88279 When FOUNDATIONAL ACTS generate SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Highlights From Inside the GEF-5 WBG-GEF Program The Global Environment Facility (GEF) brings together in partnership 183 countries with multilateral institutions, civil society organizations (CSOs) and the private sector to address global environmental issues that also support national sustainable development initiatives. The GEF provides grant funding for activities that target issues surrounding biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. Since 1991, the GEF has disbursed $11.5 billion in grants, which has leveraged $57 billion in co-financing, for over 3,215 projects in more than 165 countries. [http://www.thegef.org/gef/] TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword.......................................................................................................................1 Portfolio Overview ..................................................................................................4 How the Funds are Used.......................................................................................5 East Asia and the Pacific...........................................................................7 Leveraging Interest and Scaling-up Innovation........................................ 18 Eastern Europe and Central Asia................................................... 21 Helping Drive Behavior Change...................................................................... 32 LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN.................................................... 35 Engaging Private Sector Partnership...........................................................46 MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA...........................................................49 EnGendering Equity.............................................................................................60 SOUTH ASIA............................................................................................................ 63 Harmonizing for Enhanced Efficiency.......................................................... 72 SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA.................................................................................... 75 Channeling ongoing achievements in GEF6 .............................................90 Photo Credits.......................................................................................................... 92 WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Foreword Accomplishments achieved within the As just one of hundreds of WBG staff who World Bank Group (WBG)-GEF portfo- contributed to the success of the WBG-GEF lio provide reason to feel proud. As the Program over the past two decades, I am experiences highlighted within this docu- privileged to have witnessed the impact of ment clearly demonstrate, the WBG-GEF this program time and time again, including Program has helped pioneer so many the scale-up effect that robust early stage important, long-lasting programs and GEF investments have made. Countless partnerships, as well as new technologies, examples of follow-on investments have regional initiatives, and investment models. helped sustain early stage funding, and part- These activities have brought, and continue nerships and new institutions were created to bring, people together to work across that continue, on their own, to expand and boundaries, issues and institutions to multiply the work of the GEF today. ensure that global environment issues are addressed as integral elements of sustain- This document attempts to provide a flavor able development. of the richness of the Program’s impacts and results, and touches upon the features WBG teams are actively engaged, day in it draws from the WBG’s unique institutional and day out and in some of the farthest capacity, which helps define the WBG-GEF reaches of the globe, supporting national Program’s specific approach in assisting teams in executing GEF-funded projects countries to make the best use of their GEF on every continent. Our staff can be found funds. We believe it is impossible to sep- on the ground in hiking boots working with arate global environmental issues from our national parks on their management plans, core mission of poverty reduction, given the 1 in remote villages discussing how local strong connections between the two and cultural practices can bring about environ- that fact that many of these issues, such as mental change, convening meetings with climate change, do already impact econo- counterparts and government ministries mies in negative ways on a global scale. The working together for the first time, meeting program thus aims to turn collective chal- with power utilities to discuss introducing lenges into opportunities for change and feed-in tariffs for renewable energy, observ- transformation along a more sustainable ing community meetings to inform and economic development path, working with strengthen project designs, meeting with partners to innovate to increase impact at the local banks and credit associations to dis- global, regional, and