Roles of GEF National Focal Points

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• Roles of GEF National Focal Points
• Experiences in GEF Coordination and Integration

Sub-regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points in
Europe CIS Belgrade, 1-2 April 2008
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Overview

• GEF Focal Points and their key roles
• Experiences with national coordination mechanisms
• Experiences in integration of GEF into national
  development policies and plans

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Sources for this Presentation

• Presentations by GEF Focal Points on country
  experiences in GEF Coordination and Integration
  during 8 Sub-Regional Workshops (2007)
• Case studies documented for CSP by national GEF
  Focal Points on GEF coordination (2007)
• GEF National Dialogue Initiative and CSP study
  GEF National Coordination - Lessons Learned
  (2005)
• Country presentations at Third GEF Assembly
  National Dialogue side-event on GEF coordination
  (2006)

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Key Roles of GEF Focal Points

• National coordination
• Sectoral coordination (inter-ministerial and
  inter-agency), including with convention focal
  points
• Outreach to other national stakeholders (civil
  society organizations, academic/scientific
  institutions, private sector)
• Liaison with GEF Agencies
• Linkages with other international cooperation
  agencies
• Regional coordination
• Participation in GEF constituency meetings and
  activities (CSP,other)
• Engagement with regional cooperation frameworks
• Involvement in regional projects and initiatives
• Global coordination
• Liaison with GEF Secretariat
• Constituency representation on GEF Council (on a
  rotating basis)

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Across range of sector activities / environmental
issues
From policy makers to local groups
FPs help influence policy by upscaling lessons
FPs facilitate coordination with sectoral
agencies on integrating global environment into
development plans
FPs help inform, mobilize and Engage wide range
of stakeholders
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Experiences with National GEF Coordination
Mechanisms

• Support Focal Points coordination roles
• Different models and compositions
• National GEF Committee most common
• May include Government, civil society, private
  sector, IAs/EAs, other donors
• Provide sectoral expertise
• Provide institutional continuity given FP changes

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Common Challenges Benefits ofcoordination
mechanisms

• Challenges
• Focal Point personnel changes hamper continuity
• Resource constraints
• Broad stakeholder participation proving difficult
  to achieve
• GEF procedures frustrate national stakeholders
• Benefits
• Facilitates endorsement of GEF project concepts
  by Focal Points
• Increases awareness and appreciation of GEF and
  its mandates and activities
• Encourages greater local, sectoral, and national
  involvement in GEF programs and projects
• Promotes participation in monitoring of GEF
  projects

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Elements of successful national GEF coordination
mechanisms

• Leadership by committed, informed, dynamic
  individuals
• Broad participation by national stakeholders,
  including civil society
• Effective links with convention focal points and
  activities
• Enable integration of GEF in national priorities
  strategies
• Informed about global environmental issues and
  up-to-date on GEF policies and procedures
• Clearly defined roles for Agencies (whether as
  regular members, observers, or resources persons)
• Monitoring role of national GEF projects and
  portfolio and application of lessons learned
• Capable of growth and evolution

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III. Experiences in Integration of GEF in
national development policies plans

• Benefits of integrating GEF
• Enables increased relevance of global environment
  issues within broader national environment and
  sustainable development frameworks
• ? Reveals commonalities and synergies involving
  national GEF portfolios and related government
  and donor activities and projects
• ? Improves flow of information among stakeholders
  and quality of decisions made on environment
  development matters
• ? Encourages and sustains involvement and
  commitment of national stakeholders on
  environmental issues

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Elements of success in integration of GEF

• Institutional leadership can enable
  inter-sectoral and regional coordination
• Overall strategies and visions can create an
  enabling environment for addressing environmental
  challenges in development planning
• Project objectives when clearly aligned with
  national development objectives can enable better
  linkages and integration
• Project results can contribute towards
  implementation of national policies, plans and
  programmes
• Integration of environmental management involves
  addressing aspects of policy change,
  institutional capacity, and individual
  competencies
• Integration across sector and regional levels
  involves coordinated planning and development of
  harmonized and shared goals among a range of
  actors
• Commitment can be increased by an understanding
  of the interdependence of environment and
  economic and social development

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Examples of Integration of GEF (1)

• China
• Effective linkages maintained between GEF
  projects and national development objectives
• Projects developed with clear objectives aligned
  with development and implementation of national
  programmes and actions
• Projects have promoted implementation of a number
  of national key plans and programmes
• Institutional placement of GEF activities under
  the Ministry of Finance has lead to strong
  inter-sectoral coordination, as well as
  provincial-level coordination

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Examples of Integration of GEF (2)

• Namibia
• GEF programme is closely linked to Namibias
  Vision 2030, which is based on the countrys
  5-year National Development Plans (NDPs)
• Recognition that attainment of the MDGs and
  Vision 2030 requires a paradigm shift to
  incorporate environment
• Recognition that environmental management needs
  to be integrated into all aspects of the policy
  environment, institutional setting and individual
  competencies

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Examples of Integration of GEF (3)

• Greater Mekong Sub-Region
• Countries of the region, in partnership with ADB,
  focused on integrating environmental
  sustainability considerations into development of
  the Greater Mekong sub-region.
• A landscape management approach applied where
  environmental concerns are embedded into
  development planning at the regional and sectoral
  levels (North-South Economic Corridor, tourism,
  transport, energy sectors).
• Emphasis on the fundamental premise that if we
  do not take care of our natural resources and
  biodiversity, the region cannot realize its
  economic potential.

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For more Information

• Visit the CSP Knowledge Facility
  www.gefcountrysupport.org
• National Coordination page
• http//www.gefcountrysupport.org/report_detail.cfm
  ?projectId139
• Mainstreaming Environment page
• http//www.gefcountrysupport.org/report_detail.cfm
  ?projectId175
• Links to country presentations developed by Focal
  Points on 2007 Sub-Regional Workshop pages
• http//www.gefcountrysupport.org/report_detail.cfm
  ?projectId162