
3. To provide an information service on city-to-city cooperation practice promoting a better match between capacity development demand and supply as well as permitting the analysis of trends and policy issues, with ready access by practitioners to all relevant information
4. To facilitate a dialogue on policy and co-ordination issues arising in this field [more]
Lead Partner: UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The mission of the Partnership for Water Education and Research (PoWER) is to combine the strengths of all partners and enhance the capacity of each partner in order jointly to:
- Deliver capable professionals in the water and environment sectors.
- Find innovative solutions for water and environmental challenges.
- Build up the capacity of institutions and communities with respect to better management of water and environmental resources.
In the process of combining strengths and levelling the capacities of the individual partners (visualized in the figure below), joint products in the field of education, training and collaborative research will be developed in a multi-disciplinary manner. These shall be demand-responsive, duly accredited and approved through UNESCO-IHE.
By stimulating global connectivity for life-long learning through the generation and sharing of knowledge a partnership will be created that will address priority educational and research issues.
The PoWER partners will be an integral component of the UNESCO-IHE operating environment, and as such, collaborating partners keep ensure that organisational processes are redesigned in alignment with the mission and objectives of this partnership. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Mexico - SEMARNAT: Subsecretaría de Fomento y Normatividad Ambiental - Rainforest Alliance - United Nations Environment Program - DTIE
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Sustainable tourism works to protect the environment and the rights and livelihoods of local communities. Tourism businesses – including hotels, lodges, and tour operators -- can demonstrate their commitment to sustainability by meeting the standards for social and environmental practices that have been created by leading national and international certification programs. These objective, third-party organizations offer an authoritative “seal of approval” to those businesses meeting standards that conserve biodiversity and promote the well-being of workers and communities. There are more than 50 certification programs worldwide that have created national and international standards for sustainable tourism and ecotourism, and more are being created every year. However, key questions arise about them:
How can the public tell which of these programs are credible?
How can tourism businesses choose which sets of standards will have legitimacy?
Which programs can show that they are making a difference – that certified tourism businesses have tangible impacts on workers, communities, and the environment and that businesses benefit from being certified?
And how can tourists be confident that the programs audit, certify, and provide continuous monitoring of those businesses that are serious about social and environmental sustainability and accountability.
In response to these challenges, a coalition of tourism industry associations, nonprofit civil society organizations (NGOs), private foundations, and U.N. and government agencies has been working to create a global Sustainable Tourism Stewardship Council (STSC) -- an umbrella organization that would set universal minimum standards for certification programs and accredit those that meet them. This effort is currently being led by a board of directors that includes 17 organizations including representatives from international NGOs and the private sector and a Technical and Scientific Council that with participation of the United Nations Environment Program, the UN World Tourism Organization, and Rainforest Alliance, the international conservation organization that has provided technical and administrative leadership for the effort since 2001.
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Danube River Basin Summary: The main goal of the Pilot Project is to develop, implement and test an evidence-based methodology for rapid assessment of environment and health risks for selected area with high dangerous industrial activities.
The main characteristic of the Project is to be repeatible and applied in different geographical areas and to different situation.
In order to test the validity of the methodology, a Pilot phase was implemented on some industrial activities located in the area of Danube basin in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary.
The results reached in this Pilot Phase showed the great value of the project as method to be applied in the next future for the environmnetal and health risk assessement.
Therefore, the Project will be further implemented in Bulgaria and Romania, but also in the Mediterranean area hot spots.
In the implementation of the project, the following basic objectives will be sequentially achieved:
* Identification, classification, inventory and ranking of hazardous industrial or abandoned sites in selected geographical areas.
* Research, analysis and collection of available data about severe contamination events (incidents, releases, etc.), which have occurred in the past (starting from 1990).
* Gathering of information and basic evaluation of existing environmental and health conditions, both outside as well as inside highly hazardous industrial sites.
* Rapid assessment of the environment and health risks for the highly hazardous sites, by specific procedures and scenarios mapping.
* Gathering of information about risk perception by the public.
* Identification of local Institutions, Authorities, Industrial Associations, Trade Unions, Public Movements or Associations which could be sources of information or could be involved in the further planning and risk management.