national levels. Looking cuss novel financing approaches, and con- ahead in GEF 6, we look forward to continu- vening partner donors and aid organizations ing to do our part to make the best use of to work together for a common cause. these critical funds to help catalyze change. Karin Shepardson GEF Executive Coordinator The World Bank Group PORTFOLIO OVERVIEW Portfolio Overview The World Bank Group (WBG)-GEF Program is one of for entry by other financing partners generates signif- the institution’s longest standing trust-funded pro- icant economies of scale and underscores the WBG- grams. Since 1991, it has helped stimulate investment GEF Program’s key value proposition within the GEF to boost global environmental benefits through the partnership: our ability to ‘crowd-in’ a broad range implementation of more than 790 projects in 120 coun- of partners from not simply across the institution, tries. Our work with the GEF has focused on some of but also with business and civil society, linking their the world’s most complex environmental risks: climate knowledge and financing to that of the WBG to better change, biodiversity loss, polluted international waters, deliver solutions to client countries. land degradation and desertification, and persistent organic pollutants, all of which impact poverty and sus- The WBG’s GEF Program draws upon a specialized tainable development and therefore, are of direct rel- community of practitioners to bring the best tech- evance to the WBG’s mission to end extreme poverty nical and policy knowledge, skills and solutions to and boost shared prosperity. Today the program sup- the service of client countries. By sharing innovative ports a portfolio of over 200 investments integrating approaches that we know work when tackling serious policy reform and technical assistance that encourage environmental issues, the WBG-GEF Program builds innovation, promote ‘readiness’ for scale-up of second capacity that serves local needs for global impact. generation investments, and stimulate green growth. Financial Leveraging for Projects Approved During the GEF-5 Replenishment period (2010-2014), during GEF-5 ($ billions) the WBG-GEF partnership entered its third decade. The overall size of the portfolio, including projects GEF IBRD/IDA Financing that became active, closed or were approved by the Financing 798.7m GEF Council for preparation, totaled US $2.9 billion. 3.6b 4 Thirty-six (36) percent of the WBG’s programming was blended with IBRD or IDA financing, and over $25 billion in additional funding and resources were leveraged from a host of other financing sources and global donor programs to make the most of shared agendas. These include: the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), carbon finance, bilateral donors, the Global Fund for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program Other (ESMAP), and the Water Partnership Program (WPP). Leveraging Channeling GEF grants through investment frame- 4.5b works that promote synergies and lay the foundations GEF-5 Distribution of WBG Projects by Region GEF-5 Distribution of WBG Projects by Focal Area AFR EAP IW Biodiversity AFR EAP ECA 9% LD Climate Change 24% 24% GLO CC 7% International Waters IFC 43% Land Degradation ECA LCR SAR MFA Multi-focal Area 8% MNA 16% 7% POPs MNA IFC SAR BD 8% 7% 22% LCR GLO POPs 20% 2% 3% WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS How the Funds are Used Climate Change-Mitigation and the introduction of climate risk insurance through Adaptation adaptation strategies. These efforts strongly support the challenges and struggles of communities in areas Grants channeled in support of GEF Climate Change of the world vulnerable to food security, principally focal area mitigation objectives support low-carbon Sub-Saharan Africa, which is home to a large diversity and carbon-resilient development. Grant funding of ecosystem resources that together, constitute is often paired with other sources of financing to important natural capital for the region. expand impact and increase efficiency further lever- aging our impact. Funds secured through the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF) and the Special International Waters Climate Change Fund (SCCF) allow the WBG-GEF Program to help countries reduce vulnerabilities, GEF grants allow WBG client countries to design build resilience, and adapt to a changing climate by projects that address issues surrounding water investing in climate resilient approaches and promot- pollution mitigation and capacity building and ing synergies between ecosystem-based adaptation cooperation across river basins, aquifers, and seas. and disaster risk reduction. Projects address organic and chemical land-based pollution entering both freshwater and marine waterways and aquatic systems from agricultural, Biodiversity unsustainable intensive livestock production, municipal, and industrial wastewater. Living natural capital underpins economic growth and human well-being globally. Its conversion and degradation contributes to climate change Persistent Organic Pollutants 5 and reducesresilience. That is why safeguarding natural eco systems and promoting investment in