UNDP | Sub-Regional Resource Facility for Arab States

Knowledge Map on Environment

A. Regional Resources

1.UNDP Energy projects in the Arab States Region
The list of UNDP energy projects in the Arab States Region contains project-level information accessible on internal and external databases as of December 2003. The information is being updated regularly. For the most up-to-date and accurate information, in particular on financial figures, contact the persons for respective projects which are listed in the one page project summary for each project.

2.Al-Reem Environment
A website containing a list of recent environmental journals, magazines, newsletters reports and books. For more information or to contact staff of Al-Reem Environment please click here.

3. Arab Gateway
This is the Environment section of the Arab Gateway consists mainly of links to publications under the following headings: Desert Life, Flora and Fauna, Pollution and Energy.

4. Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ)
The Applied Research Institute of Jerusalem (ARIJ) is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable development in the occupied Palestinian territories and the self-reliance of the Palestinian people through greater control over their natural resources.

The Institute works specifically to augment the local stock of scientific and technical knowledge and to introduce and devise more efficient methods of resource utilization and conservation, improved practices, and appropriate technology.

Contact Information
Applied Research Institute - Jerusalem (ARIJ)
Caritas Street
P.O.Box 860
Bethlehem
Palestine

Tel: +(972 2) 2741889
Fax: +(972 2) 2776966
E-mail: postmaster@arij.org

5.Arabian Wildlife
Arabian Wildlife is an online guide to the regions flora and fauna. It covers a wide range of topics such birds, mammals, insects, marine life, reptiles, plant life and more.

To contact them by e-mail : admin@tridentpress.com

6.GEF Small Grants Programme in Jordan
GEF SGP in Jordan was initiated in 1992 by the UN. It demonstrated that even with small amounts of funding, local communities can undertake activities that will make a significant difference in their lives and environments- and contribute to global environmental benefits at the same time- in contrast with top-down, expert-dependent development interventions. Many of the supported projects deal with natural resource management tied to local community livelihoods. Forest management by local community was made possible through some cases of delegating the management of forest areas to women NGOs. Read more..

B. International Resources

1.Earth Trends – The Environmental Information Portal
EarthTrends is an online collection of information regarding the environmental, social, and economic trends that shape our world. EarthTrends offers a large breadth of statistical, graphic, and analytical data in easily accessible formats. It also includes a list of country profiles that present environmental information about key variables for each topic area. Chart and graphs are available to view the vital statistics you need for over 220 countries.

2.Intergovernmental panel on climate change (IPPC)
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has been established by
WMO and UNEP to assess scientific, technical and socio- economic information relevant for the understanding of climate change, its potential impacts and options for
adaptation and mitigation. It is open to all Members of the UN and of WMO.

The role of the IPCC is to assess on a comprehensive, objective, open and transparent basis the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant to understanding the scientific basis of risk of human-induced climate change, its potential impacts and options for adaptation and mitigation. The IPCC does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on peer reviewed and published scientific/technical literature.

3.Global Environment Facility (GEF)
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. Established in 1991, GEF is the designated financial mechanism for international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, and persistent organic pollutants. GEF also supports projects that combat desertification and protect international waters and the ozone layer. GEF brings together 175 member governments, working in partnership with the private sector, and international institutions to address complex environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives.

Contact Information:
GEF Secretariat, 1818 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20433 USA
Telephone: (202) 473-0508 Fax: (202) 522-3240/3245
E-mail: secretariat@TheGEF.org

Or contact the GEF-Regional Office for Arab States at Email:gef.regional.leb@undp.org
or visit their Web Site at :http://www.surf-as.org/GEF/GEF.html

4.The World Bank on Environment
Providing access to an overview of the Bank's work on their three primary objectives:
-Improving the quality of life.
-Improving the quality of growth, and
-Improving the quality of regional and global commons.

The site also includes a summation of the Bank's work on many other environmental issues and links to relevant activities across the Bank, both in the operational regions and in different sectors with which they work. Information about Environment Strategy, Operational and Safeguard Policies, environmental work, regions, projects, analytical studies, capacity-building efforts, partnerships, and publications.

Contact Information:
1818 H Street, NW, #MC4-407, Washington, DC 20433 USA

Email: eadvisor@worldbank.org
Phone: (202) 522-3773 Fax: (202) 522-3243.

