UNEP, FAO and partnering with UNDP have established a Multi-Partner Trust Fund (MPTF) of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration, with the aim of promoting global movement in support of preventing and reversing ecosystem degradation worldwide. It is meant to combat declining biodiversity, support livelihoods and green jobs, enhance natural resource bases, and finally help societies adapt to and mitigate climate change through the restoration of ecosystems worldwide. Denmark has decided to participate in the MPTF as part of the development strategy “The World We Share”. Danish funding will support restoration flagships in the global south. Throughout 2022, a PEM-team lead by PEM-partner Kris Prasada Rao supported the preparation of the Danish support for the period of 2023-2025. The team has also developed a program document that addresses the key issues arising between the different key stakeholders.   Picture by Anna Gade (Uganda)

The European Investment Bank is the EU’s financial extension and provides funding for projects in support of EU policy goals. Water and sanitation have been EIB’s fourth largest sector of engagement outside of EU in the period from 2010 and 2021. This year a team led by PEM-partner Eric Buhl-Nielsen evaluated the EIB support to the water and sanitation sector outside EU countries. The evaluation assessed to what extent EIB support to the water sector created results with a specific focus on whether it contributed to environmental sustainability, development outcomes and climate action. Out of close to 100 projects under evaluation, 8 countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cambodia, Ecuador, Egypt, Jordan, Malawi and Zambia) were selected as samples for an in-depth exploration. PEM-Consultant Astrid Høegh Jensen visited Jordan. The team conducted interviews with various stakeholders and visited different sites, including the Wadi Al Arab water system project financed by EIB

The more we know about climate and weather developments, the better we will become at predicting and managing climate risks effectively. Looking into a future when climate change related (extreme) weather events will become more frequent, the ability to forecast these events is crucial. In 2019, the World Meteorological Congress agreed on establishing the Global Basic Observing Network (GBON), a global weather observing network that will increase climate resilience and support adaptation efforts. However, in some countries, mainly small island states in the pacific and some countries in Africa, there is still a significant lack of data. Therefore, the Systematic Observations Financing Facility (SOFF) will be established to support countries in generating the missing data. Denmark has decided to financially support this aim and further contributes by advising and collaborating with other countries in West Africa. Since May 2022, Pem-partner Kris Prasada Rao has accompanied this process. He has prepared

In the regions Abkhazia and Samegrelo in Georgia, many people rely on farming to provide for their food and income. While men often take charge in machinery operations and crop production, women are key actors in dairy production. In 2020, new food safety regulations have been introduced in Georgia and dairy farmers now have to comply with minimum standards in hygiene, equipment and production techniques. However, many small-scale dairy producers struggle to live up to these elevated standards and are now fighting a battle against falling into poverty. Therefore, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has started the program of the farmer field schools which runs from 2020-2024. The aim is to support women dairy farmers who want to improve their produce quality and assist them in self-employment. Now that the project is advanced halfway, Vera Devine (PEM) is reviewing its progress. She is focussing mostly on