Talking Points. News Quarterly for GEF Focal Points. 1) Highlight Your GEF Projects At WSSD!!

Transcription

1 Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Public Disclosure Authorized Talking Points News Quarterly for GEF Focal Points In this issue: 1) Highlight Your GEF Projects At WSSD!! 2) GEF website survey 3) Events in the coming months 4) Self-Assessment of Country Capacity Needs 5) National Adaptation Programs of Action (NAPA) 5) Update on POPs 6) Civil Society and Public Participation in the GEF 7) The Second Overall Performance Study of the GEF 8) Country Dialogue Workshops: Program Update Annex A: Focal Point Contact Information Annex B: GEF web site Survey ============================================= 1) Highlight Your GEF Projects At WSSD!! Volume 1, No.3 January May 2002 The GEF is organizing several exhibits, billboards, and side events at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa this coming August and September. We urge our GEF Focal Points to include material on their GEF projects in any display or presentation they are planning for WSSD. ============================================== 2) GEF Website Survey How do you think the Global Environment Facility s website, can be improved? What kind of information would you like to see on the website? How can the GEF website make it easier to do your job as a focal point? If you have an opinion on these questions, then the GEF Secretariat wants to hear from you. Its staff is planning to make the website more user-friendly and useful. Your input will be a key part of this process as the Secretariat sets its priorities for an upcoming website re-launch. GEF Writer/Communications Associate Sheila Walsh will be managing the effort. Please fill out the attached survey by June 5 and return it by , fax, or regular mail. The survey has been kept short and should only take a few minutes of your time. We hope it will be the beginning of a fruitful, ongoing dialogue. ================================================ 37616

2 3) Upcoming GEF Meetings and Events Meeting on the Third Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund May 13-14, 2002 Due to the postponement of this meeting, the fourth meeting on the GEF Replenishment negotiations will take place in Washington D.C., preceding the Council Meeting, May Documents and logistics are available on the GEF website (click on Replenishment). 19 th GEF Council Meeting May 15-17, 2002 The first Council meeting of 2002 will take place in Washington D.C., May 15-17, Items on the agenda include issues such as the arrangements for the Establishment of the Climate Change Funds, Preliminary Action Plan with regard to the recommendations of the Second Overall Performance Study (see also Point 7 of this Issue), the GEF Business Plan and Preparations of the Second GEF Assembly. Agenda and documents are available on the website. (Click on documents, then Council.) GEF Ministerial Roundtable on Financing Environment and Sustainable Development, Bali, Indonesia June 4, 2002 The first Ministerial Roundtable on Financing Environment and Sustainable Development was held in the margins of the International Conference on Financing for Development, March 17, Monterrey. The second session will take place in the margins of the fourth session of the WSSD Prepcom on June 4, Bali, Indonesia. The Summary of the Co-Chairs of the first session is on the GEF website (Click on what s new? and go to March 29, 2002.) GEF African Meeting of National Focal Points, Dakar, Africa June 24-25, 2002 Preparations for this regional meeting to be held in Dakar are well under way. The objective of this meeting is to exchange information between the focal points on national coordination related to project preparations and implementation, national coordination with convention focal points and national coordination concerning Council matters. The focal points have been requested to submit papers for the meeting and to date more than 20 papers have been received. Council Members have been invited to organize the coordination of meetings for their constituencies. Second GEF Assembly, Beijing, China October 16-18, 2002 The second GEF Assembly will be held in Beijing, China, October 16-18, The Assembly is to consist of Representatives of all participating countries in the GEF. The purpose of the Assembly is to review the general policies of the GEF as well as review and evaluate the operation of the Facility on the basis of reports submitted by the Council. The Assembly will also review the membership of the Facility and will consider, for approval by consensus, amendments to the present Instrument on the basis of recommendations by the Council. Further information regarding the second Assembly can be found in document GEF/C.19/13 Second GEF Assembly located on the GEF website (Click on Participants then Council). ==================================================

