The NCCR North-South Programme was implemented by the Centre for Development and Environment in concert with 8 institutions from Swiss Universities and is in its second phase from July 2005 to June 2009. The core focus of the second phase was 'Research partnerships for mitigating syndromes of global change' through
1. Research aimed at mitigating the negative effects of global change and enhancing the potential for sustainable development
2. Training and support for individuals as well as institutional competence development, and
3. Partnership actions for societal empowerment, adaptation, and innovation.
The NCCR North-South Programme activities in the so-called Joint Areas of Case Studies (JACS) East Africa covered Kenya and Tanzania. CETRAD hosted the NCCR North-South activities in JACS East Africa. As the Regional Coordination Office, CETRAD's main functions and work outputs included but were not limited to general administration and coordination, a platform for academic and applied research, and coordination of Partnership Actions to Mitigate Syndrome of global change (PAMS) implementation.