Download UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME

United Nations Development Programme
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY (GEF)
To:
Mr. Avani Vaish/Ms. Song Li, GEF Secretariat
Mr. Ravi Sharma, UNEP
Mr. Madhav Gadgil, STAP
Mr. Lars Vidaeus, World Bank
Ms. Claire N. Parker/Ms. Martha Perdomo,
UNFCCC
Email:
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Date:
27 July 2000
Pages:
(10 including this sheet)
From:
Richard Hosier/ Bo Lim
UNDP-GEF
Subject:
Submission of Climate Change Enabling Activity (additional financing for
capacity building in priority areas) for the Philippines
We are pleased to submit for your consideration the proposal for Climate Change
Enabling Activity (additional financing for capacity building in priority areas) for the
Philippines. The letter of endorsement is submitted in a separate file.
We are aware of the recent decisions of the GEF Council on second national
communications. The country has also been made aware of these decisions, but would
still like to proceed with the top-ups.
We look forward to receiving your comments and possible approval as soon as
possible.
Thank you.
UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
Proposal for Review Expedited Financing for (Interim) Measures for
Capacity Building in Priority Areas Part II
Country:
Philippines
Project Title:
Philippines: Climate Change Enabling Activity
(additional financing for capacity building in priority
areas)
GEF Focal Area:
Country Eligibility:
Climate Change
[x] Eligible under a financial mechanism of the
UNFCCC
[x] Eligible under paragraph nine (b) of the Instrument
Date of Ratification:
2 August 1994
GEF Financing (Phase I):
GEF Additional Financing
(Phase II):
Total Costs:
US$ 154,500
US$ 100,000
GEF Implementing Agency:
UNDP
Executing Agency:
Department of Environment and Natural Resources –
Environmental Management Bureau
Local Counterpart Agency:
Philippines Inter-Agency Committee on Climate
Change
Date of Initial National
Communication Submission:
February, 2000
Estimated Starting Date:
July 2000
Project Duration:
1 year
US$ 254,500
Project Summary
The “Enabling Activity for the Maintenance and Enhancement of National Capacities to Prepare
the National Communication on Climate Change,” is a follow-up project of the Government of
the Philippines (GOP), through its Inter-Agency Committee on Climate Change (IACCC) to the
“Enabling the Philippines to Prepare Its First National Communication” in compliance with the
country’s commitment as a non-Annex I country Party to the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The assistance being sought is in accordance with
Decision 2/CP.4, paragraph 1 (d), which provides additional guidance to the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), as the operating entity of the financial mechanism of the Convention, to provide
funding to developing country Parties for the maintenance and enhancement of the relevant
national capacity to prepare their national communications. The project will avail of the
additional interim funding of priority activities under the “GEF Operational Guidelines for
Expedited Financing of Climate Change Enabling Activities, Part II.” The follow-up “enabling
activity” shall involve three major areas. First, it shall build capacity to institutionalize the
national communication preparation process with emphasis on the gaps and constraints identified
in the initial enabling activity. Secondly, it shall likewise undertake capacity building for
participation in systematic observation networks and identify capacity and technological needs in
this area. Finally, the project will strengthen/ improve national activities for public awareness
and education and access to information, including information from international centers and
networks. The First National Communication was completed and submitted to the UNFCCC
Secretariat in February, 2000.
1. CURRENT PROJECT STATUS:
Project Background
In early 1998, the Government of the Republic of the Philippines, through its Inter-Agency
Committee on Climate Change (IACCC), implemented the “Enabling the Philippines to Prepare
its First National Communication on Climate Change” to comply with its commitment as a nonAnnex I country Party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC). The said project was made possible through the funding provided by the Global
Environment Facility (GEF), as the operating entity of the financial mechanism of the
Convention, through the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The First National
Communication was completed and submitted to the UNFCCC Secretariat in February, 2000.