5.ConserveOnline
ConserveOnline is a "one-stop" online public library, created and maintained by The Nature Conservancy (http://www.nature.org) in partnership with other conservation organizations. The library makes conservation tools, techniques, and experience available to a broad community of conservation practitioners. This site is intended to foster learning and collaboration, and provide information and support to anyone making conservation-related decisions, from the staff of conservation organizations to land managers at government agencies to local land trusts to private landowners. Through discussion groups and information sharing, ConserveOnline is an open forum for sharing successes and failures, and for connecting scientific research with field-based conservation practice.

**The World Energy Council Global Energy Information Service

The Energy Information Centre provides a mainly geographic approach to the energy data and other information collected by the World Energy Council. The principal data source for the Energy Information Centre is WEC's Survey of Energy Resources 2001 which provides detailed information on a global scale about conventional and renewable energy reserves. This is supported by energy efficiency information for over 50 countries taken from Energy Efficiency Policies and Indicators also published in 2001. The surveys also include research and development policy and expenditure information taken from Energy Technologies for the 21st Century. Long term projections for the global energy sector development up to the year 2050 are presented separately in the WEC/IIASA Scenarios.

Contact Information:
5th Floor
Regency House
1-4 Warwick Street
London W1B 5LT
United Kingdom

Tel: (+44 20) 7734 5996
Fax: (+44 20) 7734 5926
E-mail: info@worldenergy.org

6.UNEP Collaborating Centre on Energy and Environment (UCCEE)
The Centre supports UNEP in pursuing its aim of incorporating environmental aspects into energy planning and policy worldwide, with special emphasis on developing countries. The website contains their reports.

7.United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
UNFCCC provides organizational support and technical information for the Parties to the Convention and observers participating in the intergovernmental negotiations and related activities to combat climate change.

8.Convention on Biological Diversity
The purpose of CBD is to effectively halt the loss of biodiversity so as to secure the continuity of its beneficial uses through the conservation and sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The website contains strategic plans, reports, links, publications, protocols, research and information services.

9.UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD)
UNCCD aims to promote effective action through innovative local programmes and supportive international partnerships by focusing on awareness-raising, education, and training, both in developing and developed countries. The website contains information on regional and global initiatives, technical innovations, information for the public and NGO's, as well as publications, research, links to related organizations and a knowledge base.

10.Basel conventionThe Basel convention is a global agreement, ratified by several member countries and the European Union (see Status of Ratification), for addressing the problems and challenges posed by hazardous waste. The Secretariat, in Geneva, Switzerland, facilitates the implementation of the Convention and related agreements. It also provides assistance and guidelines on legal and technical issues, gathers statistical data, and conducts training on the proper management of hazardous waste. The Secretariat is administered by UNEP.

The key objectives of the Basel Convention are (1) to minimize the generation of hazardous wastes in terms of quantity and hazardousness;
(2) to dispose of them as close to the source of generation as possible;
(3) to reduce the movement of hazardous wastes.

11.Convention on Migratory Species
The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (also known as CMS or Bonn Convention) aims to conserve terrestrial, marine and avian migratory species throughout their range. It is an intergovernmental treaty, concluded under the aegis of the United Nations Environment Programme, concerned with the conservation of wildlife and habitats on a global scale. Since the Convention's entry into force, its membership has grown steadily to include 87 (as of 1 November 2004) Parties from Africa, Central and South America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

12.The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora - CITES
CITES is an international agreement between Governments which aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival. States that have agreed to be bound by the Convention ('joined' CITES) are known as Parties. Although CITES is legally binding on the Parties - in other words they have to implement the Convention - it does not take the place of national laws. Rather, it provides a framework to be respected by each Party, which has to adopt its own domestic legislation to make sure that CITES is implemented at the national level.

Not one species protected by CITES has become extinct as a result of trade since the Convention entered into force and, for many years, CITES has been among the largest conservation agreements in existence, with now 166 Parties.

CITES Secretariat
International Environment House
Chemin des Anémones
CH-1219 Châtelaine, Geneva
Switzerland
Tel: (+4122) 917-8139/40
Fax: (+4122) 797-3417
Email: cites@unep.ch

13.Multi-Lateral Fund (MLF)
The Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol provides funds to help developing countries comply with their obligations under the Protocol to phase out the use of ozone-depleting substances (ODS) at an agreed schedule. ODS are used in refrigeration, foam extrusion, industrial cleaning, fire extinguishing and fumigation.

