Lead Partner: Forum for Renewable Energy Islands (FREI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To assist island states to meet 100% of their energy requirements from Renewable Energy Sources (RES) by helping them with the preparation & planning, organization and all the inputs (technical, financial & managerial) required for implementation of the 100% RES plan..
By helping several SIDS to use 100% RES for their energy supply, this partnership will result in
* Island states stopping the use of fossil fuels and the environmental damage caused by these fuels.
* Meeting their energy needs from locally available renewable sources in a sustainable manner.
* Local manufacture of RE equipment creating employment & income generation leading to poverty reduction. [more]
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: 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: EdF/ACCESS
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The objective of the Initiative is to pool the resources of the participants in order to develop models to meet the needs for modern energy services in rural areas of Africa, including their business, institutional, technological, financial and social aspects.
Through this objective, AREA will contribute to achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in the following ways:
* Poverty reduction. The operation of rural energy service systems will create income and jobs:
* directly, at the village level, in the operation and maintenance of the energy service systems;
* indirectly, by increasing the opportunity for village level craft and agro-alimentary activities (wood processing, food processing, welding, ...);
* in the manufacture and assembly of system components;
* Health. The energy systems will contribute to better health in rural areas in the following ways:
* pumping of potable water;
* water for irrigation, thus increasing the food supply;
* refrigeration and lighting in health clinics;
* reduction of indoor air pollution, through the improvement of domestic fuel quality the through better stoves;
* Gender equality. Free women and girls from time consuming tasks such as carrying water (through motorised water pumping), collecting firewood (through improved fuels and stoves for cooking) or from milling grains (mechanical milling);
* Natural resource management. The biomass needed for energy production will be produced through sustainable forestry management techniques and through use of waste products. This will permit better management of land and forest resources, and aid in the fight against deforestation. [more]
Lead Partner: International Trade Centre UNCTAD/WTO (ITC) - United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), BIOTRADE Initiative
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The BioTrade Facilitation Programme (BTFP) helps enterprises in developing countries (for example small, medium, and community-based enterprises) with export promotion. To achieve this, it joins several partners in developing and developed countries. The programme supports products that have market potential and can be produced without harming biodiversity. To develop and trade these products, export plans are formulated and then implemented through a set of practical trade promotion services, including market information collection, products development, quality improvement certification, labelling, trade fairs participation and matchmaking. [more]
Lead Partner: International Water Management Institute (IWMI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Development objective: To increase the productivity of water for food and livelihoods, in a manner that is environmentally sustainable and socially acceptable.
The immediate objectives of the Challenge Program on Water and Food:
1. Food security for all at household level.
2. Poverty alleviation, through increased sustainable livelihoods in rural and peri-urban areas.
3. Improved health, through better nutrition, lower agriculture-related pollution and reduced water-related diseases.
4. Environmental security through improved water quality as well as the maintenance of water related ecosystem services, including biodiversity.
These form the four key dimensions in which progress towards the overall goal is measured. [more]
Lead Partner: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The goal of the 'Biofortified Crops for Improved Human Nutrition' Challenge Program is to improve the health of poor people by breeding staple food crops that are rich in micronutrients, a process referred to here as "biofortification." The Biofortification Challenge Program seeks to bring the full potential of agricultural and nutrition science to bear on the persistent problem of micronutrient malnutrition. Micronutrient malnutrition, primarily the result of diets poor in bioavailable vitamins and minerals, affects more than half of the world's population, especially women and preschool children. The costs of these deficiencies in terms of lives lost, forgone economic growth, and poor quality of life are staggering. To reach the Millennium Development Goal's target of halving the proportion of undernourished people by 2015, new technologies and approaches are needed to help address the problem.
The Biofortification Challenge Program will focus on three micronutrients that are widely recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) as limiting: iron, zinc, and vitamin A (beta-carotene). Full-time breeding programs are proposed for six staple foods for which feasibility studies have already been completed and which are consumed by the majority of the world's poor in Africa, Asia, and Latin America: rice, wheat, maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, and common beans. Pre-breeding feasibility studies are proposed for eleven additional staples: bananas, barley, cowpeas, groundnuts, lentils, millet, pigeon peas, plantains, potatoes, sorghum, and yams. [more]
Lead Partner: International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Development Goal: To increase food security and improve livelihoods in developing countries by unlocking the genetic potential and enhancing the use of public genetic resources in plant breeding programs through the concerted generation, management, dissemination, and application of comparative biological knowledge.
The Problem: The rate of increase in potential and realized productivity of keystone crops is leveling off. Rural and urban populations continue to grow. Chronic environmental stresses continue to limit productivity, while catastrophic events, such as floods, sustained drought, and fire, cause nearly total losses in crops, which in most countries are not buffered by food reserves. The development of state-of the-art (bio)technologies has been primarily a private initiative, and owing to access and ownership issues, this technology may never be fully available to help those who need it most.
The Opportunity: The genomics revolution is contributing unprecedented quantities of information about biological systems, while the information age is are providing unprecedented abilities to store, access, and process data; together they offer the ability to uncover new biological phenomena at the gene level. New molecular-based as well as traditional approaches will be developed and used to identify plant materials with superior genetic characteristics, in particular drought tolerance, to allow plant breeders to easily transfer these genes to crops for resource-poor farmers, especially farmers in marginal agricultural environments, to alleviate chronic and acute deficiencies in food production and quality. [more]
Lead Partner: The Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean (CATHALAC) - The White Water to Blue Water Initiative (WW2BW)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: The development objective of this project is to promote sustainable water and environmental management and human sustainable development. This will be achieved through capacity building, organizational strengthening, direct public participation, decentralized local governance, and small business development. Thus, the project proposes a participatory and bottom-up methodological framework to jointly address the water and environmental management issues, find feasible solutions and suggest new environmentally sound economic activities. Furthermore it is conceived as a project belonging to the local governments with which a protocol of cooperation has been established with CATHALAC. The application of participative strategies is expected to contribute to the strengthening of democracy and give a prominent role to achieving sustainable development, improving the quality of life of the population as a whole and especially the weaker strata including the indigenous Emberá tribe and women, and empowering them as stakeholders of their own destiny. [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: WIP Renewable Energies
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The objective of the Competence Platform on Energy Crop and Agroforestry Systems - Africa (COMPETE) is to stimulate bioenergy implementation in Africa. COMPETE will establish a platform for policy dialogue and capacity building in the major multi- and bi-lateral funding organisations and key stakeholders throughout the bioenergy provision and supply chains.
As global fossil energy resources become constrained, bioenergy is emerging as a major potential resource to supply the energy services currently provided by these fossil fuels. Africa and Latin America have, in theory, very large areas of land resources ‘available’ for bioenergy production. However, the production of biomass for energy on the scales necessary to supply significant shares of national and global energy provision, will result in very substantial impacts (positive and negative) on the ecosystems and cultures of these target regions. The protection of biodiversity, rural livelihoods and management of scarce water resources are critical considerations in any analysis of the potential for sustainable bioenergy provision.