* Assessment of the health-related industry, particularly drinking water production, its vulnerability to industrial accidents and its level of preparedness.
* Assessment of the preparedness of the most hazardous industrial sites to deal with environment and health emergencies, including staff training.
* Assessment of the preparedness of local authorities to deal with industrial accident prevention and management.
* Evaluation of the practical relevance of UN Conventions, particularly the technical guidance of the 1992 UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes and its Protocol on Water and Health, the Aarhus Convention and the UN/ECE Industrial Accidents Convention. [more]
Lead Partner: Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future, ActionAid
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Population and Sustainability Network is an advocacy group which aims to bring together development, environment and reproductive health NGOs, government departments, academics and others, to increase leverage on population issues. Network Objectives:· To highlight the negative impact of unsustainable population increase on economic development, poverty alleviation and the natural environment (with particular reference to MDG 7: ¿Ensure environmental sustainability¿).· To support others in the campaign for the provision of adequate reproductive healthcare facilities for the 200 million couples who would use them ¿ but are presently denied rights of access because of funding shortfalls or other reasons· To raise awareness of the need for a rights-based approach to reproductive healthcare.· To ensure better opportunity for investment in healthcare and education, especially in respect of women¿s rights and the need for more effective programmes against HIV/AIDS.· To promote better understanding of the problems caused by unsustainable consumption (particularly in the rich minority world) ¿ including pollution and pressure on finite resources.· To provide a constructive forum in which the issues outlined above can be addressed and to increase stakeholder participation in and ownership of the key issues. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Sweden - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) - East African Community (EAC) Secretariat - East African Community (EAC) Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Lake Victoria Basin Summary: In the Partnership Agreement between EAC and the Development Partners the following objectives are set out:
* To exploit the opportunities for development in the Lake Victoria Basin in a sustainable manner and address the present problems relating to economic and social development, poverty and environment
* To identify and investigate specific aspects of threats and obstacles to sustainable, economic, social and environmental development, and their underlying causes and propose relevant interventions
* To assist in the formulation of policies to guide the various actors involved with activities relevant to sustainable development in the region
* To build capacity through the development and strengthening of local institutions and organizations concerned with these issues
* To promote co-ordination of the development efforts undertaken by various authorities, institutions and bodies established within EAC with an interest in supporting the developments in the Lake Victoria Basin
* To provide consultative fora and focal points for various actors with an interest in the developments in the Basin
* To broaden the co-operation between EAC, the EAC member states and donor agencies
* To identify investment opportunities and work to create a climate conducive to investments
* To mobilize resources for the implementation of identified Programmes
* To promote the involvement of a broad spectrum of actors in the development process [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Geographical Scope: Global 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]
Lead Partner: Yachay Wasi - Yachay Wasi
Geographical Scope: Local 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]
Lead Partner: Government of Philippines - Partnership for Environmental Management of Seas East Asia (PEMSEA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional East Asia 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]
Lead Partner: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The goal of the Resilient Communities & Cities Partnership Program is to support the development of greater resilience in the institutions, infrastructure, and social and economic life of cities and towns worldwide through urban management and participatory governance. A Resilient Community is a city, town or neighbourhood that reduces its vulnerability to dramatic change or extreme events and responds creatively to economic, social and environmental change in order to increase its long-term sustainability.
Guided by the formula "Sustainability=Resilience/Risk," the program seeks to develop a methodology for local resilience management, which will increase the resilience of a city or community to a range of shocks, crises, and disasters including environmental emergencies, industrial accidents, outbreaks of epidemics, economic shocks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and social conflict. In the Resilient Communities & Cities Partnership Program, the concept of resilience encompasses both the resilience of cities (the natural and built environment, including infrastructure) as well as the resilience of communities (social and political structures).
The program will focus on introducing policies, tools and methods developed in the disaster management community into the established worldwide movement for sustainable communities, thereby linking preventative disaster management know-how with established local methods for participatory sustainable development planning (also known as Local Agenda 21 planning).
The Partnership Program is composed of eight elements: partnership program management and capacity building; documentation and promotion of good policies and best practices; inventory and review of mechanisms for local resilience management; recruitment of pilot cities; methodology, modeling and system development; pilot projects in six municipalities; project learning and experience; and project documentation and products. [more]
Lead Partner: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The main objective of this partnership initiative is to facilitate and enhance advanced scientific and technological methodologies such as the Isotopes Techniques to the sustainable use of water resources and coastal zone management.
