Lead Partner: Government of France - Institut de l’Énergie et de l’Environnement de la Francophonie - Government of Switzerland - Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Adaptation to climate change is a growing priority for development agencies, governments and vulnerable communities. However, capacity and awareness are often limited, and experiences have yet to be widely shared. The ALM partnership initiative will draw from experiences on the ground, featuring tools and practical guidance to meet the needs of developing countries. Seeking to provide stakeholders with a common platform for sharing and learning, the ALM will also complement the wide range of adaptation knowledge networks and initiatives already underway. For example, the ALM is collaborating with the Nairobi Work Programme, particularly the 'Methods and Tools' and 'Planning and Practices' areas of work, and the interactive weADAPT platform.
The ALM will develop tools and resources to support:
1. Adaptation practices – what can be done to adapt to climate change on the ground?
2. Integration of climate change risks and adaptation into development policy, planning and operations – how can policies and plans support adaptation over time?
3. Capacity building – how can people be better assisted in becoming equipped for adapting to climate change?
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: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Drylands Development Centre
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To reduce poverty in drylands areas by 50% over the life of the project.
Secondary objectives
To strengthen the capacities of drylands communities to manage their natural resources and farming systems.
To improve livelihoods and food security of drylands communities.
To review and revise the legislative basis for access to land and other resources.
To improve access to markets.
To create the enabling environment needed to improve rural livelihoods.
To improve the access of communities to information through the media (print, radio and television).
To bring about legal and institutional reform to support the socio-economic development of rural communities. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Enivronmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Child survival hinges on having the basic needs to support life; among these, a safe and healthy environment is fundamental.However, children everywhere are negatively affected by adverse environmental conditions. Each year, at least 3 million children under age five die due to environment-related illnesses. Acute respiratory infections annually kill an estimated 2 million children under the age of 15 and as much as 60% of acute respiratory infections worldwide are related to environmental conditions. Diarrheal diseases claim the lives of nearly 2 million children every year; 80 to 90 percent of diarrhea cases are relates to environmental conditions, especially contaminated water and inadequate sanitation.
The United States is committed to improving children's health through increased collaboration among governments, non-governmental organizations, inter-governmental organizations, the private sector, communities, and UN agencies to protect children from environmental health threats. These environmental health threats include early childhood exposure to chemicals and toxic substances, unsafe and inadequate quantity of drinking water, lack of sanitation infrastructure and inappropriate hygiene, polluted indoor and outdoor air, and vector-borne diseases.
Such threats may lead to health effects ranging from developmental disorder and perinatal diseases, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory diseases (e.g. asthma), insect-borne diseases (e.g. malaria) and unintentional injuries.
The goal of this multi-year initiative is to develop and use children's environmental health indicators to improve children's environmental health at global, regional, national and local levels. These indicators are similar to economic indicators and their development and reporting will help fill gaps between information on environment and information on health, putting into focus the special vulnerabilities of children. Ultimately, these indicators will help guide environment, health and development policy. Global children's environmental health indicators are effective tools to:
- Improve the quality of information available in order to facilitate the ability of policy-makers to improve environmental conditions for all children;
- Assess children's environmental health and monitor the success or failure of interventions to address children's environmental health problems; and
- Measure progress and contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development goals.
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Agency for International Development - The Coca-Cola Company
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have created a unique partnership to address community water needs in developing countries around the world. In conjunction with local USAID Missions and Coca-Cola system partners (foundations and bottling facilities), and with support from the Global Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF), the “Water and Development Alliance” (WADA) has committed $14.3 million (2005-2010) thus far to achieve the following objectives in countries where both partners work:
- Establish participatory, sustainable management of water and watershed resources for domestic and productive use and conserve the ecosystems and biodiversity they support;
- Increase the level of access to sustainable, improved sources of water and sanitation services in communities around the world;
- Increase institutional capacity and investments in basic infrastructure;
- Foster improved behaviors in human sanitation and hygiene for positive health impacts.
