Question 1: On coooperation between the Italian Ministry of the Environment islands including GLISPA?

The Italian Ministry for the Environment is currently involved in almost 40 programs on climate change, adaptation and mitigation, with the world’s most vulnerable countries, predominantly represented by SIDS.

With the Pacific Island States, we have created a Partnership that is considered as a model you can learn from as it is structured with the capacities of the SIDS in mind - according to what the beneficiary countries said at the G7 in Halifax to the last 73 UNGA.

In ten years, we have approved 40 projects for a total amount of US$17 million. This has yielded concrete results: Solar systems installed in 20 schools and over 100 homes, 12 fish processing and conservation centers and another 11 are being implemented, and almost 200 water storage tanks.

On 30th November 2018, Hawaii Green Growth (GLISPA Member), “a public-private partnership committed to achieving economic, social and environmental goals, formally accepted the United Nation’s invitation to become a Local 2030 Hub at its annual partnership retreat,” Maui Now reports.

 

 

St. Lucian Hotelier Karolin Troubetzkoy has joined the Caribbean's efforts to address the crisis of marine and coastal resources degradation with her appointment as Envoy of the Caribbean Challenge Initiative (CCI) in the week of 21st January 2018

From left: Eleanor Phillips, Director of External Affairs for the Caribbean for The Nature Conservancy; German Ambassador to CARICOM and Chairman of the CCI Steering Committee Holger Michael; Karolin Troubetzkoy, new Envoy for the Caribbean Challenge Initiative; and Yabanex Batista, CEO of the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund

GLISPA Friend Torsten Thiele from the GLOBAL OCEAN TRUST has been part in the development of, and continuously advises the BLUE NATURAL CAPITAL FINANCING FACILITY (BNCFF) — an IUCN run initiative seeking nature-based projects that need help on their way to become investable. If your business idea can show clear ecosystem service benefits and is based on multiple income streams (from blue carbon to sales of sustainable products), and you need additional help solving remaining investment hurdles, please visit and submit your project here: https://bluenaturalcapital.org/

GLISPA LEADER the Republic of Palau along with GridMarket and ENGIE Eps launch ARMONIA, the largest Microgrid in the world to pioneer access to affordable, reliable and clean energy…

 In October 2018, the Republic of Palau signed a Power Purchase Agreement with ENGIE EPS, the worldwide technology pioneer in microgrids and energy storage (EPS:PA). This announcement marks a crucial milestone in support of Palau’s achievement of its climate mitigation and adaptation goals.

CANNES, France — On Monday, 10th December 2018 GLISPA Friend SMILO – SMALL ISLANDS ORGANISATION kicked of the week with its 2nd Annual Meeting.

GLISPA is a member of the board of SMILO, an organisation formed two years ago to focus globally on small islands (<150sq km). SMILO is carrying out projects that actively contribute to a better balance between human development and the management of resources on islands using various methods (promoting good practices and innovative solutions, networking and cooperation between peers, technical and institutional support, investments and certification).

Cole Bay, SINT MAARTEN —On 6th November 2018, GLISPA Friend REEF LIFE announced the installment of IntelliReefs: "Smart Substrates for Super Corals" at three sites in St. Maarten in a continuing effort to restore marine biodiversity habitats devastated by Hurricanes Irma and Maria. The three sites include the Bridge, the Manowar Shoal Marine Protected Area and just off the landing of the Pelican Peak Zipline in Point Blanche, currently under construction by Sea to Sky Ventures.

MASTER NAVIGATOR LEADS TRAINING PROGRAM FOR WAKA SAILORS

Traditional navigator Peia Patai has trained Pacific Islanders from more than seven countries to become open ocean sailors since the Auckland-based Okeanos Maritime Training Program first began in February 2018. Captain Peia’s work is core to Okeanos Foundation for the Sea’s mission to empower islanders to regain control of their ocean transportation and create a network of fossil fuel-free sailing canoes operated by Pacific people servicing their remote island communities.

JANUARY 9, 2019: Former Prime Minister of Aruba Mike Eman joins the Advisory Council of SOLAR HEAD OF STATE (GLISPA Friend).

Read the full press release: https://solarheadofstate.org/press-releases/richenda-l4zc9

The Centre of Excellence for the Sustainable Development of SIDS (GLISPA Member) cordially invites you to:

GES2019 CARIBBEAN
The Road to GES2019 Caribbean
The Road to GES events are a series of signature events in anticipation to the Global Entrepreneurship Summit 2019
Dates: 14-15 MARCH 2019
Location: Curaçao

For more information, visit: https://www.ges2019caribbean.org/

ISLAND STATES / ISLAND TERRITORIES CONFERENCE
Sharing Stories of Island Life, Governance and Global Engagement
The 1st International Conference on Small Island States (SIS) and Subnational Island Jurisdictions (SNIJs)
Dates: 26-29 MARCH 2019
Location (Venue): Oranjestadt, Aruba (University of Aruba)

For more information, click here.

