Lead Partner: Government of United Arab Emirates - Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Main objectives of AGEDI are:
Ø To achieve more cost-effective and relevant environmental data collection and assessment,
Ø To strengthen and enhance environmental capacity to collect, analyze, use and update multi-sectoral environmental data and information in the decision making process,
Ø To develop and strengthen means of ensuring that planning for sustainable development in all sectors is based on, inter alia, quality, timely, reliable, and usable environmental data and information,
Ø To make relevant environmental data and information accessible to all stakeholders in the form, and at the time, required to facilitate its use,
Ø To strengthen existing national and international mechanisms of information collection, exchange and processing,
Ø To strengthen mechanisms for incorporating environmental information in decision making,
Ø To strengthen national capacities, including capacities within governments, NGOs and private sector, in data/information collection, handling and communication, particularly in developing countries, and
Ø To ensure full participation of developing countries in the collection, analysis, assessment, use and update of environmental data and information.
Lead Partner: City of Ancona
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Europe and North America Summary: The Aap2020 project will support and manage the implementation of Agenda 21, involving all local governments of the two sides of the Adriatic region, through a participative process meant to encourage:
* urban and coastal development in all sustainability fields;
* sustainable approach to environmental resources and ecosystems, i.e. rational energy and water supply consumption, promotion of renewable energy and so on;
* improvement in the transport, information and communication fields;
* cooperation in the juridical and administrative field;
* cooperation among citizens and institutions;
* contribution to the fulfilment of European integration of all countries involved, to support human rights defence and to encourage same opportunities for men and women.
All these themes have been approached involving all regional and local stakeholders in a "shared process" oriented to define scenarios, objectives, indicators and actions for the Adriatic Region. The final step of the process will be given by the implementation of the Adriatic Action Plan 2020.
The Adriatic Action Plan 2020 will pursue the following results:
* Dissemination of sustainable development practices through methods of "shared governance";
* Improvement of integration and exchange among communities, searching for a conscious and sustainable life style, efficacious in satisfying necessity of collective and individual development;
* Intensification of economic and business exchange to increase commercial potential of sustainable products;
* Development of local markets and autochthonous productions with valorisation of typical products and local cultures;
* Improvement of standards of environmental quality for all concerned communities;
* Increase of global efficiency in using resources, particularly in the production of consumer goods, services and commodities,
* Closing of material production and consumption cycles with matter recycling and recovery of energy incorporated in products no more used. [more]
Lead Partner: The High Institute of Tourism, Hotels and Computer
Geographical Scope: Local Summary: The Alexandria Academy Association For Science (AAAS) is a non-profit non-Governmental organization registered in Alexandria- Egypt for educational and charitable purposes. AAAS is the owner of the High Institute for Tourism, Hotels, and Computer ( HITHC), which was established with the objective of promoting education in community sustainable development. The Institute activities include: education, development of model training programs, applied research, seminars, workshops, academic programs, and university partnerships.
Both AAAS and HITHC are concerned with activities that promote the following aspects:
a) Individual and community social and economical development.
b) Community Service
c) Community self -determination
d) Sustainable Tourism development.
e) Effective natural sources management
f) Poverty eradication
g) Rural development through introducing and promoting countryside tourism. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Australia - AusAID - UNAIDS/South East Asia and Pacific Inter-Country Team (SEAPICT)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: The goal of the APLF is to minimise the impact of HIV/AIDS in the Asia-Pacific through increased political leadership for effective national and regional action against the epidemic. It will seek to involve leaders and decision makers from government and civil society in countries in Asia and the Pacific. In line with the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS, the APLF will be part of the collective efforts to strengthen the momentum building in the region to respond to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. [more]
Lead Partner: Velo Mondial / Afribike Nederland
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The Partnership/Initiative will develop a working model in South Africa and in Europe / USA. to establish a Bicycle Refurbishing Industry target of realizing more cycling, contributing to:
* CO2 emission reduction / climate change control /improving air quality
* Road safety & overall traffic management
* Poverty relief
* Sustainable economical development
* Accessibility and Emancipation
* Health promotion
The key action objectives of the Partnership/Initiative are to enhance sustainable development and improve the quality of life in urban rural communities. The Partnership/Initiative contributes to these objectives, by facilitating the implementation of a more sustainable transport system with a significant share of cycling.
The bicycle is a clean, non-polluting mode of transport that consumes no fossil fuels and little space, but still, as an alternative to the private automobile, ensures mobility and accessibility. Facilitating cycling is essential in combating poverty, since it saves time and increases income generation opportunities. The Partnership/Initiative presents a broad practical framework for the facilitation of cycling.
Cycling policy directly relates to the Agenda 21 objectives. Its cross sectoral benefits for the World Summit on Sustainable development relate to the quality of life, economic growth and social equity in urban and rural areas. It promotes economic independence.
It is foreseen that a successful program, once working in Africa, could be replicated in other regions if interest is forthcoming. [more]
Lead Partner: Jacques Giordano industries
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership aims at encouraging the production, dissemination and use of solar water heaters and solar water heating technology in Developing Countries.
The Partnership aims to achieve the exchange of information on:
* Production and installation practices adapted to developing countries;
* Financial and organisational models (such as the guarantee of solar water production) which favour the dissemination of solar water heating;
* Training material for production, installation and sales technicians;
* Public programmes and policies which favour the dissemination of solar water heating. [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: Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Caribbean SIDS Summary: The main objectives of the partnership are to:
1) Strengthen the capacity of Caribbean SIDS sanitation systems to provide basic sanitation and health services in an efficient, affordable and accessible manner;
2) Prevent, control and treat related sanitation health problems;
3) Reduce environmental health threats through effective transfer, access and use of environmentally sound technologies;
4) Integrate the sanitation and health concerns of the most vulnerable populations into strategies, policies and programs for poverty eradication and sustainable development;
5) Protect sensitive ecosystems from pollution. [more]
Lead Partner: Caribbean Community Secretariat (CARICOM)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Caribbean SIDS Summary: The overall goal of this Partnership/Initiative is to boost the capacity of the poor to satisfy the basic needs within a sustainable livelihoods framework.
The secondary objectives include:
* To strengthen the capacity of Caribbean SIDS sanitation systems to provide basic sanitation and health services in an efficient, affordable and accessible manner;
* Preventing, controlling and treating related sanitation health problems;
* Reduction environmental health threats through effective transfer, access and use of environmental sound technologies;
* To integrate the sanitation and health concerns of the most vulnerable populations into strategies, policies and programs for poverty, eradication and sustainable development;
* To protect sensitive ecosystems from pollution. [more]
Lead Partner: World Business Council for Sustainable Development
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Begun in 1999, the Cement Sustainability Initiative is a contribution of 10 major cement companies working with the WBCSD toward sustainable development. The purpose of the initiative is to:
¿ Explore what sustainable development means for the cement industry
¿ Identify and facilitate actions that companies can take as a group and individually to accelerate the move toward more sustainable practices
¿ Provide a framework through which other cement companies can learn and participate
¿ Provide a framework for engaging external stakeholders
The partnership will extend over a number of years as the cement industry develops, implements, and communicates a series of guidelines and good practices to be applied to the areas of (1) climate change management, (2) use of fuels and raw materials, (3) employee health and safety, (4) emissions reduction, (5) land use and local impacts, and (6) internal business processes. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Japan - Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Central America Summary: Seven Central American countries and PAHO/WHO are implementing Chagas Disease Vector Control Initiative with the target to interrupt Chagas disease transmission in Central America by 2010. In this framework, Japan is contributing to achieve this target in Guatemala from January 2000. It is proposed to expand this partnership framework to neighboring countries to achieve the target launched by PAHO/WHO. [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: 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: 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: Government of European Community - European Commission, Directorate General Environment
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The initiative provides a platform for strategic partnerships to implement the programmes of action for the WSSD and to contribute to meeting the Millennium Development Goals on water. Under the initiative, the EU seeks to work with its partners to:
* Reinforce political will and commitment to action
The global water crisis is not on the agenda of many political leaders of the world. The initiative seeks to support governments in understanding the links between water, poverty and sustainable development and to help translate this into firm commitments for action. In particular, the initiative seeks to provide a mechanism to develop joint action plans to implement the programmes of action of the WSSD.
* Make water governance effective and build institutional capacity
Making water governance effective is an essential step in supporting healthy and productive lives and safe-guarding the environment. The initiative seeks to promote better water governance arrangements and good practice centred on the principles of integrated water resources management. Capacity to plan, manage and implement programmes of action at all levels is central to achieving the desired outcomes and the initiative seeks to build capacity by providing expertise and knowledge and by facilitating access to information. Research co-operation should form an import part of such these activities.
* Improve co-ordination and co-operation
A vast range of water-related activities are currently underway or planned but their inter-relationship is not always apparent. The initiative seeks to provide a platform to co-ordinate and streamline activities and to establish multi-stakeholder processes to bring partners together, including south-south collaboration and co-operation. The initiative seeks to support regional and sub-regional activities where clear commitment to collaboration exists. As a contribution to peace and security it seeks specifically to support the build-up of river basin organisations and to assist in the development and application of river basin approaches in transboundary waters.
