Programme Cooperation Agreement 2012 – 2013

In support of the United Nations World Ocean Assess- ment (WOA), GRID-Arendal has created a dedicated web- site and helped to organize capacity-building workshops. The new website provides information for the general public as well as an editorial system to assist members of the WOA Group of Experts to compile information and draft their report by the end of 2014. The workshops have enabled developing countries in South East Asia and West Africa to conduct their own State of the Marine Environ- ment reporting and to thus be able to participate in and contribute to the WOA. Major outputs have been completed in regard to the Pacif- ic Deep Sea Minerals Assessment. The Secretariat of the Pacific Community-European Union Deep Sea Minerals in the Pacific Islands Region: A Legal and Fiscal Frame- work for Sustainable Resource Management Project is be- ing implemented in 15 Pacific countries. The Pacific Deep Sea Minerals Assessment, which is part of this project, has been completed by GRID-Arendal and was launched in December 2013. The two-volume report provides the first integrated examination of the key aspects of miner- al extraction for policy-makers, including the geological, biological, technical, social, economic, and fiscal com- ponents. These volumes have, for the first time, brought together international experts with a broad range of skills and backgrounds relating to deep sea minerals. Consoli- dating this information to support decision-making, and the regional development of a legislative framework to underpin resource development, both within and beyond national jurisdictions, places the Pacific Island states at the forefront of responsible management of their non- renewable resources. To illustrate that the ecological health and economic pro- ductivity of marine and coastal ecosystems, which are currently in decline around the globe, can be boosted by shifting to a more sustainable economic paradigm, GRID-Arendal published, in fulfillment of a UNEP request, the Green Economy in a Blue World report in 2012. The report describes how generating renewable energy and promoting eco-tourism, sustainable fisheries and transport are more compatible with sustainable and inclusive economies. Building on experience with the Shelf Programme for de- veloping coastal countries, GRID-Arendal has engaged with several Regional Seas Conventions to support capaci- ty development for sustainable management of the marine environment, including the Abidjan Convention (coast of West Africa), the Nairobi Convention (coast of East Afri- ca), the Barcelona Convention (Mediterranean Sea) and the Tehran Convention (Caspian Sea). GRID-Arendal has entered into special cooperation with the Abidjan Con- vention, and participated in their meetings and activities. Coastal populations in the 22 member states (the Atlantic coast of Africa, from Mauritania to South Africa) are to a large extent dependent on the marine environment for food and socio-economic development. As unsustainable

Several climate-related publications have been produced. The Green Carbon, Black Trade RRA on Illegal Logging fo- cused on the tactics being deployed in illegal logging and options for reducing both deforestation and carbon emissions. Clean Energy Postcards are concise and easily accessible sources of information for the general public, journalists, NGOs and policy-makers worldwide, enabling them to easily grasp and effectively communicate clean energy concepts. The postcards were produced for the UNFCCC COP18 in Doha in December 2012. The Short– lived Climate Pollutants (SLCPs) Vital Graphics are pro- duced to support UNEP’s activities in the Climate Clean Air Coalition (CCAC). GRID-Arendal continues to be an active partner in the Himalayan Climate Adaptation Programme (HICAP), which aims to enhance mountain communities’ resilience to change, particularly climate change, by improving the understanding of vulnerabilities and opportunities for ad- aptation. The continental shelves contain among the greatest natu- ral resources available for developing coastal states and mapping their boundaries is critical for future planning. For coastal nations, the continental shelves contain valu- able minerals, hydrocarbons, and living resources critical to tourism, fisheries, food security, coastal livelihoods, health and culture. The Shelf Programme, one of the “flagship” programmes of GRID-Arendal, is seen (as expressed by high officials of governments) as one of the most important Norwegian programmes supporting developing countries. Particular focus of GRID-Arendal’s programme was on West Afri- can countries. In 2012, GRID-Arendal as part of a tech- nical partnership, completed a major a major sea-floor mapping programme providing the most comprehensive seafloor geophysical data set ever collected in the region. Technicians and specialists from seven West African countries (Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone) participated in regular capacity-building workshops held at GRID-Aren- dal during 2012-13, where interpretation and analysis of the marine geophysical data collected in the West African region was carried out. These workshops have not only built technical capacity for the participants, but have also built bridges and professional networks among African experts, fostering regional collaboration, sharing of infor- mation and dialogue. In the Pacific region, the Maritime Boundaries partnership contributed to regional stability and improved ocean gov- ernance opportunities. The partnership has played a key role in making this happen alongside that almost 30% of the shared maritime boundaries in the region have been resolved and appropriate legislation enacted. Marine and coastal resources

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