Medium-sized project proposal
for Funding Under the
Financing Plan ($)PPG / Project*
GEF Total / 25,000 / 472,500
Co-financing / (provide details in Section b: Co-financing)
GEF IA/ExA
Government / 5,500 / 152,400
Others
Co-financing Total / 5,500 / 152,400
Total / 30,500 / 624,900
Financing for Associated Activities If Any:
GEFSEC Project ID:
IA/ExA Project ID: 3708
Country: Belize
Project Title: Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Coordinating Multi-sectoral Environmental Policies and Programmes
GEF IA/ExA: UNDP
Other project executing agency(ies): Ministry of Natural Resources
Duration: 3 years
GEF Focal Area:
GEF Strategic objectives: CB-2 (Cross Cutting Capacity Building)
GEF Operational Program: Capacity Building
IA/ExA Fee: $49,750
Contribution to Key Indicators Identified in the Focal Area Strategies: This project will contribute to the implementation of Pathway III – Targeted Cross-cutting Capacity Building - of the GEF Strategic Approach to Enhancing Capacity Building and responds to GEF strategic priorities with regard to stand alone cross-cutting capacity building – CB-2. It will also contribute to the implementation of integrated and synergetic approaches to GEF focal areas by providing capacity building support that is needed across the targeted conventions, hence generating multiple global environmental benefits across the GEF focal areas.
* If project is multi-focal, indicate agreed split between focal area allocations
Milestones / DatesPif Approval / N/A*
PPG (PDF-A) Approval / December 2005
MSP Effectiveness / April 2008
MSP Start / June 2008
MSP Closing / June 2011
TE/PC Report / December 2011
*The project is re-submission from GEF-3. The resubmission is accordance with GEF-4 requirements that the proposal is retrofitted to integrate a framework for capacity building indicators
Approved on behalf of the United Nations Development Programme. This proposal has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the standards of the Review Criteria for GEF Medium-sized Projects.Yannick Glemarec
Executive Coordinator
UNDP/GEF
Date: February 22, 2008 / Project Contact Person:
Tom Twining-Ward
Capacity Development Specialist, UNDP
Tel: ++45 3546-7384
E-mail:
Table of Contents
List of Tables 3
List of Figures 3
Acronyms and Abbreviations 3
PART I PROJECT CONCEPT 6
A: PROJECT SUMMARY 6
B: Country ownership 8
B.1 Country Eligibility 8
B.2 Country Drivenness 8
B.2.a National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA) Project 8
B.2.b Sustainable Development context 9
B.2.c Institutional context 10
B.2.d Policy and legislation context 13
B.2.e Barriers to Policy Implementation 20
C: Programme and policy conformity 22
C.1 GEF Programme Designation and Conformity 22
C.2 Project Design 23
C.2.a Baseline Scenario 23
C.2.b The GEF Alternative 27
132. Outcome 2 Indicators 33
C.3 Replicability and Sustainability 35
C.3.a Replicability and Lessons Learned 35
C.3.b Sustainability and Risks 36
C.4 Stakeholder Involvement 38
C.5 Monitoring and Evaluation 40
D: FINANCING 45
D.1 Financing Plan 45
D.2 Cost Effectiveness 52
D.3 Co-financing 52
E: INSTITUTIONAL COORDINATION AND SUPPORT 53
E.1 Core Commitments and Linkages 53
E.2 Implementation and Execution Arrangements 53
PART II ANNEXES 55
Annex 1 PDF/PDG Status Report 56
Annex 2 Logical Framework 68
Annex 3 Provisional Work Plan 73
Annex 4: Capacity Development Monitoring Scorecard 74
Annex 5 GEF Supplemental 9 Point Review Criteria 81
Annex 6 Terms of References 86
PART III Letters of gef ofp endorsment and co-financing 103
List of Tables
Table 1: Overlapping Requirements of the three Rio Conventions and how met by the project 22
Table 2: Risk Summary 38
Table 3: Indicative Monitoring and Evaluation Work Plan and Corresponding Budget 44
Table 4: Project costs 45
Table 5: Project management budget/cost 46
Table 6: Consultants working for technical assistance components 46
Table 7: Co-financing Sources 46
Table 8: Total Budget and Work Plan 48
Table 9: Sources of Co-financing 52
Table 10: UNDAF Country Programme outcomes for Belize 53
List of Figures
Figure 1: Proposed institutional framework 28
Figure 2: Feedback Loops 36
Acronyms and Abbreviations
APR Annual Progress Report
CBD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
BAHA Belize Agricultural Health Authority
BAPPA Belize Association of Private Protected Areas
BACONGO Belize Association of Conservation NGOs
BAS Belize Audubon Society
BCCI Belize Chamber of Commerce and Industry
BELPO Belize Institute for Environmental Law
BEMAMCCOR Belize-Mexico Alliance for the Management of Common Coastal Resources
BEST Belize Enterprise for Sustainable Technology
BPoA Barbados Programme of Action
BTB Belize Tourism Board
BTIA Belize Tourism Industry Association
CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market
CBO Community-Based Organization
CBD United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity
CCAD Central American Commission on Environment and Development