During its 4th Session held in Buenos Aires in November, 1998, the Conference of the Parties
(COP) of the UNFCCC adopted several decisions, one of which is Decision 2/CP.4, paragraph
1(d), which explicitly provides additional guidance to the operating entity of the Convention’s
financial mechanism to provide funding to non-Annex I country Parties to prepare their
respective initial and subsequent national communications in accordance with Articles 4.3 and
12.5 of the Convention. The continuing assistance by the Convention’s operating entity of its
financial mechanism has been directed to enable non-Annex I country Parties to maintain and
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enhance their respective national capacities to prepare their national communications, taking into
account the gaps and problems identified in their previous national communications.
It is in this context that the Philippine government, through its IACCC, is undertaking the project
“Enabling Activity for the Maintenance and Enhancement of National Capacities to Prepare the
National Communications on Climate Change,” with funding assistance from the GEF. Although
the previous enabling activity project has provided some of the needed national capacity in the
preparation of the country’s Initial National Communication, there is a dire need to maintain and
enhance this capacity in the Philippines to enable the preparation of its subsequent national
communication(s).
Host Country Strategy
Critical to the implementation of a country Party’s commitments to the UNFCCC or any other
international commitments are the structures and administrative machinery to do so. Recognizing
this early on, the Philippines has established since 1991, an Inter-Agency Committee on Climate
Change (IACCC) consisting of about fifteen agencies from the government, and non-government
organizations whose main tasks are:
1.
2.
3.
to coordinate various climate change related activities;
to assist the Philippine delegation to the UNFCCC in drafting country position(s);
and,
to propose climate change policies.
Further recognizing the need to draw in other partners in the process, the GOP, through the
IACCC, has established collaborative linkages with other partner institutions, particularly entities
in the academe and the private sector.
As the climate change issue affects all facets of the country’s development, the approach to
implement climate change related policies and programs is to integrate climate change policies,
programs and activities with the country’s Medium-Term Development Plan (MTPDP) and other
sectoral plans and programs. They are also pursued within the framework of the Philippine
Agenda 21, which is the country’s blueprint for sustainable development into the twenty first
century.
Project Justification
The Philippines, as an archipelago, is highly vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate
change. Many of its people are in the coastal areas and therefore at risk from the impacts of
extreme weather events, sea level rise and marine ecosystem degradation. Likewise, the effects
of climate change in the country’s natural resources, particularly on agriculture, forestry and
water resources, will further burden a country already reeling from a host of socio-economic and
environmental problems.
Acknowledging the magnitude of the possible onslaught of climate change events, the
Philippines has joined other countries in ratifying the Framework Convention on Climate
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Change. It is committed to abide by the principles of the Convention and to adhere to the
decisions being made by the Conference of the Parties.
In compliance with its commitment as a non-Annex 1 country Party of the Convention, the
Philippines has just submitted its Initial National Communication on Climate Change to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat. The
preparation of the document was made possible with the financial assistance provided by the
Global Environment Facility (GEF) through the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP). The document contains the 1994 GHG Inventory, general description of steps taken or
envisaged by the country to implement its commitment, and other information relevant to the
achievement of the objectives of the convention. The Executive Summary of the Philippines’
Initial National Communication is available upon request.
The initial national communication, in conjunction with the COP Decision 2/CP.4, par .1 (d), has
likewise recognized the need to further maintain and enhance the national capacity of concerned
government agencies and local experts so as not to dissipate the experience and skills gained
from the preparation of the initial national communication. Therefore, the Philippines, through
its IACCC, would like to continue the process to enable it to continuously fulfill its
commitment(s) under the convention. In light of all these reasons, this project is proposed to the
GEF for funding.
The project is aimed at maintaining and enhancing the capacity of concerned government
agencies and local experts to institutionalize the preparation of the country’s national
communication. It would take into account the experience(s) gained, as well as, the gaps and
constraints identified in the previous enabling activity project to serve as the take-off points for
this project. Therefore, the follow-up enabling activity project shall undertake priority activities
leading to capacity building to strengthen the national communication preparation process.
Likewise, two other major activities, which will provide critical information for and necessary in
the continuous production of the Philippines’ subsequent national communications, are included.
These are: capacity building for participation in systematic observation networks and
strengthening/improving national activities for public awareness and education, as well as,
access to information including those from international centers and networks.