3 4) GEF and Self Assessment of Capacity Needs for Global Environmental Management In May, 2001, the Council approved funding for countries to undertake a self assessment of capacity building needs to address global environmental issues. To assist countries in assessing GEF resources for such a self assessment Operational Guidelines had been prepared. These guidelines should be followed by countries when preparing proposals for assistance. Still such self assessment of capacity needs is not a simple task to undertake. Therefore the guidelines have been supplement by a Guide for Self- Assessment of Country Capacity Needs for Global Environmental Management. This guide has been prepared by UNITAR in consultation with the GEF Secretariat and Implementing Agencies, FAO, UNIDO as well as the Secretariats of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention to Combat Desertification, and the Convention on Climate Change. Consultations were also carried out with representatives of Governments and NGOs. The Guidelines for Expedited Funding of the National Self Assessments and the Guide are available on click on documents and then on enabling activities. Under the guidelines, funds up to $200,000 per country can be obtained to prepare self assessments. LDCs and SIDS are also entitled to PDF A assistance to prepare proposals for GEF funding. By the end of April, more than 15 proposals have been received by the GEF Secretariat, including proposals for PDF A assistance. The Guide National Capacity Self -Assessments for Global Environmental Management (NCSA) is intended to be entirely country driven processes, undertaken in accordance with country priorities and situations. No single methodology can be devised that can cover the entire spectrum of situations across countries. This guide has been developed on the basis of national and international experiences in assessing capacity building needs in different sectors, for use by countries at their own discretion. It is not the purpose to be prescriptive in any sense, either for preparing projects for GEF assistance, or for implementing those projects. The assessment methodologies and exercises presented in the document are purely illustrative and should be adopted, as appropriate, to meet national needs and circumstances. Most importantly, countries are encouraged to use any approach that they feel will enable them to accomplish the goals and objectives for undertaking their NCSA. Some countries may find that the suggested process and activities are ambitious and potentially resource intensive. This concern may be particularly valid for countries that have not yet undertaken major activities to protect the global environment. In practice, however, many countries have already prepared thematic profiles and assessments that can provide a valuable starting point for and input to the NCSA. In those countries, the focus of the NCSA might therefore be on taking stock of existing reports and to develop a coherent and integrated national framework for global environmental management. Countries that are at an early stage of strengthening their global environmental management scheme, however, might want to place some emphasis on developing sound baseline information and setting priorities through the preparation of thematic profiles and assessments. Each country has, of course, the right to consider and decide on these types of issues in accordance with its own preferences and priorities. It is hoped that this guide can play a constructive role in this process. It is important to underline that this guide is seen as a work in progress and that lessons emerging from national experiences in undertaking the self assessments should be incorporated in this guide. Comments of all interested stakeholders for further revision of this document are therefore very welcome. =================================================

4 5) National Adaptation Programs of Action by Least Developed Countries (NAPA) In November 2001, the Conference of Parties of the Climate Change Convention decided that the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) should be assisted in preparing national adaptation programs of action (NAPAs) to address urgent and immediate needs and concerns related to adaptation to the adverse effects of climate change. The GEF, as the entity operating the financial mechanism of the Climate Convention was requested to provide funding for preparing NAPAs, as the first activity under the LDC Fund which was established by decision of the Parties of the Climate Convention. The GEF Council responded to this decision by authorizing GEF support to LDCs for the preparation of NAPAs with anticipated funds from contributions towards the LDC fund. Operational guidelines for the funding of NAPAs have been prepared to assist LDCs to prepare proposals for obtaining GEF funds through an expedited process. These operational guidelines were developed in consultation with LDCs and other experts, the IAs and the FCCC Secretariat. and have been made available on the web site click on documents and then on enabling activities. ================================================ 6) Update on POPs Over fifty countries have so far requested and received funding for "Enabling Activities" related to the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants, adopted in May The GEF has been selected by the negotiators as the interim Financial Mechanism for this new global environmental convention. All countries signatories to the convention are eligible for GEF funding for enabling activities. It has to be noted however that the period for signature of the convention at the UN Headquarters in New York will expire on May 22nd, After that date, GEF eligibility for nonsignatory countries will require accession to the convention. A list of the countries which have received GEF assistance in the form of "enabling activities", including the preparation of the National Implementation Plan (NIP) and the establishment of the country's POPs Focal Point, together with the relevant documentation, can be found at: The GEF guidelines for the preparation of NIPs, and the formats for requesting GEF assistance can be found at: /Documents/C.17.4.pdf. ================================================ 7) Civil Society and Public Participation in the GEF Since the pilot program in 1991, the Global Environment Facility has included civil society in all its activities. Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Indigenous Groups, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and local communities have been invited to share information, participate in projects and discuss the role of the GEF. Over a decade of interactions with civil society, the GEF has developed a Public Participation Policy, in cooperation with its Implementing Agencies. The GEF also engages in a dialogue with the GEF/NGO network, which regularly attends consultation and Council meetings twice a year. The GEF s Public Participation policy is now entering a new, more proactive phase.