WBG-GEF Program clients also access GEF funding conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity to eliminate persistent organic pollutants (POPs) underpin the WBG-GEF Program’s work in the GEF by targeting the phase out of production and use biodiversity focal area. Program efforts seek to: of toxic chemicals, demonstrating safe chemical build capacity and foster knowledge, understanding destruction techniques, promoting safe chemical use and education; support sustainable conservation and handling, and introducing emission control tech- and management of protected areas; integrate nologies to capture toxic gases. biodiversity conservation into production landscapes; The WBG-GEF Program has worked across all and, design sustainable financing schemes to these areas of intervention over the GEF-5 period encourage long-term biodiversity conservation. to encourage the uptake of ambitious, yet practical approaches to important environmental problems, Land Degradation as demonstrated by the portfolio results achieved and the innovative project designs approved. This WBG-GEF Program projects that aim to stem quadrennial report showcases a selection of these land degradation focus on the demonstration of projects across the WBG’s regions, highlighting best practices for land and water management, the value of the WBG’s work in mainstreaming prevention of carbon loss from forests, soil erosion approaches for global environmental benefits. and salinization, recovery of marginal lands and, 6 WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS East Asia and Pacific Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 400 EAP Portfolio Highlights 350 • Programming of $677.5 million 300 • Activities underway in 12 countries, 250 as well as 5 at either regional or sub-regional levels 200 »» 46 active projects (1 implemented 150 by IFC) 100 »» 31 projects closed during the period 50 (3 implemented by IFC) »» 10 new projects under preparation 0 Biodiversity Climate International Multi-focal POPs Change Waters Area East Asia and the Pacific Scaling-up Renewable Energy in China Supporting China’s Goals to Build Climate Smart Cities GEF grants have helped China grow global markets for 7 wind and renewables by building significant renew- The Government of China has pledged to reduce the able energy (RE) installed capacity including, wind, carbon intensity of its economy by 40–45 percent from small hydro, solar water heating and biomass. The 2005 to 2020. Cities, which account for 85 percent of first phase of the China Renewable Energy Scale-Up China’s commercial energy use, are at the core of the Program (CRESP), in which a $40.22 million GEF grant government’s action plan to achieve its carbon intensity complemented a $159 million WBG loan, supported reduction target. Over the past three decades, China’s the formulation of a RE feed-in tariff policy which in rapid economic growth has been manifested by the turn, triggered important investments by the govern- rise of cities, with its share of official urban population ment that underpinned the development of two wind reaching the 50 percent milestone in 2011; current farms, a biomass power plant, and a portfolio of small projections show over two-thirds of the population, hydropower projects. nearly 70 percent will live in an urban setting by 2030. While the country’s burgeoning cities give citizens The second phase of the Program (CRESP II) is access to modern amenities and expanded living space, working to move RE growth in China from initial to these urban areas come with high environmental and sustainable growth scale-up through the development lifestyle costs: a high-carbon footprint that is heavily and implementation of RE legislation and policies that dependent on motorized transportation. support: cost reductions; efficiency enhancements, through the strategic and optimal deployment of key Located on non-arable land and deserted salt pans, technologies for existing grid-connected systems and the Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-City Project (SSTEC) new RE technologies, such as off-shore wind; and, is designed to become a model eco-city that pro- smooth grid integration and access. New ideas related motes energy efficient and low carbon urban systems, to RE scale-up and the optimization of wind within replicable in other Chinese municipalities. The eco-city Inner Mongolia’s power system, and RE distributed design calls for high population density, transit ori- generation in a selection of the country’s New Energy ented development, a mixed land use plan, an explicit Cities will be explored and piloted. local working/living ratio and affordable housing. EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC The project is work-ing Development (MOHURD) with the municipalities of towards the achievement, Beijing and Ningbo, forming the basis of a national by 2020, of a set of ambi- dissemination platform from which to promote tious key performance sustainable urban spatial planning, and encourage indicators (KPIs) that the replication of good practices and policies that include a 100 percent green support accelerating adoption of both energy building and a 