2. ACTIVITIES TO BE INVOLVED IN PHASE II PROJECT:
Project Objectives and Description
Project Objectives
The project’s over-all objective is to maintain and enhance the national capacities gained from
the previous enabling activity project on climate change pursuant to Decision 2/CP4, paragraph 1
(d) of the Framework Convention on Climate Change to enable non-Annex 1 country Parties to
comply with their commitment(s) under the Convention.
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Specifically, the project will pursue the following objectives:
1.
to build capacity within the Philippines, including improvement of data management
systems and capacity to deal with recent changes in global climate change issues;
2.
to identify capacity and technological needs and eventually build capacity to participate
in systematic observation networks; and
3.
to strengthen/improve national activities on public awareness and education, as well as,
access to information, including information from international centers and networks.
Description of Activities
A. Technology Transfer:
(i) Identification/submission of technology needs
Improvement of Database Information Systems - A statistical framework and improvement
of the database and management information systems and the national communication shall
be established including a linkage mechanism to enable the academe to continuously feed
into and gather data from this information system. This information system will allow for
improved understanding of which sectors may require climate change abatement technology.
(ii) Capacity building to assess technology needs, modalities to acquire and absorb
them, design, evaluate and host projects
Capacity Building to Design and Host Climate Change Projects - In order to build the
Philippines’ capacity to design, evaluate and host projects, the GHG inventory development
process must be further integrated into the existing government administrative machinery and
functions. Pursuant to the gaps and constraints identified in the initial enabling activity, the
project will develop a framework, and implementing strategy, as well as undertake
institutionalization efforts to integrate the National Communication process in the concerned
government agencies. This will be achieved through a series of training workshops for each
of the sectors necessary for the inventory and issuance of a mandate to institutionalize the
process of the GHG inventory in the concerned government agencies. The sectors include
energy, industry, agriculture, wastes and land-use change and forestry. The capacity derived
from these training workshops will pave the way for the institutionalization of the inventory
process, which will increase the Philippines’ capacity to design, evaluate and host projects.
In order for the Philippines to design and host projects that are appropriate in response to
global climate change, it is necessary to keep abreast of the international developments in
climate change issues. The project will undertake capacity building for the IACCC members
through attendance to training and workshops, allowing for improved response to global
climate change issues.
Documentation of Methods and Approaches to Designing and Hosting Climate Change
Projects - This particular activity will entail the identification and development of priority
areas and activities needed to be included in climate change projects conducted in the
Philippines. In particular, the areas of vulnerability and adaptation assessment, and abatement
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analysis will be the focus. The output of this activity is the documentation of the various
components to be undertaken for the design and hosting of climate change projects.
Strengthening and Improve National Activities for Public Awareness and Education and
Access to Information, Including Information from International Centers and Networks The take-off point for this activity is the massive dissemination of the Initial National
Communication, which should serve to further raise awareness on the climate change issue,
the global efforts to address the same, and the national commitments and future activities that
need to be complied with and undertaken by the Philippines under the UNFCCC process.
This activity also includes the development of various communication materials using the
various media for various target audiences (e.g. local governments, policy makers, the
schools, private sector, etc.) Symposia and seminar workshops, among others, will be
conducted to discuss climate change issues, and elicit national consensus on responses and
commitments to the UNFCCC process. As a key entity for disseminating and eliciting
information from international sources, the project will strengthen the Philippine Climate
Change Information Center (CCIC), particularly its database information system and
networking capabilities in the local and international arena.
B. Capacity building for participation in systematic observation networks
Capacity Building for Participation in Systematic Observation Networks - Systematic
observation networks are necessary to further determine the causes and status, as well as, the
impacts of climate change. To get a comprehensive and accurate global picture of what is
happening, it is important for the international community to collaborate in this effort. The
Philippines, particularly, views capacity building on this aspect as necessary for climate
change related studies and development of appropriate policies and programs. Under this
activity, exchange visits to selected Annex I countries by selected Philippine experts from the
concerned government agencies and relevant entities, particularly from the academe and nongovernment organizations, shall be undertaken, to provide them with requisite knowledge
and information on existing observation networks. These experts shall then identify capacity
and technological needs to enable the country to participate optimally in regional/global
systematic observation networks.
