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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
121

Metas globais de sustentabilidade da ONU: desafios e boas práticas de casos de sucesso do sistema agroalimentar no Ceará / UN global sustainability goals: challenges and good practices of successful cases on agrifood system in Ceará

Soriano, Diogo Furlan 22 August 2018 (has links)
O presente trabalho visa analisar o impacto da agenda de Objetivos do Milênio (ODM) definida pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) na criação e no desdobramento de projetos voltados para o desenvolvimento sustentável, com foco na ótica dos pequenos agricultores brasileiros. Para que este objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foi empenhada uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória por meio de estudos de caso sobre os projetos \"Rede de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional\" e \"Clima da Caatinga\", promovidos pela Prefeitura de Maracanaú (CE) e pela Associação Caatinga, respectivamente. A amostra foi selecionada tendo por critério de representatividade a condecoração dos projetos na edição de 2013 do Prêmio ODM Brasil, a sua localização no estado mais premiado (Ceará), e a divisão do prêmio nas categorias \"Governos Municipais\" e \"Organizações Sociais\". A pesquisa contou com a realização de entrevistas em profundidade e entrevistas em grupo com lideranças e beneficiários dos dois projetos que, somadas às análises de documentos de fontes primárias e secundárias e observação não estruturada dentro do contexto de execução dos projetos, propiciou a elucidação dos papel e influência da ONU e das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento e amadurecimento dos projetos estudados. Verificou-se que as iniciativas da ONU no âmbito do programa Objetivos do Milênio, apesar de produzirem baixo impacto na motivação que levou à criação dos projetos analisados, assumiram papel relevante para os seus respectivos desdobramentos, contribuindo para a sua reorientação ao planejamento de longo prazo e facilitando o estabelecimento de parcerias estratégicas. Além disso, as políticas públicas de incentivo se mostraram uma relevante ferramenta no processo de intervenção e transformação de realidades de vulnerabilidade social e degradação ambiental. Ante a isto, concluímos que os incentivos promovidos pelas organizações internacionais na esteira da definição de agendas sustentáveis, como os ODM, possuem grande potencial contributivo para a consolidação de projetos que visem a promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável. / This paper aims to analyze the impact of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN) on the creation and deployment of projects focused on sustainable development, focusing on the perspective of small Brazilian farmers. In order to achieve this objective, a qualitative exploratory research was undertaken through case studies on the \"Food and Nutrition Security Network\" and \"Caatinga Climate\" projects, promoted by the City Hall of Maracanaú (CE) and the Caatinga Association , respectively. The sample was selected considering the presence of the projects in the 2013 edition of the Brazil ODM Award, its location in the most contemplated state (Ceará), and the division of the award in the categories \"Municipal Governments\" and \"Social Organizations\". The research included in-depth interviews and group interviews with leaders and beneficiaries of the two projects, which, together with the analysis of documents from primary and secondary sources and unstructured observation within the context of project execution, provided the elucidation of the roles and influence of the UN and public policies for the development and maturing of the studied projects. Following the investigation, it was found that UN initiatives under the Millennium Development Goals, although having a low impact on the motivation that led to the creation of the projects analyzed, have played a relevant role in their respective developments, contributing to their reorientation to the long-term planning and facilitating the establishment of strategic partnerships. In addition, the public policies have proved to be an important tool in the process of intervention and transformation of realities of social vulnerability and environmental degradation. It was concluded that the incentives promoted by international organizations through the definition of sustainable agendas, such as the MDGs, have great contributory potential for the consolidation of projects regarding the promotion of sustainable development.
122