90 percent efficiency (EE) and RE in urban areas. green trips target, a renew- able energy use objective Coordination among the project teams managing of 20 percent, an overall ongoing or planned low-carbon city and building EE solid waste recycling rate projects in China is an integral part of the WBG-GEF of 60 percent and carbon Program’s work under the WBG’s China Sustainable emissions per unit of GDP Development portfolio. The Sino-Singapore Tianjin at ≤150 tons C per one Eco-city, Green Energy Schemes for a Low-Carbon million $ GDP. Preliminary City, Urban-Scale Building Energy Efficiency estimates indicate that if and Renewable Energy and CRESP II projects all the SSTEC is successful in contribute valuable experience regarding energy implementing this comprehensive plan and achiev- and resource efficiencies in new development zones ing its KPIs, the city could save about 393,000 of low carbon emission cities, which increases tCO2 per year. confidence for EE and on-site RE deployment in buildings and supports the application of RE policies In Shanghai, the Green Energy Schemes for a Low- and pilot RE applications. Carbon City project supports efforts to design a pilot low-carbon district. Centered in the city’s Changning District, work focuses on piloting green Utility-Based Energy Efficiency energy schemes by retrofitting existing buildings, Finance Program in China piloting design and construction of new zero-emission 8 The China Utility-Based Energy Efficiency Finance buildings, and supporting a low-carbon energy mix. Program (CHUEE) was designed to provide Green transport, including new business models for investment and advisory services to the Chinese electric vehicles and better connections between EE market to overcome two major barriers of public transport modes, are also under consideration. EE and RE projects—perceived market risk and Technical assistance and incremental support for near technical risk. Implemented by the WBG’s private zero-emission buildings is funded by a $4.3 million GEF sector investment arm, the International Finance grant, while the project’s low carbon investments are Corporation (IFC), the project played a key role in financed by a $100 million IBRD loan. The project seeks helping local financing institutions develop their own to transfer international knowledge and best practices EE lending products and business lines, and provided through implementation of the most effective, least credit enhancement tools and technical assistance cost options to reduce carbon emissions, based on to help local banks develop EE and RE financing application of McKinsey GHG abatement analysis. business. It brought together financial institutions, The Urban Scale Building Energy Efficiency and utility companies, and suppliers of energy efficient Renewable Energy Project seeks to reduce CO2 equipment to establish new financing models for emissions from buildings in select Chinese cities by EE, with a focus on expanding lending to small and promoting low-carbon, adaptive and livable urban medium enterprises. Through public training, green forms, increasing energy efficiency in public and credit and Equator Principle training courses, as commercial buildings, and scaling up commercially well as completion of five industrial and regional viable rooftop solar PV deployment. The project’s EE opportunity studies, CHUEE helped the China design has been informed, in part, by the WBG Banking Regulatory Commission (CBRC), the Chinese Energy Sector Management Assistance Program banking sector, other potential investors, and energy (ESMAP) ‘Low Carbon City Development in China’ service companies (ESCOs) and equipment suppliers study, which offers lessons regarding how urban to better understand the Chinese national EE market. spatial planning can reduce the overall energy The $16.5 million GEF investment in CHUEE helped consumption of cities. The project brings together three national partner banks provide financing to the Ministry of Housing and Urban and Rural 164 sustainable energy finance projects totaling WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS $697 million in loans and leveraged $1.41 billion of the province and across China, and organization of additional financing, resulting in a global reduction of an international green freight trade fair. The project is 17.82 million tons of CO2 equivalent per year. building confidence in the performance of proven EE freight transport technologies and accelerating efforts to lessen the environmental impact of truck freight, Urban Transport Diversification in while moving the nation’s freight ever more efficiently. Hanoi Vietnam’s Hanoi Urban Transport Project, in which Indonesia’s Coral Reel Rehabilitation a GEF grant that supports bus rapid transit (BRT) and Management Program: Building on development complements IDA financing, is working Success to cement a shift to more environmentally-sustainable modes of transport and urban development planning, In Indonesia, almost two-thirds of the coral reef lower Hanoi’s transport-related greenhouse gas ecosystems and small-scale reef fisheries are con- emissions relative to a business-as-usual scenario, and sidered