3. PROJECT MANAGEMENT/INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENT
Similar to the implementation of the previous enabling activity, the project shall be administered
by the Inter-Agency Committee on Climate Change (IACCC) through its Secretariat, the
Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources (DENR). The members of the IACCC, which is co-chaired by the DENR and the
Department of Science and Technology (DOST) through the Philippine Atmospheric,
Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (PAGASA), shall serve as the Steering
Committee. This institutional structure is likewise in accordance with the GEF Operational
Guidelines for Climate Change Enabling Activity Part II, which recommends the use of the same
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institutional structure for the initial enabling activity to ensure the maintenance and enhancement
of national capacities in the preparation of subsequent national communications.
The Steering Committee shall oversee the implementation of the project, as well as, decision
making in all aspects of the project cycle. On the other hand, the IACCC Secretariat with the
support of the additional staff to be hired from the project shall be in-charge of the day-to-day
operation of the project and shall constitute the Project Management Team (PMT). The over-all
project accountability shall all rest on the IACCC as the executing entity.
As earlier mentioned, the project would take into account the experience(s) gained from the
initial enabling activity as take-off points in the implementation of the project. The project shall
likewise coordinate with other climate change related efforts being undertaken in the country.
The activities to be undertaken by the project shall be guided by the principles and goals of the
U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as, the decisions being made by
Conference of the Parties. The progress of the project will, from time to time, as the need arises,
be reported to/coordinated with the UNFCCC Secretariat, the GEF and the UNDP, as
Implementing Agency. Table C.2 provides the priority activities to be undertaken for additional
funding.
4. MONITORING AND EVALUATION
Detailed work and financial plans on a quarterly basis, shall be prepared to serve as the basis for
assessing progress of implementation, delivery of outputs and utilization of funds. On a regular
basis, the IACCC, as the project Steering Committee, will be responsible for monitoring the
progress of the entire project.
The project will also be subject to review by the IACCC and the UNDP at end of each year of
the project timeframe. Reports will be prepared by the Project Management Team for thIS
purpose.
Prior to the release of GEF additional financing by the UNDP for Phase II activities, standard
UNDP monitoring and evaluation practices will be followed for Phase I. In particular, the UNDP
will receive a copy of the latest (i.e., within the past six months) Annual Programme/Project
Report (APR) and the Tripartite Review (TPR) Report. At the end of Phase II, a Terminal Report
on Phase II will be submitted to the UNDP Headquarters.
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TABLE C 2
ACTIVITY MATRIX FOR PHASE II OF CLIMATE CHANGE ENABLING ACTIVITIES:
Priority activities for additional (interim) funding
Note:  denotes activities covered by the proposed project
Activity
2. A (i) Identification
and submission of
technology needs
2. A. (ii) Capacity
building to assess
technology needs,
modalities to acquire
and absorb them,
design, evaluate and
host projects
2. B. Capacity building
for participation in
systematic observation
networks
Planning
and
Execution
Capacity Maintenance/ Enhancement
Data Gathering
Institutional
Training,
and Research
Strengthening
Education and
Public Awareness
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
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Table D 2
PROJECT BUDGET ACCORDING TO GEF ACTIVITY NORMS
IN US DOLLARS
Cost estimates for (interim) priority activities
The project will be financed by the Global Environment Facility. The total GEF financial support sought is US$
100,000.00. The host government shall contribute approximately US$20,000.00 equivalent, in kind, comprising of
counterpart staff, office space and some maintenance and operating expenses such as communication expenses and
office equipment.
Capacity Maintenance/ Enhancement
Activity
2.A (i)
Identification
and submission
of technology
needs
2. A (ii) Capacity
building to assess
technology
needs, modalities
to acquire and
absorb them,
design, evaluate
and host projects
2. B. Capacity
building for
participation in
systematic
observation
networks
3. Project
management
Planning
and
Execution
Institutional
Strengthening
Training,
Education and
Public
Awareness
Technical and
Administrative
Support
Cost
Estimates
2,000
2,500
1,000
1,000
6,500
23,000
17,800
21,200
8,000
70,000
8,000
1,000
11,000
Data
Gathering
and
Research
2,000
10, 000
10,000
4. Monitoring &
Evaluation
2,500
2, 500
Total
39,500
20,300
30,200
10,000
100,000
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