SUSTAINABLE AFRICA UNIVERSITY NETWORK (SAUNET)

About SAUNET

The Sustainable Africa University Network (SAUNET) is affiliated to the Baltic University Programme (BUP), at the Centre for Sustainable Development (CSD), Uppsala University and is coordinated by Genene Mulugeta.

Mission

The network is established to share experiences, facilitate dialogue and exchange information about the challenges of sustainable development in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).

Vision

The vision of SAUNET is reducing poverty through building a sustainable Africa.

Activities

SAUNET aims to strengthen regional and local capacity in SSA through building partnerships among universities in the region, and by participating in common projects. The long-term aims are to conduct research, develop educational materials, and training courses, in collaboration with universities in the region.

Current Activities

SAUNET is currently carrying out the following activities:

SAUNET is participating in the 2nd Synthesis exercise of the International Geophysical Biological Programme (IGBP) for the period "010-2014, in one of the topics selected for the synthesis, namely, Global Environmental Change and Sustainable Development: Needs of Least Developed Countries. To this end, the coordinator of SAUNET has participated in a synthesis planning workshop on “Global Environment Change and Sustainable Development held in Maputo Mozambique; 20-22nd September 2010.
SAUNET will, participate in the 23rd Colloquium of African Geology (CAG 23), which will be held for the first time in South Africa, at the University of Johannesburg from the 8th to 14th of January 2011. The coordinator of SAUNET will convene a session at the CAG-23 on “the East African Rift System: tectonics, volcanism, geophysics.
SAUNET aims to participate in the 2011 international call for proposals by the international START programme, see (www.start.org) intended to conduct collaborative research on global environmental change (GEC) in Africa. The theme for the 2011 proposal is climate change, agriculture and food security with emphasis on the sustainability of ecosystem services.
SAUNET plans to participate in the 2012 major international science conference in London focussing on solutions to global sustainability. The Planet Under Pressure conference will provide a comprehensive update of knowledge of the Earth system and the pressure it is under

Links

SAUNET facilitates links to other websites that provide information on sustainability/vulnerability issues; news, reports, publications, case studies and research results, mainly focussing on SSA.

Sustainability News

The following organizations provide sustainability News from Africa and elsewhere.

allafrica.com
is a digital-commons project of the AllAfrica Foundation with support from the Rockefeller foundation and Carnegie Corporation of New York. It promotes the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding.

SciDev.Net
is part of the Guardian's network and provides news, views and information about science, technology and the developing world. Current information include:

This BBC link provides news and information on science and environment:

The – Reporting Services Division – International Institute for Sustainable Development provides a variety of informational resources for environment and sustainable development policymakers.

The Environmental News Network (ENN)
provides environmental news on the web. ENN offer rss feeds and distribute a daily e-newsletter to 36,000 environmental leaders. ENN has assembled a remarkable database of experience, content, contacts for understanding of the environment.

Circle of Blue
is an international network that reports information about the global freshwater crisis. It is a non profit affiliate of the water, climate and policy think tank, the Pacific Institute.

University world news
is a global window on higher education.

Sustainability Networks

United Nations Development Programme UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life.

United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) provides leadership and encourages 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.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) was founded on 16 November 1945. UNESCO promotes international co-operation among its 193 Member States and six Associate Members in the fields of education, science, culture and communication.

International Association of Universities (IAU) recognizes the key role higher education could and should play in the overall process of achieving sustainable development.

The Journal of Sustainable Development in Africa (JSDA) is a journal for sustainable development in Africa. The journal was originally established as part of the function of the African Studies Program of Kalamazoo College in order to encourage an interdisciplinary discussion on sustainable development.

This blog contains news on water supply, sanitation. and hygiene (WASH) services in Africa, collected by Cor Dietvorst, the editor of Source Weekly published by the IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre

The Sustainable Energy Society of Southern Africa (SESSA), is a non profit organisation dedicated to the use of renewable energy and energy efficiency.

