The European Union

The European Union (EU) is made up of 28 Member States who have decided to gradually link together their know-how, resources and destinies. Together, during a period of enlargement of 50 years, they have built a zone of stability, democracy and sustainable development whilst maintaining cultural diversity, tolerance and individual freedoms. The European Union is committed to sharing its achievements and its values with countries and peoples beyond its borders. The European Development Fund (EDF) is the EU's main instrument for providing development aid to African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries and to overseas countries and territories (OCTs). The EDF is established within the framework of an international agreement between the EU and its partner countries. The ACP-EU Partnership Agreement – also known as the ‘Cotonou Agreement’ – was concluded in 2000 and is revised every five years. https://www.europa.eu

Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States

This the largest trans-national intergovernmental organisation of developing countries in the international system, with 79 member countries from Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific. Today, the main goal of the Group is to drive South-South solidarity and North-South cooperation for the sustainable development of ACP countries and their successful integration into the world economy. Originally brought together as a result of the Association Clause in the Rome Treaty of 1957, that established the European Common Market, the Georgetown Agreement of 1975 formally established the ACP Group as an intergovernmental association. The group has its own structure and a Secretariat based in Brussels that coordinates its activities and provides a rallying point for its meetings and development agendas. https://www.acp.int

IUCN is a membership Union uniquely composed of both government and civil society organisations. It provides public, private and non-governmental organisations with the knowledge and tools that enable human progress, economic development and nature conservation to take place together. Created in 1948, IUCN is now the world’s largest and most diverse environmental network, harnessing the knowledge, resources and reach of more than 1,300 Member organisations and some 10,000 experts. It is a leading provider of conservation data, assessments and analysis. Its broad membership enables IUCN to fill the role of incubator and trusted repository of best practices, tools and international standards. IUCN provides a neutral space in which diverse stakeholders including governments, NGOs, scientists, businesses, local communities, indigenous peoples organisations and others can work together to forge and implement solutions to environmental challenges and achieve sustainable development. IUCN's Global Protected Areas Programme, four regional offices, two commissions, as well as IUCN members and other experts, take part in implementing and benefit from the BIOPAMA programme. https://www.iucn.org/

The Joint Research Centre of The European Commission (JRC)

The Joint Research Centre (JRC), the in-house science service of the European Commission, provides EU policies with independent, evidence-based scientific and technical support, including policies and programmes at global level and specifically those focusing on the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP). In the BIOPAMA programme, JRC leads the design and development of the "Regional Reference Information Systems" (RRIS) for biodiversity and protected areas management that are being deployed in the regional observatories in the African, Caribbean, and Pacific regions. https://www.ec.europa.eu/jrc