Expected results include:
* Improved understanding of the groundwater discharge to the ocean and sea water intrusion in the coastal aquifer processes by the application of wide spectrum of isotopes techniques.
* Increased capacity of coordination among experts in hydrogeology, oceanography, coastal resources management
* Improved capacity for efficient water resources and coastal zone management and related policy development achieved by more effective collaboration between the partner agencies.
* Increased capacity of national scientific and technical institutions to use advanced techniques such us Isotopes applications in relation to water resources and coastal zone management.
* Increased capacity for long-term sustained training capability on isotopes techniques applications through development of academic centers. [more]
Lead Partner: Desert Development Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Using the 40,000 kilometers of desert seacoast for a new agriculture - that of seawater instead of fresh water - promises wealth generation of jobs and products, future food security, drought relief for ruminant feed and atmospheric carbon sequestration. [more]
Lead Partner: Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future - Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: SEAL is a South-South partnership of civil and academic organizations that recognizes the importance of intra-Southern co-operation in promotion sustainable development.
The Secure and Equitable Access to Land (SEAL) partnership aims to secure equitable access by
* Furthering a pragmatic and programmatic approach to land development for food security in Africa
* Sharing the experience from other regions of Asia and Latin America, strengthening the networking structure of civil society in Africa
* Facilitating the adoption and replication of Southern initiative projects on securing access to land for the promotion of poverty eradication and food security within Southern countries with similar climatic and socio-political conditions
SEAL is the result of organizations agreeing to develop a unique collaborative programme to strenthen the networking structure of African civil society and share experiences from Asia and Latin America.
SEAL is a pragmatic networking partnership that is receptive and prepared to work with other networks in partnership for development
Specific Objectives include
* To strengthen civil society initiatives on land
* Strengthening community groups to form a cooperative society for food production and the diversification of land and agricultural resources
* To empower girl-child and women's groups, given the salience of gender equity and the advancement of women in promoting optimal
* To encourage best practices on land use issues, strengthening levels of mutual support and assistance through institutional training and exchange programs. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The purpose of UNDP's Shared Rivers Governance Project is to build on and complement existing activities to:
- Support regional dialogue and build political will among decision makers in developing countries to jointly address integrated management and development of shared rivers, and
- Build capacity and provide support for the development of legal mechanisms and associated institutional structures for shared rivers management
The development objective of the Shared Rivers project is to improve natural resource management, improve the livelihoods of poor people, maximize benefits across the basin and promote regional stability. This will be achieved by providing strategic support for improved water governance of international rivers to advance socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically efficient management and development of the water resources. [more]
Lead Partner: Sister Cities International (SCI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Sister Cities International is creating a network of sister city partnerships committed to implementing the concepts of sustainable development, as outlined by the international community. Through innovative, cross-cultural projects, sister city partners will demonstrate that locally based actions can: (a) be a catalyst for advancing sustainable development concepts throughout the world; (b) improve the quality of life for citizens within their communities; (c) advance the knowledge and practice of sustainable development through long-term, sustainable relationships; (d) mutually reinforce and integrate the goals of good governance, sustainable economic development, social development and environmental stewardship; and (e) achieve concrete results through partnerships with the public and private sector.
The Sister Cities Network for Sustainable Development will involve sister city communities and their citizens, international and U.S. non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, corporations, foundations and other major donors to address a variety of issues related to sustainable development as outlined in the United Nations' Agenda 21, the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Millennium Development Goals. Using the Sister Cities Internaitonal "model," sister city partnerships will promote the participation of local citizens in all levels of program development, including identifying project areas, suggesting and designing solutions, overseeing implementation and evaluating results. [more]
Lead Partner: Southern Caucus Of NGOs For Sustainable Development
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: THE PARTNERSHIP SHALL:
1. Establish Five Multi Regional Centers to assist in recruitment, mobilization and development of human resources and strengthen Southern Major Group NGO Institutions on Local, National and Regional Levels and increase their Capacity to participate in and contribute to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation Locally, Nationally and Regionally.
