http://www.global-mechanism.org en Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:38:50 +0000 Sat, 13 Mar 2010 11:43:37 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/new-era-for-forest-finance-in-unff
The UNFF is leading this “facilitative process” and has established an Ad-Hoc Expert Group (AHEG) to propose strategies for channelling investments into forestry and achieve wider development objectives such as poverty reduction and sustainable livelihoods.

During a recent meeting in Rome of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF) – a 15 member partnership of forest related organizations – agreed to form an advisory group on forest finance to support the AHEG and the “facilitative process”.

The GM has committed to be involved as an active member of this group, given its long-standing experience with assisting countries to increase investments in sustainable land management – exactly the same challenge facing UNFF albeit with forestry.

Furthermore, the GM has been active for some time in examining both agriculture and forest finance flows in Low Forest Cover Countries (LFCC) and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), two of the major areas to be explored by UNFF. The GM’s knowledge exchange workshops, “Designing Integrated Financing Strategies”, have targeted LFCC and SIDS with interesting results leading to active inter-ministerial cooperation and CSO involvement for increased finance for natural resource management, certainly including forests.

The GM and its multi-lateral and bilateral partners, in particular UNDP offer their instruments and experiences to the UNFF process in what promises to be a new era for forest finance, with renewed momentum to revitalize forest landscapes and transform rural community livelihoods.

For more information:

Ms Elisabeth Barsk-Rundquist, Director, Strategic Programmes
Tel. +39 06 5459 2471
e.barsk (at) global-mechanism.org


]]> Thu, 11 Mar 2010 12:38:50 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/new-era-for-forest-finance-in-unff http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/caadps-first-pillar-land-and-water-management
On 9 & 10 February at the invitation of the Government of Mali and under the coordination of the NEPAD Secretariat, 60 subregional institutions and international organizations, farmers’ and community-based organizations met in Bamako, Mali to validate the framework document for first pillar of CAADP - land and water management. This was the culmination of a 12-month process that has involved extensive consultation with African states, the regional economic communities and development partners.

The framework, developed by the lead technical agencies for pillar one – the Permanent Inter-State Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS) and the University of Zambia is acknowledged by all stakeholders not only as a technical tool for the identification and designing best practice-based programmes but also as a tool for political and policy alignment, institutional transformation and coalition building.

The Global Mechanism (GM) participated in the context of its ongoing cooperation with the NEPAD Secretariat and provided input to the document from the perspective of upscaling finance for sustainable land management (SLM) as part of ongoing in-country processes.

Three recommendations for the quantitative and qualitative improvements of the framework document and its effective use by counties were agreed upon:

to capitalize on the programmatic approach tools for SLM promoted by TerrAfrica and the success stories of countries including Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Mauritania and Uganda in applying such tools;
to set priorities and action lines on the basis of current scenarios that can be supported by scientific evidence; and
to strengthen the links between the content of the framework document and the three environmental conventions – the UNFCCC the UNCBD and the UNCCD.



For more information:

Mr François Tapsoba, Regional Financial Advisor for Francophone Africa
f.tapsoba (at) global-mechanism.org ]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 10:08:47 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/caadps-first-pillar-land-and-water-management http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/events/poverty-environment-partnership-on-climate-and-the-green-economy-
Members of the Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP) such as Mr Quatrini of the GM maintain that many current environmental degradation patterns are the result of scanty acknowledgement of the economic role ecosystems play in transactions.

This is why Day 3 of the 15th meeting of the PEP on the theme of climate and environmental mainstreaming is devoted to the Green Economy as a way of accelerating progress in achieving the Millennium development Goals (MDGs).

Participants will discus what a green economy really is, how different countries and stakeholders can approach it, how progress can be measured and what the implications for development assistance are. In this context, the GM will speak on the value of land and the cost of land degradation, based on work it is spearheading in conjunction with a consortium of research institutions including the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) and CAB International, and research organizations from the South, and will present its methodological approach and preliminary findings from its country level analyses.

The Poverty Environment Partnership (PEP) is an informal forum of non-governmental organizations, international organizations, bilateral institutions, and developing country representatives who work on the poverty-environment nexus and who come together every year to share experiences and showcase progress. PEP 15 is being jointly organized by the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID), the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); the United Nations and the World Bank, in partnership with the Government of Malawi.

More information on the outcomes of the meeting will be posted here.