threatened from overfishing, and almost half promote repeatable successes. At the outset, GEF are in danger specifically from destructive fishing funding allowed for south-south experience exchange practices. Investments through the WBG-GEF-funded with successful BRT programs in urban centers Coral Reel Rehabilitation and Management Program in Latin America (see the Sustainable Transport (COREMAP), whose second phase was completed and Air Quality Projects highlighted in Section 6). during GEF-5, have helped protect valuable coral Though the implementation effort has not been reefs and restore depleted fish stocks by establishing without challenges, progress is in evidence with the community-managed no-take reserves within larger infrastructure development for an interchange station Marine Conservation Areas through participatory launched, and the mobilization of a Public Transport planning, establishment of legal mandates, provision Authority that will coordinate operations and of community micro-finance and technical assis- management of the BRT, existing bus services, and tance. Specifically, COREMAP II invested in capacity planned urban rail services, already providing advisory building and established an institutional framework services to the City’s agencies. In order to raise that supported drafting regulations and establishing 9 awareness regarding the benefits of the forthcoming decentralized administration of coral reefs at the dis- public transit services, a BRT communications strategy trict level, involving 358 villages in Eastern Indonesia. including a mass media campaign is now in progress. It also helped establish the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI), a partnership with Malaysia, the Philippines, Papua Increasing Road Freight Efficiency New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Timor Leste, In China, the road freight industry accounts for more than 15% of the country’s total fuel consumption with truck fuel efficiency is 30% lower than in OECD countries. The Guangdong Green Freight Demonstration Project aims to improve fuel efficiency and reduce emissions of local truck fleets by making fuel-saving technologies more accessible. Participating companies receive training, incentive packages that include price rebates on the purchase of “green” technologies such as improved tires, enhanced aerodynamics, and driver behavior diagnostic systems, as well as performance-based awards to help defer purchase, installation and monitoring costs. GPS-linked monitoring devices installed on each participating truck collect real-time fuel consumption data. Intensive outreach has included training 340 trucking company managers, 1,200 drivers and 85 government officials, development of a knowledge- sharing website that generates traffic from both within EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC that set a 10-year plan to address the urgent threats The Hai Basin Integrated Water and Environment facing the region’s marine resources. Management Project initiated vertical and horizon- tal cooperation for integrated water and environ- Building on this success, the Coral Reef Rehabilitation ment management planning at the basin, sub-basin and Management Program-Coral Triangle Initiative and county level so as to catalyze an integrated (COREMAP-CTI) is working to extend the integrated approach to water resource management and pol- community-based approach to sustainable coastal lution control in the Hai Basin to improve the Bohai resources planning and management to coastal dis- Sea environment. Complementarity with the Second tricts across western Indonesia, to empower commu- Tianjin Urban Development and Environment Project nities and strengthen local governments to manage (TUDEP2), a $150 million IBRD-financed initiative, coral reefs for the multitude of benefits and services whose objectives included enhancing the efficiency they provide, from meeting livelihood and nutritional and equity of Tianjin’s urban wastewater manage- needs, to building community wealth and protection ment, served to reinforce sustainability of efforts from climate change impacts. The project is piloting initiatives such as marine spatial planning, commu- An evapotranspiration (ET) management approach, nity rights-based fisheries, and an ecosystem-based which targets real water savings to eliminate approach to fisheries management. Some 210 village groundwater overdraft, thereby providing more communities in select districts in five provinces — surface water for ecological purposes and as outflow Sikka in East Nusa Tenggara; Selayar and Pangkep to the Bohai Sea, was adopted, and remote sensing in South Sulawesi; Buton and Wakatobi in Southeast and geographic information system (GIS) techniques Sulawesi; Raja Ampat in West Papua; and Biak in were used to develop Basin-level ET reduction plans. Papua — will take part in COREMAP-CTI. The project At project completion, the total amount of over- will also support 13 Marine Conservation Areas cover- exploited shallow groundwater used for agricultural ing approximately 5.7 million hectares, as well as two irrigation was reduced by 63.2 percent and deep Fisheries