* Increase the efficiency of existing EU aid flows
Meeting the Millennium Development Goals will require considerable financing efforts and although no exact estimates are available it is evident there is a major financing gap. The initiative seeks to make the most of available funds and to increase the effectiveness of existing and future EU aid flows. It seeks to use official development assistance as a lever for other forms of finance, including user finance and private finance, and to encourage the development of innovative funding mechanisms to create higher efficiencies. It also seeks to finance water projects with a particular focus on meeting the needs of poor customers and a sustainable environment. [more]
Lead Partner: EVE-olution Foundation
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: OUR SOLUTION:
To increase the number and profit of women entrepreneurs in developing nations with the help of retired executives from developed nations to coach them.
OUR MISSION:
To sustain women entrepreneurs in developing countries to emerge successfully in the global market by embracing the ¿Export Fever¿®
OUR PROCESS:
We are capitalizing potentials and selecting them by MBAs worldwide and in site tutors
We are coaching women selected with the help of motivated retired executives
OUR GOAL:
To challenge their new influence and position with their country leaders to build a healthier and secure Planet for our kids. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: Government of Sweden - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) - Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Swedish initiative to promote and develop ecological sanitation in Asia, Africa and Latin America and to provide a base for global communications on the topic.
The overall goal is to set up a long-term program of ecological sanitation around the world including pilot projects, promotion activities and capacity development. To involve additional bilateral and multilateral agencies so that they will also initiate their own programs: [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: 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: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Technology, Industry and Economics - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Division of Environmental Policy Implementation - Joint UNEP/OCHA Environment Unit
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership goal is to reduce the frequency and severity of environmental emergencies through more effective and integrated preparedness, prevention and response.
There are three main Partnership objectives within the overall Partnership goal of reducing environmental emergency frequency and severity:
* Engaging a broader range of stakeholders in emergency preparedness, prevention and response, and ensuring more effective means of co-ordination between existing stakeholders. This includes, for example, greater engagement of the private sector, and harmonizing efforts between stakeholders where appropriate.
* Developing and more effectively sharing knowledge related to environmental emergency prevention, preparedness and response. This includes, for example, understanding, sharing and using the `lessons learned¿ from disasters and emergencies.
* Building capacity, particularly in developing countries. This includes, for example, training and building the capacity to share and use information related to environmental emergencies.
[more]
Lead Partner: The World Conservation Union (IUCN), Environmental Law Programme
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Effective implementation will not occur without capacity building and 'good governance'. This initiative provides a framework for environmental law capacity building for sustainable development at all levels, one that serves to forge links between existing institutions and processes, and to facilitate 'good governance' for sustainable development.
The long term objective of this initiative is: 'In every country governments and stakeholders have the capacity to actively participate in the international policy debate, to implement what is agreed through co-ordinated policies, laws and institutions that respect the rule of law and to ensure effective compliance.'
To be effective, such a programme requires global coordination, regional and national delivery and effective collaboration through a partnership of leading international, regional and national organizations.
IUCN's Environmental Law Programme is the world's oldest and largest environmental law network. It has the ability to mobilise and co-ordinate the efforts of the best environmental lawyers and organisations from countries all over the world. This includes a rich network of partners drawn from UN agencies, IGOs, NGOs and academic instiutions, in addition to the 900 volunteers in 130 countries who comprise the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law.
The development of this co-ordinated programme provides a context within which to develop and promote specific projects, including ECOLEX, the web based access to FAO, IUCN, and UNEP environmental law and policy information, the IUCN International Academy on Environmental Law, and targeted publications and training projects.
This partnership programme for capacitiy building integrates the broad suite of partnerships that comprise the IUCN Environmental Law Programme, with a view to achieving maximum leverage and to get resources 'on the ground' as effectively and efficiently as possible. Identified partners (other than the IUCN CEL, ELC and Academy) are involved in specific projects rather than the entire initiative ie FAO, IUCN and UNEP re ECOLEX.
[more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs - International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: The initiative intends to set-up a global research and training programme, specifically directed to African scientists, in collaboration with the Institute for Infectious Diseases and Molecular Medicine (IDDMM) at the University of Cape Town (South Africa), with the aim of finalising a feasibility study fro the set-up an African Regional Centre for Infectious Diseases.
The initiative is also in line with the "Cape Town Declaration" and the "Cape Town Initiative", endorsed by the Governments of South Africa and Italy, in March 2002, during the State Visit to South Africa of the President of the Italian Republic, which identifies the essential role of science and technology for sustainable development.
[more]
Lead Partner: Global Water Partnership (GWP)- Mediterranean
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: The majority of the population in the Mediterranean countries (particularly in the South and East) lives in rapidly expanding cities, with considerable proportions being at the lowest income brackets. In their everyday life, a large part of the urban population suffers from water quality and quantity inadequacies, serious sanitation problems and their dwellings are frequently endangered by natural disasters (e.g. floods). These problems are in turn responsible for improper livelihood conditions, serious deterioration of their health as well as the social and natural environment.
However, at present, many major water programmes fail to consider the needs of the poor and their contribution to poverty alleviation is by far less than it could be if proper provisions are build in during the design phase.
The Euro-Mediterranean Water and Poverty Facility (WPF) aims to:
- Assist in improving the livelihoods of poor people in urban areas of the Mediterranean, particularly in relation to water and sanitation
- Contribute in designing guidelines on social performance of water pricing
- Develop guidelines and expertise in order to facilitate the integration of poverty reduction components in major water projects of the region
- Develop functional tripartite initiatives to facilitate regional and national investment on water and poverty.
Key dimensions to be addressed by the WPF are: improving livelihoods, improving health, mitigating vulnerability of the poor under extraordinary conditions and events such as disasters related to water (e.g. floods).
The WPF will not handle or manage funding but it will elaborate, in collaboration with both donors and recipient partners and the competent authorities and bodies, common strategies and action plans and will support implementation mechanisms with the participation of a wide range of stakeholders. In addition, it will act as a multiplier for sustainable investment in the water sector securing, in parallel, to the extent possible, the introduction of poverty reduction components in water projects -particularly those financed by European sources. Finally, it may act as a match-maker between the supply and demand side in projects targeting water supply and sanitation for the urban poor. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: The Global Conservation Trust
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Global Conservation Trust is a public-private partnership whose goal is to establish an endowment fund that will provide a permanent source of funding for ex situ conservation of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture around the world.
The goal of the Trust is also to assure the availability of genetic material that underpins the global food supply to all researchers and scientists in perpetuity. The Trust will permit international institutions and governments to keep three promises:
* In 1994, the International Agricultural Research Centres of the CGIAR made a commitment to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to hold the plant genetic resources collections housed in the Centres in trust for humanity;
* In 1996, 150 countries adopted the Global Plan of Action for the Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, pledging to develop and support a rational system of ex situ genetic resources conservation;
* In 2001, 140 countries adopted the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, a promise to promote the development of an efficient and equitable global system of genetic resources exchange. [more]
Lead Partner: Karolinska Institute
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Main objective To improve the use and quality of global development data by creation of two global public goods.
1. A free user-friendly software for compilation, distribution & display of time series of development data in attractive moving graphics.
2. The free provision of development data in a standard format on the Internet by universities, NGOs, national & international agencies, and eventually develop a quality certification system for these data sets.
The relation with Agenda 21 and MDG is that this project will stimulate widespread monitoring of data on the completion of the goals set out in Agenda 21 and more specifically the Millennium Development Goals. The monitoring of data in itself is expected to stimulate the compilation of more complete data of better quality. [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: Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The purpose of the Global Lead Initiative is to achieve the expeditious completion of global leaded gasoline phase-out and to reduce and eliminate other exposure sources according to a partnership process with specific milestones and targets. The Global Lead Initiative would translate the many existing international commitments on leaded gasoline phase-out and lead
poisoning prevention into concrete action aimed at eliminating environmental lead hazards. Actions will be developed based on the successful model provided by the Summit of the Americas Partnership for Pollution Prevention and on the principles of the Alliance's International Action Plan for Preventing Lead Poisoning.
The goal of the Global Lead Initiative is to catalyze expedited completion of leaded gasoline phase-out and to identify and eliminate other exposure sources, by achieving the following objectives:
Institute a partnership process for implementation and monitoring, including the development of specific milestones and targets;
Build on progress and lessons learned by highlighting "best practices," models of successful implementation of phase-out and prevention, in each region;
Coordinate disparate projects, technical assistance programs, and other efforts being carried out by UN agencies, national governments, and NGOs, to avoid duplication of efforts; and Maximize the benefits of phase-out and prevention by linking efforts to related environmental health objectives, such as clean fuels and healthy housing. [more]
Lead Partner: Velo Mondial - Velo Mondial
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership/Initiative will execute a 10 year program on each continent, to be evaluated mid term in 2006 and finally in 2012, aiming at the development, promotion and implementation of Cycling Master Planning in countries and cities all over the globe with the aim to contribute to:
* CO2 emission reduction / climate change control /improving air quality
* Road safety & overall traffic management
* Poverty relief
* Sustainable economical development
* Accessibility and Emancipation
* Health promotion
The key action objectives of the Partnership/Initiative are to enhance sustainable development and improve the quality of life in urban communities. The Partnership/Initiative contributes to these objectives, by facilitating national and local authorities to develop and implement a more sustainable transport system with a significant share of non motorized modes.
