GEO Capacity Building Task CB0701d

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GEO Capacity BuildingTask CB-07-01d

• Building National and Regional Capacity
• Prepared by Norberto Fernandez, UNEP
• Presented by Imraan Saloojee, GEO Secretariat
• GEO Capacity Building Committee 7th meeting
• 3-5 June 2008, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Short Background and objective (Strategy
  Actions/GEO CB Targets being addressed).
• This Task arose from a capacity building activity
  part of UNEPs Programme of Work 2006-07,
  implemented by the Division of Early Warning and
  Assessment (DEWA). The activity was broadened to
  accommodate Earth observations as a central
  component of environmental spatial data and
  information management.
• The objective of the Task is to build national
  capacity in selected developing countries by
  enabling human, technical and institutional
  capacity for environmental networking,
  observing/monitoring, and data and information
  sharing at the national level.
• This objective will be achieved through a
  participatory model based on existing national
  mechanisms, and includes key institutions (data
  providers, information disseminators and users),
  integrating regional and global tools and
  mechanisms for environmental data and observation
  systems.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d
Milestones achieved to date 07Q2 UNEP signed
Memoranda of Understanding with implementing
agencies in Latin America (CATHALAC), Albania
(Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water
Administration), the Southern Caucasus region
(Centre for Monitoring and Prognostication of the
Ministry of Environment Protection and Natural
Resources, Georgia), and Mozambique (Ministry for
Co-ordination of Environmental Affairs). 07Q2
Meeting of the LAC Working Group on Environmental
Indicators and its Technical Advisory Committee
(4-6 July, Panama City). 07Q2 Regional workshop
for African countries for the review of draft
materials for the Africa Atlas on the Changing
Environment (30 July to 1 August, Cairo,
Egypt). 07Q4 National workshop for Albania on
Earth Observations, Environmental Data Sharing
and Information Networking (November 2007).
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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d
Milestones achieved to date (Cont.) 07Q4
Technical Workshop on Regional Geospatial Data
Sharing Standards (15-16 October 2007, Panama
City). 08Q2 Workshop on EO and Environmental
Data Sharing and Information Networking for
countries of the South Caucasus (Armenia,
Azerbaijan and Georgia) Tbilisi, 1-4 April
2008. 08Q2 Atlas of Africas Changing
Environment finalised. 08Q2 Translation of
the interface and documentation for INPEs Data
Catalogue, from Portuguese to Spanish, completed.
(the catalog is available at the INPE site in
English, Spanish and Portuguese
http//www.dgi.inpe.br/CDSR/ ).
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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Expected milestones for 2008
• Main expected accomplishment for 2008 is to start
  and complete implementation of project in
  Mozambique (currently delayed).
• June 08 Official release of the Atlas of
  Africas Changing Environment, on June 10th, at
  the AMCEN meeting in Johannesburg-South Africa,
  and simultaneously in Cairo, Dakar and London.
  Additional launches in Geneva, Paris, Washington
  D.C., and selected African capitals side events
  at UN ECOSOC and GA meetings in New York.
• Jul-Dec 08 Capacity building training workshops
  in Africa (Dar es Salam, Accra, Port Louis and
  Cairo) on Ecosystem change monitoring and data
  visualization for decision making follow up to
  the production of the Atlas of Africas Changing
  Environment.
• July 2008 Complete survey on Needs Assessment
  and Capacity Building Opportunities in LAC, in
  collaboration with CATHALAC and CentroGEO-Mexico.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Expected milestones for 2008 (Cont.)
• A proposal for region-wide land cover mapping
  project using known international
  methodology and tools (GLCN and LCCS) under
  preparation by FAO and UNEP in
  conjunction with environmental authorities from
  Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.
• Sep 08 A 1st draft of the Atlas of Environmental
  Change in LAC will be presented to the TAC
  meeting that will be held in Panama City on the
  side of the GEO for the Americas Symposium.
• Dec 08 The Atlas of Environmental Change in LAC
  will be ready for printing.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Extent of Participation/Recommendations for
  additional participants
• New partners, particularly in Latin America, are
  being sought to implement and move forward new
  activities emanating from this Task for example
  INPE, the ANAM (National Environmental Authority
  of Panama)
• Other activities involving partners
  (organisations, experts, governments) could be
  initiated with additional resources, such as
• Generation of products demonstrating the utility
  of spatial data to decision making,
• Short courses to strengthen national capacity in
  areas fundamental for a successful application of
  spatial information and EOS technologies,
• Methodologies for mapping and monitoring ILAC
  (Indicators of Sustainable Development)
  indicators using geo-spatial technologies.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Coordination points with other GEO work plan
  tasks
• The intended coordination with the GEONET Cast
  group has not materialised yet. The capacity
  building activities carried out under this Task
  could be an excellent venue for cooperation with
  GEONET Cast to enhance both the delivery of
  capacity building and the implementation of
  GEONET Cast in more countries.
• Training activities could be coordinate between
  the GEONET Cast and the proposed follow up
  activities under this Task to enhance delivery at
  country level and GEO presence.
• There has been coordination with the USGS and
  CATHALAC for the alert system SERVIR.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Potential risks that may impede completion of
  task
• Mozambique and Albania are One UN Pilot
  Countries. UNEP must work in these countries
  through the One UN Delivery approach. The
  coordination that this approach demands may cause
  delays in the implementation and follow up
  activities.
• International relations in the South Caucasus may
  be a barrier to joint implementation of a
  regional harmonised land cover mapping project.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Gaps that have been identified that need to be
  addressed independently
• Additional responsibilities for Task Lead within
  his organisation has reduced time availability to
  monitor implementation of Task and, most
  importantly, to participate in CBC meetings and
  to liaise with Task Contributors the later has
  been almost non-existent during the
  implementation of the Task.
• Development of short courses to strengthen
  national capacities in spatial data analysis and
  satellite image interpretation for environmental
  assessments and early warning.
• Organisation of events for sharing experiences
  (e.g. meetings, workshops, symposia) in the area
  of the application of spatial data/satellite
  technology.
• Creating alliances with private sector (data,
  software, and hardware providers) to assist
  capacity building in countries lacking technology.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Potential Contributions to the CB portal /GEO
  Portal
• Opportunities will be explored as implementation
  of Task progresses.
• Concrete results from all or most regional
  projects (e.g. geo-spatial data sets) can be
  integrated in the existing global and regional
  GEO Data Portals.
• Expected products
• Participatory Model and implementation plan.
• List of relevant national and regional existing
  environmental monitoring activities that could be
  part of the participatory model for data and
  information access, sharing and exchange.
• Funding proposals for follow up, capacity
  building activities in response to identify
  needs.
• Atlas of Africas Changing Environment, and
  related website.
• LAC Atlas of our Changing Environment, and
  related website.

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GEO Capacity Building Task CB-07-01d

• Expected date of completion of task
• It is expected that all remaining activities will
  be completed by the end of 2008.
• Expectations of task lead from CBC
• Joint fund raising for follow up in capacity
  building and technology transfer activities.
• Facilitation of agreements for financial and
  technical support from the private sector to
  support national and regional initiatives of in
  capacity building and technology transfer.
• Increased strategic coordination for planning and
  delivery of capacity building activities at
  national level, across GEO Tasks.

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GEO Capacity BuildingTask CB-07-01d

• Thank you
• (and my apologies for not being able
• to be here today)
• Norberto Fernandez, UNEP
• norberto.fernandez_at_unep.org