Therefore, a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary, assessment of current land use, energy demand and technology innovation focused on Africa, will be carried out to identify pathways for the sustainable provision of bioenergy, which will:
• improve the quality of life and create alternative means of income for the rural population in Africa
• aid the preservation of the critical functions of arid and semi-arid regions in Africa as intact ecosystems
• enhance the equitable exchange of knowledge between EU and developing countries
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Department of State - Government of United States of America - U.S. Department of State
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Central Africa- Congo Basin Summary: The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP) aims to promote the sustainable management of the Congo Basins' forests and wildlife by improving communication, cooperation, and collaboration among all the partners. It does not intend to create new institutions, but through the partnership forum and transparency and information sharing to assist partners and their associates to work better. Principal objectives include the preservation of the biodiversity and ecology of the forest and wildlife, placing their protection and use on a sustainable basis for the long-term benefit of the region's inhabitants. Examples of support contemplated or extended by partners include support for community-based sustainable forest and wildlife management, better timber harvesting and processing technologies, ecotourism, increasing capacity in public and private sectors, improvement of law and law enforcement infrastructures, realizing their contributions to the alleviation of poverty. Target themes are provided by an updated regional master plan being developed by the Conference of Ministers of Forests of Central Africa (COMIFAC).The Congo Basin forest is the second largest intact tropical forest in the world. It purifies the air and it catches, cleans, and sends to the ocean the waters from millions of hectares of pristine forests upon which the Congo Basin's inhabitants depend for their livelihood and survival. Within their forests are an incredible number of species of plants, trees, animals, and insects. The forest is a global treasure whose resources must be protected and conserved for the environmental and economic good of the citizens of the Congo Basin, of Africa, and for mankind. The forest is concentrated in six countries in the Congo Basin Region.
The framework for the Congo Basin Forest Partnership is the Yaounde Declaration which was agreed to in 1999 by central African heads of State. That framework aims to protect forests through the harmonization of forest policies, protected areas, regulations against poaching and the adoption of practices for sustainable forest use. It recognized the ecological significance of key mixed landscapes which are critical to longer term forest conservation and sustainable management
[more]
Lead Partner: Future Harvest Foundation - Future Harvest Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Goals: To promote Science, Practice and Policy for Land Use Systems that Jointly increase Food Production, Reduce Rural Poverty, and Conserve Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services by catalysing:
* Research and land-use innovation with farmers and conservationists
* Capacity building
* Education and public awareness
* Enabling policies
* Resource mobilisation
Expected Results:
1. An international conference of ecoagriculture innovators
2. Support for on-going ecoagriculture field projects or community based initiatives
3. Identification and publicize communities managing successful ecoagriculture systems
4. Promotion of ecoagriculture education, training and capacity building
5. Promotion of information dissemination and thus public awareness of the potentials of ecoagriculture [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: 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: Earth Charter Youth Initiative, Earth Charter International
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Vision
From Earth Charter International Council, October 2006:
“We envision the Earth Charter becoming the most widely shared ethical framework for sustainable living and exercising a growing influence on human affairs.
We envision recognition and endorsement of the Earth Charter by an ever-increasing number of national and international institutions, including UN agencies, leading to the embrace of the Earth Charter by the United Nations General Assembly.
We envision individuals, organizations, businesses, governments, and multilateral institutions throughout the world adopting the values and principles of the Earth Charter and working collaboratively to build just, sustainable, and peaceful communities.”
ECYI Goal:
Inspire hope within and through the Earth Charter Youth Initiative (ECYI) and support this global youth network in embodying, promoting, and applying the principles of the Earth Charter.
ECYI Objectives:
1. Raise awareness of the Earth Charter among key youth leaders and networks.
2. Grow, empower, and support Earth Charter Youth Groups (ECYGs) that are engaged in local action projects.
3. Facilitate the engagement of ECYI members in global sustainable development decision-making processes. [more]
Lead Partner: Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) - Uppsala University
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional The Baltic Sea region (Europe) and the Great Lakes region (USA & Canada) Summary: The goal is to develop a new educational package on Ecosystem Health and Sustainable Agriculture and transfer knowledge on sustainable agriculture, land use, rural development, ecosystem health and management to teachers, students and professionals in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR in Europe) and in the Great Lakes Region (GLR in USA & Canada). The Baltic Sea is affected by many different environmental problems from different sources. Discharges of nutrients from agriculture and waste-water treatment plants, as well as discharge from industries, and waste facilities leads to eutrophication and other forms of pollution. It is important to increase the knowledge of and improve the management of land and land use to prevent pollution from agriculture from reaching the Baltic Sea or the Great Lakes. It is also of great importance to use the whole ecosystem health concept to understand and prevent problems for the future. As the need of knowledge regarding ecosystem health, sustainable land use in rural areas, rural development and sustainable agriculture will be a precondition for our future, it is of great importance that this knowledge can be offered to students, teachers, experts and people working in government offices, ministries, municipalities and as agricultural advisors and agricultural managers in the Baltic Sea region and in the Great Lakes region.
The goal of the project is to transfer knowledge through a series of seminars and training courses and at the same time to develop a new educational package on sustainable agriculture, land use, rural development, ecosystem health and management to teachers, students and people working in government offices, ministries, municipalities and as agricultural advisors and agricultural managers.
This partnership cooperation is unique, as it not only represents the Baltic Sea region (Europe) and the Great Lakes region (USA and Canada) but it also represents a cooperation between agronomists, veterinarians, nature geographers, biologists, chemists, animal scientists, wildlife biologists, public health professionals, economists, business and policy experts etc. It also elaborates a new concept on sustainable agriculture and its part in the rural ecosystem. In this course package not only will sustainable agriculture from the different aspects represented by the above mentioned professions be covered, there will also be substantial knowledge on such subjects as land use and rural development, climate change, ecosystem health and the interactions between the wild and domestic animal populations, as well as public health components and poverty alleviation.
The EHSA project contributes to the implementation of the Baltic 21 Agricultural sector action programme, where education, training and information for farmers, future experts and advisors, policy makers and consumers figure as one of the most important actions. It is also a Baltic 21 Lighthouse project since March 2007. [more]
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: - Building awareness on the importance of Education for rural people as a crucial step to achieve the Millennium goals of eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education , gender equity and sustainable natural resources management
- Contributing to achieve the Education for All goals,
- Overcoming the urban/rural gap in education.
- Increasing access to basic Education for Rural People
- Improving the quality of basic Education for Rural People
- Fostering the national capacity to plan and implement ERP as part of National Education for All and Rural Development Plans.
- Building awareness on the importance of ERP as a crucial step to achieve all the Millennium Development Goals, and particularly, eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and promoting gender equity.
[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: Government of Finland - Ministry for Foreign Affairs - Sistema de la Integracion Centroamericana (SG-SICA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Central America Summary: The main objective of the Partnership is to promote the use of renewable energy sources and clean technologies in Central America in a sustainable manner, and to make energy services more accessible to the poor, particularly to those in rural areas.
Increased utilisation of renewable energy in the national and local energy mix, introduction of new energy and environmental technologies, utilisation of CDM potential, better energy sector management and increased access to energy services are the expected results of the Partnership. [more]
Lead Partner: European Commission
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Development Objectives: The Initiative aims to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal of halving the number of people in extreme poverty and other MDGs by 2015, through the provision of adequate, affordable, sustainable energy services. This will be achieved within the context of beneficiary country driven activities.
Immediate Objectives: Through the Initiative the EU proposes to establish "Energy Access Partnerships" with developing countries, with the involvement of the private sector and civil society, that will develop in response to the energy needs of developing countries and regions. Through these Partnerships, donors will work with developing countries to help identify energy needs and necessary assistance to create the economic, social and institutional conditions that will enable their energy needs to be met.