The bicycle is a clean, non-polluting mode of transport that consumes no fossil fuels and little space, but still, as an alternative to the private automobile, ensures mobility and accessibility. Facilitating cycling is essential in a pro-poor policy, since it saves time and increases income generation opportunities. The Partnership/Initiative presents a broad policy framework for the facilitation of cycling.
Cycling policy directly relates to the Agenda 21 objectives. Its cross sectoral benefits for the World Summit on Sustainable development relate to the quality of life, economic growth and social equity in urban and rural areas. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) - United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) -Technical Focal Point
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The goal of the WSSD GHS Partnership is to mobilize support and catalyze partnerships for coordinated activities at the global, regional and national levels to strengthen capacities in developing countries and countries in transition towards effective implementation of the GHS. In the medium and long-term, the Partnership is expected to lead to a decrease in environmental and human health related effects attributable to the use of hazardous chemicals. It thus makes a direct contribution to important objectives of sustainable development including protection of marginalized groups, protection of water supplies and drinking water, and poverty eradication.Specific objectives of the Partnership include mobilization of resources for:
* awareness raising, capacity assessment and GHS implementation at the regional level;
* awareness raising, capacity assessment and GHS implementation at the national level; and
* development of GHS guidance, training and resource material. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), GPA Coordination Office
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The H20 Partnership aims to further the environmental, economic and social importance of oceans, coasts, and islands, and to facilitate the realization of the Montreal commitment by governments to mitigate water pollution and resource degradation from the hilltops to the oceans.
The overall objectives of the H20 Partnership include:
* To facilitate Governments and the international community recognition of the linkages between the freshwater and marine environments and to foster closer collaboration and partnerships between river basin authorities and coastal managers since action must be taken on land to reduce, remediate and prevent pollution and degradation of the coastal and marine environment.
* To assist countries and regions in making better use of existing domestic resources and in raising new and additional financing, particularly within the context of the regional seas
* To assist countries and regions in evaluating alternative options for funding projects that address priority problems of river, coastal and marine pollution.
* To assist Governments and intergovernmental organisations in identifying opportunities for effective partnerships, including through the establishment of specific cooperative activities, alliances and networks with financial institutions.
* To assist the public sector in involving the private sector and the civil society in addressing priority problems of river, coastal and marine pollution.
* To involve civil society further in the implementation of the Global Programme of Action Wastewater Emission Targets (WET) [more]
Lead Partner: International Labour Organization(ILO) Programme on HIV/AIDS
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Caribbean Summary: The aim of this project is the prevention of HIV/AIDS among workers and in the world of work, the enhancement of workplace protection and the reduction of the adverse consequences of the epidemic on social, labour and economic development in the Caribbean. This will be achieved in part by:
* contributing to the overall objective of reducing the rate of spread of HIV in the Caribbean;
* developing a comprehensive, co-ordinated, sustained and strategic response to the impact of HIV/AIDS on the world of work in the Caribbean, established through the involvement of the social partners;
* providing a better understanding of the implications of the HIV/AIDS epidemic for the world of work in the Caribbean;
* mobilising and building the capacity of government (with more involvement of Ministries of Labour), employers' and workers' organisations as well as persons living with HIV/AIDS to educate, discuss, raise awareness, develop and implement policies and programmes on HIV/AIDS;
* reducing stigma and discrimination and improving the care and support for those living with HIV/AIDS among job seekers, workers and their families;
* increasing competence to develop proposals concerning the financial costs of the epidemic and to assess the impact of HIV/AIDS for the social security system. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Canada - Environment Canada
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The overall goal of the Health and Environment Linkages Initiative is to facilitate and enhance effective actions to reduce adverse environmental impacts on human health. The goals of the initiative can be defined as:
1) defining the specific requirements of decision-makers in environment and health particularly in developing countries;
2) making the necessary scientific information accessible to decision-makers;
3) adapting existing methodologies that support decision-making, so they are applicable in a range of settings;
4) training decision-makers and their support staff to use decision-support tools
5) carrying out pilot studies to gain hands-on detailed information, and to test and refine the tools developed; and,
6) support all phases of the initiative by communicating HELI's aims, activities and outputs, as well as relevant knowledge and experience gained, via appropriate media and media aids including the production and dissemination of a tool kit in both printed and electronic formats.
The tool kit would provide practitioners with comprehensive and accessible guidelines on how to reach evidence-based decision on issues with a potential health and environment linkage, and how to evaluate relevant outcomes. [more]
Lead Partner: Healthy Environments for Children Alliance Secretariat- World Health Organisation (WHO) - World Health Organization
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: HECA'S DRAFT MISSION STATEMENT: A world-wide alliance to intensify global action on environmental risks to children's health that arise from the settings where they live, learn, play and sometimes work, by providing knowledge, increasing political will, mobilizing resources, and catalysing intense and urgent action.
The aim of HECA is to build a global alliance to tackle key environment and poverty-related risks to children's health that are responsible for the loss of millions of healthy years of life each year. The Alliance will focus on, and catalyse action within the environments where children spend their time (i.e., the home, the school, and the community). Particular attention will be given to improving the home environment - traditionally neglected - but where children spend a major part of their young lives, and where the most significant health threats converge. In each setting, the alliance will focus on health risks associated with lack of access to clean water, to sanitation and to clean indoor air and outdoor air. It will also act to reduce risks associated with disease vectors, hazardous chemicals, and non-intentional injuries. Addressing the multiple risks in each setting will necessitate taking a holistic, integrated approach, as health risks are complex, and often interconnected. This approach also provides a framework to highlight the links between issues, and to facilitate action, in an integrated fashion, on the range of health risks in a given setting.
The Alliance will catalyze action that is both participatory and effective, stimulating a world-wide movement. It will concentrate initially on areas where it can add the most value - broadening in scope as it develops.
The Alliances core functions include:
* Ensuring advocacy and awareness raising;
* Providing knowledge, information exchange and expertise for decision-making;
* Promoting effective policies and action, at all levels, in all sectors;
* Supporting countries and communities in creating and maintaining healthy environments for children;
* Monitoring and evaluating progress. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Improves the care of people living with HIV/AIDS in heavily affected countries by increasing the capacity for training of HIV/AIDS care providers, including physicians, nurses, clinical administrators, and other key personnel. The IAETP enhances training capacity in the areas of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HIV disease, including the prevention of perinatal transmission and the prevention and treatment of opportunistic infections, including TB. The IAETP also develops training and provides technical assistance on the planning, design, and management of regional or national HIV/AIDS training programs and HIV/AIDS care facilities and programs. Long-term technical support is provided by the IAETP to assist partners in the development of a highly trained cadre of healthcare providers and trainers. [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: 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: The goal of IREA is to foster collaboration, removing market barriers, identifying and promoting successful implementation strategies, enhancing business conditions and developing markets. This is to be achieved by the provision of reliable and up to date facts and considerations for more informed decision making at all levels of national and international policy and to further the principles and goals declared in the 2004 Bonn Declaration on Renewable Energies. [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: The Central Asia Consulting Company " ATASU " - Scientific-Information Centre of the Interstate Coordination Water Commission
Geographical Scope: National Summary: The goal is to use the advantages of globalization process for the water sector of the country and region, the parties count expedient acceptance of the Water Partnership Frame Agreement in Republic of Kazakhstan as a way of cooperation uniting forces and knowledge, creating the new ethical responsibility of public water use by means of explanation, mutual information and education. [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: The Resource Foundation
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Latin America and the Caribbean Summary: The Latin American Clean Water Initiative seeks to facilitate sustainable water solutions and improve the health and well being of individuals living in extreme poverty in 13 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The project seeks to: 1) Provide access to potable water and sanitation systems, 2) Improve sustainable water supplies for productive activities and train individuals to manage the water systems effectively, and 3) Offer educational workshops in water conservation, hygiene and water-related illnesses.
The program will be implemented in 13 countries: Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. The partner agencies are local private development organizations which are well respected in their fields and have extensive expertise in installing water systems, providing water systems management training, and engaging beneficiary communities in the process by requiring active participation in construction and training activities. The Resource Foundation partners with local non-profit agencies because it believes that local solutions are highly sustainable and effective.
