Cross-cutting Capacity Development (CCCD)

The objective of the Cross-cutting Capacity Development (CCCD) projects is to address those important capacity needs that will enhance a country’s ability to meet its obligations under international conventions by creating synergies, while at the same time catalyzing the mainstreaming of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) into national policy, management or financial and legislative frameworks. To this end, Cross-cutting Capacity Development projects focus on the environmental governance system and mainstreaming global environmental issues into national development programs.

Cross-cutting Capacity Development projects will provide resources for reducing, if not eliminating, the institutional bottlenecks (e.g., barriers to data gathering) to the synergistic implementation of the Rio conventions. The expected outcomes of these projects are therefore to strengthen multi-sectoral processes that promote policy harmonization, realize cost-efficiency, and enhance operational effectiveness in Convention obligations.

As of mid-2012, 7 CCCD projects were completed and 13 projects - with total grant funding of US$ 5.7 million from the GEF Trust Fund and US$ 4.6 million in co-financing - are under implementation, while more than 20 new projects have been endorsed by countries and are under development.

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UNDP Philippines

Projects

Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Coordinating Multi-sectoral Environmental Policies & Programmes in Belize

The proposed Multi-Sectoral Programme in Belize will strengthen the government’s institutional capacities to coordinate the multitude of environmental policies to reduce the overlap of efforts and maximize efficiencies of existing governmental units.

Mainstreaming GE Aspects in the Planning and Monitoring processes of the NHDI in Morocco

This issue of direct and indirect poverty and environment nexus has been recognized by the government in the context of currently launched National Human Development Initiative that aims at addressing poverty issues by introducing effective decentralized system of governance and natural resource management. This process has been informed by NCSA that highlighted importance of capacity development for achievement of mutually reinforcing goals of NHDI and global environmental objectives as stemmed from the “Rio Conventions”.

National Capacity Self-Assessment, Bolivia

The goal of the National Capacity Self-Assessment is to enhance global environmental management by mainstreaming the provisions of the Rio Conventions into enhanced decentralized environmental management.

The project objective will be achieved through the following outcomes:

Developing Policy-Relevant Capacity for Implementation of the Global Environmental Conventions in Jordan

The project’s long-term goal is to develop the policy and legal frameworks in Jordan to strengthen compliance with Global Environmental conventions.

Integrating Global Environmental Issues into Bulgaria’s Regional Development Process

The project strategy is to promote a proactive integration of global environmental issues into the very process of regional and local development, as well as spatial planning, both of which are managed by the Ministry of Regional Development and Public Works. This would be achieved by developing the capacity of MRDPW and MOEW to integrate global environmental objectives into the regional and local development policies and practices, as well as into spatial planning documents.

Capacity-Building for Mainstreaming MEA Objectives into Inter-Ministerial Structures in Costa Rica

The main barriers towards an effective implementation in Costa Rica are twofold: poor policy coordination and inadequate mechanisms to learn and apply best practices. This UNDP-supported project therefore seeks to maximize synergies among the policies, rules and decision-making procedures governing the management of biodiversity, climate change and land degradation, among other environmental issues in Costa Rica.

Capacity Development for Implementing Rio Conventions in Samoa

Samoa ratified the three major Multilateral Environment Agreements (Conventions) in the early 1990s (UNCBD in1994, UNFCCC in 1994 & UNCCD in 1998). Since then, Samoa has been committed to both environmental management and implementing global Conventions. However Samoa struggles to fulfill its obligations as a result of a number of challenges such as sector coordination, fragmentation of data management systems, consistent regulatory framework, land synergies between our development objectives and environmental processes.

Enhancing Global Environmental Management in Bhutan's Local Governance System

The project objective is to enhance global environmental management by mainstreaming the provisions of the Rio Conventions into enhanced decentralized environmental management.

 The project objective will be achieved through the following outcomes:

Strengthening the Monitoring & Reporting System for Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Egypt

Previous assessments have revealed a number of priority cross-cutting capacity constraints concerned with public participation, technology transfer and cooperation, monitoring, evaluation and reporting, financial mechanisms/economic valuation, legislation formulation/enforcement, and the development of scientific research capacities. In addition, the analysis indicated that monitoring, evaluation and reporting represents a cause for a number of these other constraints.

