PART I: PROJECT IDENTIFICATIONProject Title: Increase St. Lucia's capacity to monitor MEA implementation and sustainable developmentCountry(ies): St Lucia GEF Project ID:1 5197GEF Agency(ies): UNEP (select) (select) GEF Agency Project ID: 00966Other Executing Partner(s): Govt. of St. Lucia:

Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology - Sustainable Development and Environment Division; Ministry of Agriculture, Food Production, Fisheries and Rural Development;Caribbean Environmental Health Institute (CEHI)University of the West IndiesInter-American Institute for Cooperation in Agriculture (IICA)International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)

Submission Date: 2013-05-08

GEF Focal Area (s): Multi-focal Areas Project Duration (Months) 48Name of parent program (if applicable): For SFM/REDD+

      Agency Fee ($): 95,000

A. FOCAL AREA STRATEGY FRAMEWORK 2:

Focal Area Objectives Expected FA Outcomes Expected FA Outputs

Trust Fund

Indicative Grant Amount

($)

Indicative Co-financing

($) (select) CD-2 2.1 Institutions and

stakeholders have skills and knowledge to research, acquire and apply information for collecitve actions

2.1.1 Institutions and stakeholders trained how to use different tools available to manage information2.1.2 Stakeholders are better informed via workshops and trainings about global challenges and local actions required

GEFTF 395,000 435,000

(select) CD-4 4.1 Enhanced institutional capacities to manage environmental issues and implement global conventions

4.1.1 Institutional capacities for management of environment strengthened4.1.2 Management capacities for implementation of convention guidelines and reporting enhanced

GEFTF 250,000 270,000

(select) CD-5 5.1 Enhanced skills of national institutions to monitor environmental changes

5.1.1 Monitoring and audit systems established5.1.2 Evaluation systems for progress and projects established5.1.3 Learning system established to provide feedback to policy, strategies and management decisions from evaluation reports

GEFTF 265,000 265,000

1 Project ID number will be assigned by GEFSEC.2 Refer to the reference attached on the Focal Area Results Framework when filling up the table in item A.

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PROJECT IDENTIFICATION FORM (PIF)

PROJECT TYPE: MEDIUM-SIZED PROJECT TYPE OF TRUST FUND:GEF TRUST FUND

1

(select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select)             (select)            (select) (select) Others       (select)            

Sub-Total 910,000 970,000 Project Management Cost3 (select) 90,000 110,000

Total Project Cost 1,000,000 1,080,000

B. PROJECT FRAMEWORK

Project Objective: To strengthen institutional capacity for the implementation and monitoring of international conventions as a follow-up to the National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) of St. Lucia and to better integrate environmental concerns, and the value of ecosystems, into its broader development frameworks

Project Component

Grant Type Expected Outcomes Expected Outputs

Trust Fund

Indicative Grant

Amount ($)

Indicative Cofinancing

($) 1 Tools for improved MEA and SD reporting and monitoring

TA 1.1 Coordination of environmental information management is agreed and piloted in MEA reporting

1.2 Environmental information system and online platform is operational

1.3 National stakeholders are able to use environmental information for planning, project

1.1.1 Inter-agency agreements on information management are concluded involving at least 7 agencies and/or research institutes1.1.2 Reporting system for MEA implementation is applying the above information management agreement(s) and is being used for reporting to at least 3 MEAs

1.2.1 Set of core sustainable development indicators for the national level is developed, where appropriate coherent with regional and global SD indicators1.2.2 National and regional information sources are mapped relating to priority SD indicators1.2.3 Priority environmental data gaps are identified and plans developed to address them1.2.4 Online platform established presenting available information on SD indicators1.3.1 Different stakeholder groups (govt. agencies, NGO, local communities) trained to utilize information in planning

GEFTF

490,000 510,000

3 GEF will finance management cost that is solely linked to GEF financing of the project. PMC should be charged proportionately to focal areas based on focal area project grant amount.

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development and environmental management

and project development, and at least 3 initiatives prepared to test the information system in different sectors1.3.2 M&E system for environmental management developed1.3.3 Project monitoring system operating, providing systematic information on progress in achieving project outcome and output targets

2 Mainstreaming environmental management and MEA objectives

TA 2.1 Increased human and institutional capacity to use environmental science and information to guide development planning

2.1.1 Measurable increase in the capacities of government agencies to conduct impact, risk and vulnerability assessments using tools, methodologies and data available on open platforms2.1.2 A range of government stakeholders trained in the use of assessment findings for policy, development and land use planning, and at least 3 initiatives prepared to test the information system in different sectors2.1.3 National, participatory scenario process conducted focusing on priority environmental issues and integrating environmental, social and economic information

GEFTF

250,000 270,000

3 Awareness raising, education and outreach

TA 3.1 Public knowledge of, and participation in, the collection and use of environmental information has increased