The aim of the Partnerships is to enable the EU and its developing country partners, and other stakeholders, to work together to improve efforts for increasing access to energy services, particularly for poor women and men, based on their specific circumstances and requirements. Gender issues will be mainstreamed in all aspects of the Initiative. The Partnerships will ensure that existing energy activities and other initiatives will be well co-ordinated to provide coherent packages. They will be based on existing organisations, structures and procedures. [more]
Lead Partner: North South Initiative e.V. - SUDERETA
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: Decentralised systems for the use of renewable energies can contribute to a sustainable development in rural areas in Africa. Photovoltaic systems provide electricity for lighting, medical systems, water pumping and communication systems for communities and institutions. Wind power can pump water and generate electricity. Fuel efficient cookers, biogas or solar cookers can relieve women and children from their daily work of collecting fire wood, or they can save expenses for wood or charcoal. Beyond cooking, biogas can feed lamps and engines.
Together with the local partner SUDERETA in the 'South' the association NorthSouthInitiative, NSI e.V. in the 'North' has set up several small enterprises called 'Enterprises of Trust' in rural areas for the production and sale of systems based on renewable energies. The production of such devices can provide the momentum for self-sustaining local economic cycles. Capital will thus be accumulated step by step in rural areas. Employment in technical professions is created and technical skills will be taught. Technical equipment is installed serving multiple usage in the area. The money earned can will support directly or indirectly local social services, such as schools or health services, and help protect the environment. The living conditions become sustainable in their ethnic surroundings. [more]
Lead Partner: Mata Amritanandamayi Mata (MA Math) - Mata Amritanandamayi Mata (MA Math) - Mata Amritanandamayi Math (MA Math)
Geographical Scope: Local Summary: The Farmers' Empowerment Project aims at helping the poorest farmers (and their families) in India gain economic security through sustainable practices and diversifying their means of support.
Specifically, the Farmers' Empowerment Project seeks to reduce the suicide rate among poor Indian farmers suffering from debt and crop failure in the states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnatika through providing scholarships for educating children, vocational training for women and helping the farmers make the transition to more sustainable practices.
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - (Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea); - United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Rome
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The purpose of the Global Bioenergy Partnership is to provide a mechanism for Partners to organize, coordinate and implement targeted international research, development, demonstration and commercial activities related to production, delivery, conversion and use of biomass for energy, with a particular focus on developing countries. GBEP also provides a forum for implementing effective policy frameworks, identifying ways and means to support investments, and removing barriers to collaborative project development and implementation.
The Partnership's main objectives are to:
1. Create a global high-level policy dialogue on bioenergy, support national and regional bioenergy policy-making and market development, and facilitate international cooperation.
2. Favour more efficient and sustainable uses of biomass and develop project activities in the bioenergy field.
3. Foster the exchange of information, knowledge skills and technologies by identifying and promote potential areas of bilateral and multilateral collaboration.
4. Facilitate bioenergy integration into energy markets by tackling specific barriers in the supply chain.
5. Act as a cross-cutting initiative, working in synergy with other relevant activities, avoiding duplications.
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) - Government of United States of America - U.S.A - The World Conservation Union (IUCN) - I.A.O. - Istituto Agronomico per l'Oltremare
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Main objectives: To make geo-referenced data and projects on the environment and natural resources worldwide more accessible, with emphasis on developing countries, as a contribution to consolidating the capacities of both institutional and private decision-makers to effectively and sustainably address their development pursuits. This important objective focuses on relevant planning and management challenges which emerge within the framework of current sustainable development constraints, as summarized hereafter.
Global concerns about food security for the growing populations in developing countries, environmental degradation, and climate change or variation, and civil unrest have underscored the need for consistent and timely biophysical and socio-economic geo-information. Technological approaches are now available to quantify, document, and disseminate information on fluctuations and trends in the environmental parameters and natural resources, climate, changes in vegetation cover, surface waters, wetlands, land quality (including degradation), desert margins, settlements and other land cover features at local, national, regional and global levels.
A number of land cover classification projects have been developed to provide for the growing demand for information at global and regional levels. For example, recent products include the global land-cover dataset (IGBP-DIS for coarse resolution information) and Africover in East Africa for detailed high-resolution assessments. These and other more localized projects produce potentially valuable information on the current status of the environment and natural resources which could help assess trends through time or predict and model future development scenarios. This information from diverse sources, however, can be applied more effectively toward meeting sustainable development needs especially relative to capacity building and applications.
There is a great need to bridge the digital and knowledge divide by consolidating the capacity of both institutions and local-level users to actually manage the technical implications of accessing, integrating, up-dating, and adding local value to geo-information that is used in decision-making. Specific regard must be given to the local and sub-national as well as regional and/or global levels in the provision of on-the-job training, the development of integrated databases, model development, networking, and remote sensing testing and interpretation. [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: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The objective of the Global Network on Energy for Sustainable Development (GNESD) is to make it easier for Members to contribute to the provision of environmentally sound energy services underpinning sustainable development. The Network does so by supporting amongst its Members information exchange, learning, analysis and study, policy support, and capacity building.
Results expected include:
1. A network of energy/development/environment institutions in developing, transition, and industrialised countries that increases contact and co-operation between relevant institutions/agencies and financing bodies, and national and regional experts on a range of energy for sustainable development topics.
2. A general strengthening of all Members in their ability to acquire, assimilate, and apply existing knowledge and experiences made available through the Network.
3. Provision of quality advisory services by Network Member institutions to public and private sector decision-makers on a range of energy for sustainable development issues, resulting in better, more informed energy policies and decisions that support the wider goals of sustainable development.
4. Improved understanding of the links between sustainable energy and other development and environment priorities, and technology and policy options, leading to better articulation of practical policies that can be adopted, so as to promote energy for sustainable development, and
5. Changes in policies and programmes of governments and their development co-operation partners, and private sector investments, so that these favour energy for sustainable development approaches. [more]
Lead Partner: Global Water Partnership Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Global Water Partnership is a working partnership among all those involved in water management: government agencies, public institutions, private companies, professional organizations, multilateral development agencies and others committed to the Dublin-Rio principles.
Today, this comprehensive partnership actively identifies critical knowledge needs at global, regional and national levels, helps design programs for meeting these needs, and serves as a mechanism for alliance building and information exchange on integrated water resources management.
The mission of the Global Water Partnership is to "support countries in the sustainable management of their water resources."
The GWP's objectives are to:
- Clearly establish the principles of sustainable water resources management,
- Identify gaps and stimulate partners to meet critical needs within their available human and financial resources,
- Support action at the local, national, regional or riverbasin level that follows principles of sustainable water resources management,
- Help match needs to available resources.
Although it is widely understood that water should be holistically managed, it was not until the Dublin Conference on Water and the Environment in 1992 and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 that a more comprehensive approach to water management was judged necessary for sustainable development. This awareness, together with the need for participatory institutional mechanisms related to water, called for a new coordinating organisation. In response to this demand, the World Bank, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida) created the Global Water Partnership (GWP) in 1996.
This initiative was based on promoting and implementing integrated water resources management through the development of a worldwide network that could pull together financial, technical, policy and human resources to address the critical issues of sustainable water management. [more]
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The overall goal of the project is to identify and safeguard Globally Important Ingenious Agricultural Heritage Systems and their associated landscapes, agricultural biodiversity and knowledge systems through catalyzing and establishing a long-term programme to support such systems and enhance global, national and local benefits derived through their dynamic conservation, sustainable management and enhanced viability.
