Programme Cooperation Agreement 2014: Final Report for the Period 01 January 2014 to 01 March 2015

1. Foreword

Celebrating its 25th year, GRID-Arendal has come of age as one of UNEP’s most valued collaborating centres and a trusted partner in environmental projects spanning the globe. GRID-Arendal is a centre of excellence for scientific analysis in a number of areas, including environmental assessments, capacity-building, outreach and communication. Oceans and polar regions feature prominently in GRID-Arendal’s work. The centre specializes in the dissemination of environmental knowledge to inform decision-making and policy formulation. In 2014, GRID-Arendal and UNEP worked together to publish a rapid response assessment of the environmental crime crisis, which was launched at the first session of the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) in June. The publication reached global audience through 30 press releases and articles, published in 112 countries. A key asset of GRID-Arendal is its ability to bring together the latest scientific findings and strong peer- review processes to enable UNEP to take issues forward to decision-makers, thus reconnecting science to policy. Our joint purpose is to shorten the distance between the emergence of new science findings and relevant policy actions. We seek to influence thinking and action at the

level of the global community on issues that require collective understanding and responsibility. I believe that change in the planet’s environmental patterns will increasingly dictate the need for us to act in unison and to recognize that many problems cannot be solved through individual action at the national or local level alone. In 2014, UNEP and GRID-Arendal signed a new framework agreement that strengthens our ongoing collaboration. The agreement signifies a continuation into the years ahead of the fruitful cooperation and partnership that we have so far enjoyed. I am confident that the next chapter of the journey for GRID-Arendal will be as ground-breaking and influential as it has been in its first 25 years. UNEP staff and I look forward to working with our colleagues in GRID-Arendal to make a difference to the global environment..

Achim Steiner UN Under-Secretary-General, and Executive Director, UNEP

“I am confident that the next chapter of the journey for GRID-Arendal will be as ground-breaking and influential as it has been in its first 25 years.”

Achim Steiner

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