The Input of the Asian AHWG for Improving the Reporting Quality

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The Input of the Asian AHWG for Improving the
Reporting Quality Communication of information

• Asian Ad Hoc Working Group
• Iran, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkmenistan and Samoa
  
• Prepared by
• IRAN National Focal Point to UNCCD
• Asian Coordinator of AHWG

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Background Information

• Decision 8 COP7
• Improving the procedures for communication
  of information as well as the quality and format
  of reports submitted to the COP an Ad-Hoc Working
  Group (AHWG) established there in
• AHWG convenes 25 parties ( 5 representatives per
  region ), One regional coordinator per region
  and CST and COP chairpersons
• Relevant organs, funds and programs of the UN and
  other IGOs or NGOs maybe invited as a observers
  as well as the facilitator of the CST group of
  expert.
• The Secretariat has set up a website especially
  dedicated to the work of the AHWG
• ( http//www.unccd.int/cop/ahwg/menu.php )

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Background Information

• AHWG shall submit to the Secretariat, documents
  describing technical issues experienced in the
  national reporting process and suggestions for
  improvement
• Their submission will be compiled by the
  secretariat in an official document and submit to
  CRIC5 for consideration additional input from
  developed countries parties and IGOs as it
  related to capacity building activities and CST
  on standardization of bio-physical and
  socio-economic indicators and also GM on
  mobilization of financial resources and JIU
  report will be taken into consideration.
• Decision 8 COP7 provides that the AHWG will work
  primarily by electronic and documentary means,
  both before and after of CRIC5

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Background Information

• It is expected that the AHWG would take advantage
  of regional preparatory meetings of affected
  country parties to CRIC5 to meet and discuss
  relevant issues
• It is further expected that the AHWG members
  would meet at the CRIC5 venue. They may also use
  any other opportunity to discuss relevant issues
• A technical meeting of the AHWG members would be
  convened between CRIC5 and COP8 to facilitate
  progress and prompt completion of work.
• Final version will be submitted to CRIC6
• CRIC6 will make recommendation based on the final
  report of the AHWG

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TOR of the AHWG and scope of work

• Clarify and standardize terms and issues targeted
  in current reporting for the next cycle of
  reporting
• Provide guidance to the COP on simplified,
  consistent reporting procedures
• Facilitate a substantive assessment of the
  implementation of the Convention

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Methodology

• Five countries were invited to participate in
  survey
• The country responses collated and compared
• Results reported in Combined column
• Final comments extracted from this column
• Final conclusions drawn from the comments.

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Example of the Comparison Chart
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Example of the conclusions chart
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I. Format Quality of Reports

• Affected country Parties
• Help Guide (1-4)
• HG is a useful tool that can help harmonise the
  procedure for report compilation
• It needs to be revised to avoid repetitiveness
  and to help its usefulness for all parties,
  regions and organisations
• While different HGs could be useful, it may be
  possible to make do with one, provided the
  questions are revised judiciously to make them
  adaptable to the differing needs and statuses of
  NAP implementation

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I. Format Quality of Reports

• Quality and content (5-8)
• The quality of reporting is affected by factors
  including the availability and quality of
  information and NAP implementation as well as the
  complexity of the HG
• The seven themes represent adequately the issues
  involved in the implementation of the Convention
• Strategic issues in the Bonn Declaration could be
  given more prominence while ensuring adequate
  attention to basic differences in the problem
  atique and situation of developed and affected
  countries
• Social indicators including for involvement of
  civil society, women and youth are mostly lacking
  and need more support such as by improving the
  policy environment and appropriate research and
  training.

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I. Format Quality of Reports

• CST (9-10)
• Inadequate reporting on CST activities is due to
  lack of mechanisms of cooperation between CST
  and affected countries, as well as the lack of
  capacity and resources
• Involvement of the scientific community and other
  stakeholders in the structure of the NCB can help
  the situation.