3.1.1 Non-governmental stakeholders trained in use of the environmental information system to address local environmental challenges, and at least 3 initiatives prepared to test the system in different areas3.1.2 An initiative developed for public provision or validation of environmental information on a priority indicator3.1.3 Public awareness programme conducted on the national environmental information system

GEFTF

170,000 190,000

      (select)             (select            

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      (select)             (select)

           

      (select)             (select)

           

      (select)             (select)

           

      (select)             (select)

           

      (select)             (select)

           

      (select)             (select)

           

Sub-Total 910,000 970,000Project Management Cost4 (select

)90,000 110,000

Total Project Costs 1,000,000 1,080,000

C. INDICATIVE CO-FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT BY SOURCE AND BY NAME IF AVAILABLE, ($)

Sources of Cofinancing Name of Cofinancier Type of Cofinancing Amount ($)National Government Govt. of St. Lucia, Ministry of

Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology

Grant 500,000

National Government Govt. of St. Lucia, Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology

In-kind 500,000

GEF Agency UNEP In-kind 80,000Others to be determined during the PPG

phaseUnknown at this stage      

(select)       (select)      (select)       (select)      (select)       (select)      (select)       (select)      (select)       (select)      (select)       (select)      Total Cofinancing 1,080,000

D. GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF RESOURCES REQUESTED BY AGENCY, FOCAL AREA AND COUNTRY1

GEF Agency

Type of Trust Fund

Focal Area Country Name/Global

Grant Amount

(a)

Agency Fee (b)2

Total c=a+b

UNEP GEFTF Multi-focal Areas St Lucia 1,000,000 95,000 1,095,000(select) (select) (select)                   0(select) (select) (select)                   0(select) (select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0(select) (select)(select) (select)                   0

4 Same as footnote #3.

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Total Grant Resources 1,000,000 95,000 1,095,0001 In case of a single focal area, single country, single GEF Agency project, and single trust fund project, no need to provide information for this table 2 Please indicate fees related to this project.

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PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATIONA. DESCRIPTION OF THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH:

A.1.1 the GEF focal area/LDCF/SCCF strategies /NPIF Initiative: This project was developed under the GEF's Strategic Approach to Enhance Capacity Building and priorities for targeted interventions under the GEF-5 Cross-Cutting Capacity Development Strategy. In order to achieve this goal, the project targets several Capacity Development Objectives:

Capacity Development Objectives 2 and 5 , which aim to generate, access and use information and knowledge for both policy development and planning and for monitoring and evaluating environmental impacts and trends. Components 1 and 2 of this project will provide the institutions of St Lucia with the tools and methodologies to better coordinate existing knowledge and to generate new information on the state of the environment, such as indicators for sustainable development, and to track and monitor environmental trends and changes, so as to improve environmental management. Component 3 will also assist in developing expertise and understanding of environmental issues among non-governmental stakeholders and the general public (CD objective 2.3).

Capacity Development Objective 4, to provide strengthened capacities for management and implementation on convention guidelines. The project’s component 2 aims at establishing tools for impact and vulnerability assessments and training environmental officers how to use assessment results for policy development and influencing. Coordination of environmental information will facilitate national, indicator-based reporting on conventions in a coherent and more efficient manner. Assessments and scenarios can help monitor whether and how implementation of the conventions is leading to environmental change in St Lucia, and can identify priority areas to take into account in national development planning.

A.1.2. For projects funded from LDCF/SCCF: the LDCF/SCCF eligibility criteria and priorities:      

A.1.3 For projects funded from NPIF, relevant eligibility criteria and priorities of the Fund:     

A.2. national strategies and plans or reports and assessments under relevant conventions, if applicable, i.e. NAPAS, NAPs, NBSAPs, national communications, TNAs, NIPs, PRSPs, NPFE, etc.: This project is developed as a direct mechanism for addressing the core capacity needs expressed in St-Lucia’s National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) of 2007. As such, it addresses the core cross-cutting capacity needs for St-Lucia to implement its commitments to the major environmental conventions as well as its national environmental and sustainable development priorities. Specifically, this project contributes to the following outcomes of the NCSA:

Outcome 3 “Integrated and Systematic Framework for information management and reporting”

Outcome 4: “Increased public education, awareness and participation in integrated environmental management” and

Outcome 5 “Increased research, monitoring and evaluation”. The project also makes a direct contribution to addressing issues raised in St Lucia’s First National Communication to the UNFCCC, specifically the need to sustainably manage forests and agricultural sectors as both potential emitters and reducers of GHGs, and to

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promote better integrated frameworks for coastal zone management to support adaptation and resilience to the effects of climate change. The project is also consistent with the vision and objectives of St Lucia’s National Biodiversity Action Plan (NBSAP), such as “to ensure that the state of biological resources are known”, and fulfils a number of the priority projects indicated in the Action Plan, including projects 2, 3, 4 and 17. Finally this project makes a contribution to the implementation of UNCCD commitments in St Lucia, including providing a basis for reporting. St Lucia’s NAP of 2010 refers to capacity development needs, among others in the areas of information and knowledge management, and the inadequacy of decision support systems with regard to research and systematic observation, monitoring and evaluation and dissemination of data and information, which have to be addressed