5 In the last two decades civil society has played a significant role shaping international environmental regimes in concert with governments and other stakeholders. The Global Environment Facility from its inception included a multi-stakeholder dialogue process. As a consequence, NGOs and other civil society representatives have from the start been key players in all GEF activities. The existing GEF Public Participation Policy focuses on public involvement in GEF-funded projects and is based on the recognition that effective public involvement is critical to the success of GEF-financed projects. Public involvement includes information dissemination, consultation, and stakeholder participation. More specifically, information dissemination requires the availability and distribution of timely and relevant information on GEF-financed projects; consultation implies information exchanges among the government, the Implementing Agency and other stakeholders, including NGOs; and stakeholder participation includes identification of project concepts and objectives, selection of sites, design and implementation of activities, monitoring and evaluation of projects. The collaboration and involvement of GEF focal points and their active participation in this multistakeholder dialogue are key factors in the success of the GEF public involvement policy. It is widely understood that local communities, NGOs and groups of people who might be affected by GEF-financed projects, especially the most vulnerable communities, need to be consulted in order to avoid negative social and environmental impacts. Experience also shows that in many cases consultation with local experts, national NGOs and local communities has significantly improved the quality of projects, because of the knowledge and expertise that these groups bring. Their influence is beneficial at all stages of the project cycle, from the initial concept stage to implementation and subsequent evaluation. Governments are major players for information dissemination, consultation and stakeholder participation. For this reason the GEF Secretariat relies on focal points for help and support in implementing the public participation policy. The GEF is now working on an increasingly proactive approach to implement its Public Participation Strategy. The goal of the Strategy is to expand the role of civil society in all GEF activities and operations. The objective is to improve the GEF s overall performance through engagement of civil society representatives, especially NGOs and community based organizations (CBOs). An independent network of NGOs (and other civil society representatives, such as Indigenous Groups) is already involved in GEF-related activities and participates in consultations related to the Council meeting twice a year. In the context of the Public participation policy and strategy, the GEF/NGO network is invited to engage in evolving activities such as: Policy Dialogs with the GEF during Climate Change, Biodiversity, and POPs Convention meetings Projects (in consultation with the GEF focal points, the GEF Secretariat and the IAs) Networking and disseminating information among international, national and local NGOs Country Dialogue Workshops Evolution of GEF policies The main concerns that many NGOs raise with respect to the GEF are often related to the lack of information and knowledge about the GEF and, in some cases, their difficulty to access their governments. By implementing a joint Public Participation Strategy we try to overcome these issues and promote the GEF goals of global and local environmental protection and sustainable development.

