International Workshop 'Bioenergy Policies for Sustainable Development in Africa'
This workshop is implemented in close cooperation with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), an initiative of the EPFL Energy Centre. The workshop programme will include a RSB Regional Consultation for West Africa on 26 November.
Announcement
of Opportunity for African Postgraduate Bursaries
COMPETE invites applications
for bursaries from African postgraduate Students.
The grant is intended to cover for up to three
months of work in field s related to COMPETE's
objectives:
• Capacity building to establish a platform
for policy dialogue and capacity building
to identify pathways for the sustainable provision
of bioenergy
• Improve quality of life and create
alternative means of income for the rural
population in Africa
• To aid the preservation of intact
ecosystems in arid and semi arid
• Promote cooperation and knowledge
exchange
Initially five
grants, totalling Euro 4
000 each, will be made available
to the winning students.
The deadline for submission
of applications is 5pm on 7th March
2008.
COMPETE
Registered as Official Partnership of the
UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
The
UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
is a commission with high-level representatives
from member countries of the UN established
in 1992 after the United Nations Conference
on Environment and Development (The Earth
Summit) in Rio de Janeiro. The CSD monitors
progress and reports on the implementation
of sustainable development goals in its member
countries, and its annual meetings in New
York are dedicated to selected Priority Issues
tackled in two-year cycles.
The
Priority Issues of the next CSD sessions in
2008-2009 address the topics Agriculture,
Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification
and Africa. As these Priority Issues are well
in line with the objectives and activities
of the COMPETE project, it was decided to
apply for a registration of COMPETE as an
official Partnership for Sustainable Development
at the CSD Secretariat.
The
registration of COMPETE as Partnership for
Sustainable Development was accepted in October
2007. Information on COMPETE is available
at the CSD Partnership website www.un.org/esa/sustdev/partnerships/.
COMPETE
has applied for the organisation of a Thematic
Side Event at the 16th Session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development (CSD-16) which
will take place from 5-16 May 2008 covering
the following issues:
•
Evaluation of current and future potential
for the sustainable provision of bioenergy
in Africa in comparison to existing land use
patterns and technologies
• Facilitation of South-South technology
and information exchange capitalising the
world-leading RD&D in bioenergy in the
key countries Brazil, Mexico, India, China
and Thailand
• Development of practical, targeted
and efficient policy mechanisms for the development
of bioenergy systems that enhance local value-added,
assist local communities and address gender
inequalities
In
order to contribute to the success of CSD-16,
COMPETE partners will actively get involved
in the organization of partnership events
in the framework of the 16th Session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development from
5-16 May 2008 in New York.
