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VI. Focal Area News Biodiversity—Managing for Results The outcomes of the "Managing for Results" system in the biodiversity focal area were presented as part of the 2005 Portfolio Implementation Review. The system—which was developed by the GEF Secretariat and the Implementing Agencies—seeks to extract targeted project-level indicators and roll them up to the level of the biodiversity portfolio in order to present a consolidated picture of portfolio-level coverage and outcomes. The indicators at the portfolio level allow the continuous monitoring of progress towards achieving measurable coverage targets and outcomes for the biodiversity portfolio during the GEF-3 replenishment period. Furthermore, their application will continue in the GEF-4 period. The information generated by the system was collated for the first three fiscal years of GEF-3. The results show that the biodiversity focal area in GEF-3 has already exceeded most of the coverage targets. The project cohort will be tracked through the course of individual project implementation to assess achievement of portfolio-level outcomes. Here are some of the key results. For Strategic Priority One—Catalyzing Sustainability of Protected Area Systems—26 countries (GEF-3 target was 15) have received support to strengthen their protected area systems; 418 protected areas are currently being supported (GEF-3 target was 400); 13 percent of these protected areas are new additions (GEF-3 target was 20%); and 96 million hectares of protected areas are being supported (GEF-3 target was 70 million hectares). Africa received the majority of support during the first three years of GEF-3 when measured in terms of percent of the total coverage of hectares for Strategic Priority One (52 percent) and Two (38 percent) and in terms of the number of African protected areas that are receiving support under Strategic Priority One. Fourteen African countries, representing nearly one-third of the continent, have received support to strengthen their protected area systems. For Strategic Priority Two—Mainstreaming Biodiversity Conservation in Production Landscapes and Sectors—81 total projects in the targeted sectors are focusing on mainstreaming biodiversity into the sector (GEF-3 target was 5 per sector or 20 total). In addition, 36 million hectares (GEF-3 target was 20 million) in production landscapes and seascapes are being supported under Strategic Priority Two, and 30 countries (GEF-3 target was 5) are promoting conservation and sustainable use of wild species. Under Strategic Priority Three—Capacity Building in Biosafety—126 countries have participated in the project “Development of National Biosafety Frameworks” and 33 percent of them have completed draft frameworks and have started to implement them. Although frameworks have not been entirely completed in the remaining 84 countries, they are in the initial stages of implementation. For more information, please contact Mark Zimsky at the GEF Secretariat: MZimsky@thegef.org Climate Change Eleventh Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC Held in Montreal In December 2005, the Eleventh Conference of the Parties (COP) to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) took place in Montreal. This COP was the first climate conference held after the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. In this context, the COP and Meeting of Parties discussed future commitments for industrialized countries after the year 2012, or “first budget period.” In particular, the COP/MOP decided to initiate a process to consider further commitments by developed countries beyond 2012. The COP explored both mitigating and adapting to climate change. With respect to mitigation, the COP explored identifying actions to promote sustainable development and ways to promote access by developing countries to climate-friendly technologies. With respect to adaptation to climate change, the COP adopted decision 3/CP.11 “Further guidance for the operation of the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF)”. This decision provides guidance to the GEF for the implementing National Adaptation Programmes of Action (NAPAs) in LDCs. As a follow up, the GEF will prepare a programming paper on implementing the NAPAs under the LDCF, will cohost an LDC consultation meeting in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on April 4-6, 2006, and will organize a pledging meeting on April 28, 2006, in Copenhagen, Denmark. While agreement was adopted during previous COPs on adaptation (top priority) and technology transfer, little progress was made on the other items under the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF). The GEF/SCCF pipeline already includes a significant number of projects aimed at integrating adaptation measures into development projects. Regarding the Resource Allocation Framework (RAF), the COP requested the GEF to report to the COP about the initial application of the RAF to resources allocated in the fourth replenishment and how the RAF is likely to affect funding available to developing countries for the implementation of their commitments under the UNFCCC. During the COP the importance of capacity building for developing countries was reiterated. The Subsidiary Body for Implementation requested the UNFCCC Secretariat to report to each COP on capacity-building activities, disseminate information on best practices and lessons learned, and report on the GEF’s progress on developing capacity-building indicators. For more information, please contact Boni Biagini at the GEF Secretariat: BBiagini@thegef.org. Land Degradation Meeting for Desertification Convention Held in Nairobi The Seventh Conference of the Parties (COP-7) of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD), took place from October 17-28, 2005 in Nairobi, Kenya. COP-7 focused on strengthening the implementation of the CCD in Africa. More than 400 participants discussed various issues related to enhancing the technical and financial support to the implementation of the Convention through National and Regional Action Programs. In this context, several speakers called for a robust replenishment of the GEF, especially for the GEF’s land degradation focal area. Len Good, CEO and Chairman of the GEF gave a keynote speech in which he confirmed GEF's strong support for sustainable land management as a promising approach to combat land degradation, especially desertification. For more information please contact Andrea Kutter at AKutter@thegef.org. GEF Participates in the International Year on Deserts and Desertification The GEF considers the International Year of Deserts and Desertification (IYDD) to be an important opportunity to raise awareness of environmental issues of global importance, such as land degradation and desertification. The GEF Council approved the following activities for GEF participation.
For more information, please consult the GEF website: www.thegef.org International Waters IW:LEARN Unveils New Website and Web Toolkit The newly redesigned GEF IW:LEARN website, available at: www.iwlearn.net, now provides the international waters community with a wealth of information resources. Through the website, users can access international waters-related news, project documents, knowledge generated from GEF projects, contact information, and events worldwide. Materials include guidance and models for Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis and Strategic Action Program documents, as well as announcements of upcoming training events. For more information, please contact Alfred Duda at the GEF Secretariat: aduda@thegef.org. |
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