2 Seek resources to implement National NGO Action Plans to Eradicate Poverty, complementary to Government Plans
3 Report on the impact of reduction of poverty programs using UN CSD measurements and report on NGO Sustainable Development achievements and obstacles to participation in Local, National and Regional Sustainable Development.
4 Increase participation of Southern Major Group NGO¿s as observers and experts at Government Regional Meetings with feedback to local communities.
5 Replicate to NGOs in the countries served by the Centers best practices and expert programs developed by National and Regional NGO Major Groups that contribute to Sections IV to VIII of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, including the following:5a Reduce digital divide problems through Digital Divide Centers linked to Distance Learning, Technology Exchange, Higher Education, Research, Technical Assistance and Communications Programs,
5b Provide .
5c Participate in Monitoring and Management of Watersheds, Forests and Carbon Exchange programs [more]
Lead Partner: Government of El Salvador - El Salvador National Territorial Studies Bureau
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Central America Summary: The main objective is to contribute to risk reduction in Central America through the effective implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) and the action points of Agenda 21.
Given the frequency, variety and magnitude of the adverse natural phenomena that affect the Central American isthmus, and the vulnerability of its inhabitants, risk reduction is a key prerequisite to achieving sustainable development in the subregion.
Agenda 21 contains significant action points for hazard and risk reduction, particularly in the chapters on Sustainable Human Settlements, Environment and Development, the Planning and Management of Land Resources, Drought, and Protection of the Quality and Supply of Freshwater. The International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) can help to systematize the activities underway to meet these challenges and consolidate the many efforts aimed at risk reduction and environmental protection in Central America. [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 Canada - Industry Canada
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: By partnering with cities in developing and emerging economies, the SCI helps cities define their sustainable development objectives and implement projects to improve the environmental and human health of their community. Multi-sectoral and multi-stakeholder city teams (Canadian private sector, government and NGOs) combine forces and resources with local authorities to develop and implement city sustainable development plans. The SCI's main areas of focus are all priority areas for sustainable urban development: clean water, waste management, clean energy, transportation, housing, capacity-building, urban planning, telecommunications, urban infrastructure projects, and waterfront development. By showcasing Canada's expertise in sustainable development technologies and services, the SCI demonstrates the important role the private sector can play in reducing poverty, enhancing quality of life and promoting the principles of good governance. [more]
Lead Partner: International Institute for Sustainable Future and Global Future Net
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Sustainable Rural Development and Ecovillage Training Program (SRDETP) will be based on an integrated and holistic approach to sustainable rural (and impoverished urban) development, particularly in the 3rd world. It will include a primary component focusing on the ecovillage model of development.
The Program would include an easily accessible information database containing descriptions of the primary programs, exemplary projects, and best practices that are being carried out around the world. It would also provide the means to widely disseminate and share such information. A number of programs have been developed that could be expanded and scaled up to spread such knowledge and resources throughout the developing world and support would be given to field training and implementation projects that can be replicated in other regions throughout the world. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Burkina Faso - Regional Agency for Support and Consulting on Tourism and Development (ARTODEV)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The project's purpose is to use experiments currently being carried out in various countries in order to analyze the conditions conducive to developing forms of tourism in line with the stated sustainability criteria, and to suggest methodologies for implementing these new approaches as well as for their follow-up and evaluation. This will involve transforming experimentation into development programmes for emerging countries and offering validated methodological tools to national authorities.
The first phase will consist of identifying experiments in progress, selecting the "best practices," and analysing and evaluating them in order to identify the appropriate model-building parameters. This "expertise" will be able to make use of comparative data from similar experiments carried out in developed countries, particularly in fragile rural areas.
The financial and methodological assistance for these experiments will make it possible to verify, during a second phase, the feasibility of their increased use and of their ability to have a greater impact on the diversification and qualitative improvement of tourism in these countries.
