Scientific and Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Development Consortium
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The “Scientific and Traditional Knowledge for Sustainable Development” (STK4SD) consortium was appointed by the CST Bureau to organize the 3rd Scientific Conference of the UNCCD. It is composed of five major organizations, bringing together a high level of scientific expertise and practical skills in the organization of international conferences with a long established commitment to the operations of the UNCCD. Its members are actively involved in all the regions concerned by the UNCCD, proof of its capacity to mobilize resources, organizations and stakeholders at all levels:
- Agropolis International is an association based in Montpellier supported by central and local government. Its members include nearly 30 research centers and higher education establishments in the Languedoc-Roussillon region, with 2,300 scientists, working in the fields of agriculture, food, biodiversity and the environment, much of their work focusing on the Mediterranean and tropical regions. As the leader of the consortium, Agropolis International benefits from the collective expertise of the French Scientific Committee on Desertification and hosts the Committee on its premises. The French Scientific Committee on Desertification (CSFD) includes 20 members from French universities and scientific institutions appointed by the Ministry for Higher Education and Research, and chosen to represent a wide range of expertise on desertification. The CSFD is the Vice-President of the Consortium, in particular at the UNCCD meetings.
- DesertNet International is an international scientific network for research into desertification that brings together nearly 300 experts from 47 countries and provides a platform for international science policy discussion.
- The CGIAR Consortium is a global research partnership for a food secure future. The CGIAR aims to reduce rural poverty, improve food security, human health and nutrition and encourage more sustainable management of natural resources. The research is carried out by the 15 centers that are members of the CGIAR Consortium, including the ICARDA and the ICRISAT, and which work closely together with hundreds of partner organizations.
- The Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), an intergovernmental African organization based in Tunisia, focusing on concerted, sustainable management of natural resources in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas in Sahel - Sub Saharan Africa. The OSS members include 22 African countries, 5 non-African countries and 10 international, sub-regional and non-government organizations.
- The Argentine Institute for Arid Zone Research (IADIZA), an institute of the Argentine National Scientific and Technical Research Council (CONICET), whose aim is to improve understanding of the structure and functioning of arid zones and the transfer of technology and know-how through education/ training and capacity-building.
The Sendai Framework Voluntary Commitments (SFVC) online platform allows stakeholders to inform the public about their work on DRR. The SFVC online platform is a useful toolto know who is doing what and where for the implementation of the Sendai Framework, which could foster potential collaboration among stakeholders. All stakeholders (private sector, civil society organizations, academia, media, local governments, etc.) working on DRR can submit their commitments and report on their progress and deliverables.