The specific objectives of the proposed Latin American Clean Water Initiative include: 1) Construct complete and functioning potable water systems including taps, outdoor washbasins, water tanks, and latrines, etc. 2) Improve irrigation systems for farming and other productive purposes, 3) Improve degraded water systems, 4) Involve all beneficiary families in the construction and/or repairs of water systems, 5) Train beneficiary communities to manage and administer potable water and sanitations systems in order to ensure long-term sustainability, 6) Offer training in health issues related to water-borne illnesses, water resource management, and environmental conservation, 6) Monitor and evaluate program impact, 7) Share best practices for managing water resources at a seminar, and 8) Communicate impact to the public.
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) - United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Developing local capacities and mechanisms for adapting and implementing global principles and norms of sustainable urbanisation (including related MEA¿S e.g. on climate change; air quality; water management, biodiversity);Strengthening the capacities of local (and national) actors for contributing local experiences and expertise to the formulation of global principles and norms. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Decentralized Cooperation Programmes (DCP) objective is to encourage lasting South-South city-to-city cooperation for sustainable and economic development. For this purpose, DCP has established a global network of 11 associated training centres (as of Feb. 2006), which are located in Atlanta / United States; Barcelona and Bilbao / Spain; Curitiba / Brazil; Divonne-les-Bains and Lyon / France; Durban / South Africa; Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia; Ouagadougou / Burkina Faso; Plock / Poland and Shanghai / China. Each of these International Training Centres for Local Authorities and Local Actors is a hub for capacity building and knowledge sharing between local and regional authorities, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to enhance local public services. The training sessions for local authorities focus on four main areas:
- Environment and sustainable development
- Urban services
- Economic development and local governance
- Human security.
[more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), DPDL - United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Strengthening the capacities of local authorities and their public, private and community partners to achieve more sustainable urban development, socially, economically and environmentally;Reducing poverty by working on sustainable urbanisation through more efficiently and equitably use of environmental resources and control of environmental hazards in urban development planning. [more]
Lead Partner: Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Mediterranean Summary: This initiative/partnership on EfES, facilitates the educational community and students to contribute in a systematic and concrete way for the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Millennium Declaration goals, through the successful application of innovative Educational Programmes in countries around the Mediterranean basin. These Educational Programmes are based on cross-cutting themes in the existing school-curricula. During the first years of implementation the Initiative focuses on freshwater including all its aspects (sanitation, health, floods, agriculture, etc.), followed by wastes.
The main objectives of the initiative compatible with the principles of sustainable development are:
- Wise management of freshwater resources
- Wise management of wastes
- Facilitation of Educators' networks [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: 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: Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The partnership's goal is to employ a multi-stakeholder approach to find a global solution to the ethical and practical problems caused by the migration of healthcare workers, and agree a process by which such a solution could be reached.
The question of how best to resolve the conflicting interests surrounding the migration of health care workers is long standing. Recent debates and resolutions, such as the SADC Health Ministers conference in January and the World Health Assembly in May 2002, highlight the urgency of establishing an equitable, effective solution.
The need to improve the management of human resources in health care services is stressed in the Draft Plan of Implementation for the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. This partnership aims to establish a way forward in this critical area.
A number of organisations are engaged in multiple approaches being undertaken to addressing the issue and establish solutions, including the World Medical Association's taskforce (for physicians) and the Commonwealth Secretariat (for member countries). It is less clear whether the solutions being developed form a coherent overall approach, acceptable to all stakeholders. [more]
Lead Partner: Association of American Geographers
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The general goal of My Community, Our Earth -- Geographic Learning for Sustainable Development is to build geographically literate generations able to use this knowledge in their everyday lives to bring about true sustainable development. In particular, the Program seeks to provide students and international leaders with the opportunity to discover and address real issues in their communities and their regions with respect to sustainable development issues, particularly Agenda 21, WSSD topics, UNCSD themes, and the Millenium Development Goals. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Japan - Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: * To develop appropriate NERICA varieties through crossing African rice species, resistant to disease and drought, and Asian rice species - high yield potential, in the West Africa Rice Development Association(WARDA) with the assistance from Japan, UNDP and other organizations.
* To help alleviate hunger in Africa through further promoting research, development and dissemination of NERICA. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Building nationally the capacities of local and central governments, associations of local authorities, and training institutions to routinely integrate the lessons of experience from local demonstrations into national sustainable urbanisation and poverty alleviation policies, up-scaling strategies, and associated legal frameworks. In other words: Developing institutional frameworks and national networks for sustained EPM support. [more]
Lead Partner: Academy for Educational Development (AED)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: Building on the partnership efforts at the WSSD, the United States expanded its existing NetMark Program, making it an expansive and cutting edge model for achieving public health objectives through joint investment with the commercial sector. What was originally a 5 year, $15.4 million program designed to create sustainable commercial markets for insecticide-treated mosquito nets in four countries, became an eight year, $65.4 million program with a much broader goals. NetMark Plus is USAID's primary mechanism to support the Roll Back Malaria Partnership in achieving its goals of making high quality, and affordable ITNs available across the continent of Africa. Now looking to build commercial markets for ITNs in at least 10 countries, NetMark is expanding its partnerships, playing a critical role in defining best practices for delivering targeted subsidies, advocating a positive policy environment, creating integrated approaches through partnerships with NGOs that link commercial and subsidized product delivery, and helping to introduce state-of-the-art products (some of which will be manufactured in Africa).
NetMark Plus expects to create fully sustainable markets for ITNs across sub-Saharan Africa that can provide a sustainable source of quality products for a large percentage of at-risk populations. NetMark Plus will also link these markets with targeted subsidies being provided through other donor-funded activities, helping both the public and commercial sectors to create a model for sustainable development through mutually beneficial collaboration and investment on a large scale. This will result in a reduction of malaria morbidity and mortality, a positive effect on the African economy, and reduction of the burden on the international community and ministries of health in procuring and distributing ITNs. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of France - Ensemble Solidarité Thérapeutique Hosp. Réseau
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: To improve access to quality treatment for people living with HIV and AIDS in developing countries, by increasing the means of access to care and treatment and a complete health care offer combining social and community aspects over a three-year cycle.
The aim is to identify the health care facilities in developing countries, which, with the help of twinning with a European hospital facility, can reinforce their expertise and equipment. These facilities are becoming the focal points for networks including medical and biological monitoring services, associations and NGOs, representing the civil partnership and other organizations involved in the field.
More specifically, ESTHER should enable:
- Strengthening of health care services (hospital and out-patient facilities) geared towards combating AIDS;
- Establishment of a suitable technical platform with good maintenance;
- Participation by users of the health care system and by associations of those affected;
- Implementation and/or consolidation of networks between partners - NGOs, associations and representatives of the civil partnership - in order to provide psychosocial support in a multidisciplinary and community approach.
This balanced partnership will be built around existing structures, with commitments in the form of decentralized cooperation and active pursuit of ways to prolong these strategies beyond the three years of the partnership. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Comune di Procida
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Network of European Alimentary Culture (NEAC) aims at highlighting that a strong European identity is essential and complementary to a strong local/regional identity.
A person who understands his/her own region is much better equipped to go out into Europe and to find his or her place as an active European citizen within the expanding European Union. All that based on the assumption that alimentary culture reflects a vivid image of society. Food seen, therefore, as an anthropological paradigm of society and analyzed from a variety of viewpoints constituting a repertoire which has as its objective to highlight the complexity of European food culture, acknowledging the present reality and value that it can assume.
This project is highly supportive of equal opportunities for marginalized groups, such as persons with disabilities, women, different races. Finally, our own partnership is based on cooperation of fellow teachers and researchers, both men as well as women, standing therefore for equality of chance between different genders.
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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: Japan Water Forum
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: * to encourage the creation of national partnerships in industrialized countries to deal with unresolved and emerging water issues within the countries and to provide "windows" through which the countries water sector interfaces with the international water community.
* to facilitate the development of networks among industrialized countries to exchange experiences and good practices of water resources and services management and interact with partnerships in developing countries.
* to bring water issues in industrialized countries to the World Water Forums and other global events to be discussed in multi-stakeholder sessions and to be presented to politicians and decision-makers.
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Lead Partner: Novartis
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: State-of-the-art biomedical research institute for tropical diseases. Objective is to develop novel compounds and find partners for clinical development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution. No profit from poor people in developing countries, but potential for profitable operations in developed markets (re-financing the research costs). Initial focus on Dengue-fever and treatment-resistant tuberculosis. [more]
Lead Partner: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) - World Health Organization (WHO)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: This partnership aims to contribute to the implementation of recommendations developed in the joint WHO/FAO expert consultation on diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases (Geneva, Switzerland, 28 January - 1 February 2002; draft report available via lfriberg@earthsummit2002.org).
"Obesity prevention policies must go hand in hand with strategies to prevent undernutrition." (WHO). Nutrition is a major determinant of health. Unhealthy diet (and a sedentary lifestyle) effectively handicap people and contribute to premature deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease (CVD) and obesity related illnesses (particularly Type 2 diabetes). The shift to diets high in saturated fats, sugar and refined foods (the 'nutrition transition') has contributed to worsening nutrition and significant growth of obesity in children and adults in developed and developing countries.