The Fund was the first financial mechanism to be borne from an international treaty. It embodies the principle agreed at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992 that countries have a common but differentiated responsibility to protect and manage the global commons.

Contact Information:
The Secretariat of the Multilateral Fund for the
Implementation of the Montreal Protocol
1800 McGill College Avenue, 27th Floor,
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
H3A 3J6

Tel: 1 + (514) 282-1122
Fax: 1 + (514) 282-0068
E-mail: secretariat@unmfs.org

C. Regional Institutions

1.CEDARE
CEDARE's main mission is to build capacity of its member countries, promoting skills in environmental management, transfer of technologies, environmental education, and development of environmental policies.

CEDARE was established within the Arab Region and Mediterranean Europe, to become a Centre of Excellence which can assist the region in its efforts to pursue global environmental trends and support national programme efforts in the implementation of Agenda 21, through fostering their national capacities

Contact Information
Telephone 202-4513921/2/3/4
FAX 202-4513918
Postal address CEDARE Building, 2 El-Hegaz St., P.O Box 1057 Heliopolis Bahary, Cairo, Egypt
E-mail email@cedare.org.eg

2. Center for the Study of the Built Environment
The Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE) is a non-profit, private study and research institution that aims at addressing these challenges that affect the built environment in Jordan and beyond. The built environment is defined in a comprehensive manner to include all physical components of human settlements such as buildings, streets, open spaces, and infrastructure. CSBE is therefore an interdisciplinary center that addresses areas including environmental studies, urban design and planning, conservation, architecture, landscape architecture, and construction technologies. To accomplish our goals, we engage in a variety of activities including research projects, print and digital publishing, workshops, and the design and implementation of pilot projects.

Center for the Study of the Built Environment (CSBE)
P.O. Box: 830751 Amman 11183 Jordan
Telefax: (962) (6) 461 5297
E-mail : postmaster@csbe.org

3. The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN)
RSCN seeks to conserve wildlife and wildlife habitats and integrate conservation with economic development, while promoting wider public support for the protection of the natural environment.

The RSCN ’ s mission is to protect and manage the natural resources of Jordan. It does this by:

Setting up protected areas to safeguard the best wildlife and scenic areas.
Breeding endangered species to save them from extinction.
Enforcing Government laws for the protection of wildlife.
Controlling illegal hunting.
Raising awareness of environmental issues through education programmes.
Promoting the sustainable use of natural resources.

Contact Information:
The Royal Society For The Conservation Of Nature
P. O. Box 6454
Amman 11183-Jordan
Tel:(+962)(6)(5337931)
Fax:(+962)(6)(5347411)
E-mail: adminrscn@rscn.org.jo

4.ICARDA (International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
The International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) is one of the 16 centers strategically located all over the world and supported by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR). With its main research station and offices based in Aleppo, Syria, ICARDA works through a network of partnerships with national, regional and international institutions, universities, non-governmental organizations and ministries in the developing world; and with advanced research institutes in industrialized countries.

Contact information:
P.O. Box 5466, Aleppo,
Syrian Arab Republic
Tel: (963-21) 2213433/2225012/2225112
Fax: (963-21)2213490
E-mail: icarda@cgiar.org

5. Environment & Rural Researh Center (ERRC)
The Islamic University of Gaza (IUG) – Palestine was established in 1978 to serve the needs of the Palestinian society in general and the needs of the local community of the Gaza Strip (about 1.2 million) in particular by offering programs which enhance the progress of this developing country.

In order to achieve the above goals and objectives, the Islamic University of Gaza established a number of research units and centers in different fields. The Environmental and Rural Research Center (ERRC) is one of these centers and was established in 1991 as part of the IUG programs to contribute in developing the environmental research studies and to serve the Palestinian community with this vital and the very important field and to graduate a highly qualified persons in this field that they can contribute in solving the environmental problems and developing the country.

Contact Information:
Islamic University of Gaza
P.O. Box 108, Gaza, Palestine
Tel : 972 8 286 0700
Fax : 972 8 286 0800
Email: public@mail.iugaza.edu

6.The Regional Organization for Conservation of Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA)
PERSGA, the Regional Organization for the Conservation of the Environment of the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, is an intergovernmental body dedicated to the conservation of the coastal and marine environments in the region.