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I. Format Quality of Reports

• Impact indicators (11)
• Impact indicators and their field testing
  are new approaches requiring capacity building,
  financial support and the involvement of the CST
  as well as of the relevant stakeholders

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I. Format Quality of Reports

• Developed Country Parties
• The reports of developed countries must
  concentrate on their obligations to supporting
  the implementation of the Convention (Articles 6)
  while those of the affected countries should
  concentrate on a clear description of problems in
  such a way as to assist the developed countries
  in their tasks as per Article 5
• This might help bridge the perception gap between
  the two groups of countries when what constitutes
  desertification control in the one, looks like
  integrated management of natural resources to the
  other.

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I. Format Quality of Reports

• Intergovernmental and Non-governmental
  organizations
• GM is supposed to submit, a timely and
  periodical report for each Session of CRIC.
• GEF, for a composite report of all IAs and EAs
  relating to the financial support on Sustainable
  Land Management (OP15)
• For external UN and IGO institutions, arrange for
  independent review and incorporate their reports
  and information
• For NGOs, and CBOs include them in all stages of
  decision making including by supporting their
  networking and preparation of own reports to be
  incorporated to the National Report.

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II. Organisation of Reporting Process

• Peer review in regional meetings and civil
  society review in national workshops are
  essential for better quality
• Better mechanisms for mutual learning between all
  regions are needed
• 3-4 years is a good interval for national
  reporting and the three month period is enough
  for national reporting if funding process is
  streamlined
• Provide for comparative table of the current
  situation with previous ones and include explicit
  questions on land degradation including criteria
  and benchmarks
• Secretariat can support national reporting
  process by providing competent consultants,
  including national ones

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II. Organisation of Reporting Process

• Training personnel in methodology of reporting
  and tapping NGO capacities will improve quality
  of reports
• Validation workshops can be improved by more in
  depth involvement of authentic civil society
  actors
• A flexible format for joint communications is
  needed
• Regional pre-CRIC meetings should also get into
  regional assessments
• To harmonise among Multilateral Environmental
  Agreements ( MEAs) more coordination among line
  ministries concerned is needed, as well as
  bringing relevant NGOs and Civil Society into
  the process.

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III. Procedures for communication of information

• Guidelines for reports of other bodies combined
  with UNCCDs own commissioned reports
• Include miscellaneous information requests from
  COP into NR guidelines
• Prepare compendium of provisions of COP decisions
  as guidelines
• Capacity building on impact assessment procedures
  leading to regular reports and a database system.

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IV. Country Profiles

• The country profile is not a clear or effective
  tool for evaluation of the state of
  desertification or impact of measures to combat
  it, nor for assessing the implementation of the
  Convention
• A complete overhaul of the CP is needed, using an
  expert workshop for conceptualisation and
  redesign
• Once redesigned, profile analysis is needed for
  this assessment
• Need to distinguish by agro- climatological and
  socio-ecological zones
• Need flexibility for country parties to best
  describe their own situations

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IV. Country Profiles

• There should be concise treatments of issues such
  as
• State of desertification
• Approach, methods and patterns used
• Participatory social indicators with diversity
• State of NAP and its workplan

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IV. Country Profiles

• Need to open up the CP to stakeholder reviews
• Need capacity building to improve the quality of
  CPs
• Need multimedia approaches to dissemination among
  stakeholders
• Reporting group for the CP can include relevant
  sectors as well as civil society and other
  stakeholders
• Benchmarks and indicators should be more
  effectively used, particularly during the
  implementation and not just for reporting
  purposes.

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Suggestions

• The work of AHWG should continue by
  electronic communication to fulfill the all
  items of TOR and scope of work till CRIC5
• The inputs of the seventh Asian focal point
  meeting shall strength and enriched the work of
  AHWG
• The concept note on procedural and organization
  aspect prepared by Secretariat might be
  disseminated to the parties for their
  consideration and comments should be submitted to
  AHWG before the deadline
• It is recommended that a workshop of AHWG and the
  interested parties to be formed during the
  seventh Asian focal point meeting for more
  deliberation.