To achieve this goal, the main objectives are to:
1) Leverage global and national recognition of the importance of GIAHS and institutional support for their safeguard;
2) Build capacity of local farming communities and local and national institutions to conserve and manage GIAHS, generate income and add economic value to goods and services of such systems in a sustainable fashion;
3) Promote enabling policy, regulatory and incentive environments to support their conservation, evolutionary adaptation and viability.
The project will be implemented in 10 pilot systems worldwide. The long term programme will build on the experiences and lessons learnt in up to 10 pilot systems/sites.
The project development phase (PDF-B) (18 months 2004-2005) will
- select the 10 initial systems/sites;
- develop a methodological framework and a step by step approach for the participatory development and implementation of the framework strategy and actions for a ¿dynamic conservation¿ of the pilot systems;
- establish participatory mechanisms and processes and design Pilot Frameworks in each pilot system and country
- develop a communication strategy and plan;
- leverage global and national support and co-funding arrangements for the full scale project
- develop the full project executive summary and project document. for the implementation of the programme.
The fullscale project (2005-2010) will develop and test the methodologies for dynamic conservation and sustainable management of GIAHS in 10 pilot systems through implementation of the pilot frameworks. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Main objective of the Partnership is to lift the threat of imminent or medium term extinction faced by the four main kinds of great apes (bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans.
The immediate objectives leading to the achievement of the Partnership's goal include;
- To promote the Global Strategy for the Survival of Great Apes and Their Habitat;
- To determine the potential of sites, monitor populations of great apes and establish a database of great ape population information;
- To collate and analyse existing projects and initiatives at different levels, in order to identify gaps and set priorities in action and to encourage coordination and cooperation;
- To encourage range States to prepare and implement national action plans for the survival of great ape populations and their habitat and ensure that they have the necessary resources to do so;
- To prioritize the use of resources for optimum effectiveness and identify funding areas that are currently neglected and underfunded;
- To promote and enforce a legal framework for the survival of great apes and their habitat in the countries concerned;
- To identify and support income-generating initiatives for the benefit of communities living in and around great ape habitat and protected areas, with due consideration for indigenous communities and to ensure, where it becomes imperative to resettle indigenous people in conformity with United Nations guidelines, that compensation is paid with international support;
- To educate and raise awareness among local populations;
- To help generate new and additional funds for the survival of great apes and their habitat and to ensure that the international community in the widest sense (donor States, international organizations and institutions, non-governmental organizations and representatives of private business and industry) provides effective and coherent support to the efforts being made by the great ape range States.
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: General Objective: to contribute to social and economic development of the populations of the Hindu Kush - Karakorum - Himalaya mountain complex and to the environmental conservation of the region by consolidating institutional capacity for systemic planning and management of the territory, focusing on:
1. reduction of poverty
2. conservation of biodiversity
Specific Objective A: provide instruments (knowledge of the territory, the populations and the technologies for systemic data management) to facilitate the consistency of various national-level actions in area-based planning and management, within the framework of regional level systemic planning and monitoring.Specific Objective B: establish a process of application of the acquired capacities and Decision Support System (DSS) by individual countries in systemic planning and management of mountain areas at a local/national or transboundary level, within the framework of sustainable mountain development.Individual components of these objectives include:* Create a coordinated system for collection and analysis (monitoring) of natural resource data;* Provide decision makers of competent national and local administrations with an instrument (DSS) for systemic territorial planning and management;* Build local institutional capacity to study, analyze and manage natural resources, favoring local community involvement in these processes. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Canada - Natural Resources - Government of South Africa - Department of Minerals and Energy
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The objective of the Intergovernmental Forum is to enhance and promote the contribution of the mining, minerals and metals sector to sustainable development.
The functions of the Intergovernmental Forum are consultative and advisory based on the principles of voluntary partnership. The Forum provides governments with a framework in which to discuss the opportunities provided by mining, minerals and metals and to respond to the challenges they pose. The Intergovernmental Forum will meet to share experiences and information, to consider and to provide advice and, where appropriate, make recommendations for consideration by governments, intergovernmental bodies and others. The Intergovernmental Forum will meet at high level or officials level, as appropriate. [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: Government of Canada - International Development Research Centre - Government of Canada - Natural Resources Canada - Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The International Model Forest Network (IMFN) is a voluntary association of partners from around the world working toward the common goal of sustainable management of forest landscapes and natural resources. The IMFN is based on an innovative approach that combines the social, cultural and economic needs of local communities with the long-term sustainability of forest landscapes. The more than 40 model forests operating around the world make up the international network.
Model forests are primarily about people, the communities they live in and the sustainable management of the landscapes and resources they rely on. They provide the geographic foundation upon which people of differing values can meet, build a partnership and define what sustainability means in their particular context. The partnership plans its own program of activities and sets its own sustainability goals, and then works together to achieve those goals.
The International Model Forest Network Secretariat (IMFNS, the Secretariat) was established in 1995 in Ottawa, Canada, to support the development of a global network of model forests that would:
-Foster an international exchange of ideas on the concept of sustainable forest management (SFM)
-Facilitate international cooperation in the application of SFM at the field level
-Use these concepts and applications to support ongoing international discussions on the principles, criteria, and policies related to SFM
[more]
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Mountain Partnership is a voluntary alliance of partners dedicated to improving the well-being, livelihoods and opportunities of mountain people and the protection and stewardship of mountain environments around the world. The Mountain Partnership taps the wealth and diversity of resources, knowledge, skills and expertise of its members to support positive change in mountain areas. The Partnership was launched as a type-2 outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in September 2002: the basic concept and guiding principles of the Mountain Partnership resulted from a consultative process that took place during the preparatory sessions of the WSSD with its core document (known as the Bali Document) finalized at the Fourth Session of the Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Bali, Indonesia, 27 May - 7June 2002). Commitment to the Mountain Partnership has increased rapidly at the country, regional and international levels and concrete action is now underway to improve the lives of mountain people and protect mountain environments around the world. By March 2009, 50 countries, 16 intergovernmental organizations and 96 major group organizations (e.g. civil society, NGOs, private sector) had already joined the Mountain Partnership. A Mountain Partnership Secretariat, with financial support from the governments of Italy and Switzerland, is hosted at the central level by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Decentralized hubs of the secretariat have also been established in Latin America (hosted by CONDESAN), Asia Pacific (hosted by ICIMOD) and North America (hosted by the Banff Centre) and an Environmental Reference Centre is hosted by UNEP to provide guidance and support on environmental issues related to the Mountain Partnership.
The Mountain Partnership facilitates the effective and efficient implementation of Chapter 13, Agenda 21 and promotes, inter alia, joint initiatives based on paragraph 42 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and other related instruments regarding mountains, by enhancing on-the-ground action and by working at the policy, programme and project levels. Specific partnership initiatives have been identified by members and are focussing on priority areas of action, such as biodiversity, education, gender, policy and law, research, sustainable livelihoods, sustainable agriculture and rural development in mountains (SARD-M) and watershed management. Additionally, geographically-focussed Initiatives have been launched and are operational in the Andes, Central Asia, Europe, the Hindu Kush Himalaya and other regions. New initiatives are developed as new priority areas are identified by members. Linkages between partnership initiatives are being encouraged at the local, national, regional and global levels, with members entering into specific initiatives according to their priorities, needs and capacities.
