Stories and Solutions: GRID-Arendal Annual Report 2015

A new Rapid Response Assessment report on waste crime told the story of the illegal trade of hazardous waste. Called Waste Crime – Waste Risks: Gaps in Meeting the Global Waste Challenge the report found that huge amounts hazardous waste is illegally traded or dumped each year. Prepared by GRID-Arendal for UNEP, Waste Crime highlighted the fact that the illegal e-waste trade is estimated to be worth US $19 billion a year. To tell a story in a different way, GRID-Arendal launched its first story maps last year. This is part of a new initiative that uses an old technology (maps) merged with new techniques and social media to attract attention to important stories. This innovative approach combines maps, graphics and video to communicate complex ideas in a simple story format. A good example is the story map about Sargassum seaweed produced for a Regional Expert Group Meeting held in Freetown, Sierra Leone, in November. In recent years Sargassum has been seen as a pest, washing up in vast quantities on beaches on both sides of the Atlantic. It is a major problem in West Africa. GRID-Arendal’s staff, consultants and interns have worked hard over the last year to bring our stories to the attention of politicians, policy makers and the general public. While our work is divided into eight different programmes, our small communications, finance and administration teams support all of our efforts. I want to acknowledge everyone for his or her dedication and initiative in 2015.

It is now a year since GRID-Arendal made a number of internal changes that have made us more efficient and helped focus our work with our most important partner, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). Among these changes are regular meetings of a new UNEP–GRID-Arendal Steering Committee that ensures even closer collaboration and better coordination of our work. Of course none of GRID-Arendal’s work would be possible without the continued support and trust of the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Climate and Environment and many other contributors and funders. Other important collaborations include the University of Agder, the network of UN related organizations in Norway, the Municipality of Arendal and the County of Aust Agder. Our goal is a more peaceful world where environmental values are a natural part of decision-making – whether those decisions are by government, business or individuals. Linking the global trends to national, regional and local concerns is an important element of our work. I want to thank all those we have worked with – staff, partner organizations, governments and many others – for a successful year. Our collective efforts are making a difference. We look forward to continued cooperation and success in 2016.

Peter Harris Managing Director

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