As such, the project also addresses the following Convention articles and implementation priorities for St Lucia. Component- Output Convention articles NCSA priority

CBD CCD UNFCCCAn operational information and reporting system for Sustainable Development and MEA implementation

7, 12, 13, 17 5c, 16, 17,

4.1d, 4.1e, 4.1g, 4.1h, 4.8, 5a

Establish and sustain an integrated and systematic framework for information management and reporting

Tools for mainstreaming environmental management and MEA objectives

7, 12, 13, 17 16, 17 4.8 Increased research, monitoring and evaluation to fill in existing gaps in information

A public awareness campaign

13, 14, 19, 6a(i) Increased public education, awareness and participation in integrated environmental management

B. PROJECT OVERVIEW:B.1. Describe the baseline project and the problem that it seeks to address:

Baseline situationThe island of Saint Lucia is a small volcanic island located in the Eastern Caribbean with a total land surface area of approximately 540 sq km. St Lucia has a population of 161,500 (2011) and a per Capita GDP of $11,200 (2010). Although crops such as bananas, mangoes, and avocados continue to be grown for export, tourism provides Saint Lucia's main source of income and the tourism industry is the island's biggest employer. Population centers and economic activities, including tourism, are concentrated along the coast.Of its surface area, about 200 sq km are agricultural lands, with a declining factor of 5% since 1990 About 2.4% of the surface area consists of protected areas. Biodiversity is important to the country for food, shelter, medicines, ecosystem services, sustainable livelihoods, agriculture and tourism industries and future untapped industries of the country. St Lucia’s forestry resources constitute a rich resource of terrestrial biodiversity - the forest areas of St. Lucia are stable with minimal changes and cover about 170 sq km (30%) – which, in addition to its important roles as a watershed, habitat for a variety of forms of flora and

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fauna, and as an eco-tourism resource, serve also a sink for GHGs. Notwithstanding fairly extensive socio-economic pressures towards deforestation the Government of St Lucia has embarked on a number of measures aimed at the sustainable use and protection of this invaluable resource. Notwithstanding its small size, the island possesses a high degree of diversity, not only in the ecosystems and habitats found on the island, but also in the variety of biological resources present, some of which are endemic to the country. It is home to numerous terrestrial and marine plants and animal species, 30 of which are considered as endangered. Ecosystems include rainforest, coral reefs, mangroves and sea grass beds. The Saint Lucian economy remains largely dependent, with a significant portion of its consumption needs imported (up to 60% of GDP). The key economic sectors are tourism and agriculture, with the economy having undergone a major transition from an agrarian-based economy to a service economy since the 1990’s. Both the tourism and agricultural sectors rely heavily on the country’s natural/biological resources for their sustainability, yet also impact on it; sometimes adversely. For example, the principal tourism product occurs within coastal and marine habitats, the extensive use of which results in ecological change and sometimes degradation and loss of productivity. Current systems of farming involve the exploitation of land resources and terrestrial biodiversity to maximize economic output, invariably at the expense of the biological resources and environment.Being a small island nation, the close interrelation between socio-economic pressures, including urbanization and urban development, and economic activities such as agriculture, tourism and coastal development, and their effects on ecosystems are very closely felt, both with regard to biodiversity loss as well as changes in the services these ecosystems provide. Particularly for a small island nation such as St. Lucia, it is therefore paramount to invest in policies and development paths that address challenges in an integrated way, securing economic development and environmental protection jointly and sustainably, instead of favouring one at the expense of the other.St Lucia’s vision for economic development is embedded in the 2012 Budget entitled “Creating a Safe and Secure Environment and Rebuilding Communities while Transforming the Economy to Attain Sustainable Development”. Among the initiatives included in this budget, the Government of St Lucia expects to invest in the development of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) as a tool for development, and crucial investments in the foundational sectors of health, education, infrastructure (including water), and enhancing of the governments functions. In responding to its environment priorities, the government of St Lucia faces a number of systemic constraints such as low technical capacity and lack of data as well as tools and facilities to generate, access and use data, and challenges in integrating sustainable development concerns in broader economic and infrastructure planning. Baseline ProjectsThere are two baseline projects on which the proposed CCCD project is building:St Lucia completed its first national state of the environment reporting process in 2006, with technical support from UNEP. At the start of 2013, it embarked on its second process to assess the state of the St. Lucian environment, which is aimed for completion in late 2013. Both assessments follow the integrated environmental assessment process (analyzing drivers of environmental change in the country, pressures, state of the environment, socio-economic impacts and responses). At the same time, St Lucia is developing a national “ILAC” indicators report. The ILAC indicators are a set of regional Latin American and Caribbean indicators of sustainable development, which have been adopted by the Forum of Environment Ministers of Latin America and the Caribbean, and have been used for summaries of the state of the environment, based on a set of core data, both at the regional level and in interested countries.