[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: World LP Gas Association (WLPGA) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This initiative is designed to support the achievement of critical energy-related sustainable development goals, specifically poverty reduction, environmental protection, and economic growth. This partnership addresses concrete barriers to meeting the thermal energy needs (heating, cooking, and heat using productive processes) of rural and peri-urban populations in developing countries through expanded use of a clean-burning, readily-available fuel: liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Over 2 billion people in developing countries depend on traditional fuels including wood, animal and crop residues, and charcoal, to meet their heating, cooking and industrial needs. This has adverse health effects on women and children, degrades the local natural resources base and contributes to global environmental degradation through the emission of unburned hydrocarbons. Social and economic limitations for women, low quality energy services in heat using industries due to fuel inefficiency, and lost opportunities for agricultural product processing, are all directly related to traditional fuel use patterns.
The LPG Challenge will bring LPG to rural populations by linking UNDP's knowledge and experience in rural development and community consultation together with industry suppliers of LPG and the appliances required for its utilization. The key issue is to address market and technical barriers to the expanded use of LPG and to design local partnerships, business models and financing mechanisms to overcome these barriers. This will be accomplished through local dialogue processes and partnerships involving government officials, consumer representatives, current LGP market participants (local and international business), local entities that operate in rural communities, UNDP and other multilateral and bilateral funding agencies committed to bringing modern energy (electricity and clean fuels) to rural communities. [more]
Lead Partner: International Land Coalition
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Land Alliances for National Development, or LAND Partnerships, constitute a global initiative to alleviate rural poverty by strengthening country-level collaboration between state, civil society, bilateral and international stakeholders. This collaboration is needed to: a) achieve participatory dialogue; b) improve policy formulation; c) establish joint action to secure resource tenure for households with user rights; and d) increase access to land by the landless and near-landless.
While the resource poor seek a more active role in decision-making, many governments are also recognizing the benefits of robust, stakeholder discussion and, in some cases, collective decision-making. In many countries, this requires new arenas and mechanisms for dialogue. LAND Partnerships respond to this challenge by helping countries to create new ways and means for both those affecting and those affected by decisions about land to work together. LAND Partnerships will help to widen participation, foster open debate and facilitate negotiation at both the national and the community levels.
Furthermore, LAND Partnerships are a means to replicate the best practices learned in one community to other communities for wider benefit. Also, where scaling-up is accomplished, it may be more likely that this experience can be validated as a basis for national policy consideration. More importantly, LAND Partnerships are an opportunity for all parties to move from individual to collective roles, and thereby capture potential synergy.
Since the launch in 2002, the Coalition has been actively promoting LAND in the over 35 countries where it has programmes. The initial goal is to establish LAND Partnerships in a geographically balanced range of pilot countries. These pilot LAND Partnerships are envisioned as focal points to stimulate extension of the concept into surrounding countries.
LAND Partnerships will be developed in response to invitations from governments together with an expressed interest by civil society. The Coalition will support local implementation capacity for all stakeholders involved ¿ civil society, governments and intergovernmental partners. LAND Partnerships will build upon existing and emerging initiatives and activities.
In addition, the Coalition's role will be to foster collaboration and the sharing of lessons with other countries in order to either launch LAND Partnerships in these countries, or to help create the conditions conducive to the subsequent establishment of LAND.
[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: Government of France - Agence Française pour le Développement (AFD)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The main objectives of this initiative are the reduction of poverty by providing access to energy services, especially to rural populations, and the fight against climate change by controlling the growth of energy consumption and by increasing the share of energy from renewable resources in the energy mix of the developing countries. The initiative falls within the scope of reinforcing technical and institutional cooperation efforts to facilitate the structuring of national energy policies and the setting-up of the necessary structures for the proper design and realization of projects. In particular, it aims:
- To develop renewable energy markets and energy efficiency through the better use of the existing financial mechanisms, public-private partnerships, and the encouragement of "ethical" savings.
- To coordinate - in a structured, simplified way via creation of a common platform - the main financing steps for projects and programmes: identification and preparation of projects by ensuring consistency with activities supporting the reinforcement of capacities (and, in particular, urban/rural solidarity organizations in developing countries) and investment in the projects.
This initiative is characterized by the involvement of the private sector in all phases. [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: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: The two principal objectives of the programme are:
- to provide modern energy services particularly to rural populations;
- to contribute to the climate change mitigation by increasing the share of renewable energy technologies in the energy mix in the region.
In this perspective, the programme aims at developing a sustainable renewable energy market system in the greater Mediterranean Region, removing project, policy and trade barriers.
With a view to linking capabilities and market between developed and developing Countries throughout the Region and beyond, the program is built on three main sub-projects:
- tailoring of financial instruments and mechanisms to support projects;
- strengthening of policy frameworks and removing barriers to projects development;
- building a stronger private sector infrastructure, considering the positive role of ¡§Tradable Renewable Certificates¡¨ and ¡§Certified Emission Reductions¡¨.
These sub-projects aim to strengthen existing networks while favouring the creation of new relations between stakeholders.
Specific objectives:
delivering electricity to isolated rural populations, based on village-scale mini-grids;
accelerating the integration of REs on the national electricity grids with the objective of reaching grid stabilisation and meeting supply-demand balance;
addressing the global approach of REs introduction (mainly solar but also geothermal energy) in the building sector in coherence with the energy efficiency policy (the results of the MEDA/Solar thermal technologies Dissemination programme in the building sector will be integrated);
desalinating sea water, in order to increase drinking water supply and water availability for irrigation;
increasing agricultural water pumping by solar, wind and biomass powered water pumps;
disseminating cooling systems for the food conservation, powered by renewable, in farms and fisheries;
addressing, in the grid-connected urban and tourist areas, the household and the community demand for lighting, food and drugs cooling, access to the communication networks, using solar home systems, small wind turbines, biogas and biomass power technologies;
creating joint ventures and other manufacturing, assembly and distribution/installation capabilities in developing countries, so that they gain the maximum economic benefit from the Initiative; promoting certification / standardisation programmes for RE equipments.
These objectives will be reached by the implementation of innovative pilot projects to be considered a catalogue of best practices to be replicated, increasing the share of RE options available through already feasible RE power plants like wind farm, biomass co-combustion and hydro plants.
[more]
Lead Partner: Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Methane to Markets Partnership is an international initiative that advances cost-effective, near-term methane recovery and use as a clean energy source. The goal of the Partnership is to reduce global methane emissions in order to enhance economic growth, strengthen energy security, improve air quality, improve industrial safety, and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases.
The Partnership currently focuses on four sources of methane emissions:
- Agriculture (animal waste management)
- Coal mines
- Landfills
- Oil and gas systems [more]
Lead Partner: French Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership aims at putting into place a specific technological and institutional model for meeting the needs for modern energy services in rural areas, using locally available renewable biomass resources, and through South-South technology cooperation.
The Partnership will be based on the following major components:
institution of sustainable mechanisms for collection and processing of biomass for energy production, through:
specific energy plantations, applying sustainable forestry management techniques, or;
collection and processing of forestry/agricultural waste products (rice hulls, wood chips, ...). [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - University of Trieste - Southern African Development Community Forestry Sector Technical Coordination Unit (SADC-FSTCU)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional SADC Summary: Building upon regional development potentials and institutional consensus of the SADC Secretariat and its member states, the capacity building and development contribution of the previous DGCS_SADC cooperation project (SECOSUD I) represents a solid foundation for the present partnership initiative.
