NATIONAL CAPACITY NEEDS SELF-ASSESSMENT FOR GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Government Building #3,
Republic Square,
Yerevan, Armenia
Tel: (3741) 583 920
Fax: (3741) 583 932
ncsa@nature.am

I. CONTEXT

Sustainable Development Context
A National Council for Sustainable Development was established by the decree of the Government of Armenia on 25 July, 2002, responsible for development and implementing of the National Strategy on Sustainable Development.
The Government has prepared a National Assessment Report, including main principles and approaches of the national strategy concept in this area. The report was introduced on WSSD in Johannesburg (August 26- September 4, 2002).

Global Environment Context
Armenia has ratified a number of international environmental agreements including biodiversity, climate change and desertification.

II OBJECTIVES AND LINKAGES TO ONGOING ACTIVITIES:

The objective of the NCSA project is to determine the priority needs, and a plan of action, for developing Armenia’s capacity to meet its commitments to global environmental management. The project will focus on capacity related issues that are common across the conventions, including needs associated with strengthening institutional mechanisms, environmental assessment, monitoring and research, improving the dialogue, information exchange and cooperation amongst all stakeholders. Finally the project will develop a national NCSA Action Plan that will describe how Armenia will address the priorities identified in the capacity assessment.
To ensure that the proposed project is fully responsive to the national situation and priorities, activities should be in close co-ordination Project Steering Committee, which will co-ordinate the inputs from different national and international institutions involved in these processes.

III PROJECT ACTIVITIES:

In order to successfully implement project activities, ensure sustainability of results and encourage wide participation, the project will first establish a Project Steering Committee (PSC). This will provide the high level support required for the project by having representatives from the NCSD. The PSC will then establish a project team and coordination mechanisms essential to guide the project. Next it will engage all relevant stakeholders at country level in seven work teams to assure broad ownership of the project outputs. Next, a specific methodology for doing the assessment will be developed by all the work teams. Based on these assessments, objectives and priorities for capacity development will be identified. A synthesis report, with a strong focus on cross convention issues will be used as a basis to prepare an NCSA Action Plan. After presentation to all stakeholders for review, it will be submitted to the PSC for approval.
The project activities will be implemented fully in line with the approach and principles set out by the GEF for National Capacity Self-Assessments ( “Operational Guidelines For Expedited Funding Of National Self Assessments Of Capacity Building Needs”, GEF, 2001). In addition, where appropriate, the project may utilize the tools and methodologies developed by UNITAR for capacity self-assessments (“A Guide for Self-Assessment of Country Capacity Needs for Global Environment Management”, UNITAR, September, 2001). In support of capacity development the project’s tasks will be performed whenever possible by those responsible for actions related to global environmental management, supported by experts from existing specialized national/regional institutions and in a fully open, consultative and participatory fashion.

Establish high level involvement and support

Initiate Project Coordination Mechanisms
Project management will be based at the MoNP. The Project Steering Committee will be responsible for ensuring Project Coordination Mechanisms are in place and that results are achieved.

• Develop a work plan and prepare TOR for all inputs, participants and activities;
• Prepare publications to be disseminated on the NCSA process;
• Investigate and share information with related initiatives;
• Identify and consult with key stakeholders including members of relevant national Commissions, and representatives of donor institutions, regional and local authorities, the private sector, NGOs and civil society organizations;
• Share information on the NCSAs with countries across the RBEC region in order to benefit from their experience and update them on the implementation of the Armenian NCSA process.

Summarizing existing Thematic Assessments
A work team will be established including the national convention focal points. They will conduct a review of all existing information and relevant studies done in the respective thematic areas. It will involve consultations with key stakeholders to engage their support for proposed activities and to ensure broad ownership of the process.
A brief summary report will be prepared discussing the capacity situation related to the three concerned global Conventions and how it relates to national environmental management.

 National Launch and Consultation
A launch briefing will be held with multi-stakeholder involvement, to introduce the project objectives and to get guidance and feedback from the participants.