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The combined St Lucia ILAC and state of the environment reporting processes in 2013 has an estimated budget of US$ 18,800, plus staff time.At present, these reports each require a substantial data gathering exercise. The same is true for individual convention reporting processes, as well as decision making processes affecting the environment. The proposed CCCD project will both use the past and ongoing reporting processes and support these by developing a system, based on the principle of “collect once, use often”, to manage environmental information in support of more efficient and coherent national and MEA reporting, vulnerability assessment, policy development, and strengthened public engagement in environmental decision making in St Lucia.The second baseline initiative is the CARICOM’s regional ICT for Development Programme (ICT4D), including its national St. Lucian activities.The overall regional ICT4D strategy aims at an inclusive Regional Knowledge Society, driving sustainable development. This will be achieved through 5 major strategic objectives:

To fully establish modern regional regulatory and open telecommunications infrastructures.

To build a digital community culture. To manage and use ICT to demonstrate good governance and increase efficiency in

operations. To establish a culture of innovation and quality. To guide businesses and governments to use ICT for sustainable growth.

So far, two projects were implemented in St. Lucia under the CARICOM ICT4D umbrella:- Capacity Building for Programming in Comprehensive Disaster Management (2007-08,

with a funding of 500,000 USD across the Caribbean), aiming at enhancing country capacity for project development and reporting and the development of databases of information on country capacity and needs.

- Enhancing the Effectiveness of Information and Communication Technology Applications and Tools for Disaster Management in the Caribbean Region (2007 – 2012, USD 400,000), testing innovative ICT applications for enhancing disaster management practices.

Both provide data and institutional capacity profiles with regard to disaster management and will be used for developing an integrated approach to vulnerability and risk assessments within the environmental information system. While the overall ICT4D strategy is geared toward information infrastructure and economic development, particularly objectives 3 and 5, targeting efficiency and good governance and sustainable growth, are seen by the St. Lucian government as good entry points and backdrop for the proposed CCCD project, to develop an environmental information and knowledge management approach that both builds on the ICT4D achievements and infrastructure, and adds the so far missing environmental dimension. Developing a comprehensive environmental information management approach will increase environmental governance and at the same time feed environmental science into the national statistical system to better inform decision making and development planning.

Another important project that provides good opportunities for collaboration and synergies is the World Bank-supported Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience—Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (PPCR-DVRP). In March 2013, the St Lucia Minister of Finance provided approval for the suite of national projects under PPCR-DVRP, with the Project Preparation Advance (PPA) expected to be carried out in 2013, projects running from a period of three to five years, and an overall project budget in grant funding of 27 Million USD. A first phase of the PPCR process, called the St Lucia Programme for Climate Resilience (SPCR) was approved in June 2011 and is being implemented, with a budget of US$ 315,000. The SPCR includes strategic programme areas related to capacity development and organizational

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strengthening, and reducing risk to climate-related disasters.B. 2. incremental /Additional cost reasoning: describe the incremental (GEF Trust Fund/NPIF) or

additional (LDCF/SCCF) activities requested for GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF financing and the associated global environmental benefits (GEF Trust Fund/NPIF) or associated adaptation benefits (LDCF/SCCF) to be delivered by the project: This project is intended to complement key baseline programming in the areas of ICT for development, which figures among the priorities of the government for the next budget, and is currently being implemented through the ICT for Development Programme, supported among others by the CARICOM. This programme supports the creation of basic capacity for establishing and using ICTs in support of development monitoring, socio-economic reporting and overall social development. This project also builds on the baseline programming efforts to strengthen environmental reporting and information gathering through the state of the environment reporting process. The proposed project aims at supporting St. Lucia to monitor MEA implementation and to better link environmental objectives with overall national development policies and planning, hence utilizing the baseline projects while adding a) environmental information and knowledge management to the use of ICTs; b) establishing a broad-based environmental information platform that provides data for integrated policy making; and c) increasing capacities for using environmental assessment results in influencing planning and policy processes toward sustainable solutions. Through strengthening capacities to best utilize ICTs for mapping, reporting and monitoring key environmental issues and indicators, the project cuts across various MEAs, notably the Rio Conventions, to contribute to steering St. Lucia’s development policies toward sustainability in the longer term. In doing so, the project will address the main challenges identified through St. Lucia’s NCSA in 2007, namely a) information management, b) public awareness and c) monitoring and evaluation. The project is articulated into three components: Component 1 seeks to create technical capacity for the establishment of a comprehensive system of monitoring and reporting on environmental and sustainable development issues. This has been considered a foundational cross-cutting capacity that will in the long run assist the St Lucia Government in integrating environmental concerns, and the value of ecosystems, into its broader development frameworks. Government agencies will be involved in identifying information and data exchange needs, agree on common information management procedures, MEA reporting tasks and responsibilities as well as related indicators for monitoring. Together with other relevant stakeholder groups, e.g. from academia and national and local NGO and resource users/beneficiaries, trainings on M&E for information management and project monitoring will strengthen the needed capacities for operationalizing such a monitoring system and increase the collaboration and coordination of the different stakeholder groups in data gathering analysis and management. Value added: By complementing the baseline ICT4D and climate resilience/disaster risk reduction (PPCR-VCDR) programmes, capacities for MEA implementation and monitoring will be strengthened. Using ICTs, environmental data and indicators will provide an inestimable basis for creating an online environmental information system that serves to integrate environmental science and knowledge into overall development policy frameworks and planning processes as well strengthening the foundation for reducing St Lucia’s vulnerability to extreme climate events and improved disaster risk management.