The general aim of this partnership is to produce and establish a network of management oriented spatial decision support systems (SDSS) to promote the sustainable use of natural resources by private and public stakeholders while ensuring the durable social and economic development of rural areas situated in the SADC region affected by strong growing human pressure. The SDSS will be addressed specifically to Sustainable Management of Biological Resources (SMBR) by promoting the conservation of native plants economically useful compatibly with the long-term equitable economic growth and enhancement of productive capacity in rural areas. The network will comprise informatics tools with nodes located at selected Institutions that will:
- help understand the interactions between economically useful plants and the environment where they spontaneously grow and where they are cultivated,
- provide services to improve plant productivity without compromising the biological diversity of the region. [more]
Lead Partner: Earth Rights Institute - Earth Rights Institute - Earth Rights Institute - Center for Geoclassical Economics
Geographical Scope: National Summary: Due to corruption and poor governance, oil royalties have not been distributed to the people of the Niger Delta Region of Nigeria. Our project will work with NGOs and ethical government officials to form and implement the Niger Delta Fund, similar to the Alaska Permanent Fund, which will be a transparent legal mechanism whereby oil royalities will be distributed directly to the people as dividend checks and/or made available as low interest revolving loan funds for sustainable development. Additionally, this project will assist in the development of a sustainable development plan for the Niger Delta, with an initial focus on the eco-restoration of the town of Odi and Bayelsa State.
Our partnerships began in June, 2002, and in February, 2003 and as of November 2003 we are planning to hold a conference in early 2004 to develop a strategy for implementation. [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: Government of Australia - Government of Australia
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The key OneCoast objective is to create a coastal management knowledge ecosystem. Thorugh an integrated framework of leading technologies, OneCoast will provide the infrastructure in which ideas, information and the sharing of knowledge will facilitate capacity building and in turn foster the sustainable development of the world¿s coasts.
A key outcome for OneCoast is the establishment and ongoing support of sustainable communities of users. In the context of OneCoast `community of users¿ applies equally to collectives of interested individuals interacting through actual local communities and to communities where related groups of individuals and organizations involved in common goals interact online through OneCoast.
Furthermore, where geographically related or unrelated groups come together with specific subject expertise to solve problems - they in turn define a community of practitioners and through their interactions a common practice. OneCoast seeks to diffuse capacity from the context of local communities of coastal management practice using existing knowledge and creating new knowledge through experience.
Coastal management practice has expanded rapidly around the world over the last decade, with growing involvement of the private sector, civil society, and local governments. Donors have diversified their partnerships, increasingly working together with international NGOs, the private sector, governments and foundations. As a result new challenges have surfaced, including:
¿ Uncoordinated, overlapping, and sometimes ineffective use of available donor and governmental resources;
¿ Inaccessible, fragmented coastal management knowledge;
¿ Limited opportunities for participation by civil society;
¿ Untapped opportunities for the private sector;
¿ Untapped knowledge transfer benefits between professional coastal managers; and
¿ Untapped potential for using Internet technologies for sustainable coastal development.
Through OneCoast there are opportunities to help provide answers to the above challenges. Opportunities such as the need to create linkages between projects that will sustain investment in coastal management projects and, most importantly, opportunities to link the many stakeholders, into one integrated knowledge-based environment.
[more]
Lead Partner: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS) - South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The main objectives are:
* Increased availability of adequate, affordable and environmentally sound energy for the sustainable development of all Pacific islanders.
* Accelerate the transfer and adoption of clean and renewable energy technologies.
* The partnership is to assist with the implementation of the Pacific Island Energy Policy (PIEP. [more]
Lead Partner: South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) - University of South Pacific (USP)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Island Countries Summary: Main objective: Provide long-term community based capacity-building activities to fully integrate environmental and development needs, using people and customs as the central parameters for decision-making, management, fostering social cohesion and the promotion of sustainable community livelihoods.
Principles:
- People are at the core of the pursuit of sustainable development;
- Sustainable community lifestyles for Pacific Island communities and nations are dependent on the sustainable use of terrestrial, freshwater and marine biodiversity and the protection and application of traditional knowledge of this biodiversity.
- Traditional and local knowledge enhances scientific knowledge and can guide future directions to ensure pragmatic and mutually beneficial efforts;
- Environmental and sustainable development are for the people and communities and therefore their aspirations and needs should dominate policies, plans, decision making, management and practice;
- Sustainable development requires Environmental justice, and preservation of human rights.
- Early community involvement and partnering with government in the development and project pipeline presents the best means to suit people¿s aspirations, values, issues and priorities to socio-economic progress.
- Integrating environment and socio-economics in the development process provides the means for better decision making for sustainable development;
- Ensuring equity in development processes and environmental management, with social justice and empowerment through community development frameworks - will assist poverty eradication and improve people¿s quality of life.
Purpose: To develop local and national capacity to institute community development frameworks to assist with partnering, prudent anticipation and decisions regarding the planning for environmental change, as well as the pursuit of sustainable development to enhance the quality of life for all communities. [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: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR)
Geographical Scope: National Summary: The Belgian partnership with the CGIAR includes an important part devoted to the education and training of young scientist of the South in highly specialised laboratories for agricultural research in Belgium and in other developed countries.
The main objectives of the agricultural research activities for development, in the frame of this partnership and of the CGIAR in general, are to contribute to food security and poverty eradication in developing countries through research partnerships, capacity building, and policy support, promoting sustainable agricultural development based on the environmentally sound management of natural resources.
Expected results:
* contribute to the promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural development through an increase of the food production and a better organisation of local and regional markets
* contribute to the well being of poor farmers in the South so that they take part, effectively and in a socially acceptable way, in the economic development of their countries while conserving biodiversity and the environment
* strengthening the involvement of all the partners in international agricultural research for development especially those of the Southern countries
* capacity building and participatory approaches to sustainable development [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: World Agrofrestry Centre
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: Institutional mechanisms will be developed for recognising and rewarding environmental services generated by upland poor communities who implement sustainable production systems. New methods for transfer payments to upland communities will tested and monitored through action research; working models or best practices of successful environmental transfer payments adapted to the Asian context will be built.
The Program will develop an international partnership/consortium of research and development institutions, local community groups, government institutions, national and international NGOs, the private sector and funding institutions to create the knowledge to deploy rewards to upland, poor, communities who supply environmental services. The rewards for environmental services may include: secure land rights, secure resource user rights; access to markets; public infrastructure; revenues from environmental trust funds and carbon credits; financial incentives. Payments for environmental services by beneficiaries may include: payments to trust funds; user fees for recreation, hydropower and watershed protection; payments for carbon credits; budget allocation by national and local governments for environmental protection. [more]
Lead Partner: PhytoTrade Africa Executive Office
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: PhytoTrade Africa, the Southern African Natural Products Trade Association is a regional trade association, involving members from six countries in Southern Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe). Its primary objective is to supplement the income of poor rural communities, particularly those living in marginal dryland areas, through the commercialization of a range of natural products, derived from sustainably managed, indigenous floristic resources. PhytoTrade operates as a conventional trade association with a substantial set of additional functions as a development institution. It is a regional not-for-profit service provider, acting as a mechanism for community-based natural product producers and traders to generate business for themselves. It also provides an operational focus for development interventions on behalf of the sub-sector. PhytoTrade does not itself engage in trade or in financing the business of members, but facilitates the trade of members and other community-based operators in the natural products sector.PhytoTrade has been developed within the context of the WSSD, and will use the Summit as a platform to expand its membership, strengthen its financial resource base, and forge new and complementary partnerships with governments, inter-governmental agencies, the private sector and NGOs. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) - United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Goal: improve living standards among islands¿ residents while sustaining conservation of unique biodiversity.