Operating from Jeddah on the Red Sea, PERSGA is responsible for the development and implementation of regional programs for the protection and preservation of the unique ecosystem and high biological diversity of this region.

Contact information:
P.O. Box 53662 ,
Jeddah 21583, Saudi Arabia
Tel: (+9662) 6573224
Fax: (+9662) 6514472

7. Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD)
The Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) was established in 1970 in Sudan, upon the desire of the Arab countries. Realizing the vital role of agriculture within the region's economy, the Arab countries recognized the need for coordination between their different policies in agriculture, natural and human resources as well as economic development, in order to achieve the ultimate goal of a fully integrated Arab economies .

The organization's goals, stated upon its establishment, are defined on two dimensions: nationally as well as regionally. At the national level, AOAD is to assist member countries in developing and enhancing their respective agricultural sectors. At the regional level, AOAD is to facilitate coordination amongst member states in the agricultural sector, with the aim of achieving a fully integrated Arab economy union, and food self-sufficiency .

The overall objective of the AOAD is to identify and develop linkages between Arab countries, and coordinate all agricultural and agricultural -related activities amongst them.

Contact Information:
Arab Organization for Agricultural Development
Amarat street 7 P. O. Box 474
Khartoum 11111 - Sudan
Tel: (249 - 183) 472176 - 83
Fax:( 249 - 183) 471402 / 471050
Email: info@aoad.org

8.Green Line
GreenLine is a non-governmental association in Lebanon independent of any government, group, or individual. It embraces the principle of environmentally sound development in the developing world.

GreenLine was founded in 1991, when a group of professionals from the American University of Beirut (AUB) and their friends decided to translate their concern about the post-war devastated cultural, human and natural environment into an organized action with the following objectives:

Expose environmental threats
Popularize environmental awareness
Contribute towards a scientific framework for a sustainable environmental management policy.

Greenline Office
Spears 174, Yamout bldg., 3rd floor,
Beirut - Lebanon
Telefax: +9611746215 or +9611752142

Email: greenline@greenline.org.lb

D. International Institutions

1.United Nation Environment Protection (UNEP)
UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP work encompasses: (1) Assessing global, regional and national environmental conditions and trends (2) Developing international and national environmental instruments (3) Strengthening institutions for the wise management of the environment (4) Facilitating the transfer of knowledge and technology for sustainable development and (5) Encouraging new partnerships and mind-sets within civil society and the private sector.

Contact information:
United Nations Environment Programme
United Nations Avenue , Gigiri
PO Box 30552, 00100
Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: (254-20) 621234
Fax: (254-20) 624489/90
e-mail: eisinfo@unep.org

2.International Development Research Center (IDRC)
IDRC strives to optimize the creation, adaptation, and ownership of the knowledge that people of developing countries judge to be of the greatest relevance to their own prosperity, security, and equity.

The Centre was named by Canada as a lead organization in the implementation of Agenda 21 at the UN Conference on Environment and Development in 1992. IDRC retains the principles of sustainable and equitable development as a foundation for all its programing.

IDRC goals include: 1) strengthening and helping to mobilize the indigenous research capacity of developing countries, especially directed at achieving greater social and economic equity, better management of the environment and natural resources, and more equitable access to information. 2) Fostering and supporting the production, dissemination, and application of research results leading to policies and technologies that enhance the lives of people in developing countries. 3) Building selectively on past investments and exploring new opportunities within its program framework.

IDRC Office Directory
General information - info@idrc.ca
Access library catalogues and databases - idrinfo@idrc.ca
Library reference desk - reference@idrc.ca
Information on IDRC publications - pub@idrc.ca
Send a letter to the editors of Reports Online - mag@idrc.ca

Head Office ( Canada)
PO Box 8500 , Ottawa, ON, Canada K1G 3H9
Street address: 250 Albert Street
Ottawa, ON, Canada
K1P 6M1
Phone: (+1-613) 236-6163
Fax: (+1-613) 238-7230
Email: info@idrc.ca

Other offices located in Singapore, India, Uruguay, Kenya, Egypt, and Senegal.

3.International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)
IIED does collaborative research, policy studies, networking and knowledge dissemination to address global issues, for example: mining, the paper industry, and food systems. They work with international and Southern partners, primarily in Africa, Asia and Latin America, as well as with institutional partners in the North.