- Inter-agency cooperation on environmental information management;- Provision of additional environmental and socio-economic data for integrated

assessments;- Reporting system for SD data and MEA implementation established;

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- Online platform for integrated environmental information operational;- M&E system for environmental management developed;- Environmental information system provides evidence-based baseline for integrated policy

development.Component 2 aims at furthering analytical capacities for undertaking environmental impact and vulnerability assessments, and for relating assessment results to other socio-economic frameworks, notably St. Lucia’s development planning and policy making processes. Major target institutions and groups are government agencies, chiefly those involved in EIA and related assessments, as well as departments and divisions engaged in policy preparation and planning.Value added: Building on the baseline initiatives with their ICT infrastructure, component 2 of this project will provide the institutions of St Lucia with the tools and methodologies to generate new information on the state of the environment, such as indicators for sustainable development, and to track and monitor environmental trends and changes, so as to improve environmental management. The capabilities to use assessment results in scenario development will allow national stakeholders to review and shape policy and development planning towards more integrated and sustainable approaches.

- Training on integrated environmental assessments for mapping synergies between MEAs, and on vulnerability and risk assessments;

- Training on scenario building for policy mapping, back casting and stress testing;- Development of evidence-based policy scenarios for St Lucia.

Component 3 comprises a set of activities designed to increase awareness of environmental issues in general, and MEA commitments in particular, among key stakeholders and the general public. This lack of awareness has been highlighted in the NCSA as a key obstacle to achieving long-term behavioral change in terms of natural resource use, land use and development planning. Training modules will therefore be conceived and applied for the general public, community-based organizations, NGO and the media on the linkages between global environmental issues, national environmental topics, aims and policies and the consequences of local behaviour. Engaging non-governmental stakeholders in activities that improve national environmental management is another set of activities under component 3, highlighting the roles and responsibilities of actors in local environmental management and their contribution to achieving national and global policy aims. Value added: Over and above baseline activities to engage with a broader range of stakeholders, the proposed project will provide CSOs, academia, the general public and other key groups with improved knowledge on environmental information, trends and issues how local actions link to global environmental concerns.

- Development of educational material on SD and MEAs for general public including media kits for radio / TV and newspapers;

- Engagement of stakeholder groups in environmental management and decision making processes;

- Develop a public information policy on the environment.

It is expected that this project will enable the authorities and stakeholders in St Lucia to better understand the implications of various development pathways in terms of sustainable development and to base development decisions and policy processes on evidence-based and science-based scenarios. By complementing the baseline projects and related initiatives, the government of St. Lucia will be enabled to establish consistent methods and standards of data collection, to integrate environmental information into the national statistical system and to thus establish the foundation for mainstreaming environmental concerns into national development and policy

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making. While the baseline activities mainly focus on ICT infrastructure or on physical meteorological and hydrological data, the proposed project will be an ideal match by ensuring that activities and results of the baseline can be expanded to cover additional environmental and socio-economic data, as well as monitoring and reporting requirements under the relevant MEAs. With its focus on environmental information and knowledge management, by utilizing the information and communication technology that will be established via the baseline projects, the proposed project will engage a broad range of stakeholders from different ministries, government agencies, CSOs and academia, to be jointly trained on the usage of environmental data for project and policy development. This will include indicator development, monitoring and evaluation, MEA compliance and reporting, as well as impact and vulnerability assessments. It is not possible to provide reliable figures at this early PIF stage on how many institutions, officials and CSO activists will be reached and trained through the project activities, but the establishment of such baseline data is included in the PPG activities for the proposal development. Through its interventions and training activities, the project will, however, strongly contribute to establishing a solid and sustainable foundation for inclusive environmental management in St. Lucia. Without a GEF-supported intervention, St. Lucian development will remain decoupled from environmental considerations, and thus be subject to various uncertainties, chief among which the risks of extreme weather events, and will continue to risk unsustainable or maladapted pathways. The sustainability of the planned project interventions is regarded as very high, as the approach inherently builds on principles for institutional sustainability by demonstrating the added value and cost-effectiveness of an integrated environmental management information system that incorporates an environmental database and monitoring and evaluation system. Strengthening institutional capacities through a comprehensive training on advanced tools and methods for using assessment results for planning and policy integration will further support the sustainability of the project’s outcomes.The GEF Request amount of US$ 1,000,000 has resulted in a leveraged equal co-financing amount, for a total project cost of US$ 2,080,000. This comes to an approximate leveraging power of 110%. Further co-financing contributions of national and regional executing partner organizations will be sought during the preparation phase for the proposal.

