Centre for Science and Environment, CSE 2014-2019 - Centre for Scence and Environment, CSE 2018 onwards Centre for Science and Environment, CSE 2014-2019 Beslutsnr. 2014-002007

Sida ska bidra med kärnstöd om max 90 MSEK till Center for Science and Environment (CSE) för perioden 2014-2019 (max 18 MSEK om året 2014-2018). CSE är en forskningsbaserad miljöorganisation baserad i New Delhi. CSE arbetar med tillämpad forskning, kunskapsspridning, utbildning och påverkansarbete för hållbar utveckling inom områdena luftföroreningar och transport, förvaltning av vattenresurser och sanitet, industrialisering samt tillgång till förnyelsebar energi.

CSE har fått stöd från Sida sedan 1990-talet för sitt arbete i Indien och på senare år även regionalt stöd för Sydasien. Sida och flera externa utvärderingar bedömer att detta stöd har varit mycket framgångsrikt och levererat imponerande resultat. CSE vill nu utveckla sitt globala program för ökad hållbarhet och grön tillväxt för perioden 2014 till 2019. Stödet förväntas möjliggöra att CSE tar steget från att främst utgöra en påverkans- och kunskapsgenererande aktör (think tank) på lokal och regional (Sydasien) nivå till att bidra mer till förändring på global nivå. CSE har starka rötter i Indien men även omfattande nätverk och samarbeten med aktörer i andra länder och de deltar i många internationella processer. CSE vill utveckla sitt samarbete med andra länder i Syd och sitt globala engagemang. CSE kommer att arbeta inom ovan nämnda områden både nationellt i Indien, i ett urval länder i Afrika och Asien samt på global nivå genom att påverka globala processer och förhandlingar.

Stödet kommer att inledas med en 12 månaders inledningsfas då CSE får identifiera lämpliga länder och partners att samarbeta med samt utveckla mer detaljerade planer. Under denna tid kommer även en rad olika utvecklingsaktiviteter att genomföras. Efter inledningsfasen kommer Sida att ta ställning till budget och planer och därefter avgöra om bidragets omfattning bör justeras (reduceras). Centre for Science and Environment (CSE), is an NGO in Delhi that     works in India and regionally in Asia. CSE will establish a global    think tank with roots in the South, with crosscutting programmes      comprising research, advocacy, communication and capacity development on sust urbanization, water management, sustainable industrialization and energy access and climate change. CSE is an old partner to Sida. CSE is a global think tank from the South with an office in India, that works with influencing global institutions and processes through South to South partnerships for inclusive and sustainable growth. CSE seeks to develop into an influential voice based on knowledge and on-the-ground experience to place Southern perspecitves in the global development debate and promote South to South cooperation and linkages between local and global initiatives and proccesses.
CSE aims to influence the thinking and practise in the area of sustainable urbanisation, water and sanitation, sustainable industrialisation, clean energy access and health. It seeks to create change through engagement on different levels, including research and dialouges with local governments and communities. CSE participate actively in global processes and fora for environmental issues such as the policy deliberations on the post 2015 Development Framework of the United Nations Framwork on Climate Change (UNFCCC); the Climate and Clean Air Coalition (CCAC) which is part of UNEP, the World Economic Forum etc.
Today, most of these proccesses are mainly influenced by governements and organisations from industrialized countries. CSE can complement these proccesses by strenghtening the perspectives and input from developing countries. They are planning on conducting studies and research, influencing public opinion, build capacity, pushing for policy changes in targeted countries in Africa and Asia. They also promote cooperation, networking and exchange of best practises between different stakeholders in the selected countries. The local work in India focus on the same area as the global programmes (sustainable urbanisation and industrialisation, water and sanitation, health and clean energy acces) and will also continue to focus on green buildning and food safety. 
Sida assesses that CSE's approach is highly relevant for poverty reduction and gender equality. CSE's work has clear objectives to target the needs of the most marginalized and to see how their knowledge, labour and organization can be integrated into sustainable development strategies. For instance, in solid waste management CSE advocates for affordable systems that process/recycle the waste better and in a more sustainable way and also use the informal sector for employment. In the case of sustainable mobility, CSE's position is that the existing informal para-transport system needs to be upgraded to meet the needs of convenience, reliability and efficiency that modern cities desire as well as including a gender aware design.
When it comes to sewage, CSE is working to build models of decentralized waste management, which again would provide affordable solutions and also employment for larger numbers of people. According to CSE, this paradigm shift in the approach to sustainable development will provide solutions to challenges of poverty eradication, employment and sustainability. 
During the phase 2014-2019 the funding from Sida has been for core activities with a total contribution of SEK 97 860 700. These funds have provided support to CSE's process of globalizing and expanding their work towards countries in Africa and Asia, with a special focus on establishing a global think tank to take CSE’s activities and initiative to the global level and influence South-South partnerships even further.
The intervention is highly relevant from a Swedish development cooperation perspective and from the global climate-change perspective. In addition, the intervention is relevant for the strategy for Sweden's global development cooperation in the areas of environmental sustainability, sustainable climate and oceans, and sustainable use of natural resources 2018-2022 since the area of support targets sustainable ocean and water resources, environmentally sustainable development and sustainable use of natural resources and climate change and sustainable development. It also touches upon the areas of gender equality, human rights, democracy, disaster risk reduction and trade development.