The links between good health and economic improvement have been well documented. Good nutrition contributes to development of human capital, increased productivity, reduced poverty, etc. The delivery of nutritious food to every household, at all levels of income, is an achievable aim. [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.
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Lead Partner: Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The overall goal of this initiative is "to minimise environmental and health impacts from solid and hazardous waste generation and disposal in the Pacific region¿. This will be addressed through the following objectives:
- To raise awareness in Pacific Island countries at the community, government and political levels, and in the wider international community (especially industry), about the need for positive actions in solid and hazardous waste management in Pacific island countries
- To achieve significant reductions in the quantities of wastes currently sent to landfills, through effective waste minimisation programmes including elimination of wastes at source, enhancement of current recycling activities, and the development of recycling/disposal options for other wastes
- To upgrade current waste collection and disposal systems through incremental improvements to existing systems and adoption of best regional practices in all new disposal operations.
- To implement regional clean-up and disposal programmes for those wastes which cannot be dealt with effectively at a national level
- To assess current financial, regulatory, institutional and social barriers to effective waste management in Pacific Island countries and assist governments in developing strategies and systems for overcoming these barriers
- To develop and improve current institutional capacities for effective waste management in Pacific Island countries through targeted national and regional training programmes, and the development of on-going programmes within the relevant tertiary institutions, and the development and maintenance of appropriate information networks
Expected Results
- Significant reductions in the quantities of wastes that need to be disposed by landfill or other means
- Sustainable waste minimisation programmes established in all Pacific Island countries
- Reduced potential for adverse environmental and health impacts from on-going waste collection and disposal activities
- Current environmental and health impacts eliminated through clean-up and disposal of existing waste stockpiles and contaminated sites
- Permanent waste management positions established in relevant government agencies within each country, and staffed with appropriately qualified personnel
- Financial, regulatory and other relevant mechanisms adopted within each country to ensure effective and on-going waste management systems
- On-going community awareness programmes and activities in waste management [more]
Lead Partner: World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), South Pacific Program - Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) - South Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The initiative aims to achieve its objective through the mainstreaming of biodiversity at all levels, including such issues as:
* Methods (both scientific and traditional) and field activities for the identification, protection, conservation and sustainable use of Pacific biodiversity access and equitable benefit sharing from the use of genetic resources protection and strengthening of traditional knowledge, practises innovation and management systems putting real economic value on biodiversity.
* A complementary and participatory approach to conservation will be promoted, including both ex situ and in situ strategies, developed on the basis of both scientific and traditional knowledge.
* A key strategy will be to protect and strengthen traditional knowledge on the use of biodiversity - including agricultural, forestry, wildlife and marine resources - for food, medicine, fibre, shelter and ceremonial purposes - and other relevant expressions of culture in the Pacific Islands. [more]
Lead Partner: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: To provide access to information and communication technology in support of sustainable development for every Pacific islander.
Expected results to be determined by countries on the basis of national assessments and stakeholder consultations undertaken for WSSD. These could include:
* Pacific Tele-health Project
* Community Telecentres Project
* Human Resources Capacity Building
* National Strategy Development [more]
Lead Partner: World Health Organization (WHO) - Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) - Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The main objectives are:
* Improved health surveillance
* Coordinated and strategic approach to the reduction of environmental health threats
This initiative is in-line with international WHO strategies for the surveillance and response to epidemic communicable diseases (Global Outbreak and Response, IHR). PPHSN was launched to coordinate, harmonize, and develop public health surveillance activities in the region: it allows to avoid duplication and to optimize the use of scarce resources. [more]
Lead Partner: South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Pacific Summary: The main objective of the Initiative is to achieve sustainable water and wastewater management in Pacific island countries through:
* the establishment of a regional water network of persons and organisations, inclusive of country governments, development agencies, professional associations and donors, that work in the different fields of water resources management and service delivery in the region, to improve regional coordination and collaboration;
* the implementation of the Pacific Strategies for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene that aim to build and increase the capacity in Pacific Island Countries to deliver sustainable management of water and wastewater as a means to contributing to poverty alleviation. Sustainability has to be achieved in the technical, institutional, financial, environmental and social-cultural areas. SOPAC Member Countries have endorsed these strategies during the 30th SOPAC Annual Session (Majuro, October 2001), which are complimentary with the efforts towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the 3rd World Water Forum;
* implementation of the ¿Regional Action Plan for Sustainable Water Management¿, as agreed upon by Ministers, Heads of Delegation and representatives of civil society groups with responsibilities for water affairs from 16 small island countries in the Pacific, as well as East Timor and the Maldives as part of the regional consultation and preparation for the ¿Water in Small Island Countries¿ and ¿Dialogue on Water & Climate¿ themes of the 3rd World Water Forum, during the ¿Pacific Regional Meeting on Water in Small Island Countries¿, held in Sigatoka, Fiji from 29 July to 3 August 2002. The consultation process included the identification of national priority actions as determined by the participating countries on the basis of their national water strategies, national assessments and stakeholder consultations undertaken for WSSD and the 3rd World Water Forum, and the development of agreed regional actions through the consultation meeting process of plenary discussion, working group review and delegation approval.
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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.
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Lead Partner: United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Division of Policy Development and Law (DPDL)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The partners will work to:
- Help developing countries to develop action plans to complete the elimination of leaded gasoline by end 2008
- Start to phase down sulfur in diesel and gasoline fuels, long-term objective to be 50 ppm and below
-Concurrent with the aboveadopting cleaner vehicle requirements;
- Support the development and adoption of cleaner fuel standards and clean vehicle requirements by providing a platform for exchange of experiences and successful practices in developed and developing countries as well as technical assistance;
- Develop public outreach materials, educational programs, and awareness campaigns; adapt economic and planning tools for clean fuels and vehicles analyses in local settings; and support the development of enforcement and compliance programs, with an initial focus on fuel adulteration;
- Foster key partnerships between government and industry, NGOs, and other interested parties within a country and between countries to facilitate the implementation of cleaner fuel and vehicle commitments. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Enivronmental Protection Agency (USEPA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air is bringing together governments, industry and non-governmental organizations to increase the use of affordable, reliable, clean, efficient, and safe home cooking and heating practices. More than 147 Partner organizations are contributing their resources and expertise to improve health, livelihood and quality of life by reducing exposure to air pollution, primarily among women and children, from household energy use. The Partnership for Clean Indoor Air is focusing on four priority areas: addressing social/cultural barriers to adopting improved technology; supporting the development of local business models and markets for improved cooking and heating techniques; improving the design and performance of improved fuels and technology; and demonstrating reduced exposure to indoor air contaminants. [more]
Lead Partner: Partnership for Environmental Management of Seas East Asia (PEMSEA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional East Asia Summary: Several local governments in the East Asian Sea Region are in the process of developing long-term, vision-oriented coastal strategies and action plans. The strategies and action plans will concentrate local stakeholder actions on sustainable use of coastal resources, improving the health of ecosystems and the lives of people living in the costal area by alleviating poverty, enhancing public health, providing access to safe and affordable drinking water and sanitary services, and creating sustainable development opportunities.
This initiative is primarily aimed at forging a regional partnership among the local governments and ICM practitioners, with the objective of consolidating their efforts, and increasing management effectiveness and efficiency by sharing experiences, good practices, lessons, expertise, approaches and resources through south-south cooperation. Ten local governments in 8 coastal nations of the region will initially participate in the partnership, covering a total coastline length of 1,242 km and a total sea area of 10,565 km2. The partnership will benefit 6 million inhabitants.
Over the life of the project, the total number of local governments implementing ICM will increase steadily to 20 and estimated to benefit at least 12 million coastal inhabitants. The success of the networking will lead to expansion of membership to cover other coastal management initiatives and accelerate ICM practice throughout the region. It will also establish linkages with other coastal management programs in other regions of the world. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Danube River Basin Summary: The main goal of the Pilot Project is to develop, implement and test an evidence-based methodology for rapid assessment of environment and health risks for selected area with high dangerous industrial activities.
The main characteristic of the Project is to be repeatible and applied in different geographical areas and to different situation.
In order to test the validity of the methodology, a Pilot phase was implemented on some industrial activities located in the area of Danube basin in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary.
The results reached in this Pilot Phase showed the great value of the project as method to be applied in the next future for the environmnetal and health risk assessement.
Therefore, the Project will be further implemented in Bulgaria and Romania, but also in the Mediterranean area hot spots.
In the implementation of the project, the following basic objectives will be sequentially achieved:
* Identification, classification, inventory and ranking of hazardous industrial or abandoned sites in selected geographical areas.
* Research, analysis and collection of available data about severe contamination events (incidents, releases, etc.), which have occurred in the past (starting from 1990).
* Gathering of information and basic evaluation of existing environmental and health conditions, both outside as well as inside highly hazardous industrial sites.
* Rapid assessment of the environment and health risks for the highly hazardous sites, by specific procedures and scenarios mapping.
