Country Presentation GEF Operational Focal Point, Sri Lanka GEF SubRegional Workshop 23 December 200

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Country Presentation- GEF Operational Focal
Point, Sri LankaGEF Sub-Regional Workshop2-3
December 2007, Bali, Indonesia

• Anura Jayatilake
• Director, Environmental Economics Global
  Affairs Division
• Ministry of Environment Natural Resources
• GEF Operational Focal Point, Sri Lanka

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Background

• Secretary, Ministry of Environment Natural
  Resources is the GEF-OFP in Sri Lanka
• Sri Lanka is one of the first countries which
  accessed GEF financing.
• To date Sri Lanka has received approximately US
  49.22 million for implementing 20 projects within
  the island from 1992 to July 2006.
• -18 are single country projects
• - remaining two are global initiatives under
  the focal areas of biodiversity and climate
  change
• The GEF funds have also generated co-financing
  amounting to US 189 Million from other donor
  agencies and the Sri Lanka government.
• Sri Lanka gets Country Support Programme (CSP)
  Funds through the UNEP and CSP Funds Received US
  800 for year 2006
• CSP funds for 2007 not yet received- Required
  documents were already submitted

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Key Players

• Government Institutions
• Ministry of Agriculture
• Ministry of Mahaweli Development
• Ministry of Power Energy
• Forest Department
• Department of Wildlife Conservation
• Ministry of Fisheries Aquatic Resources
• Coastal Conservation Department
• Ministry of Health
• Central Environment Authority
• Department of Soil Science
• National Building Research Organization
• Ministry of Industry Investment Promotion
• Ministry of Science and Technology
• Universities
• GEF Implementing Agencies/Executing Agencies
• UNDP
• UNDP GEF Small Grants

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Results and Achievements

• National GEF Strategy Sri Lankas National GEF
  Strategy is expected to enhance country capacity
  to more effectively access and use GEF funds to
  best advantage for protecting the globally
  significant environment in Sri Lanka while
  promoting sustainable development and poverty
  eradication.
• The specific objectives of the National GEF
  strategy for Sri Lanka are
• To identify and focus on broad national priority
  areas for accessing GEF funding.
• To better utilize funds allocated to Sri Lanka
  through the RAF for biodiversity conservation and
  climate change.
• To enable a clear understanding of the GEF
  funding requirements.

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The specific objectives of the National GEF
strategy Cont.

• To identify an institutional mechanism for the
  GEF Focal Point to
• (a) prioritize projects for GEF funding,
• (b) ensure transparency and technical competence
  during national assessments to endorse projects
  for GEF funding,
• (c) effectively facilitate the GEF funding
  process in Sri Lanka,
• (d) help project proponents successfully apply
  for GEF funds,
• (e) enable monitoring and coordination of GEF
  funded projects.
• Provide a base to communicate/negotiate with
  regional partners, lending agencies and bilateral
  donors.
• The national GEF strategy will be reviewed and
  modified every two years to reflect changes in
  national priorities and polices and the GEF
  funding priorities.

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Results and Achievements Conti..

• Increase awareness of the GEF strategic
  priorities, policies and programs
• The 100 information dockets were prepared
  regarding the RAF (Cycle4) and primary data was
  collected.
• The RAF documents were translated into the local
  language (Sinhala) and ready for public
  awareness/dissemination.
• Create institutional memory of GEF policies and
  programs in the appropriate government ministry
• In order to effective implementation of the GEF
  funded projects the national focal point
  officials made field visits for those projects in
  different locations as planned.
• The Initial discussions were held to create GEF
  information database in relevant EAs and several
  other EAs were identified.
• Regular presentations were held on GEF projects
  in the relevant government ministries and
  agencies.

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Results and Achievements Cont

• Increase coordination among national agencies
• Four workshops on GEF project development
  throughout the island with state, private NGO
  participation conducted.
• An interagency/ministry coordination committees
  was established to increase coordination among
  national agencies to effective resource
  utilization.
• Increase the accessibility of GEF information for
  the GEF partners and proponents
• The existing Web site was updated with a link to
  National GEF Focal point information and
  preparation of a GEF data base is in progress.
• Improve synergies between various country
  strategies and frameworks with linkages to GEF
  activities
• After the national meetings with key global
  environmental stakeholders the convention focal
  points in Sri Lanka was identified broachers
  prepared. Two workshops were held for broader
  development programme to suite country policy
  strategies.
• Strengthen stakeholder involvement in global
  environmental programs
• The several Joint meetings were held for
  co-financing of GEF Projects with the non GEF
  implementing agencies function in Sri Lanka.

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Constraints and suggested solutions

• Lack of capacity of the National Focal point
  official in coordinating and facilitating GEF
  activities and resources. Therefore Improvements
  were needed in the capacity of OFPs in GEF
  programs and accessing GEF available materials.
• Limited capacity and skills and a lack of
  informational support and access to information.
  Improvements were needed in the capacity of OFPs
  in accessing GEF available materials. It is
  proposed to have a regional awareness programme
  to disseminate information on how the GEF works
  and to share experiences.
• Lack of coordination among GEF implementing
  agencies, Project proponents and the National
  focal point. In this regard it is suggested to
  develop proper coordination mechanism among the
  above agencies.

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Constraints and suggested solutions Conti..

• In Sri Lanka the national focal point and the
  field office located in two different places due
  to lack of space availability. Therefore it would
  be appreciate the GEF can provide additional
  financial allocations to develop effective
  communication system to coordinate activities
  between national focal point and the field
  office.
• Financial support is very limited. It is hardly
  sufficient to hold national stakeholder workshop.
  At the moment necessary financial support for
  communication, stationeries are being provided by
  other outside programmes. More financial support
  is needed to carry out National Focal point
  function properly.

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Lessons learnt and good practices that could be
shared with other Focal Points

• The Reference library (Environment Treaties
  Reference Center-ETRC) functions as a facilitator
  for national level implementation of all MEAs.
  This is a special case where a separate approach
  is found especially to enhance compliance with
  international agreements, treaties, protocols
  etc. If this ETRC concept works it can be
  introduced to other developing countries as a new
  strategy to promote MEAs implementation.
• As well as the new information received by the
  GEF secretariat and information obtain regularly
  from the GEF web site were stored in the existing
  reference library in the Ministry of Enviroment
  and Natural Resources and disseminate among the
  relevant stakeholders. This arrangement is very
  much appreciate by stakeholders and helpful in
  developing new project concepts.
• Develop web based data system on each GEF focal
  area and update periodically. So GEF can use
  these data when allocating GEF resources among
  the Countries in future Programmes.

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Conclusions and Recommendations

• CSP is helpful to extend OFP activities
  effectively in Sri Lanka
• proposed to have a regional awareness programme
  to disseminate information on how the GEF works
  and to share experiences.
• GEF should given high priority for Capacity
  development programmes for officials of GEF Focal
  Points.
• It is recommend to allocate GEF resources to
  Countries based on the current data in respective
  focal areas (eg GHG data, Biodiversity etc.)

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THANK YOU