6 The Country Dialogue Workshops provide ideal forums to engage in the multi-stakeholder dialogues essential for this strategy. The hosting government can demonstrate leadership by including all different stakeholders, from NGOs and local communities, to interested national business enterprises, in the discussion with the GEF Secretariat and the Implementing Agencies on how to better collaborate to protect the global and local environment through sustainable development, as well as to how better identify and discuss country priorities. Focal Points have a great deal to contribute to this process and to shaping the Public Participation Strategy. We invite you to propose your ideas with respect to public participation and the GEF, including what you suggest would be the most practical way to collaborate in this initiative. In closing, your feedback on good practices with NGOs and other stakeholders, in the context of GEF-related activities such as the CDW, council, conventions, or at the project level, will be very useful to continue our discussion and learn from our direct experience. ================================================ 8) The Second Overall Performance Study of the GEF Second Overall Performance Study completed. In its inaugural issue, Talking Points described some of the activities underway in support of the Second Overall Performance Study (OPS2) of the GEF. The independent team undertaking the study finalized its report on January 25, During the last year, the independent OPS2 team traveled to 11 countries for comprehensive visits that involved meetings with government officials, project stakeholders, and NGO representatives. These countries were Argentina, Brazil, South Africa, Uganda, Jordan, Nepal, China, Samoa, Jamaica, Romania, and Senegal. The latter three countries, along with Mexico, Kenya, and Thailand, also hosted regional consultations with GEF Operational Focal Points and GEF-accredited NGOs. OPS2 team members, assisted by 14 national consultants/experts recruited to join the country visits, reviewed individual projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Lebanon, Bulgaria, and Hungary. You may access the full text of the Report on The report is being translated into Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian and Spanish. The translated versions will be available beginning June The report will be presented to the GEF Assembly scheduled to be held in Beijing during October It will also be submitted to the Conferences of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. You may contact M&E Program Assistant Elizabeth George at Ebgeorge@worldbank.org for more details. ================================================ 9) Country Dialogue Workshop: Program Update From April 2000 through May 2002, 33 GEF Country Dialogue Workshops were conducted. A total of 58 countries participated in 29 national and 4 sub-regional CDWs during the period (exceeding 3,000 participants in total). On average, a Workshop is being conducted every 3 weeks since the Program began scheduling the CDWs. As of May 2002, 99 countries have offered to host workshops under the Program. These offers are evaluated by the CDW steering committee using criteria that may include: convention ratification, no

7 previous GEF awareness workshops, cost effectiveness, lack of strong GEF portfolio/pipeline, significance of concerns in one or more focal areas, submission of biological diversity national reports or climate change national communications, and regional balance. The following 33 workshops (for 56 countries) as agreed by Governments to take place have been successfully conducted: GEF Country Dialogue Workshops - Conducted between April 2000 March 2002 Country/Region Dates Location South Africa 4-7 April Johannesburg Vietnam April Hanoi Uzbekistan 5-8 June Tashkent Egypt June Cairo Nigeria July Abuja Algeria July Algiers Caribbean sub-reg l August Roseau, Dominica Philippines August Manila Malawi 3-6 October Lilongwe Tanzania 6-9 November Dar es Salaam Sri Lanka 7-10 November Colombo Caribbean sub-reg l December Port of Spain Trinidad Cuba December Havana Azerbaijan 30 Jan 2 Feb Baku Tunisia February Tunis Bolivia 6-9 March La Paz Cambodia March Phnom Penh Pakistan May Niger Niger May Islamabad Russia 7-9 June Moscow Ukraine June Kiev Iran June Tehran Comoros, Mauritius, Seychelles July Port Louis Pacific Islands SIDS September Apia, Samoa Kazakhstan 30 Oct.-2 Nov. Astana Uganda December Kampala Lebanon 8-10 January Beirut Mozambique 6-8 February Maputo 1 All member states of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States + Barbados participated in this sub-regional workshop hosted by Dominica. 2 Bahamas, Guyana, Jamaica, Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago participated in this sub-regional workshop hosted by Trinidad and Tobago. 3 Samoa, Cook Islands, Niue Fiji, Palau, Kiribati, Micronesia, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea

8 Burkina Faso February Ouagadougou Nepal 5-8 March Katmandu Bhutan March Paro Bangladesh April Dhaka Bulgaria April Sofia Participants for all workshops represented a wide range of stakeholders, including government representatives, non-governmental organizations, academic institutions, scientific communities, donor organizations, the private sector, and the media, as well as resource persons from the GEF Secretariat and its Implementing and Executing Agencies. The results of workshop evaluations prepared by participants are encouraging and indicate that the multi-stakeholder participants felt the CDWs met or exceeded the Program objectives as outlined above. GEF Country Dialogue Workshops - Scheduled for period of April-December 2002 Country/Region Date Location Ecuador May Quito Syria June Damascus Mongolia September Ulaanbataar Guinea June Conakry Albania 9-12 July Tirana Chile July Santiago Indonesia 1-3 October Jakarta Venezuela October Caracas Romania September Bucharest Madagascar November Antananarivo Argentina November Buenos Aires Ethiopia December Addis Ababa Facilitation and Reference Materials Prepared for the Country Dialogue Workshops Each workshop is being hosted by the country and organized by the GEF operational focal point making use of Workshop Facilitation Materials, guidance documents and a variety of helpful reference materials, as well as methodologies designed to foster multi-stakeholder dialogue, prepared especially for the GEF CDW Program. The Workshop Facilitation Materials have been developed for the following CDW sessions: GEF Awareness Briefing Country Level Dialogue Project Development Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP) Role of the Private Sector Small Grants Program (SGP) Presentation and reference materials for each of these sessions have been prepared in Arabic, English, French, Russian and Spanish, and are currently being translated into other languages. CDW Website The Workshop Facilitation Materials, and all resource and guidance materials can be obtained from the CDW website: Additional information such as Program

9 overview, dates for upcoming workshops, workshop reports prepared by the GEF operational focal points, and a photo gallery are also available through this website. The CDW website is being continuously updated with new information and materials. * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * GEF Contact Information Talking Points News Quarterly Ms. Julie Waller Corporate Affairs Program Assistant jwaller@worldbank.org Focal Points Liaison Mr. Ton Boon von Ochssee Country Relations Manager tboonvonochssee@worldbank.org NGO-Network Liaison Ms. Boni Biagini GEF NGO coordinator bbiagini@worldbank.org GEF Website Survey Ms. Sheila Walsh GEF Writer/Communications Associate Swalsh1@worldbank.org The mailing address for the GEF secretariat is The Global Environment Facility 1818 H Street, NW Washington, D.C., USA The GEF website address is The general secretariat phone number is Faxes may be sent to /3245.

10 Frank Pinto Executive Coordinator UNDP-GEF 304 East 45 th Street 10 th Floor New York, NY USA Ahmed Djoglaf Executive Coordinator UNEP-GEF Nairobi, KENYA Lars Vidaeus Executive Coordinator Global Coordination Unit World Bank Implementing Agency GEF Unit Contacts

11 ANNEX A FOCAL POINT CONTACT INFORMATION Please complete this form and forward it, together with your letter of notification, to Mr. Ton Boon von Ochssee, Country Relations Manager, GEF Secretariat, MSN G6-602, 1818 H Street, Washington D.C., Fax: /5. CURRENT FOCAL POINT NEW FOCAL POINT Name & Title: Name & Title : Mailing Address: Mailing Address: Tel No: Tel No: Fax No: Fax No: Please circle: Please circle: Political Focal Point YES/NO Political Focal Point YES/NO Operational Focal Point YES/NO Operational Focal Point YES/NO Further Information:

12 ANNEX B GEF WEB SITE SURVEY Please help us improve our Web site, by answering these questions. 1. Your Name, Title, Country 2. Your Primary Language(s): 3. Do you use the GEF Secretariat Web site, (Yes or No) 4. If you do not use the GEF Secretariat Web site, why not? 5. If you use what do you use it for? Council Documents Project Information List of Focal Points Operational Policies Working Papers Monitoring and Evaluation Documents Rules of Procedure for the GEF Assembly Other: (please specify) 6. What kind of information do you think should be added to the GEF Web site? Please list items in order of importance.

13 7. Any other suggestions for improving 8. Would you be interested in providing additional feedback at a future date? If so, please provide your name, mailing address, and address. Thank you for your feedback! Please return the survey by , fax, or regular mail to: Sheila Walsh swalsh1@worldbank.org fax: GEF Secretariat 1818 H St., NW Room G6-152 Washington DC 20433