Integrating Rio Convention Provisions into Ukraine’s National Environmental Policy Framework

Some of the challenges plaguing the implementation of Rio conventions in Ukraine are –
• Global environmental action plans are not mainstreamed into national and regional policy planning.
• Non inclusion of environmental conventions and integrated resource management at regional and local levels.
• Integration of the Rio Conventions into the national natural resource management legal frameworks is lacking .

Mainstreaming global environmental concerns in the post-conflict rapid development of Sri Lanka

Having recently successfully achieved an end to armed conflict in the country, Sri Lanka is in the process of adopting a peaceful and rapid planned development process. Considering the rich biodiversity of the country, the Sri Lankan government recognizes that it is equally necessary to protect natural resources, to safeguard the environment, and to be prudent in the use of the natural assets. However it has been identified that to do so would require additional capacity at systemic, institutional and individual levels for managing and disseminating information.

Strengthening Coordination for Effective Environmental Management (STREEM) in the Philippines

The STREEM Project aims to generate global environmental benefits through improved coordination in the implementation of the three Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEA), also referred to as the Rio Conventions, in the Philippines.

Mainstreaming Global Environment Commitments for Effective National Environmental Management in Suriname

Presently there is poor communication amongst ministries and the system for accounting towards meeting the commitments under the conventions is weak. Coupled with low levels of awareness, knowledge and skills among decision-makers, Suriname is struggling to effectively fulfill its obligations towards the 3 Rio Conventions.

Adapting to Climate Change in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (KACCAL) in Kenya

The rural poor are the most vulnerable to the impacts of Kenya’s current climate variability. In response this project is supporting poor and vulnerable communities in the Mwingi District of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) to enhance their adaptive capacity to drought (and flood).

Capacity Development for Improved National and International Environmental Management in Seychelles

The Environment Management Plan of Seychelles (EMPS) is the principal institutional mechanism for addressing national and international environmental concerns. Currently, there is a lack of a comprehensive framework for linking these concerns with other national development priorities. Further, as a result of deficiencies in the current institutional and policy framework, there are unnecessary divisions between sectors, ministries and organizations/NGOs involved in conservation.

Community Learning & Capacity Building for Global Environmental Management & Poverty Reduction in Tajikistan

The project aims to expand Tajikistan’s capacity to generate global environmental benefits through educating and involving diverse stakeholders in addressing Rio Convention themes at national and local levels. The project will build capacity to use two key environmental management tools to implement the Rio Conventions and to reduce poverty. The first is “environmental learning” (EL) which, according to the Tajik Government’s approach, includes both formal environmental education (EE) in schools and informal environmental learning (EL) for all sectors of society.

Strengthening National and Decentralized Management for Global Environmental Benefits in Togo

The project titled “Strengthening National and Decentralized Management for Global Environmental Benefits in Togo” aims to strengthen capacities at the systemic, organizational, and individual levels of the government. These in turn will reinforce Togo's efforts to mainstream environmental priorities into sectoral policies and apply sound environmental management practices.  The expected outcome of the project is that Togo will be able to catalyze effective and efficient implementation of international environmental conventions.

National Capacity Development for Implementing Rio Conventions in Bangladesh

Bangladesh is striving to translate its policy of environmentally sustainable development into on-the-ground level actions. This UNDP supported project furthers this objective by improving the performances of local and national institutions to develop an integrated national environmental framework in the three focal areas of – biodiversity, land degradation and climate change. 

Generating Global Environmental Benefits from Improved Local Planning and Decision-making Systems in Burkina Faso

The project aims to address the inherent complexity and challenges that development institutions face when addressing global environmental issues. It aims to catalyze the mainstreaming of multi-lateral environmental agreements into development paths and processes in Burkina Faso by addressing key capacity gaps.  This is to be achieved by strengthening information management systems and by providing capacity development support to local planning and development processes.

Strengthening Environmental Fiscal Reform for National and Global Environment Management in Moldova

The project targets Capacity Development Objective 4, which calls for the development of sustainable financial mechanisms to meet the shared objectives under the three Rio Conventions.  The project's objective of reforming the administration of fees, fines, charges, taxes, and subsidies as they affect environmental protection is a critical need to ensuring streamlined financing of national activities for Moldova to meet international environmental obligations.

