Table of contents:

• Latest news and events
• Mitigating the environmental impact of all projects
• Overview of Sustainable Development Portfolio (2005-2008)
• Mainstreaming Sustainable Development in peace building (2008-2011)
• Publications
• Links
• Contact details
  

MITIGATING THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT OF ALL ACT-FUNDED PROJECTS

Before inception, all UNDP-ACT initiatives are submitted to a screening by the Environmental Compliance Officer, who produces a Project Identification Memorandum (PIM), summarising the project activities and identifying the need for further environmental impact assessment. If there is such a need, an in depth Initial Environmental Review (IER) is produced, listing the possible environmental and health and safety considerations specific to that project. As part of the IER, a list of recommended mitigation measures is prepared and integrated into the contract with the Implementing Partner. Compliance with these mitigation measures is then monitored throughout the lifetime of the project.

OVERVIEW OF ENVIRONMENT PORTFOLIO (2005-2008)
For a list of all ACT project fact sheets, click here

Introduction

For those who care about the environment in Cyprus, the Buffer Zone, otherwise known as the “Green Line”, does not exist. Air pollution does not stop at before continuing on its way across, nor are airborne viruses hampered by barbed wire. This island is a series of integrated ecosystems, and therefore environmental issues in Cyprus can only be addressed on an island-wide basis. In fact, health scares such as the global avian influenza epidemic have raised concerns in Cyprus relating to the island-wide control of disease and other environmental health risks.

Since the main objective of ACT is to promote cooperation and trust between the communities of Cyprus, the environment is a natural place to start as it represents the shared values and common natural heritage of all the inhabitants of the island. Moreover, as an office of the United Nations, ACT is keen to implement the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs - http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals ), a series of eight principles to eradicate world poverty, and address global problems. In this context the global agenda for protecting the environment is framed by:

•  MDG 7 : Ensure Environmental Sustainability

•  MDG 8 : Develop a Global Partnership for Development

Similarly, ACT follows the ten principles of the United Nations Global Compact (a set of voluntary rules for businesses to ensure corporate social responsibility – www.unglobalcompact.org ), and in particular:

•  Principle 7 : Support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges;

•  Principle 8 : Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility;

•  Principle 9 : Encourage development & diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies   

As a result, one of ACT's four thematic areas between 2005 and 2008 was to promote partnerships for sustainable development in Cyprus.  

Networks and Advisory Groups

The best way to ensure that experts from both communities can work together on environmental issues of common concern is to create thematic, informal networks where these experts can participate in their individual capacity and exchange ideas and information in a neutral context. Between 2005 and 2008, ACT created and/or supported four such networks:

•  The Madison Dairy Advisory Group (MADAG - www.madag.info )

This is the longest-established of the advisory groups, and its success has helped pave the way for the concept of advisory groups. The Madison Dairy Advisory Group ( MADAG ), offers technical expertise to all dairy farmers on the island. It was formed in April 2003 following a visit to Wisconsin, USA. The activities of MADAG are co-designed and co-implemented jointly by experts of both the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities. It works on industry-wide improvement, from farm improvement to expansion of exports, while also focusing on competitiveness and trade in the dairy industry. Having provided training to dairy farmers in 2008, MADAG has now completed its process of registration as an independent, non-profit company.

2. The Cyprus Organics Advisory Group (COAG - www.cyprusorganics.info )

Following a successful workshop on Organic Farming, the Cyprus Organics Advisory Group (COAG) was established in 2005. This group is composed of organic farming experts and aims to share expertise, information and guidance on matters related to the production and consumption of organic products in Cyprus. The group seeks to raise awareness amongst consumers and farmers about the benefits of this method of production that include improved public health and a safer environment for generations to come. In particular, they have led a series of seminars on organic farming, and commissioned educational materials for schools, as well as participating in several agriculture fairs.

3. Emergency Disease Forum

Prompted by the threat of avian influenza in the region, the Emergency Disease Forum (EDF) was set up in order to establish a series of regular workshops promoting dialogue between relevant experts on averting pandemic threats to the island. The forum provides an ideal source of up-to-date information on key public health issues, as well as providing opportunities for technology transfer and exchange of ideas. In the long term, it will contribute to the eradication of major island-wide disease threats.

4. The Cyprus Environmental Stakeholder Forum (CESF – www.cyef.net )

In Cyprus the environmental community needs to work together to achieve a greater impact, and requires help in raising its voice on the global stage. The CESF, launched in 2007, is the first bi-communal, evidence-based advocacy network of environmental stakeholders, who agree on a list of common environmental priorities which they advocate together locally and at international environmental events. The CESF has participated in the 15 th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in New York (2007), as well as Green Week events in Brussels (2008). The CESF is divided into a series of thematic working groups (e.g. Biodiversity, Air pollution and Climate Change, Sustainable Mining, Integrated Coastal Zone Management etc.), some of which are themselves organized as networks (e.g. the Network for a Sustainable Future, which focuses on Integrated Coastal Zone Management).  