B.3. Describe the socioeconomic benefits to be delivered by the Project at the national and local levels, including consideration of gender dimensions, and how these will support the achievement of global environment benefits (GEF Trust Fund/NPIF) or adaptation benefits (LDCF/SCCF). As a background information, read Mainstreaming Gender at the GEF.": This project is expected to provide the basis for continued generation of socio-economic benefits by enabling the implementation of sustainable development strategies at all levels. Expected benefits will include:

Increased scientific and technical knowledge to inform public development and private investment decisions;

Strengthened national capacities to link physical data with related environmental information and socio-economic factors in comprehensive and integrated assessments and scenario development;

Increased awareness among the general public to enable sustainable behavioural changes in terms of resource use and to link local behaviour to global environmental concerns;

Increased opportunities for active involvement of non-governmental organizations, the

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academia and the general public in decision making processes that reflect on environmental management and sustainable development;

Increased evidence of sustainable development and efficient use of resources towards synergistic implementation of MEA commitments.

Integrating environmental concerns and environmental information management into development planning and providing longer term incentives to safeguard natural resources and eventually increase ecosystem services for the benefit of St. Lucia’s population is seen as a good means to improving their socio-economic conditions as well as a direct contribution to achieving global environmental benefits. Involving local stakeholders and providing them with opportunities to actively participate in environmental management not only provides additional information sources on the state of the environment and for environmental monitoring and policy making, but also affords them with greater knowledge on the links between local actions and the global Conventions, strengthened awareness of the fragility of natural resources and an enhanced civic commitment through their increased engagement. The government of St Lucia is committed to the integration of gender issues into its policies and programmes and, in line with UNEP policies and GEF guidelines, this project will be implemented in a manner that ensures equal participation by women and men into all activities and project structures. Wherever possible and useful, disaggregated indicators for the different sexes and their roles will be included in the project’s monitoring and evaluation plans to strengthen knowledge on the different impacts of climate change and environmental degradation on men and women, and the potential role of men and women in addressing them. Furthermore, the project will consider ways to increase access to environmental information for both men and women. It will increase participation of men and women in environmental assessment, scenarios and assessment/information-based policy review.

B.4 Indicate risks, including climate change risks that might prevent the project objectives from being achieved, and if possible, propose measures that address these risks to be further developed during the project design: This project is oriented towards the development of cross-cutting institutional and individual capacity to implement sustainable development and MEA commitments in a synergistic manner. As such, there are a few risks that may impact its achievement of results, as follows:

Risk Level Mitigation StrategyDecreasing governmental commitment to pursue MEA implementation and sustainable development

Low The project was developed based on the results of a nationally conducted needs assessment (NCSA) and was negotiated by the national focal point for St. Lucia, which is a reflection of their commitment.

Lack of interest by government stakeholders

Low The project is country-driven and will provide incentives for various sectoral stakeholders to collaborate in assessments and scenario development

Lack of interest of relevant stakeholder groups

Medium Awareness raising will provide all stakeholder groups with the necessary knowledge on issues and opportunities that lie within their active engagement in environmental management at all levels.Close engagement of non-governmental stakeholder groups (including local

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resource users and beneficiaries) will provide them with means to contribute to data gathering and assessment and to contribute to the development of environmental information management. The major incentive will be additional knowledge and skills to contribute to a better understanding of the environmental parameters that underpin their livelihoods.

Lack of accord on data collection needs, format and methodology to collect, collate, and analyze data

Medium Consensus-based development of data portal, information system and indicators

CC-induced severe weather events delay or impede project completion

Medium The project will ensure that appropriate measures are taken to prevent and mitigate the possible impacts of extreme weather events on project implementation. The project will also link with ongoing disaster risk management initiatives to ensure that it provides additional information on ensuring that recovery and reconstruction programmes are undertaken in a sustainable and adapted way.

The project outcomes are not sustained and continued beyond project lifetime

Low The project strategy is closely tied into the review of St. Lucia’s environmental management framework, ensuring that its outcomes and achievements will be incorporated into its policy and legislative processes.The capacities the project seeks to strengthen will provide the foundation to maintain the environmental information system – the goal of which is not only to improve knowledge on the environment, but also to increase the sustainability of project results and of developmental policies in St. Lucia

B.5. Identify key stakeholders involved in the project including the private sector, civil society organizations, local and indigenous communities, and their respective roles, as applicable:

Key stakeholders the project seeks to involve include: Government authorities and ministries : As key beneficiaries of the tool development,

trainings and scenario building initiatives, ministries who play a role in land or natural resource use will benefit from increased knowledge, data access and generation and analysis capacity.