CCCCC Caribbean Community Climate Change Centre
CCD United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and Drought
CDB Caribbean Development Bank
CDERA Caribbean Disaster Emergency Response Agency
CDM Clean Development Mechanism
CFO Chief Forest Officer
CHM Clearing House Mechanism
CITES Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species
CLS Commissioner of Lands and Surveys
COHSOD Council for Human and Social Development
CoP Conference of Parties
CREI Citrus Research and Education Institute
CSO Central Statistical Office
CZMAI Coastal Zone Management Authority and Institute
DFID Department for International Development
DoE Department of the Environment
DGP Department of Geology and Petroleum
DMH Department of Meteorology and Hydrology
EPA Environmental Protection Act
EU European Union
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
FCCC United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
FMPs Forest Management Plans
FoN Friends of Nature
FPMP Forest Planning and Management Project
FSC Forest Stewardship Council
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GEF Global Environment Facility
GEFSEC Secretariat of the Global Environment Facility (GEF)
GHG Greenhouse Gas
GoB Government of Belize
HTPA Housing and Town Planning Act
IDB Inter-American Development Bank
IMPSC Inter-Ministerial Project Steering Committee, NCSA
IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature
LIC Land Information Centre
LMP Land Management Programme
LSD Lands and Surveys Department
LUA Land Utilization Authority
MACC Mainstreaming Adaptation to Climate Change
MAFC Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Cooperatives
M&E Monitoring and Evaluation
MBC Mesoamerican Biological Corridor
MBRS Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System
MFA Ministry of Foreign Affairs
MNDIC Ministry of National Development, Investment and Culture
MNRE Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
MoF Ministry of Finance
MPRFR Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve
MSP Medium-Size Project
NARMAP Natural Resource Management and Protection Project
NCSA National Capacity Self-Assessment
NEAC National Environmental Appraisal Committee
NEAP National Environmental Action Plan
NEMO National Emergency Management Organization
NFP National Focal Point
NMS National Meteorological Service
NPASP National Protected Areas System Plan
NPAPSP National Protected Areas Policy and System Plan Project
NPESAP National Poverty Elimination Strategy and Action Plan
NREPS Natural Resource and Environmental Policy Sub-Committee
NSSC Non-State Stakeholder Committee
NTFPs Non-Timber Forest Products
PAs Protected Areas
PACT Protected Areas Conservation Trust
PAMP Protected Areas Management Programme
PARCA Regional Environmental Plan for Central America
PCPU Policy Coordination and Planning Unit
PDF Project Development Facility of the Global Environment Facility
PES Payment for Environmental Services
PfB Programme for Belize
PMU Project Management Unit
PSC Project Steering Committee
PUC Public Utilities Commission
RAMSAR International Convention on Wetlands and Waterfowl
SATIIM Sarstoon /Temash Institute for Indigenous Management
SICA Central American System of Integration
SLM Sustainable Land Management
SPECTE Society for the Promotion of Eco-cultural Tourism and the Environment
SWOT Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats
TCC Technical Coordinating Committee, NCSA
TIDE Toledo Institute for Development and Environment
TRIGOH Tri-National Alliance for the Gulf of Honduras
UNDP United Nations Development Programme
UNEP United Nations Development Programme
USAID United States Agency for International Development
WCS Wildlife Conservation Society
WWF World Wildlife Fund
YCT Ya-äxche Conservation Trust
PART I PROJECT CONCEPT
A: PROJECT SUMMARY
1. Belize is committed to environmentally sound and sustainable development, and has signed on to over 25 multilateral environmental agreements. However, the inadequacy of Belize’s institutional framework limits the ability to meet these obligations. This stems in large part from the many pieces of legislative instruments that directly and indirectly affect the management of natural resources and the environment and a lack of coordination in the application of these tools.
2. This project sets out to minimize the overlapping and conflicting natural resource and environmental policies relevant to the goals and principles of the CBD, CCD and FCCC, as well as to fill identified policy gaps. The multitude of legislation and associated responsible departments will be rationalized in terms of cost-effectiveness and attainment of immediate objectives, such as the development and implementation of co-managed projects among multiple departments that produce synergies. Both government and non-state stakeholders will be better enabled to undertake activities that are mutually supportive of each other, including co-managed projects (such as integrated resource management projects).
