Happy Earth Day!

1. Happy Earth Day! April 21, 2002 GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

2. Global Environment Facility:Forging Partnerships and Fostering Knowledge Transfer to Sustain Transboundary Waters By Alfred Duda (GEF Secretariat) andDann Sklarew (GEF IW:LEARN) GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

3. Global Environment Facility (GEF) • Earth Summit 1992: new funding source for global environment • Aim: Forge cooperation and finance actions for sustainable development • Partners: • Implemented by: UNDP, UNEP, World Bank • Executed by: International agencies, national governments and NGOs GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

4. GEF Focal Areas • Biodiversity Loss • Climate Change • International Waters (IW) • Ozone Depletion • Persistent Organic Pollutants • Land Degradation (relating to above) GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

5. GEF IW Projects Assist nations sharing transboundary basins or marine ecosystems to – • Cooperate in assessing sources of degradation, establishing priorities (TDA) • Determine and adopt policy, legal and institutional reforms (SAP) • Test feasibility of investments to address conflicts and reverse degradation GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

6. GEF IW Project Funding • Country-driven • US$465 million GEF + co-financing = US$1.05 billion • 57 IW projects approved • 29 IW projects in preparation GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

7. Nutrient Reduction Programme - Regional Project for the Black Sea Building Environmental Citizenship to Support Transboundary Pollution Reduction in the Danube: Hungary & Slovenia Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (TEST) to Reduce Transboundary Pollution in the Danube River Basin Dnieper River Basin Strategic Action Programme Georgia: Agricultural Development Project Lake Ohrid Management Project Poland: Rural Environmental Protection Project Persistent Toxic Substances (PTS), Food Security, and Indigenous Peoples of the Russian North Support to the National Plan of Action for the Protection of the Arctic Marine Environment from Anthropogenic Pollution in the Russian Federation GEF Strategic Partnership for the Danube/Black Sea Basin Black Sea Strategic Action Programme Caspian Environment Program GEF Regional IW Projects in Europe and Central Asia GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

8. GEF Global IW Projects in Europe and Central Asia Global International Waters Assessment(GIWA) TRAIN-SEA-COAST GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

9. GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

10. GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

11. GEF International Waters Resource Centre [IWRC] http://www.iwlearn.net • Access IW project profiles, documents, presentations and Web sites • Participate in e-forums hosted by GEF and others • Review GEF IW project guidance, sample proposals • Examine IW agencies’ IW portfolios • Discover IW distance learning opportunities • Find latest IW news and events GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

12. GEF IW Resource Centre [IWRC] • Developed by GEF IW:LEARN project, with GEF projects, its implementing and executing agencies, and other IW partners • Accessible with or without Internet • To be replicated across an international “cloud” of related resource centres, e.g., • Benguela Current DLIST (Nambia and S. Africa) • Water Portal of the Americas (Latin America, etc.) • European Waters Resource Centre…(Interested?) GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

13. GEF IW:LEARN Project • Leverages GEF investment via learning and knowledge sharing among (GEF and other) IW projects • Helps IW projects find resources for effective implementation and impact • Builds a global knowledge community to sustain Earth’s transboundary waters GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

14. GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

15. IW:LEARN Services tothe IW Community • Facilitating IW dialog, both face-to-face and remotely • re: wise practices, challenges and lessons learned • Synthesizing and disseminating IW knowledge products • e.g., best practices, guidance, training and distance learning • Developing resource centres (for Internet and other media) GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

16. IW:LEARN Services (continued) • Testing new information and communcation technology (ICT) • Needs-based technical assistance to appy ICT to IW management • Workshops for IW personnel to extend these services to their project partners • Establishing support facilities with regional partners to adapt IW:LEARN services to appropriate spatial scales GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

17. Brief case-in-point… All those with GEF IW projects and their partners in the audience, could you please raise your hands? Could you please come forward at the end of the session for us to set a time to chat while assembled here? Thank you. GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond

18. Interested in helping provide or access such services in Europe and Central Asia? If so, please speak with Dann Sklarew after this session, or • visit http://www.iwlearn.org • contact IW:LEARN at – Email: info@iwlearn.org Tel:  +1.703.522.2190 Fax: +1.703.522.2191 Thank you. GEF: Forging Partnerships in Europe and Beyond