* Gathering of information about risk perception by the public.
* Identification of local Institutions, Authorities, Industrial Associations, Trade Unions, Public Movements or Associations which could be sources of information or could be involved in the further planning and risk management.
* Assessment of the health-related industry, particularly drinking water production, its vulnerability to industrial accidents and its level of preparedness.
* Assessment of the preparedness of the most hazardous industrial sites to deal with environment and health emergencies, including staff training.
* Assessment of the preparedness of local authorities to deal with industrial accident prevention and management.
* Evaluation of the practical relevance of UN Conventions, particularly the technical guidance of the 1992 UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Waters and International Lakes and its Protocol on Water and Health, the Aarhus Convention and the UN/ECE Industrial Accidents Convention. [more]
Lead Partner: Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future, ActionAid
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Population and Sustainability Network is an advocacy group which aims to bring together development, environment and reproductive health NGOs, government departments, academics and others, to increase leverage on population issues. Network Objectives:· To highlight the negative impact of unsustainable population increase on economic development, poverty alleviation and the natural environment (with particular reference to MDG 7: ¿Ensure environmental sustainability¿).· To support others in the campaign for the provision of adequate reproductive healthcare facilities for the 200 million couples who would use them ¿ but are presently denied rights of access because of funding shortfalls or other reasons· To raise awareness of the need for a rights-based approach to reproductive healthcare.· To ensure better opportunity for investment in healthcare and education, especially in respect of women¿s rights and the need for more effective programmes against HIV/AIDS.· To promote better understanding of the problems caused by unsustainable consumption (particularly in the rich minority world) ¿ including pollution and pressure on finite resources.· To provide a constructive forum in which the issues outlined above can be addressed and to increase stakeholder participation in and ownership of the key issues. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors is a non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose primary goal is to improve the ability of developing countries to manage, protect, or challenge intellectual property in the public interest. To this end, PIIPA was formed to help governments, government agencies and non-government public service organizations acquire intellectual property expertise on a pro bono basis, in order to meet the health, agricultural, environmental and cultural needs of developing countries. PIIPA seeks to promote volunteerism among intellectual property professionals worldwide to serve developing country public interest needs. PIIPA serves as a mechanism for networking between intellectual property legal professionals in different countries, and as outreach to such professionals. PIIPA offers services to those who need assistance from a broad range of areas, including: intergovernmental organizations (e.g., WHO, UNAIDS, FAO, South Centre); non-industrialized country governments and government agencies; certain research institutions (e.g., universities and government funded public laboratories in developing countries); international research consortia (e.g., CGIAR centers, disease specific public-private partnerships); non-governmental organizations and non-profit entities (e.g., MIHR, PIPRA); and certain qualifying small-to-medium enterprises and individual innovators. For these applicants, PIIPA seeks to arrange professional representation for a wide range of intellectual property services. These include: patent prosecution, counseling, licensing and litigation; trademark prosecution, counseling, licensing and litigation; copyright counseling, licensing and litigation; trade secret protection, counseling, licensing and litigation; legislative counseling (e.g., drafting legislation and regulations in relation to intellectual property matters); and national, international and multinational dispute resolution. PIIPA has developed a worldwide corps of IP professionals ("IP Corps") able and willing to provide pro bono representation to developing country clients. At the present time our members number 200, and represent countries around the world. Members of the IP corps are solicited via professional associations, direct solicitations, and professional firm networking. [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: 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.
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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.
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Lead Partner: Government of Philippines - Partnership for Environmental Management of Seas East Asia (PEMSEA)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional East Asia Summary: The initiative is focused on accelerating investments in environmental facilities and services at the community/local government level, for the protection and sustainable use of the marine and coastal resources of the Seas of East Asia using public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements. The project entails the establishment of partnerships between the public and private sectors, at the local, national and international levels, employing a procedure that was developed and tested by
PEMSEA in Batangas Bay, Philippines. The PPP process will be applied at six pilot sites, to refine, verify and demonstrate the approach under a variety of political, social, economic and environmental scenarios. The pilot site locations include: Bali (Indonesia), Bohai Sea (China), Danang (Vietnam), Klang (Malaysia), Manila Bay (Philippines) and Xiamen (China). Each identified pilot site has already embarked on a program of integrated marine and coastal resource management, and has created a policy and investment climate that is conducive to private sector investment and partnership.
The objectives of the initiative are as follows:
1. To verify the PPP procedure for developing pipeline projects for environmental investments at the local government level;
2. To build confidence and capabilities in public-private partnership (PPP) arrangements as an alternative delivery mechanism for financing and sustaining environmental facilities and services;
3. To establish PPP working models at selected sites in the region; and
4. To develop capacities within and among the public and private sectors to effectively implement and sustain new environmental investments in the East Asian region and elsewhere, using the experience, lessons and good practices derived from this initiative; and
5. To engage local and national governments, the private sector, national and international financial institutions, international agencies, donors, the private sector and civil society in development projects that result in practical benefits to the environment, and the social and economic well-being of coastal communities. [more]
Lead Partner: ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The goal of the Resilient Communities & Cities Partnership Program is to support the development of greater resilience in the institutions, infrastructure, and social and economic life of cities and towns worldwide through urban management and participatory governance. A Resilient Community is a city, town or neighbourhood that reduces its vulnerability to dramatic change or extreme events and responds creatively to economic, social and environmental change in order to increase its long-term sustainability.
Guided by the formula "Sustainability=Resilience/Risk," the program seeks to develop a methodology for local resilience management, which will increase the resilience of a city or community to a range of shocks, crises, and disasters including environmental emergencies, industrial accidents, outbreaks of epidemics, economic shocks, natural disasters, terrorist attacks, and social conflict. In the Resilient Communities & Cities Partnership Program, the concept of resilience encompasses both the resilience of cities (the natural and built environment, including infrastructure) as well as the resilience of communities (social and political structures).
The program will focus on introducing policies, tools and methods developed in the disaster management community into the established worldwide movement for sustainable communities, thereby linking preventative disaster management know-how with established local methods for participatory sustainable development planning (also known as Local Agenda 21 planning).
The Partnership Program is composed of eight elements: partnership program management and capacity building; documentation and promotion of good policies and best practices; inventory and review of mechanisms for local resilience management; recruitment of pilot cities; methodology, modeling and system development; pilot projects in six municipalities; project learning and experience; and project documentation and products. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC) - Population Services International (PSI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The main objective of this partnership is to reduce diarrheal diseases in children under 5 years old and other vulnerable populations through provision of locally-produced water disinfectant, safe water storage containers, and behavior change techniques directed towards improved hygiene.
The goal of providing piped, treated water for all is desirable, but will take considerable resources and time to achieve. While this goal is being pursued, innovative, practical, interim solutions are needed to provide underserved populations with safe water in a more timely fashion. To address this need, the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) developed a household-based water quality intervention that employs simple, easily disseminated technology. The basis of the intervention, which is called the Safe Water System (SWS), is:
treatment of contaminated water with locally-produced sodium hypochlorite solution;
safe water storage in plastic containers with a narrow mouth to reduce the risk of water being touched and contaminated;
behavior change techniques, including social marketing and community mobilization. [more]
Lead Partner: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The main objective of this partnership initiative is to facilitate and enhance advanced scientific and technological methodologies such as the Isotopes Techniques to the sustainable use of water resources and coastal zone management.
Expected results include:
* Improved understanding of the groundwater discharge to the ocean and sea water intrusion in the coastal aquifer processes by the application of wide spectrum of isotopes techniques.
* Increased capacity of coordination among experts in hydrogeology, oceanography, coastal resources management
* Improved capacity for efficient water resources and coastal zone management and related policy development achieved by more effective collaboration between the partner agencies.
* Increased capacity of national scientific and technical institutions to use advanced techniques such us Isotopes applications in relation to water resources and coastal zone management.
* Increased capacity for long-term sustained training capability on isotopes techniques applications through development of academic centers. [more]
Lead Partner: Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future - Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Africa Summary: SEAL is a South-South partnership of civil and academic organizations that recognizes the importance of intra-Southern co-operation in promotion sustainable development.
The Secure and Equitable Access to Land (SEAL) partnership aims to secure equitable access by
* Furthering a pragmatic and programmatic approach to land development for food security in Africa
* Sharing the experience from other regions of Asia and Latin America, strengthening the networking structure of civil society in Africa
* Facilitating the adoption and replication of Southern initiative projects on securing access to land for the promotion of poverty eradication and food security within Southern countries with similar climatic and socio-political conditions
SEAL is the result of organizations agreeing to develop a unique collaborative programme to strenthen the networking structure of African civil society and share experiences from Asia and Latin America.
