My Community, Our Earth Partnership Seeking Project Submissions From Youths Worldwide
Project submissions from youth around the world are requested for the My Community, Our Earth (MyCOE) partnership.  Project deadlines are May 3, 2004 and November 16, 2004. For an application or more information visit the web site at www.geography.org/sustainable . MYCOE projects will have a special emphasis on the UN Commission on Sustainable Development's themes of water, sanitation, and human settlements.  In addition, MyCOE will offer a geographic focus as part of the White Water to Blue Water's focus on the countries of the Wider Caribbean.

During Phase one of the partnership (2001-2002), MYCOE provided 2,091 geographic resource kits to students in 103 countries and linked projects up with 514 mentors from 63 countries. From these, 218 individuals and teams from 27 countries submitted projects focused on various sustainable development themes to the online gallery. Some were selected by panel review for showcasing at international venues, including the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Subsequent activities include focused outreach in developing regions such as Latin America, alliances with youth programs such as 4-H International, and the Millennium Development Goals as explained in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Fact Sheet on MyCOE. For additional information, please contact Greg Crosby at GCROSBY@CSREES.USDA.GOV; 

Global Information for Sustainable Development
GISD combines a variety of information technologies, including satellite images and geographic information systems, to enable government agencies and local communities to better address sustainable development challenges. For example, the GISD partnership helps countries use geospatial information to better respond to all phases of natural disasters, including prediction, preparedness, response, and recovery. This image, from the Famine Early Warning Systems Network, shows the extent and severity of floods affecting human populations (areas in blue) in the Lower Limpopo Basin of Mozambique. The U.S. Agency for International Development has continued to support GISD through EIS-Africa which co-sponsored the successful 10th Africa GIS conference in Dakar, Senegal, in November 2003. For more information, please go to http://www.sdp.gov/sdp/initiative/gisd/28311.htm

White Water to Blue Water Partnership Conference Announced Nearly 100 Partnerships
The White Water to Blue Water Partnership Conference (WW2BW) took place March 22-26 in Miami, Florida. Representatives from 31 countries of the wider Caribbean region and other coastal nations, the travel and tourism industry, academia, international organizations, the private sector, and environmental groups participated.  The more than 700 conference participants spent the week attending "how-to" workshops that covered topics such as managing oil spills, fighting coral diseases, promoting environmentally sound marine transportation, and instituting a reef-friendly mooring buoy program. The White Water to Blue Water conference resulted in the creation or advancement of nearly 100 partnerships to promote integrated watershed and marine ecosystem-based management. A few of the partnerships include:

• The Gillette Company, The Nature Conservancy, the United Nations Foundation have joined forces to protect and restore wetlands around the world. Together they have committed $750,000 for an inaugural project to protect the Sian Ka'an wetland in Mexico. See Cruise Ships, Kids, and Science.
• The UN Environmental Program's Global Program of Action and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration signed an agreement to build projects to demonstrate how to reduce marine pollution in the wider Caribbean. See NOAA/UNEP Partnership for further details.
• The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency pledged $1 million to fund established channels of environmental cooperation in the region.
• Royal Caribbean Cruise Limited and the GLOBE Program launched a partnership to provide environmental science activities and education for children onboard Caribbean Cruises. See Cruise Ships, Kids, and Science for further details.
• The International Council of Cruise Lines and Conservation International announced a $1.1 million partnership for achieving environmentally sustainable cruise operations in the wider Caribbean region.
• Two partnerships were formed to reduce anchor damage to coral reefs and other sensitive underwater areas.

Additionally, Assistant Secretary John Turner met with 20 middle school students in Miami who were connected via digital video conference with their peers in Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago to discuss scientific measurements taken as part of the GLOBE program. This was the students' first opportunity to come together to discuss their observations of the environment with their neighbors in the region and share their common concern to protect it. See photo gallery.

For information about the White Water to Blue Water Partnership Conference and the partnership's ongoing work please visit the following Web sites:

-- Fact sheet: The White Water to Blue Water Initiative
-- Media Note: Miami Conference Aims to Unite Efforts to Protect Caribbean Ecosystems
-- Press release: NOAA/UNEP Partnership
-- Press release: The Gillette Company, The Nature Conservancy, United Nations Foundation Announce Partnership to Restore Wetlands
-- Press release: Cruise Ships, Kids, and Science
-- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: http://www.international.noaa.gov/ww2bw/ 
-- University of Miami: www.umiami.edu/ww2bw
-- White Water to Blue Water Initiative: www.ww2bw.org

International Forum on Partnerships for Sustainable Development: Opening Remarks by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Dobriansky
"I would like to thank the government of Italy for its initiative and leadership in hosting the Forum, and to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs for their assistance in developing a first-rate agenda. All of us here today -- from government, civil society, the private sector, and international organizations -- work on public-private partnerships to promote economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship, and want to see these efforts grow and flourish.

Even though we may look at today's sustainable development challenges from different vantage points, we share the common view that to meet the goals we have established we need a more effective and efficient way of doing business. Building partnerships and alliances are a dynamic means to achieve these goals. Partnerships leverage each of our strengths, and have the potential to more efficiently and effectively deliver results than when we work independently. As Secretary Powell has said, “partnership is the watchword of U.S. strategy in this administration. Partnership is not about deferring to others; it is about working with them.” [full text]

Congo Basin Forest Partnership Launches New Web Site
The Congo Basin Forest Partnership (CBFP), called an "environmental success story" by the National Geographic, is taking significant steps to ensure regional cooperation in promoting sustainable management of the world's second-largest intact tropical forest. The partnership launched a multilingual Web site on December 19, 2003, supported by U.S. Government funds, to facilitate communication, cooperation, and coordination among partners and also to respond to the public's interest in the Congo Basin's forest and environment. The site includes a description of the partnership, a calendar of events, and partnership news updates. The site also provides contact information and links for partners and to other organizations active in economic development, forest management, and environment in the Congo Basin. Those accessing the website can join the CBFP list server for news updates. The Web site is available in English (also at www.cbfp.org) and French. For more information about the U.S. contribution to the CBFP, see the Department of State fact sheet.

We Have a Stake in Sustainable Development
"[G]ood governance, wise stewardship of the environment and freer trade are the only ways to achieve lasting economic progress, [and] I pledged United States support to developing countries that adopt such farsighted policies. And I spoke of the critical role that public-private partnerships must play in helping them escape poverty and achieve prosperity. Governments from developing countries and entrepreneurs from the private sector welcomed America's approach--and so, by the way, did most representatives from civil society and international organizations. . . . The poor of the world don't need more inflated rhetoric. They need a workable strategy to help them succeed. . . . Sustainable development isn't just a matter for our USAID or [State Department] economics officers or our functional bureaus. Questions of development shape the overall quality of our bilateral relationships, and they hold far-reaching consequences for regional stability and security. All of us need to promote development as part and parcel of our larger mission of advancing core American values and interests worldwide." Secretary Powell, State Magazine, October 2002  [full text]