Agenda 2030 i Chile: Från ord till handling : En fallstudie om den chilenska regeringens ambition att implementera FN:s globala hållbarhetsmål nummer 5 - Uppnå jämställdhet och alla kvinnors och flickors egenmakt / Agenda 2030 in Chile: From words to action : A case study on the Chilean government's ambition to implement the UN Global Sustainability Goal number 5 - Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Lindwall Ek, Louise January 2019 (has links)
In 2015 the United Nations adopted an action plan named Agenda 2030. The plan contains 17 global sustainable development goals and 169 sub-goals; all of which are aimed towards creating a sustainable future within the spheres of the three cornerstones of sustainability; social, environmental, and economical by the year of 2030.  The aim of this paper is to examine the prerequisites for the Chilean government in implementing the UN's goal number five: reach gender equality. What are their ambitions? What are the biggest challenges? Which strategy does the government have to manage the challenges of the implementation process? The analysis has been conducted through a qualitative field study based on various documents, and is complemented by experts' interviews.   The method used is theory consuming and relies on Lennart Lundquist's implementation theory 'Understand, can and will' (1992).  Lundquist believes that the will is the most important factor for implementing a policy. The Chilean government shows both an understanding of what is needed and the resources that are needed.  The question is, do they possess the will it takes to overcome the obstacles they face?
123

Empresas eODS: priorizando as ações sustentáveis de maior retorno econômico, social e ambiental para a humanidade / Businesses and SDGs: prioritizing the sustainable actions of greater economic, social and environmental return for humanity

Saad, Pedro Fernandes 13 September 2018 (has links)
Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2018-11-09T10:23:16Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Fernandes Saad.pdf: 3567757 bytes, checksum: a541132c7b6c355a8ad4c3842debd248 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-11-09T10:23:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pedro Fernandes Saad.pdf: 3567757 bytes, checksum: a541132c7b6c355a8ad4c3842debd248 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-09-13 / Comprising 8 goals and 21 associated targets, the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which were in forcesincethe beginning of the millennium until2015, have produced good results. Although this success was not entirely due to the MDGs,but also to a number of other global favorable circumstances, such as China's accelerated growth in the period, significant reductions were observed in global indices such as extreme poverty, hunger, out-of-school children and child mortality. The 2030 Agenda, which has succeeded the MDGs since 2016, is composed of 17 Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs) and 169 associated targets, representing a much greater ambition to be achieved in an equalperiod of 15 years. According to the United Nations DevelopmentProgram (UNDP), it is estimated that US$ 5-7 trillion will be needed to meet the SDGs, with a deficit of US$ 2.5 trillion in developing countries, an order of greatness above the assistance they receive from developed countries, in the order of billions. It is a consensus that this difference can only be covered through partnerships involving the UN, governments, Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector (companies and investors). This idea is advocatedby both market experts and the UN itself. Since the creation of the United Nations Global Compact in 2000, UNhas discussed partnerships every two years in the General Assemblies and has dedicated SDG17 to specifically deal with the partnerships to achieve the other SDGs. In order to stimulate the active participation of companies in SDGs, incorporating sustainability into their value chains, the Global Compact has been active on several fronts, including the provision of Blueprint for Business Leadership in the SDGs (BBL), a guide that presents suggestions for possible actions and guidelines on how to implement them. However, these actions are presented qualitatively, without any kind of expected cost/benefit parameter that can