Advocacy and Awareness

Ensuring a healthy environment is the collective responsibility of all the inhabitants of Cyprus. Knowledge about environmental issues is the key to ensuring that we all exercise this collective responsibility. This is the reason why ACT is involved in environmental advocacy, through events such as the ones listed below:

Ecoforum – World Environment Day 2006

This seminar was aimed to celebrate World Environment Day. The theme for 2006 – Deserts and Desertification – was particularly relevant to Cyprus, which is experiencing an evermore negative water balance. In Cyprus, ACT organised a series of activities, leading up to the Ecoforum conference, which took place at the Holiday Inn, Nicosia on 5 and 6 June 2006. The event was attended by 140 participants and created an opportunity for Cypriots to come together to discuss how they can protect their common environmental assets and heritage. The presentations focused on water issues in Cyprus, as well as the impact of business on the environment. Two workshops focused on corporate environmental responsibility as well as the relationship between NGOs and the media. Representatives from all over the island and abroad from academia, business, media and civil society participated in the sessions.

“Nature Without Boundaries” Exhibition: On the 27 th November 2006, UNDP- ACT , in cooperation with UNFICYP , inaugurated a poster exhibition at the Ledra Palace crossing point, highlighting the conservation value of the buffer zone, its potential for uniting all Cypriots around a common environmental cause, and the ecological and human threats faced by this nature haven. The ideas portrayed in this exhibition were a consequence of a dialogue initiated during the 2006 Ecoforum conference described earlier.  

Research and Technology Transfer

Promoting awareness is not enough. Whether one is advocating for organic farming or corporate environmental responsibility, one needs to provide potential partners with the means to ensure environmental sustainability. Having recognised this need, ACT is supporting certain projects which are aimed at improving the condition of the environment island-wide, whilst at the same time creating organisational networking opportunities between experts from both communities. These projects have focussed on reforestation, sustainable agriculture, biodiversity research, public health projects and research on attitudes of the business sector and the public towards the principles of corporate social responsibility (the UN Global Compact).

MAINSTREAMING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (2008-2011)

Environment and peace building

One of the key lessons learned from the last three years of environmental project implementation is the effectiveness of environment and sustainable development projects as reconciliation tools. There are four possible relationships between environment and conflict:

•  The environment can serve as a bridge for cooperation and trust in post-conflict situation

•  It can itself be a source of conflict

•  It can be a victim of conflict

•  Sensitive habitats can be preserved if they are part of demilitarised zones

In Cyprus, of course, all four possibilities are present. The environment serving as a peace-building tool is not new. The United Nations Environment Programme's Post-Conflict and Disaster Management Branch, for example, has secured trans-boundary cooperation on pressing environmental issues between Israelis and Palestinians. UNDP's support for bi-communal environmental projects in Cyprus goes back to 1998 (reforestation, organic farming, waste management), and the realization that the different communities on this small island are unable to resolve common environmental problems by themselves.

Environmental programming to reinforce inter-community cooperation in Cyprus has occurred in stages. The first stage, until the late 1990s, saw the implementation of ‘parallel projects', in which Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot experts worked in parallel on the same environmental issues, but worked independently and rarely met (this occurred with efforts to eradicate various animal diseases on the island, such as Brucellosis and Echinococcosis). The opening of crossing points through the buffer zone in 2003 set the stage for the second phase–cooperative projects–whereby Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot experts worked independently but met regularly to coordinate their efforts on projects of common interest.

In the third phase, which began in 2005, emphasis shifted to the implementation of joint projects, run by bi-communal teams working together rather than independently. The biodiversity survey mentioned above is an example of this approach; another example is the creation of specialized networks, as described above. These island-wide networks specialize in improving the dairy sector, promoting organic farming, dialogue on pandemic preparedness, and civil society environmental advocacy, respectively. As these groups and networks created by UNDP mature, it is hoped that they will move environmental cooperation to a fourth phase of continuous dialogue and coordination with a view to giving environmental civil society a voice in the ongoing reconciliation process.

Moving on from an environmental portfolio to mainstreaming environmental considerations

In 2008, we entered the fourth phase mentioned above, whereby an environmental portfolio per se is no longer the focus of ACT, but where environmental activities continue to act as a catalyst in the reconciliation process. In particular, all new ACT initiatives will now integrate UNDP's corporate Green Procurement Guidelines, and the emphasis on mitigating the environmental impact of all projects will be reinforced.

Of course, ACT will also continue to implement environmental activities, but only insofar as they are the result of a will by the Cypriot people to demonstrate mechanisms to work together towards the preservation of their shared natural heritage. These projects will take the form of confidence-building measures which address specific environmental issues, while at the same time acting as catalysts for the reconciliation process.

PUBLICATIONS
For access to environmental reports and publications produced by ACT-supported projects, click here

For access to ACT film productions, click here. Environmental films include:

• Organic farming in Cyprus
• Organic farming in Cyprus (trailer)
• Biodiversity research in the Buffer Zone

For access to ACT audio podcasts, click here. Environmental podcasts include:

• Biodiversity research in the Buffer Zone (006)
• Olive tree protection (003)

LINKS
Please note that UNDP-ACT bears no responsibility for the content of these websites

• Cyprus Environmental Stakeholder Forum (CESF)
• Network for a Sustainable Future (NSF)
• UNDP Water Wiki
• Cyprus Virtual Biodiversity Museum
• Madison Dairy Advisory Group (MADAG)
  

CONTACT

The ACT environment focal point is Nicolas Jarraud. For further information, the contact details are:
Nicolas Jarraud, Programme Analyst, UNDP-ACT, P.O. Box 21642, 1590 Nicosia, Cyprus
Tel: +357 22874791, Fax: +357 22359066, E-mail: nicolas.jarraud@undp.org ,URL : www.undp-act.org