For more information:

Mr Simone Quatrini, Coordinator, Policy & Investment Analysis
Tel. +39 06 5459 2154
s.quatrini (at) global-mechanism.org ]]> Tue, 02 Mar 2010 08:40:50 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/events/poverty-environment-partnership-on-climate-and-the-green-economy- http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/new-publication-incentive-and-market-based-mechanisms-to-prevent-land-degradation
The paper is part of the GM’s response to the UNCCD Ten-year Strategy (2008-2018) in which country Parties request the GM to identify and explore innovative finance, including market-based mechanisms. The framework and methodology serve to increase awareness of the range of financing mechanisms, strengthen the capacity of stakeholders to identify opportunities for deploying schemes, and facilitate partnerships between relevant public and private actors.

The paper is articulated in two sections: Part one identifies fourteen incentive and market-based mechanisms that encourage land user to adopt SLM practices. Such mechanisms include public payment schemes for environmental stewardship, trading in emissions reductions, direct payments for environmental services and eco-labeling of products and services.

Part two describes the factors that influence the applicability of each of the mechanisms in a country context and provides a methodology to assist countries in identifying the most appropriate mechanisms. The conditions that are needed for successful design and implementation of projects and programmes include institutional capacity, governance, and supply and demand for environmental services.

The methodology has been successfully piloted in Cameroon in collaboration with the national Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) and will be further refined and tested in African and Latin American countries in 2010. Results will be showcased at UNCCD COP10 in South Korea in 2011.

Download the publication (PDF, English, 780 Kb)


For more information:

Ms Siv Oystese, Financial and Private Sector Strategy Officer
Tel. +39 06 5459 2782
s.oystese (at) global-mechanism.org

Ms Paule Herodote, Civil Society Investments Advisor
Tel. +39 06 5459 2760
p.herodote (at) global-mechanism.org ]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 11:09:54 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/new-publication-incentive-and-market-based-mechanisms-to-prevent-land-degradation http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/guatemala-takes-lead-in-positioning-unccd-on-national-and-subregional-agendas-
The Government of Guatemala has already undertaken commendable work to tackle land degradation and drought through effective measures which promote and implement the National Action Programme (NAP) in the country’s ‘dry corridor’, where some 1.3 million people live in poverty. Moreover, Guatemala was the first country in the region to adopt the Integrated Financing Strategy (IFS) and is one of the most advanced countries in its implementation. The IFS is a process developed by the GM, which leads to the identification and mobilization of financial resources for SLM. The IFS has now been endorsed at the highest political level and government financial resources have been dedicated as a result of the IFS both at the institutional level and for on the ground SLM related activities.

At the official request of Guatemala during COP 9, both the UNCCD Executive Secretary and the GM Managing Director will visit the country from 23-26 March 2010 to exchange views on how to further step-up efforts in UNCCD implementation in Guatemala. It is noticed with the highest appreciation that the President of Guatemala has made himself personally available for the visit, which will undoubtedly increase the spotlight on land rehabilitation as vital to national and regional development objectives.

During the visit the Executive Secretary and the GM Managing Director will engage in discussions with the Central American Commission for Environment and Development, the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) – currently chaired by Guatemala – and experience first-hand the considerable progress made in UNCCD implementation by way of a field visit to the Petén Basin region.

Finance, as ever, will be a critical issue up for discussion during the three days of meetings. Following the successful implementation of the country’s IFS, the Government – with the support of the GM – is now in the process of implementing the Integrated Investment Framework (IIF), a package containing bankable SLM projects and programmes.

The considerable progress made in Guatemala is a shining example for other countries of the Mesoamerican region to build on and promote increased visibility of the UNCCD in the wider region. Guatemala has been an active player in subregional efforts to support UNCCD implementation through the Agro-Environment Help Strategy and the Investment Platform for SLM (PIMAST).

Guatemala’s spearheading role in positioning the UNCCD at the highest political level in Mesoamerica is absolutely crucial, since it is only with political momentum that investments for SLM will be up-scaled, thereby contributing to vital regional development objectives.


For more information:

Mr Alejandro Kilpatrick, Programme Coordinator, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Climate Change Finance Programme
Tel. +39 06 5459 2524
a.kilpatrick (at) global-mechanism.org ]]> Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:41:26 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/guatemala-takes-lead-in-positioning-unccd-on-national-and-subregional-agendas- http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/ifs-process-launched-in-eritrea At the invitation of the Government of Eritrea, and with the objective of boosting ongoing cooperation in mobilizing resources for sustainable land management (SLM), the integrated financing strategy (IFS) process was launched in Asmara during the first week of February. The main thrust of this process is to explore innovative approaches and financing mechanisms for SLM and food security in Eritrea.