Formulating and undertaking cross-cutting assessments
Since the Enabling Activities in biodiversity and climate change and the national action plan to combat desertification have already undertaken capacity assessments and identified capacity needs and priorities within thematic areas (see activity 3), the aim of the NCSA is to directly address the “cross-cutting” and “synergistic” opportunities afforded by examining capacity needs for global environmental management in a holistic and integrated manner.
During the consultative process to prepare this proposal an analysis of the thematic assessments was conducted that identified 7 specific cross-cutting areas where capacity needs across all three conventions are similar and where further in-depth analysis is required. Although 7 cross-cutting areas are identified, it is recognized that the consultations and gap analysis associated with the national launch might identify further issues to be addressed, so it is possible that some of these might change.
Working teams will be established, consisting from 4 to 6 participants representing various Ministries, NGOs and academia. They will be coordinated by a Team Leader national consultant who will be responsible for reporting to the Project Coordinator and ensuring the implementation of their respective project component. The cross-cutting assessment work teams will cover:

1. Environmental policy and Legal Frameworks, including Regulation and Enforcement;
2. Institutional Management, including national-regional-local linkages;
3. Monitoring and access to information;
4. Financial Instruments and mechanisms;
5. Inter-sectoral, integrated and coherent planning of Natural Resource Use;
6. Public Awareness and Environmental Education;
7. Scientific Information, Applicable Research and Available Technologies.

An international expert on capacity development and process methodology will be recruited to support and facilitate the seven cross-cutting work teams and to provide technical advice to the team leaders at the initial stage of the cross-cutting assessment. Although different tools and approaches may be used by each work team, the methodology of conducting self-assessments should be the same based on the “A Guide for Self-Assessment of Country Capacity Needs for Global Environment Management”, UNITAR, September 2001 and the structure of the output of each team should be similar.

Activities will be as follows:

• Identification of key stakeholders.
• Selection of local consultants to lead working groups.
• Establishment of working groups.
• Launching workshops for each of the cross-cutting work teams to develop assessment methodology most suitable for Armenia, finalize TOR for work team, prepare a work plan for the work team and decide how results will be presented. The methodology expert will facilitate these workshops. As the process provides an opportunity to enhance public awareness on global environmental issues, it is envisaged that the assessment will involve consultations, seminars, workshops, surveys and questionnaires, all involving the active participation of stakeholders at the national, regional and local level.
• Cross-cutting Assessment Studies, which include a stocktake of the existing situation.
• Review workshop for the work team to discuss study.
• Presentation of the cross-cutting assessment studies to three regional clusters to obtain their inputs.Finalisation of cross-cutting assessment studies. The work teams will analyse the nature, contributing factors and linkages. The link between each specific capacity constraint and degradation of the global environment should be illustrated. The links and synergies across Conventions and with other national processes should be described. Constraints should be categorised as being at either the systemic, institutional or individual level. A path towards removing capacity constraints should be determined.

Preparation of an Integrated Report
The NPC will produce an integrated report, which synthesizes findings and recommendations from the seven cross-cutting work teams and thematic analysis. The draft integrated report will be circulated to stakeholders for comment and reviewed in a national workshop.

Preparation of NCSA Action Plan for Capacity Development
Since the assessment report will be finalized the NCSA Action Plan for Capacity Development will be prepared by the National Project Coordinator. The action plan will elaborate required activities to address constraints and meet the capacity building needs identified. It will also indicate how each activity is related to an ongoing national process. It will also include a strategy for monitoring and evaluating capacity development, possibly through activities supported by the project at a later time. It will also cover financing options, particularly the use of existing resources in the most effective way possible.
The finalized assessment report and NCSA Action Plan for Capacity Development will be submitted to the Project Steering Committee for endorsement. A summary booklet on the NCSA process will be prepared. The NCSA Action Plan will be presented to the NCSD during its next meeting.

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