WADA makes a conscious effort to maximize its impact by aligning multiple goals and pooling diverse resources in creative ways. The alliance makes strategic value-added investments that complement existing long-term development programs of USAID in collaboration with other donors and host country governments. Through engagement with WADA, TCCC also promotes long-term changes in water stewardship within the production facilities of Coca-Cola, as local bottlers are increasingly engaged and demonstrate their commitment to corporate principles by making their own investments to improve water use and management. Building on this, Coca-Cola foundations are able to enhance the positive benefits of their charitable contributions by aligning their community development efforts with WADA projects. The result is a combined partnership impact that is far more than the sum of the parts. [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: International Sri Deep Madhavananda Ashram Fellowship - Sri Vishwa Deep Gurukul Maheshwarananda Ashram
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative aims to provide a sustainable source of fresh water for rural communities through a number of innovative strategies designed to promote traditional rainwater harvesting technologies. Through the creation of culturally appropriate rainwater harvesting technologies for rural village communities throughout Rajasthan, the Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative will provide a global model for other semi-arid and drought affected regions of the world.
The Rainwater Harvesting activities started as a small scale project to construct a basic rainwater reservoir and provide water delivery via tanker to a few drought affected communities near one of the lead partners "Education and Research Centre's" in the Jadan region of Rajasthan. With the drought extending into its fourth year, it was soon realised through discussion with villagers and from increasing requests for water solutions in communities throughout the wider Rajasthan region that this was an issue on a much larger scale in urgent need of attention.
Objectives:
- Providing a sustainable source of clean drinking water - Water for agriculture to guarantee reliable locally produced food - Improved community health, (by reducing the level of waterborne diseases) - Industry (stimulate sustainable economic growth through a revival of the water dependant agricultural industries) - Improved local environment - (Reforestation, soil conservation, ground water recharge, protection of biodiversity) -
- The combination of providing a range of culturally appropriate rainwater harvesting technologies together with a Village Water Action Plan can be used as a model for drought affected communities throughout India and in other parts of the globe. The Desert Rainwater Harvesting Initiative will form part of a global sustainable development initiative that includes:
- To promote an awareness of the unique challenges faced by rural desert communities in developing nations that stimulates active support from Western countries including financial support, manpower, and the provision of expert advice. Partner organizations will hold regular fundraising initiatives to raise funds for this and related projects. [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: 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 Australia - Bureau of Meteorology Research Centre
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To establish and sustain ocean data gathering, analysis and predictive systems for the marine environment, accessible to all nations, providing safer and more efficient ocean operations, improved safety and risk management in the marine environment and coastal seas, as well as an improved scientific and information basis for marine and ocean policy development.
The Project will establish a practical and effective approach to providing routine ocean services, supported through the initiatives and technology of developed nations, but delivering products that are widely accessible and of benefit to all coastal states. Products for the open ocean and coastal regions will contribute to and benefit marine ecosystem management, coastal ocean services and warnings, and safety and risk management for the oceans. GODAE will demonstrate the benefits of a cooperative, integrated approach to development of sustained infrastructure that can be shared and exploited by all nations. Coastal states will have immediate access to data and model interpretations of ocean currents and ocean conditions, much as is the case for weather prediction. Through 2003-2005, GODAE will demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of an integrated approach to oceans issues and provide a framework for informed decision-making and policy development. Ongoing and timely access to relevant information will enable early detection of environmental changes and reduce the uncertainties associated with management of the marine environment. [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: 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: 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: Nile Basin Initiative Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Nile Basin Summary: (Vision); To achieve sustainable socioeconomic development through the equitable utilization of, and benefit from the common Nile Basin water resources.
Objectives;
1. to develop the Water resources of the Nile in a sustainable and equitable way to ensure prosperity, security and peace for all its people
2. to ensure efficient water management and the optimal use of the resources
3. to ensure cooperation and joint action between the riparian countries, seeking win-win gains
4. to target poverty eradication and promote economic integration
5. to ensure that the program results in a move from planning to action
[more]
Lead Partner: 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: International Association of Scientific Technical and Medical Publishers - United Nations Environment Programme - Yale University
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Through Online Access to Research in the Environment (OARE), a new international public-private partnership, the world’s most prestigious scientific publishers, societies and associations are now offering one of the world’s largest collections of peer-reviewed natural and environmental science literature to more than 1500 national institutions in 106 least-developed nations of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Eastern Europe.