Contact Information:
Head Office
3 Endsleigh Street,
London
WC1H 0DD, UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7388-2117
Fax: +44 (0)20 7388-2826
email: info@iied.org

4.World Resources Institute (WRI)
WRI is an environmental research and policy organization committed to creating solutions to protect the planet and improve people's lives. Its work is concentrated on achieving progress toward four key goals: 1. Protect Earth's living systems 2. Increase access to environmental information 3. Create sustainable enterprise and opportunity 4. Reverse global warming.

Contact information:
World Resources Institute
10 G Street, NE ( Suite 800) Washington , DC 20002 USA
Phone: 1+202/729-7600;
Fax: 1+202/729-7610
E-mail: swilson@wri.org

5.World Conservation Union (IUCN)
Through its projects IUCN works to apply sound ecosystem management to demonstrate how this is the only way to sustainable livelihoods for those directly dependent on natural resources. IUCN has been actively engaged in restoring ecosystems and regenerating people's lives, economies and societies. Their mission is to influence, encourage and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. IUCN's core business is generating, integrating, managing and disseminating knowledge for conservation and equitable use of natural resources.

Contact Information:

IUCN - The World Conservation Union Headquarters
Rue Mauverney 28
Gland
1196
Switzerland
Phone: +41 (22) 999-0000
Fax: +41 (22) 999-0002
mail@iucn.org

Other than its Headquarters, IUCN has three different types of offices: Regional, Country and Project offices.

6.The Institute of Development Studies, Sussex, UK (IDS)
IDS is a leading centre for research and teaching on international development. IDS organizes its research work thematically to provide a focus while allowing for inter disciplinary work on cross-cutting issues. Environment is one of the thematic areas in which research is carried out. Much work is multi-sited, linking detailed, local-level understandings of ecology, livelihoods and knowledge with national and international processes, and with critical reflection on scientific, institutional and policy issues across these levels. This approach enables a distinctive contribution to the sustainable livelihoods and environmental governance debates, as well as to broader discussions of changing relationships between science, society and participation. Key research themes:
a. Environmental policy processes
b. Science, society and participation
c. Sustainable livelihoods
d. Governance of forests, soils, water, biodiversity and biotechnologies
You can access reports of recently completed programmes as well as other publications on the website.

Contact Information:
Institute of Development Studies,
University of Sussex, Brighton BN1 9RE, UK
Telephone: +44 (0) 1273 606261
Fax: +44 (0) 1273 621202/691647
E-mail: ids@ids.ac.uk

7.World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
WWF works to stop the degradation of our planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature by: (a) conserving the world's biological diversity, (b) ensuring that the use of renewable natural resources is sustainable, and (c) promoting the reduction of pollution and wasteful consumption. Their work covers many areas, from policy work to campaigning, on-the-ground action to education and capacity building. They have programmes on Climate Change, Living Waters, and Forests for Life. They also have online factsheets on a whole range of topics. You can download their publications online.

Contact Information:
Please click here to find the address details for WWF and TRAFFIC Office around the world.

8. World Energy Council
The World Energy Council (WEC) is the foremost global multi-energy organisation in the world today. WEC has Member Committees in over 90 countries, including most of the largest energy-producing and energy consuming countries. The 80-year-old organisation covers all types of energy, including coal, oil, natural gas, nuclear, hydro, and renewables, and is UN-accredited, non-governmental, non-commercial and non-aligned. WEC is a UK-registered charity headquartered in London.

Contact Information:
5th Floor
Regency House
1-4 Warwick Street
London W1B 5LT
United Kingdom
Tel: (+44 20) 7734 5996
Fax: (+44 20) 7734 5926
E-mail: info@worldenergy.org

Note: The WEC works closely with a broad range of international governmental and non-governmental organisations which share a common interes

E.Ministries
Kuwait
Ministry of Energy

Lebanon
Ministry of Environment
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Energy and water

Syria
Ministry of Environmental Affairs

Jordan
Ministry of Agriculture
Jordan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources

Qatar
Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture
Ministry of Energy and Industry

Saudi Arabia
Ministry of Agriculture

United Arab Emirates
Ministry of Agriculture & Fisheries
Ministry of Energy

Iraq
Ministry of Agriculture
Ministry of Environment

Tunisia
Ministry of environment and country planning

Morocco
Ministry of the regional planning, the habitat and the environment

Algeria
Ministry of regional planning and environment -Algeria
Ministry of Energy and Mining