Scientific and academic institutions will be called upon to participate in the data gathering exercises and to provide support to the reporting initiatives supported by this project.

The media will be trained and called upon to participate in awareness raising activities supported by this project.

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Non-governmental organizations and local stakeholders will be involved in and benefit from awareness raising activities and assessment opportunities that arise through project activities, including training opportunities on how to use data gathering and assessment for establishing indicators and M&E procedures.

B.6. Outline the coordination with other related initiatives: The project will coordinate with the following key ongoing initiatives in St Lucia, including the GEF-Supported projects and programmes:

The Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience-Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (PPCR-DVRP), currently in design phase, is closely intertwined with the above SPCR and aims to measurably reduce vulnerability to natural hazards and the adverse impacts of climate change in Saint Lucia. Major outcomes expected from the project include: A) Capacity built to identify and monitor climate risk at the national level; B) Reduced vulnerability of key sectors, assets and people to natural disasters. Various sub-projects are of particular relevance to the proposal, as they address data acquisition, capacities to store, access and interpret such data, and public awareness and engagement in retrieving environmental data. While the DVRP data-specific components of relevance to this project mainly focus on meteorological, hydrological and physical data, the proposed project will be an ideal complement by ensuring that activities and results of the DVRP can be expanded to also cover data, monitoring and reporting requirements under the relevant MEAs.

Review of the legal, policy and institutional framework for improved environmental management in Saint Lucia. Currently, the Government of Saint Lucia reviewing its environmental management framework, aiming to

1. Finalize the development of a legal instrument to enhance inter-agency coordination on environmental management

2. Further efforts to realize the establishment and legitimization of an agency to oversee the process of inter-agency collaboration on environmental management

3. Enhance the policy framework in critical areas of environmental management4. Advance the process for the establishment of a financial mechanism to further support

environmental management at the national level.Both projects are highly interrelated, as the review of the environmental management framework will provide a backdrop with stable mandates and clear institutional roles and responsibilities on which to add the proposed projects activities to mainstream environment into development planning, tools and training for reporting or M&E, as well as awareness raising and public education. Close coordination between these two projects will further ensure that the outputs of the proposed GEF-supported project find immediate entry into the national environmental management framework, including legal, policy and planning processes.

Hurricane Tomas Emergency Recovery Project (2011 – 2014), aiming to support the recovery and reconstruction of Saint Lucia in the aftermath of Hurricane Tomas. Its components include

early recovery of key economic sectors; strengthening the institutional capacity to i) evaluate and integrate natural hazard and

climate change risk reduction into national development policy and decision-making processes using geo-referenced information; ii) carry out various risk assessments and impact evaluation studies in highly affected areas and specific sectors; and iii) review the National Disaster Management Plan and improve disaster management capacity;

reconstruction and rehabilitation of damaged critical public infrastructure in the government's transport, health and education sectors.

A project titled Iyanola - Natural Resource Management of the NE Coast is currently being reviewed by the GEF. Its approach to integrated resource management and ecosystem services

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valuation will be supported through data provision, while its results will find entry into the environmental information system.

The Caribbean Hub Project on capacity development related to MEAs in ACP countries is executed by the CARICOM Secretariat and aims at the synergistic implementation of MEAs in a coherent and integrated manner. Of particular relevance to the proposed project is its strong focus on information management and exchange and on mainstreaming MEA objectives into development policy.

ECLAC, with the assistance of AusAID, has been implementing a research project entitled Development of Economic Frameworks in Support of an Assessment of the Economic and Social Impacts of Climate Change in the Caribbean. The research, which is regional in scope, involves collecting national level data be used to conduct regional econometric analyses on six themes: agriculture, coastal and marine environment, energy, health, tourism and water.

C. DESCRIBE THE GEF AGENCY’S COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE TO IMPLEMENT THIS PROJECT: UNEP has a long history of collaboration with the government of St Lucia. Apart from supporting St. Lucia in its NCSA, NBSAP as well as various enabling and reporting activities under the CBD and the Stockholm Convention, UNEP has recently assisted St Lucia in completing an Environmental Assessment and is actively working in partnership with St Lucia to develop its GEF-5 portfolio of projects. UNEP is well placed to assist St Lucia in developing and implementing this project as it fits within the priorities and technical capabilities of the Division for Early Warning and Assessment and its capacity development branch, which will support St. Lucia in the project implementation. This will enable UNEP to provide in-kind co-financing to this project. In addition, UNEP has strong regional presence, both in North America and in Latin America and the Caribbean, through its regional offices and collaborating centers with longstanding experience in capacity building related to assessments, data and indicators and mainstreaming of environment into policy making.

