Programme Cooperation Agreement 2010 – 2011

edge sharing, specifically how to enhance access to the world’s expanding pool of environmental informa- tion. Blue Carbon was the subject of a high-level panel discussion at one of the select ‘Main Stage’ events, but also of an “International Breakout Session” that brought together many grassroots and community- based organisations and leading international devel- opment and finance organisations. 13 In addition, a Regional Workshop was arranged to discuss bottom- up approaches to advance Blue Carbon in the Arabian Peninsula. • On the final day of the Summit, eight Special Initia- tives were announced for the region, one of which is dedicated to Blue Carbon ( ‘Eye on Oceans: Blue Carbon’ ). 14 As a result of active participation in the summit, GRID-Arendal is invited to submit funding proposals for activities planned for 2012 and beyond. During the Blue Carbon International Breakout Ses- sion, a spokesperson for the EAD expressed inter- est to include Blue Carbon ecosystems in the United Arab Emirates’ Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) programme. Further anecdotal evi- dence that the Summit provided GRID-Arendal with an effective platform for raising awareness about both the critical importance of Blue Carbon and the role the organisation is playing in putting the issue on the policy agenda, are consultations with Belize, the Bahamas, and Seychelles following an invitation to explore the production of rapid blue carbon as- sessments. 15 • UN Carbon Calculator iPhone App – In support of UNEP, GRID-Arendal produced a ‘blue and green’ iPhone application, available on the iTunes Store for free download, that was launched at the official opening of the One UN Pavilion at the Eye on Earth Summit. 16 The application allows users to access information on UNEP’s work on Blue Carbon and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) and includes a carbon calcula- tor for assessing emissions related to travel and the mitigation potential of terrestrial and marine ecosys- tems. • GEF Blue Forests Project – In support of UNEP, GRID- Arendal is managing the Project Preparation Grant (PPG) for the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Blue Forest’s project. The initiative has the objective of advancing Blue Carbon methodologies, including the valuation of ecosystem services for coastal eco- systems, and includes a number of demonstration projects, policy education activities, and an extensive programme of public outreach. i GRID-Arendal’s Blue Carbon outreach and aware- ness-raising activities also included briefings for the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment and the US State Department. In March 2011, the organisation was

Dugong, UAE (photo by Yusuf Thakur)

invited to brief the US State Department on Blue Carbon, specifically to help guide the US stance on this issue with regard to international climate change negotiations. The briefing was organized with support from Blue Climate Solutions, The Ocean Foundation, and the IUCN. The US government has since supported the introduction of Blue Carbon at the Bonn Climate Change Conference 2012 (6-17 June). 17 The 2009 Blue Carbon report continues to influence the policy arena, as events in 2011 testify: • Blue Carbon was introduced into official UN climate change discussions at the 34 th session of the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA), 13. Participating groups included Conservation International, Blue Ven- tures, the Indonesian Blue Carbon Working Group, IUCN, AGEDI, Blue Climate Solutions, Forest Trends, Mangrove Action Project, West Afri- can Association for Marine Environment (WAAME), WCMC, and UNEP 14. The Summit Declaration, which will be forwarded to Rio+20, welcomes the special initiatives and calls on governments and other stakeholders to further contribute to their implementation. See http:// www.eyeonearthsummit.org/sites/default/files/EoE_Summit_Declara- tion_EN_final_0.pdf 15. Following the Eye on Earth Summit, GRID-Arendal was invited to join a panel discussion on Blue Carbon at the World Oceans Summit in February 2012 in Singapore, organised by The Economist magazine. 16. http://www.unep.org/newscentre/default.aspx?DocumentID=2661 &ArticleID=8986 17. ENB, Vol 12 No 503 - 7 June 2011: http://www.iisd.ca/vol12/en- b12503e.html

17