Main challenge: foster the role of residents in setting planning agendas and participating fully in their islands' development.
Objective 1: provide opportunities for horizontal know-how transfer among relevant professional staff from both archipelagos, and to promote the involvement of the islands' residents in planning processes together with their participation in the sustainable development of the islands.
Low levels of awareness on the relationships linking the conservation of ecosystems, natural resources and biological diversity and the generation of concrete and sustainable development opportunities, is an issue to be addressed, at different levels, in both archipelagos. This extends to officials, community leaders as well as the local business community. There is an urgent need to strengthen the capacities of relevant institutions and society to work in a systemic and cross-sectoral fashion to improve the overall management of the island's resources.
Objective 2: contribute to the consolidation of relevant institutional capacities in the systemic planning and management of sustainable development, by promoting inter-linkage and information exchange between relevant institutions and administrations, as well as boosting their capacity to dialogue with local communities, NGOs and the general public. [more]
Lead Partner: The Asia-Pacific Regional Technology Centre
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: APRTC's Web-based online eLearning programme agLe@rn - uses modern information, communication and educational technologies to provide individuals working with small holder farmers with the updated knowledge and skills they need to be effective agents of change for sustainable agriculture. The value and feasibility of eLearning is proving itself and has a demonstrated potential to help bridge the knowledge and technology gaps that exist between what is known in centers of learning and what information and knowledge is needed among the millions of the developing world's rural population. [more]
Lead Partner: Rainforest Alliance - Sustainable Food Lab
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: 1. To develop a set of business models that support sustainable smallholder and rural laborer inclusion in high-value, formal export and domestic markets in four distinct product clusters (dried beans, fresh vegetables, bananas, cocoa).
2. To apply these new business models (through value chain analysis and upgrading) in sub-Saharan Africa.
3. To expand these validated business models through existing and new supply chain partnerships that provide direct benefits to 158,000 smallholders and 301,000 laborers while using project results to influence existing standards.
[more]
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: International Model Forest Network Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: This collaborative initiative supports the development and establishment of a Regional Network of Model Forests in Latin America and the Caribbean. Model Forests are about translating higher-level policy goals into achievable and locally relevant models of sustainable use and best practices for the conservation of all forest resources. They use locally-based partnership to find working solutions to forest resource management issues through capacity building, improved decision-making and governance systems, economic diversification, integrated resource management, and poverty alleviation.
The Regional Centre:
- provides technical support to promote and strengthen model forest development in the region;
- documents and demonstrates best practices for sustainable forest management and sustainable economic development opportunities for local communities;
- substantially strengthens the transfer of technology from Canada to the region and among countries and projects in the region;
- secures new country and institutional partners and donors. [more]
Lead Partner: REEEP International Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Accelerate a global market for Renewable Energy and Energy Efficient Systems (REES).
Tremendous financial resources from the private and public sector will be needed to meet developing and transition countries' future energy demand in a sustainable way. Obstacles prohibiting this development include a lack of reliable policies and regulatory measures, and the perceived high risk and low return investments in REES.
The removal of the obstacles to sustainable energy is urgently needed:
- Robust policies and favourable, transparent and stable regulatory frameworks are required to attract private investors and to guarantee affordable energy services to the consumers.
- New forms of financing, risk mitigation and guarantee models will be necessary to make small sized renewables and energy efficiency projects bankable and economically attractive.
REEEP aims to work as an enabler, multiplier and catalyser of institutional change, and to have a real impact over the next decade with the following objectives:
1. Significant global increase of investments in renewable energy
2. Significant global increase of energy efficiency measures
3. Significant increase in access to sustainable energy services for the poor
[more]
Lead Partner: Pacific International Center for High Technology Research (PICHTR)
Geographical Scope: National Summary: The main objectives of this initiative are to:
* Promote and develop renewable energy technology appropriate to the marine and tropical environment of the Asia-Pacific region (e.g. hybrid power systems, solar home systems for remote villages)
* Assist, facilitate and support its application through technical services, education, and
training for the sustainable development of the region.
The renewable-energy-based technologies under this initiative have and will continue to result in improved quality of life and economic development of Pacific Island nations with minimal environmental impact. [more]
Lead Partner: Department of Economics and Social Affairs Small Island Developing States (SIDS) UNIT - Global Coral Reef Alliance
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional AIMS, Caribbean and Pacific Island Regions Summary: The SIDS Partnership for Implementation of New Technologies for Sustainable Development, brings together United Nations Agencies with a focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), SIDS Governments, Non Governmental Agencies, and the Private Sector to raise awareness and funding for the implementation of new, underutilized, but proven technologies for climate change adaptation and mitigation, renewable energy production, restoration of coral reefs and fisheries habitat, restoration of soil fertility, aquaculture, and waste recycling for SIDS. The partnership focuses on critical, low cost, highly effective, but little known, new technologies that are applicable on small to large scales, and which have not been covered by other venues at UN Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD).
[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: 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: Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) - Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research (ISSER) - Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: Main objectives:
1) To provide capacity building and transfer of know-how to decision makers and other major groups in the Dominican Republic on: organic agriculture`s principles and practices to foster long term sustainable food production, health, revitalize rural development and conserve natural resources.
2) Sharing lessons learned and promote information exchange on cultivation methods, information on marketing, trade, development or improvement of an appropriate legislative framework, certification and other mechanisms to ensure implementation and enforcement of organic agriculture at the local and country level.
3) Preparatory work: Identifying country's additional interests and needs. [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: International Federation of Agricultural Producers (IFAP) - Kenyan National Research Institute
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: Overall goal: Increased household food security in arid and semi-arid areas
1.To promote the development of affordable and low-cost irrigation technologies to ensure the efficient water resource utilisation in agriculture
2.To ensure low-cost irrigation technologies meet the needs of small-scale farmers, by developing research agendas through multi-stakeholder collaboration.
3.To strengthen farmer-to-farmer and farmer-to-researcher information exchange on appropriate, low cost irrigation technologies
Background: Sustainable agriculture and rural development are essential to the implementation of an integrated approach to increasing food production and enhancing food security. Therefore it is vital to encourage and support programmes that enhance, in a sustainable manner, land productivity and the efficient use of water resources in agriculture.
Low-pressure drip irrigation and treadle pumps have presented ways for smallholder farmers to produce high value crops. The technologies are affordable and easy to understand after initial training.
Drip irrigation reduces water use, increases crop yield and gives good quality produce within less time and money as compared to traditional ways of cultivating and irrigating commercial crops.
However the majority of small holders within developing countries are deprived of this technology due to its high initial cost and problems of appropriately adapting it to the specific needs of small holdings. Until recently it has been too expensive to be affordable for poor families and too large for tiny plots of land.
Since 1996, The Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) has worked with low head drip irrigation kits that include a range of small and easy to use, affordable micro irrigation kits to produce high value crops. In addition, a local NGO - Approtec has been promoting treadle pump technology in Kenya since 1998 with good rate of success.
The development of supply chain for affordable drip irrigation kits and treadle pumps through manufacturers, assemblers, dealers, nursery growers and farmers will help in creating small enterprises in particular areas and make the technologies available to smallholder farmers in the arid and semi arid areas.
The main aim of the project is to build upon this initial success in small -scale irrigation within Kenya by initiating a process to up-scale current rates of uptake within pilot areas.
The partnership will employ a multi-stakeholder approach to aaddress the problems faced by farmers in their efforts to use irrigation for food production.