The project will directly benefit village communities involved in developing this form of tourism as well as local authorities, who should enjoy an increase in revenues from tourism and a greatly enhanced image abroad. It will indirectly benefit customers, who will have access to better information about the products available and a more diversified offer, and who, because of the labels that can be used, will have greater confidence in the redeployment of monetary flows towards local populations. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional MAP area ( bordering regions of Madre de Dios (Perù), Acre (Brasil), Pando (Bolivia) Summary: The general objective of the programme is to improve the living conditions of the local communities while ensuring the conservation of biological diversity and other ecosystem resources and services of the Amazon forest. This will be achieved by improving the relationships among the different administrative, scientific, conservation and social groups present in the area toward the sustainable and harmonious development of the three neighbouring countries sharing the same ecosystems and, hence, planning and management problems and development opportunities.
More specifically, this objective will be achieved by jointly designing and carrying out a strategy, commonly agreed upon by, and with the contributions of public and private organizations, and the key groups of the three countries, toward the conservation and the sustainable use of the natural resources and of the biodiversity in the south-western Amazonian forest ecosystems.
The above target will be pursued by establishing a systemic transnational framework in support of the integration of existing relevant inter-institutional and information networks and attracting the involvement also of the international donors focussing on other sectors indirectly related to sustainable development and preservation of the biodiversity, such as the fight against drug production, poverty alleviation and food security, access to basic services like health and education, and the strengthening of equitable systems and processes and of social participation. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Japan - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Geographical Scope: Regional
Summary: At WSSD, Japanese Government launched this partnership to contribute to sustainable development by further encouraging the sharing the know-how of Japanese local governments on environmental problems with local authorities in developing countries. This partnership also intended to promote the Kita-Kyushu Initiative adopted at the 4th Ministerial Meeting on Environment and Development held in Kita-Kyushu City in September 2000.
On March 23, 2003, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan announced the "Initiative for Japan's ODA on Water" at the 3rd World Water Forum. In collaboration with the central government, Japanese public waterworks (operated by local governments) have played a significant role in assisting the ownership and capacity-building for planning, management, and control in the fields of water supply and sewage, as well as developing a network among Asian cities. [more]
Lead Partner: Steering Committee on Transport, Environment and Health
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Europe and North America Summary: Transport, Health and Environment Pan European Programme (THE PEP) aims at making progress towards the achievement of transport patterns that are sustainable for health and the environment by focusing work at the Pan-European level on those priorities where further work of the international community is most needed and could make the biggest impact: integration of environmental and health aspects into transport policies and decisions; shift of the demand for transport towards more sustainable mobility; urban transport issues. In addition, special attention will be given to the needs of the Newly Independent States and South-Eastern European countries as well as to areas, which are particularly sensitive from an environmental point of view.
THE PEP streamlines and consolidates the WHO and UNECE activities on transport, environment and health with a view to a more effective use of resources and better co-ordination of efforts at the international as well at the national level. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Department of State
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) is an umbrella energy partnership comprising U.S. activities in the Global Village Energy Partnership, Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles Partnership, Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, and Efficient Energy for Sustainable Development. Collectively, these components will increase access to modern energy services, promote clean transportation fuels, indoor cooking and heating practices, and improve the productivity and efficiency of current energy systems reducing waste, saving money, and improving reliability. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Dept of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional USA-Mexico Summary: Rapid industrialization and population growth have produced profound environmental stresses along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite efforts by both governments, risks to human health remain a significant problem. The goal of this project is to reduce exposure to environmental hazards, with a focus on children, by improving the capacity of lay community health workers (promotores) in U.S. communities along the US-Mexico border to raise public awareness and inform their peers about such hazards and how to minimize exposure. A seondary goal is to improve the capacity of health professionals in the same communities to recognize, manage, and report pesticide related illnesses. The objectives are: 1) improve knowledge of sources of environmental hazards and ways to minimize exposure; 2) improve knowledge of basic sanitation, referral resources for medical care and legal assistance, 3) understand how to report exposure to agricultural pesticides, 4) improve leadership and communication skills, 5) strengthen public participation through community mobilzation, and 6) develop mechanisms facilitating cross-border sharing of environmental health information. [more]
Lead Partner: City of Lyon - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - Université Lyon
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This initiative seeks to produce training modules from the results of research projects; to create skill centers as support structures for research, trails and training in local sustainable development practices; to create a knowledge base making use of all sources of information on sustainable development practices; to implement e-learning courses; and to make the information and skills required for sustainable development practices available and readily comprehensible to everyone.