SEAL is a pragmatic networking partnership that is receptive and prepared to work with other networks in partnership for development
Specific Objectives include
* To strengthen civil society initiatives on land
* Strengthening community groups to form a cooperative society for food production and the diversification of land and agricultural resources
* To empower girl-child and women's groups, given the salience of gender equity and the advancement of women in promoting optimal
* To encourage best practices on land use issues, strengthening levels of mutual support and assistance through institutional training and exchange programs. [more]
Lead Partner: United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The purpose of UNDP's Shared Rivers Governance Project is to build on and complement existing activities to:
- Support regional dialogue and build political will among decision makers in developing countries to jointly address integrated management and development of shared rivers, and
- Build capacity and provide support for the development of legal mechanisms and associated institutional structures for shared rivers management
The development objective of the Shared Rivers project is to improve natural resource management, improve the livelihoods of poor people, maximize benefits across the basin and promote regional stability. This will be achieved by providing strategic support for improved water governance of international rivers to advance socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically efficient management and development of the water resources. [more]
Lead Partner: Sister Cities International (SCI)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Sister Cities International is creating a network of sister city partnerships committed to implementing the concepts of sustainable development, as outlined by the international community. Through innovative, cross-cultural projects, sister city partners will demonstrate that locally based actions can: (a) be a catalyst for advancing sustainable development concepts throughout the world; (b) improve the quality of life for citizens within their communities; (c) advance the knowledge and practice of sustainable development through long-term, sustainable relationships; (d) mutually reinforce and integrate the goals of good governance, sustainable economic development, social development and environmental stewardship; and (e) achieve concrete results through partnerships with the public and private sector.
The Sister Cities Network for Sustainable Development will involve sister city communities and their citizens, international and U.S. non-governmental organizations, multilateral organizations, corporations, foundations and other major donors to address a variety of issues related to sustainable development as outlined in the United Nations' Agenda 21, the Plan of Implementation adopted at the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD) and the Millennium Development Goals. Using the Sister Cities Internaitonal "model," sister city partnerships will promote the participation of local citizens in all levels of program development, including identifying project areas, suggesting and designing solutions, overseeing implementation and evaluating results. [more]
Lead Partner: 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: Region of Crete
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Balkan and South Mediterranean Summary: Main objectives:
To develop and implement a plan for integrated management of water resources by introducing the concept of risk management emphasizing on drinking water and irrigation to counter-act widespread water scarcity in the regions involved.
To develop the adequate "critical mass" of human resources, infrastructure, technical and methodological tools, on local level referring to Balkan areas and Southeast countries that can ensure the improvement of the level of offered services to the citizens by securing:
a. The qualitative and quantitative control of the water resources and through this, the prevention of hazardous situations to public health, properties and environment due to local and transfrontier caused pollution to the water resources, as well as the prevention of disasters due to draughts or floods in the Balkan and South Mediterranean Countries area, by the early warning of the Local Authorities.
b. The discourage of the potential "pollution contributors" and organizations, industries, farmers and individuals which overuse the water resources.
The proposed objectives satisfy vital practical requirements of the participating areas such as the adequacy of drinking and bathing water, confrontation of disaster and prevention of human lives, etc. while they contribute to the economic and social development of the areas involved.
The trans-regional co-operation secures the success of the proposed objectives by the direct involvement of Organizations that already work on regional level to the above mentioned issues and they have direct knowledge of existent problems and responsibility of water management.
It facilitates the technology and experience transfer from European regions to Balkan areas regarding national models of water management and the adoption of European directives concerning the quality of water and prevention of high risks. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Development Cooperation (DGCS) - The World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional WESCANA - West/Central Asia and North Africa Summary: This partnership reflects the spirit and supports the endeavours of the EU Water Initiative. It aims at contributing to sustainable, ecosystem-based freshwater management on the basis of an integrated, systemic approach linking two of the core development components related to water. The first component, water resource, refers to aspects such as water supply and storage, and their related technologies, institutional and policy frameworks and networks (e.g. on the development of dams, embankments, irrigation, schemes, etc.). The second component, water quality, pertaining to the maintenance of the freshwater ecological balance, biodioversity, and environmental and human health, etc, and related institutions, policies and networks (e.g. on land use planning, pollution control, biological requalification including biological and chemical monitoring and treatment, etc). The project will contribute to facilitating effective and informed policy and decision-making on integrated freshwater management by supporting the above interlinking through the creation of a strong regional systemic network of networks of national excellence and expertise. Further, this initiativ
Expected results include:
* Regional Water Programme Centre Jordan consolidated as focal point for the regional network of networks of sustainable water management expertise;
* Capacity of network partners built with the support of the Regional Water Programme Centre (including access to on-line information as well as regional training and monitoring), in propping up national systemic planning and management processes and, in turn, providing services to the partner countries of WESCANA;
* Institutional set-ups and legislative foundations analysed and synthesised as a basis for the development of sustainable water management policy in the WESCANA;
* Water conservation and sustainable use techniques inventorised, classified and analysed against sustainable, integrative water management;
* A number of pilot planning and management action implemented, jointly and/or in coordination, by two or more partner countries on transboundary/regionally shared management problems and/or development potentials, such as in water catchments/watersheds, groundwater basins, etc.e will support the implementation of partnership pilot planning and management action at transboundary/regional level. [more]
Lead Partner: INTERSECT
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: At no time in history has the threat to our human and natural resources been so acute. Also, at no other time has there been such a high level of the awareness, capacity, connectivity and commitment required to shift the social environment to one in which sustainability is possible. INTERSECT sees that as the co-epidemics of HIV and Violence Against Women & Girls rage rampantly out of control across the global landscape, not only are women at critical risk and girls, even baby girls, left to face unimaginable dangers, the impact on all aspects of society and the sustainability of the earth are under threat from these, and a vast array of inseparably related issues. Clearly, innovative, far-reaching and never-before-tried collaborative approaches on a massive scale are called for.
INTERSECT envisions and will provide the catalyst for the creation of Intersect Coalitions across nations worldwide to confront the results of HIV, Violence Against Women and Girls and the blowback into other movements caused in their wake. These multi-disciplined, diverse, broad-based Coalitions will inspire and work towards sweeping changes brought about through a shift in our approach to collaboration. The time has come to harness the existing creative energy of all related movements, coalitions, networks, appropriate governmental and intergovernmental institutions, major groups, NGO's, CBO's, grassroots organisations and individuals on an on-going basis, so that commonalities and intersecting points of vision and concern lead the way while bridging existing divides.
INTERSECT will:
* Bring together the Coalitions Networks, NGOs, CBOs, and individuals working in HIV, Violence Against Women and Girls, and all related fields.
* Facilitate Coalition Building Sessions at which Coalition members will make agreements, set aside differences, plan strategies and outreach, and begin to determine their course.
* Help to translate the outcomes of these dialogues into action
* Connect Intersect Coalitions within a given country so that they can act nationally as well as locally, with great strength, visibility and unity. [more]
Lead Partner: Steering Committee on Transport, Environment and Health
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Europe and North America Summary: Transport, Health and Environment Pan European Programme (THE PEP) aims at making progress towards the achievement of transport patterns that are sustainable for health and the environment by focusing work at the Pan-European level on those priorities where further work of the international community is most needed and could make the biggest impact: integration of environmental and health aspects into transport policies and decisions; shift of the demand for transport towards more sustainable mobility; urban transport issues. In addition, special attention will be given to the needs of the Newly Independent States and South-Eastern European countries as well as to areas, which are particularly sensitive from an environmental point of view.
THE PEP streamlines and consolidates the WHO and UNECE activities on transport, environment and health with a view to a more effective use of resources and better co-ordination of efforts at the international as well at the national level. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Department of State
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The Clean Energy Initiative (CEI) is an umbrella energy partnership comprising U.S. activities in the Global Village Energy Partnership, Cleaner Fuels and Vehicles Partnership, Partnership for Clean Indoor Air, and Efficient Energy for Sustainable Development. Collectively, these components will increase access to modern energy services, promote clean transportation fuels, indoor cooking and heating practices, and improve the productivity and efficiency of current energy systems reducing waste, saving money, and improving reliability. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - Dept of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional USA-Mexico Summary: Rapid industrialization and population growth have produced profound environmental stresses along the U.S.-Mexico border. Despite efforts by both governments, risks to human health remain a significant problem. The goal of this project is to reduce exposure to environmental hazards, with a focus on children, by improving the capacity of lay community health workers (promotores) in U.S. communities along the US-Mexico border to raise public awareness and inform their peers about such hazards and how to minimize exposure. A seondary goal is to improve the capacity of health professionals in the same communities to recognize, manage, and report pesticide related illnesses. The objectives are: 1) improve knowledge of sources of environmental hazards and ways to minimize exposure; 2) improve knowledge of basic sanitation, referral resources for medical care and legal assistance, 3) understand how to report exposure to agricultural pesticides, 4) improve leadership and communication skills, 5) strengthen public participation through community mobilzation, and 6) develop mechanisms facilitating cross-border sharing of environmental health information. [more]
Lead Partner: 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 United States of America - HHS/CDC
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Flour fortification with iron is an important component of any public health strategy for the prevention of iron, folic acid and other vitamin and mineral deficiency. It works well to deliver iron in constant small needed amounts to a majority of the population. There is widespread recognition that iron and folic acid deficiencies are prevalent throughout the world. The consequences of this are decreased cogitative capacity of the next generation, decreased work productivity, increased maternal deaths, increased disease and increased birth defects.