3. The global environmental objective to be met in this project is the more effective implementation of projects identified as priority actions identified in the CBD, CCD and FCCC GEF enabling activity output (i.e., national action plans, reports and communications). This objective will be met by strengthening the GoB’s institutional capacities to identify overlap in policies, programme, plans and projects. This will be achieved by institutionalizing a holistic approach to policy coordination, and strengthening associated human capacities to manage this process, such as visioning (systems thinking) and programme evaluation.
4. The resultant benefits can be measured in terms of improved performance of projects that aim to deliver global environmental benefits. That is, this project is about raising the sustainable development baseline as the critical enabling framework for biodiversity conservation, environmentally sound and sustainable land management and restoration, and adaptation to climate change impacts. Belize’s 2003 United Nations Common Country Assessment outlined the institutional framework, which is heavily geared towards natural disasters. Policy coordination will play a central role in improving Belize’s ability to formulate and implement policy interventions that allow for more efficient solutions to disaster preparedness with the framework of the three Rio conventions.
5. Two main outcomes will be funded through this project: A) strengthened policy coordination and planning mechanisms within the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE); and B)Increased capacities for integrating natural resource and environmental management issues into national development framework. A third outcome relates to monitoring, evaluation and the adaptive collaborative management of the project.
The project will be monitored and evaluated in accordance with established UNDP/GEF procedures and will be conducted by the project team and the UNDP Country Office with support from UNDP-GEF. The project management reports will be presented to the Project Steering Committee (PSC) for endorsement before they will be distributed to the relevant stakeholders. A list of performance indicators (and their relevant targets) to measure project progress were identified. The project will use a capacity development monitoring and evaluation scorecard to monitor the project capacity development progress. It will monitor the relevant four capacity development indicators for this project, which are of direct relevance to a better coordination of Belize’s natural resource and environmental policies and to the creation of synergies for the national implementation of the CBD, CCD and FCCC in Belize (see table below). Using the baseline data collected during the PDF-A, this scorecard will be used to review/rate the relevant capacity development indicators at inception, at mid-point of project implementation and finally at the end of project implementation. This capacity development monitoring tools will be used by the project implementation team to monitor the project capacity development progress and also by the evaluators to conduct the MTE and the final evaluation.
Capacity Result / Indicator / Contribution to which Outcome /CR 1: Capacities for engagement
Indicator 1 – Degree of legitimacy/mandate of lead environmental organizations / 2
Indicator 2 – Existence of operational co-management mechanisms / 1, 2, 3
Indicator 3 – Existence of cooperation with stakeholder groups / 1
CR 2: Capacities to generate, access and use information and knowledge
Indicator 4 – Degree of environmental awareness of stakeholders
Indicator 5 – Access and sharing of environmental information by stakeholders
Indicator 6 – Existence of environmental education programmes
Indicator 7 – Extend of linkage between environmental research/science and policy development
Indicator 8 – Extend of inclusion/use of traditional knowledge in environmental decision-making
CR 3: Capacities for strategy, policy and legislation development
Indicator 9 – Extend of the environmental planning and strategy development process / 1, 2, 3
Indicator 10 – Existence of an adequate environmental policy and regulatory frameworks
Indicator 11 – Adequacy of the environmental information available for decision-making
CR 4: Capacities for management and implementation
Indicator 12 – Existence and mobilization of resources
Indicator 13 – Availability of required technical skills and technology transfer
CR 5: Capacities to monitor and evaluate
Indicator 14 – Adequacy of the project/programme monitoring process
Indicator 15 – Adequacy of the project/programme monitoring and evaluation process
6. This project will be implemented by UNDP and executed by the Ministry of Natural Resources, and Environment (MNRE). With a wealth of experience working with the GoB, UNDP has a total of 11GEF-funded projects in Belize, four of which have been operationally completed. The UNDP Country Office will be supported by the UNDP-GEF Regional Coordination Office, which provides technical guidance and project oversight for the Latin America and Caribbean Region. The preparation of this project benefited from extensive consultations with stakeholders, building upon the consultative processes established under the National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA) project implemented by the Department of the Environment within the MNRE.
B: Country ownership
B.1 Country Eligibility
7. Belize ratified the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on December 30, 1993, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) on October 31, 1994 and the UN Convention to Combat Desertification on July 23, 1998. These three conventions are considered the “Rio Conventions”, as they were either opened for signature or initiated at the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), or ‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. As a recipient of technical assistance from UNDP, Belize is eligible for funding under the GEF Instrument. UNDP technical assistance is prioritized towards improving support to national efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals; improving country level programme coordination; and strengthening coordination capacity of the United Nations Coordination Team. Belize is not required to prepare a Country Cooperation Agreement (CCA) or United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF). Notwithstanding, Belize prepared a draft CCA in 2003, which to date has not been adopted.