C.1 Indicate the co-financing amount the GEF agency is bringing to the project:

At this early stage of the project development, UNEP is deliberately establishing its contribution at a conservative estimate, i.e. the minimum support it will be able to provide to support the project. UNEP will seek, however, to increase its contribution, involving other UNEP Divisions, e.g. ROLAC and DEPI, and to use its convening and networking power to identify further partners and resources during the PPG phase of the project.UNEP will provide US$ 80,000 in co-financing for this project, in terms of the time of staff members from the Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) Capacity Development Branch. It is anticipated that four staff will contribute to supervising this project, two at Nairobi Headquarters, and two in the assessment team of the Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean. These staff members have expertise in supporting environmental assessment, environmental information and early warning, including methodologies and best practices, and facilitating partnerships with global and regional scientific and statistical expertise, other relevant units in UNEP and the United Nations, and development partners.

C.2 How does the project fit into the GEF agency’s program (reflected in documents such as UNDAF, CAS, etc.) and staff capacity in the country to follow up project implementation:

This project is consistent with the recent priorities highlighted in the St Lucia National programming Framework Document (for GEF resources). It is also consistent with the mandate and purview of UNEP’s major programmes, including the Bali Strategic Plan article 3, and the

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UNEP Mid-term strategy for 2010-2013.

UNEP has pioneered technical assistance and capacity development in the preparation of Integrated Environmental Assessments (GEO-IEA) reports in LAC, at regional, sub-regional, national and sub-national level. UNEP ROLAC begun advising governments and relevant policy makers in the use of the GEO methodology since 1995, and to date, over 100 assessments have been completed in The Region. Since the first GEO process began in 1995, the GEO IEA methodology has expanded, refined and applied to a wide range of contexts and to different scales resulting in a variety of reports and publications. Each of these has its own purpose, process and identity but it is unified by the participatory and consultative characteristics of the GEO approach, a focus on user needs, and results oriented options for action in each report.

In 2006, St Lucia completed its first State of the Environment Report, with the technical assistance of UNEP and using the GEO analytical framework. . This was an effort of the Sustainable Development and Environment Section of the Ministry of Physical Development, Environment and Housing. The report was developed in consultation with public and private sector agencies, as well as non-governmental agencies (NGOs) and community based organization (CBOs). The State of the Environment Report for Saint Lucia provided environmental information to support decision-making for sustainable development in Saint Lucia, through the provision of credible environmental information and data.

Furthermore, UNEP ROLAC serves as secretariat of the Working Group of Environmental Indicators of the Latin American and Caribbean Initiative for Sustainable Development. In this role, the UNEP ROLAC has fostered capacity development in the preparation of indicators of sustainable development, encompassing the six thematic areas of the ILAC, namely: biological diversity, water management, vulnerability, including human settlements and sustainable cities, social issues encompassing health, inequity and poverty, economics aspects (commerce, sustainable consumption and production), and institutional aspects.

Through south-south cooperation UNEP has developed capacity in Central America and the Caribbean (Dominican Republic) in the design and implementation of environmental information systems, through partnerships with Ministries of Environment of the countries aforementioned.

Lastly, a joint effort between UNEP, CARICOM and the International Institute for Sustainable Development provided technical assistance in the Caribbean to build capacity on the use of integrated environmental assessments tools for improved MEA implementation.

Execution arrangements:

The project will be executed by the Ministry of Sustainable Development, Energy, Science and Technology. The implementing agency, UNEP/DEWA will support the executing agency in administrative matters and specific technical concerns through the staff of its Capacity Development Branch at Nairobi HQ (2 staff) and the environmental information officer based in Panama. Further execution support will be provided through 2 staff in UNEP’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean in Panama.

Based on successful cooperation in the Caribbean on integrated assessment approaches, the project preparation phase will equally be used to bring on board additional expertise and support through organizations such as the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the University of the West Indies (UWI) or the World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC).

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PART III: APPROVAL/ENDORSEMENT BY GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) AND GEF AGENCY(IES)

A. RECORD OF ENDORSEMENT OF GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT (S) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT(S): (Please attach the Operational Focal Point endorsement letter(s) with this template. For SGP, use this OFP endorsement letter).

NAME POSITION MINISTRY DATE (MM/dd/yyyy)Caroline Eugene Sustainable

Development and Environment Officer III, Operational Focal Point

MINISTRY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, ENERGY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY, ST. LUCIA

10/02/2012

                                              

B. GEF Agency(ies) CertificationThis request has been prepared in accordance with GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF policies and procedures and meets the GEF/LDCF/SCCF/NPIF criteria for project identification and preparation.

Agency Coordinator,

Agency name

SignatureDATE

(MM/dd/yyyy)

Project Contact Person

TelephoneEmail Address

Maryam Niamir-Fuller

GEF Coordination

UNEP

May 08, 2013 Ludgarde Coppens,

Programme Officer, DEWA

Capacity Development

Branch

+254-(0)20-

762-4158

Ludgarde.Coppens@unep.org

                             

                             

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