The partnership will enable farmers¿ organisations and research the opportunity to learn, and thus build upon the strengths of this multi-stakeholder approach.
The partnership will also offer the opportunity to transfer knowledge and affordable technology.
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This is a civil society led, government supported, FAO facilitated undertaking.The preliminary focus of the SARD Initiative has currently been focusing on three themes, which were discussed in the International Conference on Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development in Mountain Regions (Adelboden, Switzerland, 6/2002), in the SARD Electronic Forum (6/2002-present) and in a number of local consultations in different regions of the developing world and among some of the NGOs/CSOs attending the World Food Summit: five years later (6/2002). Sub-Initiatives can be organized around the following or other thematic areas of action, based on the interests, priorities, commitment and resources of specific partners involved:
* Access to resources
* Fair conditions of employment
* Good Agricultural Practices for SARD
Given the critical mass of Mountain Governments supporting the SARD Initiative in the Adelboden Declaration, the relevant sub-Initiatives outlined in the Adelboden Plan of Action, and that 2002 is the International Year of the Mountains, it has been proposed that the Initiative should begin with a mountain focus, subject to the interest and resources of concerned stakeholders. The Initiative may capitalize on other key conferences and International Years, for instance, 2003 is the International Year of Fresh Water. [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: Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Geographical Scope: Regional
Summary: The overall goal of this initiative is "Sustainable Land Resources Management" for the Pacific region. To increase the capacity for sustainable development (including agriculture, forestry, livestock and mining) in the Pacific through a partnership of national, regional, and international organization with particular attention to participatory strategies with rural communities that will focus on appropriate technologies, food security, and poverty eradication & economic development that takes into account the fragile SIDS ecologies.
* Based on the regional and national priorities, the initiative will provide long-term funding for programmes and/or specific proposals to increase the capacity for sustainable agricultural development.
* Based on regional priorities from the UNFF process, the intiative will work in arease of forestry and trees
* In terms of mining, the overall objective will be to develop a mineral policy strategy which would contribute to the sustainable development of PICs by improving the governance in the minerals sector, through national capacity building and the formulation of legislation and policies consistent with national economic, environment and social policies, strategies, plans & guidelines. [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: The Barefoot College
Geographical Scope: National Summary: The Global Rain Harvesting Collective (GRWHC) has been established is to provide drinking water to schools facing an acute shortage all over the world, through roof top rain water harvesting in schools.
Rural communities all over the world have been collecting rainwater where it falls from time immemorial. In their fields, in open tanks and in traditional open wells. It was a technology that was accepted and applied on a large scale in the deserts, tribal regions and in the mountains.
This age old method is suggested as an alternative to the wasteful and costly use of hand pumps and piped water supply systems. Rural communities have the technical competence to collect rainwater where it falls. It also wants to provide this facility to community service centers.
The aim is to deliver tangible and sustainable results through a large number of small projects in many different countries at minimal operational and management cost. The `Demonstration Effect¿ of these projects may induce other stakeholders to replicate the process.
Collecting rain water in public places also has considerable social benefits. It provides water to poor children who otherwise have to walk for miles to fetch water.
Collected water is managed by local community hence they are less dependent on outside source.
Schools become more attractive because of the availability of drinking water. Mothers are prepared to send their children to school for sweet drinking water in non potable areas where water is brackish
It makes it more attractive for women to attend meetings at village centers such as about child care, health, education, literacy, and income generation activities.
Linking clean rooftop water to sanitation has reduced the incidence of water borne diseases. With the water comes sanitation(hand flushed latrines).
Education, poverty alleviation, gender equity objectives, implementation of environmental plans and community development programs can be achieved through rain water harvesting.
Likewise, low technology approaches such as water recharge through slowing down of run-off and also diverting surface run-off water into unused and abandoned open wells in villages, and installing large rainwater storage tanks carved into hillside, in fact a variation on terracing, provides similar benefits.
The Global Rainwater Harvesting Collective Programme[GRWHC] has two objectives
a)To collect rainwater from roof tops in community places like schools, dispensaries, family planning clinics, training centers, and women¿s hostels in desert and mountain rural and semi-urban areas:
b) To collect as much surface water in unused open wells in villages as possible so that the dry hand pumps in the thousands could be revitalized and these assets can be productive again.
The Basic Aim is to campaign for roof top rain water harvesting in schools as a Global Movement. [more]
Lead Partner: The GAIA-Movement Trust Living Earth Green World Action (The GAIA-Movement)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Southern Africa Summary: The overall goal of the Total Water Programme (TWP) is to improve the livelihood of people by mobilising the communities to greater care of and better use of water and the natural resources influencing the water cycle.
The two year TWP mobilises communities for activities that improve conditions for both people and environment in the project area:
- The land degradation component assists the local communities in reducing land degradation and enables them to safeguard the local resources for sustainable use ¿ also for future generations
- The deforestation component will benefit the ones, mostly women and girls, who collect firewood for household energy. In the long run this also improves local water balances.
- The restoration component starts restoration of selected degraded nature areas, thus reducing erosion and siltation of rivers, increasing the recharge of groundwater so less wells run dry.
- The safe water component reduces the workload of fetching water and reduces water related diseases
- The sanitation component reduces the number of diseases and child mortality. Furthermore the compost produced by the ecolatrines improve tree and food production.
- The component of water efficient farming improves food security and reduces the loss of valuable nutrients. [more]
Lead Partner: The Travel Foundation - The Travel Foundation - The Travel Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To create a step-change in the implementation of sustainable tourism practices by the UK outbound tourism industry, and to build the foundation for an ongoing process of continual improvement and engagement, by:
- Increasing the economic benefits from tourism by promotion of sustainable livelihoods for local communities from meeting the needs of the tourism industry.
- minimising the use of scarce resources - land, soil, energy and water.
- reducing pollution, waste, noise and congestion
- conserving of plants, animals, ecosystems and landscapes including protected areas
- respecting the integrity of the local cultures and avoiding negative effects on social structures of communities affected by the tourism industry
- encouraging responsible behaviour by tourists [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 - US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Geographical Scope: National Summary: Since the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in August 2002, the United States has been committed to doing its part to provide safe drinking water and basic sanitation to communities around the world that currently do not enjoy these basic privileges many in the developed world take for granted. On behalf of American Indians and Native Alaskans, EPA included this UN development goal in its 2004-2008 Strategic Plan; and committed to leading the Federal Government in the challenge to reduce the number of tribal households that lack access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 50% by 2015. [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: 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]
Lead Partner: National Federation of Youth Organisations in Bangladesh
Geographical Scope: National Summary: The prime and primary need to improve the public health condition is to provide the population with pure drinking water, healthful sanitation and increased health care facilities. But the data in hand shows that we are yet in an alarming condition.
From a latest report on Water and Sanitation Condition of Bangladesh about 97% of the total population of our country uses water from tap, tube-well and ring wells. But in the dry season 550 million people suffers from the unavailability of water from the tube wells. And the greatest problem with drinking water is due to Arsenic and unfortunately 320 million people of Bangladesh live in great risk with Arsenic.
In the Sanitation sector about 56.7% of the total population do not use hygienic latrines. 23.7% of the total families leave there wastes in open places and this causes a lot of environment and health hazards.
About 55% of the govt. and registered primary schools do not have pure drinking water and hygienic sanitation facilities. So, a lot of work to be done in this sector and to do that we need a huge number of capable people and thus the employment opportunities are unlimited to say.
. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.