help companies and investors in decision making. This is a matterthat the Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) addresses in the Post-2015 Consensus, suggesting the prioritization of SDGtargets based on a return perdollar invested ratio, although the return,in this case,is the benefit to people, the planetand prosperity. The objective of this work is to propose a method to assist companies in decision making regarding thechoice of sustainable actions to be carried out in partnership with governments, NGOs and the UN itself, as recommended by SDG17, taking into account the cost/benefit ratio in terms of return (for mankind) per dollar invested. For this, the actions listed by the CCC in the Post-2015 Consensusare taken as basis and, for those that can be executed by companies, the model proposed in the BBL by the Global Compact is applied. The aim is to enhance the impact of sustainable actions carried out by companies and to help the UN and its specialized agencies, programs and funds to select and prioritize the most impactful partnerships, thereby contributing to achieving the intended targets by 2030 / Compostos por oito objetivos e 21 metas associadas, os Objetivos de Desenvolvimento do Milênio (ODM) da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU), que vigoraram do início do milênio até 2015, produziram bons resultados. Ainda que este sucesso não tenha sido integralmente devido aos ODM, mas também a uma série de outras conjunturas globais favoráveis, como o crescimento acelerado da China no período, foram observadas significativas reduções em índices globais como extrema pobreza, fome, crianças fora da escola e mortalidade infantil. A Agenda 2030, que sucedeu os ODM a partir de 2016, é composta por 17 Objetivos de Desenvolvimento Sustentável (ODS) e 169 metas associadas, representando uma ambição muito maior para ser atingida em igual prazo de 15 anos. De acordo com o Programa das Nações Unidas para o Desenvolvimento (PNUD), estima-se que serão necessários de US$ 5 a 7 trilhões para atingir os ODS, sendo que nos países em desenvolvimento há um déficit de US$ 2.5 trilhões. Trata-se deuma ordem de grandeza acima da assistência que eles recebem dos países desenvolvidos, na casa de bilhões. É consenso que esta diferença só pode ser coberta por meio de parcerias que envolvam a ONU, governos, Organizações Não-Governamentais (ONGs) e o setor privado (empresas e investidores). Esta ideia é defendida tanto por especialistas do mercado, como pela própria ONU, que desde a criação do Pacto Global das Nações Unidas, em 2000, discute o tema das parcerias a cada dois anos nas Assembleias Gerais, além de ter dedicado o ODS 17 para tratar especificamente das parcerias para o atingimento dos demais Objetivos. Para estimular a participação ativa das empresas nos ODS, incorporando a sustentabilidade em suas cadeias de valor, oPacto Global tem atuado em diversas frentes, dentre elas a disponibilização do Blueprint for Business Leadership on the SDGs(BBL), um guia que apresenta sugestões de possíveis ações e orientações de como implementá-las. Entretanto, essas ações são apresentadas qualitativamente, sem nenhum tipo de parâmetro de relação custo/benefícioesperada que possa auxiliar as empresas e investidores na tomada de decisão. Esta é uma questão que o Copenhagen Consensus Center (CCC) endereça no Post-2015 Consensus, sugerindo a priorização das metas dos ODS com base em umarelação de retorno por dólarinvestido, embora o retorno, neste caso, seja o benefício para as pessoas, o planeta e a prosperidade. O trabalho tem por objetivo propor um método para auxiliar as empresas na tomada de decisão em relação à escolha de ações sustentáveis a serem realizadas em parceria com governos, ONGs e a própria ONU, conforme preconiza o ODS 17, levando em consideração o fator custo/benefício em termos de retorno (para a humanidade) por dólar investido. Para isto, tomam-se por base as ações listadas pelo CCC no Post-2015 Consensuse, para aquelas que podem ser executadas por empresas, aplica-se o modelo proposto no BBL pelo Pacto Global. Pretende-se, desta forma, potencializar o impacto das ações sustentáveis executadas pelas empresas e ajudar a ONU e suas agênciasespecializadas,programas e fundos a selecionareme priorizaremas parcerias de maior impacto, contribuindo, desta forma, para o atingimento das metas pretendidas até 2030
124