Launched October 30, 2006 in New York, OARE has a mission to improve the quality and effectiveness of natural and environmental science research, education and training in low-income countries. In doing so, OARE will help achieve four primary development objectives:
• Growth in the number of national scholars and experts who will, through their knowledge and reputation, integrate into and facilitate the development of more progressive science-driven policy development processes, regulatory frameworks, and governance structures.
• Strengthen the intellectual foundation of universities and research institutions so as to enable faculty to perform research on a par with peers in industrialized countries, develop their own publishing record, and enable students to conduct research and seek education in new and emerging subjects.
• Build the capacity of independent national organizations to gather, interpret, and disseminate and use global scientific research. Local rather than foreign organizations will engage/empower end-users of information.
The average annual US institutional subscription fee of each title provided through OARE is approximately $1,500. Each institution enrolled in OARE will receive access to more than 1200 serial titles and search engines with a US annual retail subscription value of more than $1 million. The total US annual retail subscription value of scholarly literature and scientific search engines to be provided through OARE to all enrolled institutions is more than $200 million per year.
Research is provided in a wide range of disciplines, including biotechnology, biology, botany, climate change, wildlife conservation, ecology, energy, environmental chemistry, environmental economics, environmental engineering and planning, environmental law and policy, environmental toxicology and pollution, forest and fisheries sciences, geography and population studies, geology, meteorology, natural disaster prevention, natural resource management, oceanography, urban planning, water and hydrology, zoology, and many others. In addition to obtaining direct access to vast quantities of scientific findings, developing countries will be provided access to the world’s most powerful scientific abstract and information databases and indexes, critical intellectual tools the scientific community uses to identify information located in tens of thousands of articles across thousands of international publications.
[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: UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The mission of the Partnership for Water Education and Research (PoWER) is to combine the strengths of all partners and enhance the capacity of each partner in order jointly to:
- Deliver capable professionals in the water and environment sectors.
- Find innovative solutions for water and environmental challenges.
- Build up the capacity of institutions and communities with respect to better management of water and environmental resources.
In the process of combining strengths and levelling the capacities of the individual partners (visualized in the figure below), joint products in the field of education, training and collaborative research will be developed in a multi-disciplinary manner. These shall be demand-responsive, duly accredited and approved through UNESCO-IHE.
By stimulating global connectivity for life-long learning through the generation and sharing of knowledge a partnership will be created that will address priority educational and research issues.
The PoWER partners will be an integral component of the UNESCO-IHE operating environment, and as such, collaborating partners keep ensure that organisational processes are redesigned in alignment with the mission and objectives of this partnership. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: - To promote the mainstreaming of rainwater harvesting into water policies and strategies in particular the integrated water resources management (IWRM) at global, regional and national levels.
- To promote implementation of rainwater harvesting as part of IWRM.
- To encourage governments and their development partners to allocate human and financial resources for implementing rainwater harvesting.
- To promote the effective cooperation between different institutions and networks involved in rainwater harvesting. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: 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: 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: 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: Government of Italy - Department of Environmental Research and Development - UNESCO- IHP- International Hydrological Progra
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The objectives of the UNESCO-IMELS project “Water Programme for Environmental Sustainability (WPA II- Towards Adaptation Measures to Human and Climate Change Impacts)” are to:
- Set up best practices in remediation of climate variability and change impacts on water resources.
- Enhance capacity in managing water resources and protect groundwater resources.
- Develop methodologies that contribute to the management of surface and groundwater dependent ecosystems in coastal zones.
- Develop North-South cooperation taking benefits from the experience gained by Italian experts.
- Set up examples of coordination and management of transboundary aquifers. Facilitate the coordination between selected countries for the sustainable sharing of water resources. Develop case studies that can provide best practices for fostering cooperation in developing conflict resolution measures.
- Provide adequate training. Publication and dissemination of best practices.
- Improve wetlands sustainable management.
- Improve coastal management and training. [more]
Lead Partner: Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: WSUP¿s mission is to advance the Millennium Development Goals for water, sanitation, and associated health benefits through multi-sector, stakeholder partnerships delivering sustainable, equitable, and affordable water and sanitation services to the urban poor in developing countries. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.