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EEA and Norway Grants
Discussion on ambitions and priorities; integrate environment in all efforts.
By Senior Adviser Paul Hofseth, Norwegian Ministry of the Environment
Donor grant support, is only a small proportion of all spending aiming to improve the environment, -and
an even smaller proportion of all spending that can influence environment and climate. Support will help
to start the greening of projects, but all funds should be used equally well, regardless of source.
Serious negative impacts can be avoided by using SEA and EIA not only to obtain formal approval, but
to help choose better alternatives. "Mainstreaming" environment is far more than avoiding ill effects by
climate- and biodiversity”proofing” projects. Concerted efforts should be made to create positive results
from private investments, national and local government funding, as well as from loans for environment
and energy. Experience from the Global Environment Fund show that projects that also give local
benefits stand a far better chance of surviving so as to give better global environmental results.
Donor funds to benefit the environment are used to better effect if they:
* can mobilize and supplement funding from other sources
* help create positive framework conditions for environment investments
*build capacity to handle current and future environmental problems
It also follows that donor funds should not be used:
* if projects and programmes depend on continued external support
* to substitute for long term national funding of basic services, utilities and routine tasks
Integration of environmental efforts in programmes and projects,learning from experience and
replicating successful projects need a good basis of facts. It is not enough to examine projects and
programmes in advance, progress should be monitored and midway reviews used for improvement. Total
results and efficiency of the use of funds is another key factor in comparing alternatives for further
donor support but both cost- and results indicators is a useful part of national investment policy as well.
It follows from the need for integration and evidence that work has to be done to use
*simple indicators of project efficiency : Euro/t.CO2, E/km2land-integrity maintained.
*assessing indirect effects of transportation, energy conversion, water and land use
* aggregate indicators of total results; climate gas reduction, area and species...
* broader indicators of sustainability; health, economic, social benefits
* recording environmental results from co-financing of projects/programmes
Evidence for key changes and important initiatives that can be traced back to the EEA\Norwegian
funding, should be presented. Documenting eco-benefits for each project must not stand in the way of
achieving eco-benefits. Acknowledged standards of analysis and reporting avoids creating new systems
from scratch. EU practice should be followed where available, otherwise one may draw on work done in
the World Bank and the Global Environment Facitity,- where donors also need evidence of
environmental results.