Capacity Building for Optimization of Information and Monitoring System in Armenia

The project will strengthen Armenia's capacity for environmental information management in order to improve the reporting process to the Conventions, as well as to ensure national sustainable development through improved monitoring and information management for better environmental policy development. Environmental monitoring and information management is critical for understanding the current status and dynamic changes in the state of environment.

Improving Capacity towards Conventions Implementation through Institutional Strengthening & Development in Uzbekistan

The project aims at assisting Uzbekistan to improve its national environment governance system, by creating adequate national capacity to accommodate global environmental concerns into the national development and environmental management plans. The project’s goal is to effectively mainstream global environmental priorities into national development planning and management processes of Uzbekistan. The overall objective of the project is to build national capacity for more effective environmental management in Uzbekistan, by improved national environmental policy planning and financing.

Strengthening the Environmental Management Information System for Coastal Development in Cote d’Ivoire

At present, the environmental information on which development agents base their decisions is incomplete, outdated, unavailable, or inaccessible in Cote d’Ivoire. Together with the weak capacities of managing data and information, it has had the unintended consequence of suboptimal decisions on natural resource management, especially related to biodiversity, increased impacts on climate change, and accelerated land degradation.

Establishing the Ghana Environmental Conventions Coordination Authority (GECCA)

The proposed project is designed to improve coordination structures and mechanisms so that stakeholders in Ghana are addressing climate change related needs in an effective manner. The proposed project will first help the Government to merge all existing management structures at national level into one structure consisting of the Ghana Environmental Conventions Coordinating Authority (GECCA) and its Secretariat. The project will then help these mechanisms become operational by building their capacity and supporting them to perform specific tasks.

Piloting Natural Resource Valuation within Environmental Impact Assessments in Jamaica

The objective of this project is to develop a set of natural resource valuation tools, and incorporate these into policies and procedures governing the preparation and use of Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). The project will demonstrate the use of these techniques to improve the decision-making process concerning economic development projects that may potentially affect the environment.

Mainstreaming Multilateral Environmental Agreements into Environmental Legislation in Nicaragua

Under the auspices of the GEF intervention, the proposed Project will strengthen the national judicial system and adjust it to present-day changes and conditions in the country’s reality, as well as needs to protect the natural environment. MARENA, the agency in charge of national environmental management, will build up its technical and financial capacities to efficiently promote a better application of legal instruments and elevate its level of compliance.

Strengthening the Capacity to Implement Natural Resources Legislation in Lao People’s Democratic Republic

While systemic capacities that support the implementation and enforcement of existing laws and regulations in the country are strong in terms of legislative framework, the lack of local individual capacities in terms of knowledge, skills, experience and institutional support remain a major impediment.

Integrating Global Environmental Priorities into National Policies and Programmes in Kiribati

Over the years, the government of Kiribati has demonstrated its commitment to the global environmental agenda as it struggles to address national issues and priorities.  Kiribati has developed a number of national environment strategies and plans that address its obligations under various MEAs. However, there exist gaps in national environmental policies and legislation, training, education, and public awareness as well as coordination among government agencies key for effective implementation of the Rio conventions.

Capacity Building for Environmental Policy Institutions for Integration of Global Environment Commitments in Montenegro

Project component 1 focuses on developing national capacities for improved management and implementation of the three Rio Conventions by developing global environmental management indicators as part of the Montenegro's environmental governance regime. Component 2 of the project is a complementary capacity building set of activities, developing individual and institutional capacities to use global environmental management indicators as a monitoring tool to assess the intervention performance and institutional sustainability.

Integrating global environment commitments in investment and development decision-making in the Solomon Islands

Solomon Island’s customary land tenure system has had the unintended consequence of creating significant negative environmental impacts. This, together with high population growth, uncontrolled large scale forest logging, displacement of traditional land and resource management systems has had adverse effects on the country's forest resources that cover about 85% of the land area.

Integrating Climate Change Adaptation into Sustainable Development Pathways of Bangladesh

Against the backdrop of high incidence of poverty and limited scope of formal employment of the poorer segments of its population, Bangladesh decision-makers have recognized the risks associated with climate change

Planning and Financing Adaptation in Niger

The United Nations Development Programme is working with the Government of Niger to develop a project proposal for a new US$9 million grant proposal for the Global Environment Facility Least Developed Countries Fund. The proposed "Planning and Financing Adaptation in Niger" project will include US$27 million in co-financing.