BE.Hive: Climate Change Needs Behavior Change

An Interactive Summit
Presented by Rare
in collaboration with National Geographic Society

March 19, 2019, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm
National Geographic, Washington DC

Register today and join us for BE.Hive: Climate Change Needs Behavior Change, a one-day summit to explore global climate change through the lens of human behavior.

GLISPA Friend UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) hosted two webinars on the topics of planning and management tools, and the importance of data and metadata in area-based planning of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

These webinars are part of the 4-year ‘Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction’ project and are generally applicable although they include some specific information of relevance to the two pilot regions of the project: The Western and Central Pacific Ocean and the Western Indian Ocean.

The recordings of the webinars hosted in English can be found via the project website soon. Webinars will take place at the end of January in Spanish on the 22nd and 31st.

Programme website: http://www.fao.org/in-action/commonoceans/en/ (click on the ‘Sustainable use of deep sea living marine resources & biodiversity’ for project related outputs)

Save the Date: FEBRUARY 6TH, 2019 @11AM EST

On February 6th at 11am EST, CONSERVATION FINANCE ALLIANCE (CFA) is excited to host a webinar on the Caribbean-Pacific Alliance presented by María José Gonzalez, Yabanex Batista, and Zdenka Piskulich.

The Samoa Partnership Dialogue will take place on 29 October 2018 in Apia, Samoa, as part of the inter-regional preparatory meeting for the SAMOA Pathway mid-term review on 29 to 30 October 2018.

This marks the culmination of three regional SIDS partnership dialogues, held this year in Mauritius (AIMS), Tonga (Pacific), and Belize (Caribbean) in the margins of the preparatory meetings of the SAMOA Pathway mid-term review. Summary of outcomes can be found here. For info contact Ola Goransson, UN-DESA, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Okeanos Marianas voyages to Satawal, the island home of Papa Mau

On July 5th 2018, Vaka Motu Okeanos Marianas sailed from Saipan to the small Micronesian island of Satawal, home of Papa Mau Piailug, at the invitation of the Chief of Satawal Leo Rcheilug.

GLISPA Member the Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) developed a practical guideline for islands to implement the global goals – the SIDSxSDGs Toolkit.

The toolkit is targeted at SIDS policymakers who want practical information about the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, the Centre of Excellence (COE) for the Sustainable Development of SIDS decided to collect practical information about SIDS implementing the SDGs. All this information can be found in this toolkit, and you can search by SIDS, Phase or SDG.

How can marine and coastal area-based management approaches contribute to SDGs and Targets?

UN Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has released a technical report on how area-based management approaches can support SDG achievement.

The report titled, ‘The Contributions of Marine and Coastal Area-Based Management Approaches to SDGs and Targets,’ analyzes a selection of area-based management approaches to support the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal resources using 25 case studies from around the world. The technical report can be found here: https://wcmc.io/oceansdgs_technicalreport

Exploring the World’s Marine Protected Areas

Over 70% of the surface of Earth is ocean, comprised of highly diverse ecosystems, and providing a wide range of marine ecosystem services that support human society, health and the economy.

UN Secretary General: Climate Change Needs Action Now – United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres called for greater leadership and action on “the defining issue of our time” in an address at the UN Headquarters yesterday. He announced the UN 2019 Climate Summit intended to bring climate action to the top of international agenda, and demonstrate the ambition required to change course by 2020 and achieve net-zero emissions by mid-century. Summit leaders call the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals the foundations for international climate efforts; Hawai‘i is tracking local progress on global sustainability and climate priorities through the Aloha+ Dashboard.

On Saturday, September 01, 2018, William Kostka, Executive Director, Tamara Alefaio, Conservation Program Manager, of the Micronesia Conservation Trust (MCT), and Ricky Carl, Director of External Affairs for The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) Micronesia Program, met with the owners of the Yela Conservation Easement at Bulley’s restaurant in Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia.

Solar Head of State (SHOS) has been confirmed as a member of the Small Island Developing States (SIDS) Lighthouse Initiative by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA).

The SIDS Lighthouse Initiative brings together 36 SIDS and 21 development partners to accelerate the renewable energy transition in SIDS by facilitating coordinated support for islands to scale-up renewable energy through partnerships with public and private organisations.

European Commission and France launch the PACIFIC INITIATIVE ON BIODIVERSITY, CLIMATE CHANGE & RESILIENCE in the margins of the One Planet Summit 2.0 in New York in September 2018.

European Commissioner for International Cooperation & Development from the European Commission (GLISPA Supporter), Neven MIMICA launched together with partners from France, Australia, New Zealand and regional organizations from the Pacific region, the joint "Pacific Initiative on Biodiversity, Climate Change & Resilience" (EUR 20.1 million), in the margins of the "One Planet Summit 2.0", in New York in September 2018.

Tuesday, 14th August 2018 – The Government of New Caledonia (GLISPA Member) adopted three decrees for the protection Natural park of the Coral sea, a New Caledonian Maritime Space that was created by its government in 2014.

These enactments mark a new phase for the future of the park, as they enable:
· the classification of the Park’s most pristine reefs protecting 7,000km2 of wilderness areas and 21,000km2 of nature reserves,
· the regulation of tourism, and
· the implementation of the Entrecasteaux plan over five years.