Metas globais de sustentabilidade da ONU: desafios e boas práticas de casos de sucesso do sistema agroalimentar no Ceará / UN global sustainability goals: challenges and good practices of successful cases on agrifood system in Ceará

Diogo Furlan Soriano 22 August 2018 (has links)
O presente trabalho visa analisar o impacto da agenda de Objetivos do Milênio (ODM) definida pela Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) na criação e no desdobramento de projetos voltados para o desenvolvimento sustentável, com foco na ótica dos pequenos agricultores brasileiros. Para que este objetivo pudesse ser alcançado, foi empenhada uma pesquisa qualitativa exploratória por meio de estudos de caso sobre os projetos \"Rede de Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional\" e \"Clima da Caatinga\", promovidos pela Prefeitura de Maracanaú (CE) e pela Associação Caatinga, respectivamente. A amostra foi selecionada tendo por critério de representatividade a condecoração dos projetos na edição de 2013 do Prêmio ODM Brasil, a sua localização no estado mais premiado (Ceará), e a divisão do prêmio nas categorias \"Governos Municipais\" e \"Organizações Sociais\". A pesquisa contou com a realização de entrevistas em profundidade e entrevistas em grupo com lideranças e beneficiários dos dois projetos que, somadas às análises de documentos de fontes primárias e secundárias e observação não estruturada dentro do contexto de execução dos projetos, propiciou a elucidação dos papel e influência da ONU e das políticas públicas para o desenvolvimento e amadurecimento dos projetos estudados. Verificou-se que as iniciativas da ONU no âmbito do programa Objetivos do Milênio, apesar de produzirem baixo impacto na motivação que levou à criação dos projetos analisados, assumiram papel relevante para os seus respectivos desdobramentos, contribuindo para a sua reorientação ao planejamento de longo prazo e facilitando o estabelecimento de parcerias estratégicas. Além disso, as políticas públicas de incentivo se mostraram uma relevante ferramenta no processo de intervenção e transformação de realidades de vulnerabilidade social e degradação ambiental. Ante a isto, concluímos que os incentivos promovidos pelas organizações internacionais na esteira da definição de agendas sustentáveis, como os ODM, possuem grande potencial contributivo para a consolidação de projetos que visem a promoção do desenvolvimento sustentável. / This paper aims to analyze the impact of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) defined by the United Nations (UN) on the creation and deployment of projects focused on sustainable development, focusing on the perspective of small Brazilian farmers. In order to achieve this objective, a qualitative exploratory research was undertaken through case studies on the \"Food and Nutrition Security Network\" and \"Caatinga Climate\" projects, promoted by the City Hall of Maracanaú (CE) and the Caatinga Association , respectively. The sample was selected considering the presence of the projects in the 2013 edition of the Brazil ODM Award, its location in the most contemplated state (Ceará), and the division of the award in the categories \"Municipal Governments\" and \"Social Organizations\". The research included in-depth interviews and group interviews with leaders and beneficiaries of the two projects, which, together with the analysis of documents from primary and secondary sources and unstructured observation within the context of project execution, provided the elucidation of the roles and influence of the UN and public policies for the development and maturing of the studied projects. Following the investigation, it was found that UN initiatives under the Millennium Development Goals, although having a low impact on the motivation that led to the creation of the projects analyzed, have played a relevant role in their respective developments, contributing to their reorientation to the long-term planning and facilitating the establishment of strategic partnerships. In addition, the public policies have proved to be an important tool in the process of intervention and transformation of realities of social vulnerability and environmental degradation. It was concluded that the incentives promoted by international organizations through the definition of sustainable agendas, such as the MDGs, have great contributory potential for the consolidation of projects regarding the promotion of sustainable development.
125

Agenda 2030: mot en hållbar framtid : En studie om svenska företags implementering av de globala målen / Agenda 2030: Towards a sustainable future : A study about Swedish companies' implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals

Lahdo, Petra, Shafig, Caroline January 2019 (has links)
Background: In a world that is constantly changing, where demands for working in a sustainable way regarding the environment and society are increasing, companies have no choice but to take these aspects into account. Companies can take responsibility through the three dimensions of sustainability: the economic, social and environmental dimensions, which is also referred to as Corporate Social Responsibility. Sustainability is therefore an inevitable topic of discussion. To cope with the challenges that is facing the world, UN member states agreed on Agenda 2030 on 25-27 of September 2015. This agenda includes 17 global goals for sustainable development. The implementation of this agenda in companies is, according to us, a relevant issue for companies as we claim that the business sector has a central role in the implementation of the agenda. In this study, we therefore want to describe and understand how companies in Sweden implement the Sustainable Development Goals.  Aim: The purpose of this study is to describe and understand how Swedish companies implement the Sustainable Development Goals in Agenda 2030.  Methodology: This is a qualitative case study using a hermeneutics perspective of interpretation. The empirical data consist of six semi-structured interviews with sustainability managers of each company. The study revolves around the empirical data and is therefore to be considered to have an iterative approach.  Conclusion: The study has shown that the sustainability work of all the companies in this study is characterized by the three sustainability dimensions. Furthermore, the companies have selected the goals that are in line with their current sustainability work and hence no significant implementation process has been experienced by the respondents representing the companies. However, the result shows that the sustainable development goals have served as a direction indicator and that a common language has been created regarding to the sustainability work. / Bakgrund: I en värld som ständigt förändras där krav på att arbeta på ett hållbart sätt gällande miljö, människa och samhälle konstant ökar har företag inget annat val än att ta hänsyn till dessa aspekter. Företag kan ta ansvar genom de tre hållbarhetsdimensionerna: det ekonomiska, sociala och miljömässiga ansvaret, vilket även benämns som Corporate Social Responsibility. Hållbarhet är idag en aktuell och relevant fråga och för att ta itu med de utmaningar som världen står inför, enades FN:s medlemsstater den 25–27 september 2015 om Agenda 2030. Denna agenda innefattar 17 globala mål för hållbar utveckling. Implementeringen av denna Agendan i företag är, enligt oss, en samhällsaktuell fråga för företag då vi anser att näringslivet har en central roll i genomförandet av Agenda 2030. I denna studie vill vi därför beskriva och förstå hur företag i Sverige implementerar de globala målen. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att beskriva och förstå hur svenska företag implementerar de globala målen i Agenda 2030. Metod: Studien har haft en kvalitativ karaktär och ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv. Vidare har studien genomförts i form av semistrukturerade intervjuer med hållbarhetsansvariga på sex företag. Studien har en iterativ ansats. Slutsats: Studien har påvisat att samtliga fallföretags hållbarhetsarbete karaktäriseras av de tre hållbarhetsdimensionerna social, ekonomisk och miljömässig hållbarhet. Vidare har företagen valt ut de mål som stämmer överens med deras nuvarande hållbarhetsarbete och därav har ingen betydande implementeringsprocess upplevts av samtliga respondenter på företagen. Däremot visar resultatet att de globala målen har fungerat som en riktningsvisare samt att det har skapats ett gemensamt språk vad gäller hållbarhetsarbete.
126

Varför diaspora ingår i FN:s nya globala utvecklingsmål : En studie om vad diaspora som utvecklingsaktör kan innebära inom utvecklingsarbete

Gripenholm, Anna January 2015 (has links)
This paper has concluded that the Diaspora contribute to the development of social, economic and political fields, which also means a high level of poverty reduction. This has been largely possible not least because of developments in computing and telecommunications, but also through the Diaspora's grassroots involvement. By being the only player who can get access to specific locations, and through their local knowledge the Diaspora can easily be seen as legitimate actors and therefore also play a unique role in peace processes. They are also not tied to bureaucratic structures on which they can act with direct effect. For example, they can assist quickly to different kinds of crisis situations, such as environmental disasters. Many governments and organizations are interested in cooperating with the Diaspora, but they also see many challenges with it. Further on, Diaspora can feel that their voices are not always heard. The essay has also reached a conclusion that a balance between the UN's two main conventions International Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights increasingly may arise. This is thanks to the co-operations between liberal organizations and the Diaspora whose efforts may be in the private markets to create jobs and development, and their contributions in construction of social infrastructure. Other impacts on the organizational level may be towards more complex models of organization and partnerships, where not least the private sector may be included to a greater extent, which also demonstrates the enhanced globalization trends, where the private market is seen to be the answer to the solution of poverty. As regards to States and the role of various actors in these somewhat newer landscapes, they can also be a result from the processes of globalization and shifts in power from the state to the different levels at which non-state actors gets a stronger role. These processes may also have contributed to greater regionalization; forces which this paper found over time may be a competitor to a weak UN (and the EU) and therefore attract the Diaspora who also may find themselves to be better received there.
127

Assessment of Drinking Water Quality Management and a Treatment Feasibility Study for Brick by Brick Water Storage Tanks in Rakai Uganda