* Making available in a way that is easily understandable by everyone (businesses, local authorities, associations, NGOs...) the knowledge and competences necessary for the planning, bringing into effect and evaluation of sustainable development policies
* Creating a knowledge base built up from all sources of information on the pracaticalities of sustainable development
* Putting in place training by e-learning as well as logistical platforms based in regional centres of competence (creation of centres of competence, initiation of research and experimental projects, production of training modules) [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional North Africa, Horn of Africa, Middle East, East Asia Summary: The overall aim of this partnership is to contribute to the achievement of three principal objectives in the perspective of the Millennium Development Goals:
(1) to contribute to the achievement of water security in water-stressed environments by providing rural and urban populations with fresh water;
(2) to satisfy water needs for nature and food production by a more efficient integrated water management;
(3) to alleviate poverty by providing adapted water and sanitation services particularly to rural populations.
With the view that this Project is focusing on developing countries in arid and semi-arid the following objectives have been identified:
- Improved alternative water resources use and management;
- Improved health conditions reducing vulnerability to water related diseases and water scarcity;
- Improved productivity through identification of wise practices using both traditional knowledge and scientific expertise
- Improved efficiency of water services and treatment systems with the renewable energy. [more]
Lead Partner: Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: WSUP¿s mission is to advance the Millennium Development Goals for water, sanitation, and associated health benefits through multi-sector, stakeholder partnerships delivering sustainable, equitable, and affordable water and sanitation services to the urban poor in developing countries. [more]
Lead Partner: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: The development objective of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to support the implementation of the Millennium Declaration Goals related to cities, specifically promoting integrated urban water resource management, including participatory governance, community-based approaches, demand management, and increased attention to environmental sanitation. The programme will seek to achieve this by raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; and pilot demonstrations.
The overriding thrust of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to build capacity of city managers and water utilities in integrated urban water management and to anchor the enhanced capacity within the region for achieving sustainability objectives.
The Programme will focus on the following immediate objectives:
(i) Mobilization of political will through advocacy and exchange of information. Mobilizing political commitment will call for engaging policy level functionaries in the programme in a continuous manner. Information exchange will be facilitated through internet
(interactive network and website), newsletters, study visits, staff exchange etc.
(ii) Strengthening regional, country and city level capacities for integrated urban water management. This will require human resource development in a focused manner, strengthening the capacity of existing institutions and establishing a regional network of experts and institutions. Gender mainstreaming will be an important cross-cutting theme of capacity-building at all levels.
(iii) Creating a new ethic amongst children and communities through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education. Interventions will include: introducing water education in schools; establishing water education classrooms in pilot cities; community education,
training of trainers etc. Twinning of cities and schools will be part of this initiative.
(iv) Promoting integrated urban water management, through demonstration projects focusing on: income generation for the urban poor, demand management and environmental sanitation. [more]
Lead Partner: Netherlands Council of Women (NVR) - Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: In the Women for Water Initiative existing national and international women's organizations working on sustainable development, water, poverty eradication and gender join forces:
* To give an impulse to IWRM through ownership & partnership for sustainable development
* To provide the missing link between bottom-up initiatives and top-down policy and decision-making
* To provide a means for the implementation of Dublin Principles 2 and 3, especially women's equal participation in IWRM at all levels, including the local level
* To implement Rio Principle 10: Access to information, participation and justice [more]
Lead Partner: Huxley College of the Environment (Western Washington University)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: AWISH - Hellas - Mesogeiou is a nonprofit registered in Greece and in the United States (Washington State) for educational and charitable purposes. AWISH's objective is to promote understanding and education in community sustainable development. The Corporation's activities include the development of model programs, applied research, seminars, academic programs and university partnerships, workshops and activities which demonstrate sustainable community development that promote a community's social, economical, and environmental well being, including activities that promote: a) individual and community mental, social, economical and spiritual health, wellness and wellbeing, b) community social-interaction, c) community service, d) social, economical and environmental justice, e) community self determination, f) environmental education and human and natural resources protection, g) community energy sustainability and recycling, h) biodiversity, i) environmentally sound economical development, j) culture and architectural resources protection and enrichment, and k) creative artistic and endeavors including fine and performing arts. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.