The Sustainability Institute is a non-profit trust, founded in 1999. An international living and learning centre focussing on studies and experience in ecology, community and spirit. The institute works in partnership with the School of Public Management and Planning, University of Stellenbosch.

The Green belt movement provides income and sustenance to millions of people in Kenya through the planting of trees. It also conducts educational campaigns to raise awareness about women's rights, civic empowerment, and the environment throughout Kenya and Africa.

Institute of sustainable development (ISD), Ethiopia: The mission of ISD is to raise the importance of using environmentally/ecologically sound and sustainable knowledge, practices and innovations to support and improve the livelihoods of local communities--farmers, youth, students, women, elders and professionals.

Environment and Development Action in the Third World (ENDA-TM) is an international non-profit organisation based in Dakar, Senegal. Founded in 1972, ENDA is an association of autonomous entities co-ordinated by an Executive Secretariat.

http://www.povnet.org
An online resource for advocates, people on welfare, and community groups and individuals involved in anti-poverty work.

The Earth Charter Initiative is a diverse, global network of people, organizations, and institutions that participate in promoting and implementing the values and principles of the Earth Charter.

The Gaia Foundation was founded in 1984 to address the challenges of - ecological degradation, poverty and inequality. Gaia's mission is to work in partnership with those who are committed to ecological governance through restoring cultural and biological diversity, which we believe is the basis for building ecological and community resilience.

The Tällberg Foundation is an independent non-profit organization. The Foundation is based in Stockholm and Tällberg, Sweden, but interacts with numerous partners around the world. The Tällberg Forum and other foundation activities are made possible through the generous support of its many private and public contributors.

The Natural Step is a non profit organization founded with the vision of creating a sustainable society. through developing science based models that help communities and businesses better understand and integrate environmental, social, and economic considerations.

The EnviroLink Network is a non-profit organization which has been providing access to thousands of online environmental resources since 1991.

Vulnerability Networks

UNISDR serves as the focal point for the implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) – a ten year plan of action adopted in 2005 by 168 governments to protect lives and livelihoods against disasters.

The ProVention Consortium is a global coalition of international organisations dedicated to increasing the safety of vulnerable communities and to reducing the impacts of disasters in developing countries. It provides a forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on disaster risk reduction and a framework for collective action.

Vulnerability net is a platform for collaborating on climate change adaptation, which includes the sharing of tools, data and experience on adaptation.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent programmes, which are grouped into four main core areas are intended for promoting humanitarian principles and values; disaster response; disaster preparedness; and health and care in poor communities.

EM-DAT is an emergency database established with the initial support of the WHO and Belgian Government. It contains essential core data on the occurrence and effects of over 16 000 mass disasters in the world from 1900 to the present.

Humanitarian Early Warning Service (HEWS) is a global multi-hazard watch service intended to support humanitarian preparedness. The service is developed by the World Food Programme.

ReliefWeb serves the information needs of the humanitarian relief community

The UN-SPIDER programme is a gateway to space information for disaster management support. It serves as a bridge to connect the disaster management and space communities. The gateway is a facilitator of capacity-building and institutional strengthening, in particular for developing countries.

The National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC), based at the university of Nebraska-Lincoln helps people and institutions develop and implement measures to reduce societal vulnerability to drought, stressing preparedness and risk management rather than crisis management.

Since 1976, the Natural Hazards Center at the university of Colorado, Boulder serves as a national and international clearinghouse of knowledge concerning the social science and policy aspects of disasters. The Center collects and shares research and experience related to preparedness for, response to, recovery from, and mitigation of disasters, emphasizing the link between hazards mitigation and sustainability

University and Research Networks

International Foundation for Science (IFS) is a research council with international operations and the mission to build the scientific capacity of developing countries in sciences related to the sustainable management of biological and water resources.

NOAA's National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC) provides scientific stewardship, products, and services for geophysical data from the Sun to the Earth and Earth's sea floor and solid earth environment, including Earth observations from space.