Murduca, James V. 23 March 2018 (has links)
Reliable access to safe drinking water is one necessity for humans to live without concern for major health risks. The overall goal of this research is to improve the public health, through improved drinking water, for communities in the Rakai District in Uganda, directly, and other communities in the world, indirectly, via dissemination of knowledge. This study specifically assessed the knowledge of drinking water quality in regards to public health, their sanitation measures, and water treatment methods for users of Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks in the Rakai District (N = 28) by using a knowledge, attitudes, and practice survey and a sanitary inspection; tested the water quality of the Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks (N = 33) in the Rakai District for physical, chemical, and microbial parameters; and piloted a sustainable treatment technology called the chulli system that uses excess heat from a cookstove to treat water. Twenty of the participants identified contaminated water as a cause of diarrheal disease (N = 28). Participants perceived boiling (1), chlorine (2), and filtering (3) as the best three methods of treating water. The average score for the sanitary inspection was 2.27±2.31, which falls between the low and medium expected risk score categories. Fourteen of the thirty-three samples showed detectable levels of colony forming units for coliforms, and two of the thirty-three samples showed detectable levels of colony forming units for E. coli. A demonstration chulli system was constructed for St. Andrew’s Primary School in Rakai District and operated successfully. The research supports that the chulli system along with proper sanitation measures identified in the sanitary inspections can be a sustainable option for users of Brick by Brick rainwater harvesting tanks in the Rakai District.
128

Global Partnerships for Sustainable Development - a case study of the Global Deal for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth

Palling Huusko, Susanna January 2018 (has links)
This thesis discusses global partnerships for sustainable development. Global partnerships have come to be considered as key tools for the implementation of certain international sustainable development goals and there is a growing literature on the subject. Nevertheless, no study has yet been done of the Global Deal Partnership for Decent Work and Inclusive Growth, initiated by the Government of Sweden in 2016. The partnership is presented as a concrete input to several of the Sustainable Development Goals, especially numbers 8, 10, and 17. This provides an important opportunity to make sense of the Global Deal partnership, in particular since it is the first attempt of its kind to unite all stakeholders on the global labour market to work together to provide decent work and inclusive growth for all. What are the goals of the Global Deal, how was it formed, and how is it being implemented? The analysis presented in this thesis is based on a literature survey, documentary analysis, and interviews with the Global Deal Partnership’s support unit at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. This thesis argues that the Global Deal partnership is a textbook example of a global multi-stakeholder partnership, developed through an inclusive goal-setting process, and implemented with monitoring and reporting functions.
129

Preserving the Colonial Other : A postcolonial discourse analysis of the Millennium and Sustainable Development Goals

Gärde, Rafaella January 2016 (has links)
No description available.
130

Pathogen Removal in Natural Wastewater Treatment and Resource Recovery Systems: Solutions for Small Cities in an Urbanizing World