Eritrea is keen to move ahead with the formulation of an IFS following participation in a Global Mechanism (GM)/United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) subregional workshop held in Johannesburg in April 2009. It is against this backdrop that the Ministry of Agriculture and the GM co-organized a consultative meeting “Towards the Development of an Integrated Financing Strategy (IFS) for Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in Eritrea”.

The consultations brought together senior Government officials including the Minister of Agriculture, Director Generals from the Ministries of Finance, Agriculture, Land, Water and Environment, civil society organizations (CSOs), the Heads of Delegations of UN country teams. This high-level government-wide participation was a major achievement since deepening in-country partnerships in support of Eritrea is essential for the success of the process. The IFS will be developed in cooperation with key development partners, including UNDP, the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).

The next step will be a stocktaking exercise to get a clearer overview of the financial flows into SLM activities, identify additional and innovative financing opportunities and document best SLM practices in Eritrea with a view to attracting finance to upscale such practices. This will be done in consultation with all key stakeholders nationwide. In the context of supporting Eritrea in mobilizing resources, the GM assisted Eritrea in submitting two full proposals to the European Commission on ”Increasing Food Security and Sustainable Development through Conservation Agriculture in Eritrea’s Cereal-based Cropping System” and “Strengthening Small-scale Private Sector Activities for Food Security in Eritrea”. With regard to enhanced partnerships, the GM is also proposing engaging Eritrea in knowledge exchange and capacity enhancement programmes with other countries facing similar SLM challenges, through its South-to-South cooperation programme, SolArid.


For more information:

Ms Elsie Attafuah, Programme Officer, East and Southern Africa
Tel. +39 06 5459 2577
e.attafuah (at) global-mechanism.org

Ms Siv Oystese, Associate Financial and Private Sector Strategy Officer
Tel. +39 06 5459 2782
s.oystese (at) global-mechanism.org ]]> Wed, 24 Feb 2010 08:49:20 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/news/ifs-process-launched-in-eritrea http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/events/7th-forum-of-the-world-alliance-of-cities-against-poverty-wacap- The Alliance, a worldwide network of cities set up by UNDP in 1996 to help municipalities face up to the challenge of poverty on the spot, encourages municipalities to seek together ways and means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the local level.
Taking the European Year to Combat Poverty and Social Exclusion 2010 as inspiration, the Rotterdam forum will bring together municipalities and national governments from all continents, representatives of European and global institutions, civil society organizations and private partners, around the theme of "Confronting the Crisis Collectively". The Forum will discuss how to improve partnerships amongst cities, regions and governments in the fight against poverty and will look specifically at urbanization in relation to climate change; access to basic services, education and health care and access food, water and sanitation. These themes of will provide the content for regional and local/regional agreements between the various stakeholders, which the forum aims to broker.

The GM will be at WACAP to present and promote its South-to-South cooperation initiative SolArid-FLEUVE, as a contribution to The Great Green Wall Initiative, conceived as an ‘integrated development belt’ aimed at catalyzing sustainable development and poverty reduction in the desert margins north and south of the Sahara. FLEUVE– Front Local Environnemental pour une Union VertE (Local Environmental Coalition for a Green Union) is based on the conviction that local African communities must become the real protagonists in decision-making processes and be able to influence the contents and the shape of the Great Green Wall Initiative at local level. FLEUVE aims to strengthen the role and the capacity of local stakeholders in sustainable natural resource management, which in this region is synonymous with development.

Considering the obvious links between rural and urban poverty in developing countries the GM sees the Rotterdam Forum as a unique opportunity to exchange views with potential partners in order to build international momentum to the benefit of local populations in Africa’s drylands.

News on the outcomes of the Forum will be published here.

For more information:

Mr Youssef Brahimi,
Programme Coordinator, North Africa & South-to-South Cooperation
Tel. +39 06 5459 2584

y.brahimi (at) global-mechanism.org

Read more about the event at: http://www.wacap2010-rotterdam.nl ]]> Mon, 22 Feb 2010 13:17:16 +0000 http://www.global-mechanism.org/news--events/events/7th-forum-of-the-world-alliance-of-cities-against-poverty-wacap-