international bodies

International bodies

Displaying 1-20 of 179 links

Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research

The Alliance is an initiative of the Global Forum for Health Research in collaboration with the World Health Organisation and has 310 members in over 70 developing countries. Concerned with the effectiveness of health policy and systems research, the Alliance recognises that health systems currently vary greatly in their performance. It considers that there is an urgent need to improve understanding about how societies organise themselves to achieve health goals, including how they plan, manage and finance activities to improve health, the roles played by different actors in these efforts, and the need to provide scientifically sound, socially relevant and ethically acceptable guidance. The site links to a number of useful resources, including relevant reports, the online international journal for equity in health and online tutorials.

Applied Geoscience Technology Division, Secretariat of the Pacific Community

The Applied Geoscience and Technology Division helps communities in the Pacific ocean to improve their livelihoods with a science-based approach, though geoscience and technology. The website provides access to resources including a spatial data repository and environmental vulnerability index. It publishes reports on relevant issues such as the economic feasibility of lagoon dredging, aggregate mining and other activities. Guides to investment in disaster risk management, the economic costs of flooding and flood warning systems are also made available.

Assisted natural regeneration of forests (ANR)

This website, hosted by the FAO, publishes information on assisted natural regeneration (ANR) of forests. It provides examples of ANR activities including suppressing weeds, building fire breaks and establishing patrol groups to prevent illegal logging. It also links to further reading and lists relevant FAO projects.

Biocultural Heritage

This website publishes information about the biological and cultural resources of indigenous peoples and local communities. Supported by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), it offers guidance and resources for grassroots organisations, researchers, practitioners and policymakers working to protect biocultural resources.

The website publishes practical tools, a list of relevant policies, laws and advice on the opportunities they offer, as well as results from initiatives undertaken with partner organisations. It also provides access to publications, policy submissions and press releases.

Biodiversity Benefits People

Biodiversity Benefits People is a new, free-access online presentation and exhibition available from the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring centre website. Launched on International Biodiversity Day on 22 May 2004 the presentation is aimed at the wider public and takes the form of Microsoft Powerpoint slides accompanied by audio commentary. The presentation highlights examples where world's biodiversity is under threat. It adds that unless current losses are reversed, humans will lose access to what are known as 'environmental services', such as pollination or natural water purification, which themselves depend on the presence of a rich diversity of species and ecosystems.

Biotechnology in Food and Agriculture

The Food and Agriculture Organisation's (FAO) website is very extensive and well-maintained, with a wealth of background information, as well as regularly updated news items which focus on FAO's work and the work of its partners. It also runs a series of electronic conferences that aim to allow a wide range of parties, including governmental and non-governmental organisations, policy makers and the general public, to discuss and exchange views and experiences about specific issues concerning biotechnology in food and agriculture for developing countries.

CGIAR Challenge Program on Water and Food (CPWF)

This programme aims to encourage better management of water for food production by increasing the resilience of social and ecological systems.

It does this by focusing on the interconnections between water, food and poverty in developing countries. The programme helps develop water-related innovations by bringing together scientists, development specialists, policymakers and communities.

The website publishes information on its research programmes and projects as well as blogs and related news, job vacancies and events.

Climate Development Knowledge Network

The Climate and Development Knowledge Network (CDKN) aims to support decision-makers in designing and delivering 'climate compatible' development.

They attempt to do this by combining research, advisory services, resources, and knowledge management in support of locally owned and managed policy processes.

They have worked in partnership with decision-makers in the public, private and non-governmental sectors nationally, regionally and globally.

The website provides details on key research areas, past and ongoing projects, as well as research calls for future work.

Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

The CGRFA is a permanent forum of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, where governments discuss and negotiate matters relevant to genetic resources for food and agriculture. Originally established in 1983, the forum aims to ensure the conservation and sustainable utilisation of genetic resources for food and agriculture, as well the fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from their use.

Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS)

The Commission is an intergovernmental and international organisation aimed at the uplift of developing countries through applications of science and technology. Established in 1994 at the instigation of Nobel Laureate Abdus Salam, it has 21 member countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. It runs meetings and workshops as well as a network of centres of excellence in selected areas of science and technology.

Conservation Finance Alliance

The Conservation Finance Alliance is a network of the major international conservation NGOs, which aims to coordinate their efforts at obtaining funding for biodiversity projects. Their website provides details of news, events and training opportunities in conservation finance. The Alliance was established in 2002 and is based in Washington DC.

Conservation International

Conservation International is a US-based group set up in 1987 to work on habitat conservation and community participation in Bolivia, Costa Rica and Mexico. Later that year it also launched the world’s first debt-for-nature swap. Conservation International is a major player in world biodiversity science and politics and has convinced a number of governments to set aside land as protected areas, and was among the first groups to adopt the ‘hotspots’ concept of protecting areas with large numbers of threatened species. Together with the Ford Foundation, CI has set up the Center for Environmental Leadership in Business, which promotes business practices that reduce industry’s ecological footprint and contribute to conservation.

Consortium on Science, Technology and Innovation for the South (COSTIS) (formerly Third World Network of Scientific Organisations (TWNSO))

An international NGO, TWNSO was founded at the initiative of the Third World Academy of Sciences by ministers of science and technology and higher education and heads of science academies and research councils in developing countries to promote science-based sustainable economic development.

Consumers International

Consumers International is a worldwide, independent, non-profit federation of consumer organisations, dedicated to the protection and promotion of consumer interests. It has a membership of more than 260 organisations in almost 120 countries. It strives to promote a fairer society through defending the rights of all consumers, including poor, marginalised and disadvantaged people. The organisation has a head office in London, with regional offices in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Convention on Biological Diversity

This is the official website for the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, which was signed in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. The convention aims to conserve biodiversity around the world; promote its sustainable use; and share its benefits equitably. The website provides access to all key documents on national and intergovernmental initiatives to slow down the loss of biodiversity. The website also provides information on national biodiversity reports, a useful collection of case studies from around the world, contact information for national biodiversity officials, information/announcements and guidance on upcoming and past meetings. It is also the official website for the Biosafety Protocol.

Convention on Biological Diversity: Traditional Knowledge

The most commonly cited source of information on the protection of indigenous knowledge is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). It urges all governments to protect IK. This part of the website looks specifically at Article 8 (j) of the CBD which relates to traditional knowledge, innovations and practices.

Council for International Organisations of Medical Sciences

This site is a useful source of information about CIOMS, which is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organisation established jointly by the WHO and UNESCO in 1949. CIOMS has contributed to the field of bioethics by issuing international guidelines for the application of ethical principles in various key areas. Copies of CIOMS publications and guidance are available on the website.

CropLife International

CropLife International is a federation of multinational companies and national and regional associations working in plant science. It publishes information on agri-biotechnology, pesticides and sustainable agriculture. This includes regulatory codes and biosafety protocols, as well as position papers, opinion articles and technical monographs.

Their website highlights relevant initiatives around the world and includes a glossary of terms, frequently asked questions and links to industry associations, international and nongovernmental organisations, and online information providers. It also hosts a database on the benefits and safety of biotechnology containing a collection of academic papers reporting on genetically modified crop impacts around the world.

DESIRE

This website publishes information about an international project that aims to design integrated conservation strategies to protect arid and semi-arid ecosystems by preventing and reducing degradation. It concentrates on 18 desertification and degradation 'hotspots' around the world, including Cape Verde, Chile, and Morocco. The website publishes information about research sites, reports and partners, including a dedicated information system, and links to a library of related organisations and upcoming events.

Earth Negotiations Bulletin

An authoritative and comprehensive newsletter covering meetings of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification – as well as all other meetings of UN environment and development-related conventions. ENB writers have high-level access to all meetings and to UN officials, which makes ENB a must-read by experts in the field. It is the best way to follow a meeting without attending it in person. The site also contains links to newsletters covering the latest developments in water, climate change, forests and multilateral environmental agreements.

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