Verbyla, Matthew Eric 17 November 2015 (has links)
Sanitation, renewable energy, and food security are among the most pressing global development needs of the century, especially for small cities with rapid population growth. Currently, 53% of the world’s population either lacks access to improved sanitation or discharges fecal waste to the environment without treatment. Furthermore, 80% of food consumed in developing regions is produced by 500 million small farms, and while many of them are still rain-fed, irrigated agriculture is increasing. The post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals, recently adopted by the United Nations, include targets to address the water-energy-food nexus. Wastewater reuse in agriculture can be an important solution for these goals, if it is done safely. Globally, 18 – 20 million hectares of agricultural land are irrigated with wastewater, but much is untreated, unregulated, or unsanctioned, causing concerns and uncertainty about health risks. There is a need to better understand pathogen removal in natural and non-mechanized wastewater treatment systems, such as waste stabilization ponds (WSPs) and upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) reactors, which are commonly used in small cities and towns. Riverbank filtration (RBF) is also a natural technique used by farmers in developing countries to treat surface water polluted with untreated sewage, but pathogen removal in these systems has seldom been assessed in developing countries. The focus of this dissertation is on pathogen removal in natural and non-mechanized wastewater treatment and reuse systems, to evaluate the health implications of water reuse for irrigation, with the following three objectives: 1) assess the current understanding of virus removal in WSP systems through a systematic review of the literature; 2) measure the removal of viruses and their association with particles in systems with WSPs, UASB reactors, or both; and 3) assess the fate and transport of pathogens and fecal indicators in wastewater treatment systems with direct and indirect reuse for irrigation to estimate microbial risks. To advance the understanding of virus removal in WSP systems, a comprehensive analysis of virus removal reported in the literature from 71 different WSP systems revealed only a weak to moderate correlation of virus removal with theoretical hydraulic retention time (HRT). For each log10 reduction of viruses a geometric mean of 14.5 days of retention was required, but the 95th percentile of the data analyzed was 54 days. Also, whereas virus-particle association and subsequent sedimentation has been assumed to be an important removal mechanism for viruses in WSPs, the literature review revealed a lack of evidence to confirm the validity of this assumption. The association of human adenovirus (AdV) with wastewater particles was assessed in five full-scale wastewater treatment systems in Bolivia, Brazil, and the United States (two with only WSPs, two with a UASB reactor and WSPs, and one with only UASB reactors). A mesocosm study was also conducted with WSP water from one of the full-scale systems, and some samples were also analyzed for pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), F+ coliphage, culturable enterovirus (EV), norovirus (NoV), and rotavirus (RV). Results indicate that WSPs and UASB reactors affect virus-particle associations in different ways, which may differ for different viruses. In UASB reactor effluent, PMMoV was more associated with particles <180 >µm, showed no indication of settling in subsequent ponds, and appeared to degrade in pond sediments after 5 days. In contrast, AdV in UASB reactor effluent was associated with small and large particles, and in subsequent ponds, particle-associated AdV showed evidence of possible settling or more rapid decay at the water surface. AdV and culturable EV were also more volumetrically-concentrated in UASB reactor sludge than they were in untreated sewage, WSP water, UASB effluent, and WSP sediments, indicating that the reactors may cause these viruses to become entrapped and concentrated in granular sludge. Some viruses may be removed in the sludge, but others exit the reactors in solution and attached to particles. The resuspension of pellets from centrifuged UASB reactor sludge samples in an eluant buffer indicated reversible AdV association with granular sludge, but some associations with particles in solution may not be reversible. The fate and transport of pathogens and fecal indicators was assessed in Bolivia for two WSP systems with direct reuse for irrigation, and one on-farm RBF system used to treat surface water polluted by untreated sewage. In the WSP systems, despite HRTs of 10 days, pathogen and fecal indicator removal was generally ≤1-log10, possibly due to overloading and short-circuiting from sludge accumulation. The RBF system provided removals on the order of 2-log10 for protozoan parasites, 3-log10 or more for viruses, and 4-log10 or more for bacteria. The use of RBF also reduced cumulative estimated health burdens associated with irrigated lettuce. Irrigation of lettuce with untreated river water caused an estimated disease burden that represents 37% of the existing burden from acute diarrhea in Bolivia; when RBF was used, this decreased to only 1.1%, which is not epidemiologically-significant, and complies with the World Health Organization guidelines. Ratios of concentrations of microorganisms in irrigation water to their respective concentrations in soil or crops were calculated, to assess transfer from irrigation water to soil or crops. These ratios (with units mL g-1) were generally < 0.1 mL g-1 for coliphage, between 1 and 100 mL g-1 for Giardia and Cryptosporidium, and generally between 100 and 1,000 mL g-1 for helminth eggs. Higher ratios could indicate more efficient transfer from water to soil or crops, longer persistence in soil or on crops, or slower leaching away from soil or crops. The results from this research demonstrate that pathogen removal in full-scale natural wastewater treatment systems happens via complex mechanisms that vary with respect to pathogen type, treatment systems configuration, and other environmental and operational parameters. Future research and innovation efforts should focus on the use of a combination of natural and non-mechanized technologies, surface-flow systems (e.g., WSPs) and subsurface systems (e.g., RBF), applied at both semi-centralized (e.g., wastewater treatment plant) and decentralized levels (e.g., on farms), to evaluate how this affects the efficiency and resiliency of pathogen removal. Also, future research is needed to further elucidate reasons for the observed differences in virus-particle associations in natural wastewater treatment systems.

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