Cereal flours are a major staple food throughout [g1]the world and in more than 30 countries fortified flour is being used to deliver essential vitamins and minerals in the diet. Flour fortification needs to be supported and expanded globally on an accelerated basis through stronger collaboration between private, public and civic organizations. [g2]The Association of Operative Millers (Africa and Middle East Chapter) is holding its annual meeting October 21-23, 2002in Mauritius. This is one of the largest meetings of flour millers outside of the US to be held this year.
The Micronutrient Initiative, Ottawa, Canada and the HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, USA would like to take advantage of the occasion of the Annual Meeting of AOM to hold a forum immediately following the AOM meeting [g3]for a select number of senior staff from key public and private organizations to plan a joint strategy for Universal Flour Fortification wherever it is necessary and feasible.
Forum Objectives
To reach general agreement by key private, public and civic organizations to
* support the concept of universal flour fortification,
* identify key needs and actions to achieve this objective and
* understand more clearly ways in which each organization could support this
There is an invitation to other organizations interested to join the policy forum and contribute to this initiative. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of Italy - Ministry for the Environment and Territory
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional North Africa, Horn of Africa, Middle East, East Asia Summary: The overall aim of this partnership is to contribute to the achievement of three principal objectives in the perspective of the Millennium Development Goals:
(1) to contribute to the achievement of water security in water-stressed environments by providing rural and urban populations with fresh water;
(2) to satisfy water needs for nature and food production by a more efficient integrated water management;
(3) to alleviate poverty by providing adapted water and sanitation services particularly to rural populations.
With the view that this Project is focusing on developing countries in arid and semi-arid the following objectives have been identified:
- Improved alternative water resources use and management;
- Improved health conditions reducing vulnerability to water related diseases and water scarcity;
- Improved productivity through identification of wise practices using both traditional knowledge and scientific expertise
- Improved efficiency of water services and treatment systems with the renewable energy. [more]
Lead Partner: Water and Sanitation for the Urban Poor (WSUP) Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: WSUP¿s mission is to advance the Millennium Development Goals for water, sanitation, and associated health benefits through multi-sector, stakeholder partnerships delivering sustainable, equitable, and affordable water and sanitation services to the urban poor in developing countries. [more]
Lead Partner: Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Geographical Scope: Regional
- Asia and the Pacific Summary: The development objective of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to support the implementation of the Millennium Declaration Goals related to cities, specifically promoting integrated urban water resource management, including participatory governance, community-based approaches, demand management, and increased attention to environmental sanitation. The programme will seek to achieve this by raising awareness through advocacy, information and education; training and capacity building; and pilot demonstrations.
The overriding thrust of the Water for Asian Cities Programme is to build capacity of city managers and water utilities in integrated urban water management and to anchor the enhanced capacity within the region for achieving sustainability objectives.
The Programme will focus on the following immediate objectives:
(i) Mobilization of political will through advocacy and exchange of information. Mobilizing political commitment will call for engaging policy level functionaries in the programme in a continuous manner. Information exchange will be facilitated through internet
(interactive network and website), newsletters, study visits, staff exchange etc.
(ii) Strengthening regional, country and city level capacities for integrated urban water management. This will require human resource development in a focused manner, strengthening the capacity of existing institutions and establishing a regional network of experts and institutions. Gender mainstreaming will be an important cross-cutting theme of capacity-building at all levels.
(iii) Creating a new ethic amongst children and communities through Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Education. Interventions will include: introducing water education in schools; establishing water education classrooms in pilot cities; community education,
training of trainers etc. Twinning of cities and schools will be part of this initiative.
(iv) Promoting integrated urban water management, through demonstration projects focusing on: income generation for the urban poor, demand management and environmental sanitation. [more]
Lead Partner: Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The core activity of WASH emphasizes the teaching of basic sanitation and hygiene to communities and school children with a particular focus on girls' education and gender equality, as a necessary complement to the success of water and sanitation infrastructure projects.
This integrated approach to the delivery of basic services is the product of "lessons learned" from the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade (1981-1990). While advancements were made in increasing the access to safe drinking water, less progress was made on the provision of sanitation services and in hygiene education and training. These valuable lessons are now the focus of a global effort to improve the health and productivity of the urban and rural poor in the developing world.
The core activity is complemented by a recent initiative to deliver by 2015, safe, affordable and reliable water, sanitation to over 1.1 billion people who have no access to water supply and to more than 2.6 billion people who have no adequate sanitation. A WASH Partnership, jointly agreed between the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and UNICEF, seeks to contribute towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) seven, target 10, through a combination of actions directed at influencing policy at national level and global level, and effecting behavioural change at the grassroots level. The WASH Partnership supports coalition-building among multi-stakeholders at national and grassroots level. With advocacy at the centre of these main activities, it focuses on demand-creation, behavioural change, capacity building and implementation, to reach 15 million people with sanitation and hygiene by 2015 (â15 by 15 projectâ). [more]
Lead Partner: WAWI Secretariat
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional West Africa Summary: The West Africa Water Initiative (WAWI) works with communities and governments in Ghana, Mali, and Niger:
1) To increase the access to sustainable, safe water and environmental sanitation for poor and vulnerable communities in rural and peri-urban settings.
2) To reduce the prevalence of water-borne and sanitation-related diseases, particularly trachoma, guinea worm and diarrheal diseases through the promotion of personal hygiene and environmental sanitation practices.
3) To ensure ecologically, financially, and socially sustainable management of water quantity and quality.
4) To foster a new model of partnership and institutional synergy to ensure technical excellence, programmatic innovation, and long-term financial, social and environmental sustainability in water resources management that may be replicable in other parts of the world. [more]
Lead Partner: Government of United States of America - U.S. Department of State
Geographical Scope: Sub-regional Caribbean Summary: The White Water to Blue Water Partnership designed to promote integrated watershed and marine ecosystem-based management in support of sustainable development, is underway in the wider Caribbean.
Objectives:
1. To increase coastal state and regional capacity for cross-sectoral approaches to management of watersheds and marine ecosystems.
2. To develop a framework for regional management programs that will promote a common vision, the efficient use of program resources, and address the entire scope of watershed and marine ecosystem management from forests to the sea.
3. To reverse the downward trend in fisheries.
[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: World Nuclear Association
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: The mission of the World Nuclear University (WNU) is to strengthen the international community of people and institutions so as to guide and further develop:
- The safe and increasing use of nuclear power as the one proven technology able to produce clean energy on a large global scale; and
- The many valuable applications of nuclear science and technology that contribute to sustainable agriculture, medicine, nutrition, industrial development, management of fresh water resources and environmental protection.
Through a worldwide network that coordinates, supports and draws on the strengths of established institutions of nuclear learning, the WNU promotes academic rigour and high professional ethics in all phases of nuclear activity, from fuel and isotope supply to decommissioning and waste management.
While looking to the future, the WNU will strengthen capabilities to manage, and responsibly dispose of, the waste legacy of early weapons and power programmes in compliance with rigorous standards of custodianship and environmental protection. [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]
Lead Partner: Federation of German Consumer Organisations (vzbz)
Geographical Scope: Global Summary: Partnership for the creation of an international communication and information platform on sustainable consumption (SC) for youth.
The partnership will consist of a platform for capacity building on sustainable consumption for schools, local authorities and consumer organisations. Capacity building will be facilitated through the provision of pedagogical materials as well as a of a space ( meetings and a electronic forum) for the exchange of experiences among youth. The project attaches importance to the language used: the concepts and issues related to sustainable consumption as well as sustainable development will be transmitted using visuals, text, youth icons, concrete examples in order to bring closer to the day to day reality of young people. The partners believe that to stimulate critical thinking in young consumers one has to talk to them a language understandable to them and icons they recognise as their own and provide critical material and reliable information rather than "already packaged dos and don'ts"and will operate with the following objectives:
The partnership is based on a awareness raising and training web-site www.yomag.net and will operate with the following objectives:
* Provide reliable and integrating information about the concept of sustainable consumption at global level. In particular, provide a critical insight in the global environmental and social impacts and challenges of the current consumption patterns of affluent societies.
* Offer an online platform" for the exchange of ideas, visions and projects to youth from all over the world.
* Provide youth, communicators, teachers and consumer organisations with the tools to efficiently communicate about sustainable consumption.
* Through teachers ans students workshops, allow youth from all over the world to meet, exchange perspectives and experiences on their different consumption patterns and to envision concrete solutions to the imbalances to goods and resources.
* Establish and link networks of education authorities and other relevant institutions in the field of education and consumer organisations to enable capacity building, awareness raising and mutual understanding of the problems and imbalances linked to current consumption patterns and the solutions to overcome them. [more]
to collapse the Summary of Partnerships.