The International Institute for Environment and Development is an independent international research organisation, with a mission to build a fairer, more sustainable world, using evidence, action and influence in partnership with others.

International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) is an International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme that studies the phenomenon of Global Change.

United Nations University addresses problems of human survival, development and welfare.

The EnviroLink Network is a non-profit organization which has been providing access to thousands of online environmental resources since 1991.

Herana is a gateway to African higher education research

The Baltic University Programme (BUP) is a network of about 225 universities and other institutes of higher learning throughout the Baltic Sea region. It is a part of The network is coordinated by the Baltic University Programme Secretariat which is a part of Uppsala Centre for Sustainable Development (Uppsala CSD) at Uppsala University, Sweden.

Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) is an independent international research institute which has been engaged in environment and development issues at local, national, regional and global policy levels.

Founded in 1931, the International Council for Science (ICSU) is a non-governmental organization with a global membership of national scientific bodies (114 Members, representing 134 countries) and international Scientific Unions (29 Members). ICSU’s activities focus on three areas: planning and coordinating research; science for policy; and strengthening the Universality of Science.

ICSU-ROA is the regional Africa office of ICSU. As mentioned above SAUNET has strong links with the International Council for Science, Regional Office for Africa (ICSU-ROA).

START is the global change SysTem for Analysis, Research and Training, a non-governmental research organization. START assists developing countries in building the expertise and knowledge needed to explore the drivers of and solutions to global and regional environmental change. The goal is to reduce vulnerability through informed decision-making.

Founded in 1983, TWAS is an autonomous international organization that promotes scientific excellence for sustainable development in the South. It is based in Trieste, Italy. It was founded by a distinguished group of scientists from the South under the leadership of the late Nobel laureate Abdus Salam of Pakistan.

The Earth Portal provides a comprehensive resource for science-based information about the environment. It is a means for the global scientific community to come together to produce information on the environment, and to engage civil society in a public dialogue on the role of environmental issues in human affairs.

"Medical Geology" is the science dealing with the relationship between natural geological factors and health in man and animals, and understanding the influence of ordinary environmental factors on the geographical distribution of such health problems.

The Commission on Climate Change and Development is a Swedish commission consisting of 13 renowned individuals that participate in their personal capacity to bring a range of experiences from different regions and disciplines. The Commission is intended to serve as a bridge between policy makers and organisations around the world.

The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC) is an environmental organization with power to bring about change. The organisation spreads knowledge, through mapping environmental threats, create solutions, and influence politicians and public authorities, at both national and international levels. Moreover, the organization is behind one of the world’s most challenging ecolabellings, “Bra Miljöval” (Good Environmental Choice). Climate, the oceans, forests, environmental toxins, and agriculture are our main areas of involvement.

Albaeco’s mission is to communicate the latest information in sustainability science with a focus on Nature’s importance to society and the economy. Albaeco spreads easy-to-grasp information on how human societies depend on functioning ecosystems, and how societies influence the capacity of ecosystems to sustain human well-being. The information is available for practical use by policy-makers, businesses, schools, media and the general public.

The Stockholm Resilience Centre is an international centre that advances transdisciplinary research for governance of social-ecological systems with a special emphasis on resilience - the ability to deal with change and continue to develop.

The Association of African Universities (AAU) is the apex organization and forum for consultation, exchange of information and co-operation among institutions of higher education in Africa.

ADEA is first and foremost a forum for policy dialogue on education policies. It acts as a catalyst for promising policies and practices through the pooling of ideas, experience, lessons learned and knowledge. One of its major objectives is to encourage exchanges and reinforce links between ministries of education and development agencies.

SARUA provides information on African higher education resources on line.

The Inter-University Council for East Africa (IUCEA) is a regional inter-governmental organization established in 1980 by the three East African Partner States (Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda) with the aim of facilitating contact between the universities of East Africa, providing a forum for discussion on a wide range of academic and other matters relating to higher education, and helping maintain high and comparable academic standards.

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Baltic University Programme - A regional university network