Management Zones. groundwater exploitation was down by 46 percent. Annual wastewater discharge was 129.34 million tons The Government of Indonesia has also pledged, less than at project design, 6.26 million m3 of key 10 by the year 2020, to set aside 20 million hectares pollutants in the Basin’s Dagu Canal had been cleared of marine space for Marine Conservation Area and new wastewater treatment facilities were erected management; so far, 14 million hectares have been and functioning in Tianjin. More than 400 water users demarcated and 5.5 million hectares have been associations were established so that communities brought under management plans. The COREMAP- were empowered to make their own choices on CTI project is the principal mechanism to meet this appropriate water resource management approaches, commitment. particularly with respect to water savings and operation and maintenance of on-farm water systems. All told, more than 20 million residents living in the Hai Basin Integrated Water project area benefited from reduced water pollution Environmental Management thanks to elimination of odors and enhanced aesthetic The Hai Basin extends over six Chinese provinces and and recreational conditions. And, in the longer- includes the municipalities of Beijing and Tianjin. It term, benefits that will accrue to fishers and coastal discharges into the Bohai Sea, located in the North inhabitants of the Bohai Sea through restoration West of the Yellow Sea, a zone of diverse marine life and protection of the marine environment include and an important fishery resource for China, Japan improved water quality, fishery stocks and biodiversity. and North and South Korea. Over-exploitation and pollution of groundwater and surface water led to the decline and deterioration of water resources and Ningbo Water and Environment damaged the freshwater and coastal environments Project of the Basin. Heavy land-based pollution from urban, Located on China’s east coast in Zhejiang Province, industrial, agricultural, and other sources in the Basin, the port city of Ningbo faced a two dimensional combined with overfishing and reduced freshwater water crisis: 1) poor water quality, due to water drawn inflows, threatened to have adverse impact on the primarily from highly polluted local rivers and the use water quality of the Bohai Sea. of outdated treatment technology; and, 2) frequent WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS water shortages due to reliance on local rivers and The project introduced constructed wetland treat- lack of storage reservoirs. Both problems served ment, an innovative technology that provides to impede economic growth and endanger public advanced handling of effluents from conventional health. Very similar problems also faced Cixi City, wastewater treatment plants to reduce land-based a city of 1 million located to Ningbo’s north on the pollution. The treatment systems consists of shallow Hangzhou Bay. ponds or channels planted with aquatic plants that rely on microbial, biological, physical and chemical processes to treat water. The GEF-financed opera- tion supported a constructed wetland designed to provide tertiary treatment for the North Cixi waste- water treatment plant, restored natural wetlands in Hangzhou Bay and established an educational and research center for wetland management. 11 Today, nearly 90 percent of Ningbo’s population of 2.5 million enjoys high quality water, up from 23 percent in 2006. Following project completion, the Government began construction of new water distribution systems to service five additional townships. Cixi City boosted its wastewater treatment capacity/coverage, resulting in significant reductions in pollution loads discharged to the Hangzhou Bay, The China GEF Ningbo Water and Environment Project and the constructed wetlands associated with the was financed under the auspices of the WB-GEF waste-water plants now greatly enhance final effluent Partnership Investment Fund for Pollution Reduction in quality, demonstrating the feasibility of using such a the Large Marine Ecosystems of East Asia (the Fund), cost effective approach for tertiary treatment. which was established to help East Asian countries adopt a more coordinated regional approach to tack- Municipal leaders from around China have visited ling issues critical to land-based pollution reduction. the site to learn from this experience and have Conceived as complementary to an IBRD-financed begun adopting the approach in new projects. Ningbo Water and Environment Project loan, the GEF The project also restored freshwater wetlands in a grant funding sought to introduce ecological enhance- 330 hectare area on reclaimed coastal land in Cixi, ments to the broader efforts that targeted facilitating creating a variety of wetland habitats the support the expansion and quality of water and wastewater local biodiversity. The Cixi wetlands, today a National services in Cixi City in an economically efficient and Wetlands Park that attracts large numbers of bird environmentally sustainable manner. watchers and tourists, would likely have degraded in the absence of the project’s intervention. EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC With that established success, the WBG approved Stockholm Convention on POPs due to their car- another loan of $50 million to support the Ningbo cinogenic, neurological, and physiological effects on New Countryside Development Project that extends human health, were long the weapon of choice for the wastewater management to an additional 150 vil- Chinese termite control industry, given their effective- lages, and is working to enhance the water supply ness and low cost. The Demonstration of Alternatives networks and wastewater collection and treatment to Chlordane and Mirex in Termite Control project facilities in Chunhu Town of Fenghua City in the was the response to growing concerns regarding the municipality of Ningbo. health and environmental impact of these chemicals. Through the introduction of integrated pest man- agement (IPM) approaches, chlordane and mirex Vietnam Coastal Cities use in the provinces of Anhui, Hunan and Jiangsu were successfully eliminated. Over 5,000 managers Vietnam’s Coastal Cities project, also financed and technicians were trained on IPM concepts and under the WB-GEF Partnership Investment Fund for practices, and the project supported the design of a Pollution Reduction in the Large Marine Ecosystems national replication program for the complete national of East Asia, is piloting the promotion and replica- phase-out of chlordane and mirex to support the ban tion of a new, highly efficient wastewater treatment on production, consumption, use, import and export technology that will contribute to improving the of the chemicals, announced in May 2009. health and habitat conditions of globally significant marine and coastal ecosystems along the country’s coastline. The project is associated with the IDA- China PCB Management & Disposal financed Coastal Cities Environmental Sanitation Project (CCESP), which is financing the construction In the 1980s, growing health and environmental of drains, sewers and several wastewater treatment concerns surrounding the use of polychlorinated plants in the core urban areas of Quy Nhon in Binh biphenyls (PCBs), compounded by a number of Dinh Province. severe PCB contamination events in China’s Zhejiang Province saw PCB use fall under ever more stringent 12 The GEF-funded activity is piloting construction of regulation, resulting in the bulk of PCB-containing an innovative waste water treatment technology - capacitors used in electrical equipment being Chemically Enhanced Primary Treatment (CEPT) — removed from service and housed in temporary to reduce the discharge of household liquid wastes underground storage facilities. from Quy Nhon into the Ha Thanh river and Thi Nai marine lagoon. The CEPT plant, whose capacity will be Following its ratification of the Stockholm Convention 7,000 m3/day, will provide secondary treatment using on POPs, China sought to completely eliminate the trickling filters. It will serve in the order of 60,000 peo- use of PCBs and adopt environmentally sound PCB ple. The new technology introduces higher efficiency waste management practices within an ambitious in the removal of BOD and nutrients (N and P) from two-decade timeframe. The WBG-GEF Program wastewater, while reducing the space requirement and PCB Management and Disposal Project adopted associated investment costs for traditional secondary a demonstration approach in order to determine treatment. Accumulated sludge will be dried and com- and demonstrate the most cost-effective PCB posted in situ every three years. The project is consid- management and disposal practices and technologies ered to have high replication value both with respect to with which to design and cost a full scale replicable applicability of the technology within the Vietnamese nation-wide PCB management program. Zhejiang context, and to the potential transfer of this wastewater Province was selected as the demonstration province treatment technology in the country’s other cities. based on its overall transformer capacity data. The project supported the remediation of all the sites China Termite Control Demonstration in Zhejiang province confirmed as contaminated, save a handful of PCB burial sites whose location pre- For years, the Government of China enacted termite cluded access. These will continue to be monitored control strategies to protect the country’s forest by provincial authorities. To date, over 11,000 tons of plantations and critical urban infrastructure from highly- and low-contaminated PCB wastes and soils the more than 450 species of termites found in the have been collected. Highly contaminated wastes country. Chlordane and mirex, two chemicals classi- were transported and destroyed at the Shenyang fied as persistent organic pollutants (POPs) under the WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Incineration Facility, which the project had brought as well as no-take zones. An integrated ecosystem in line with Convention standards, and wastes evalu- management approach is being applied to improve ated to be of low contamination were treated using protection of watersheds and water sources, prevent thermal desorption (TDU) at a project supported soil erosion and stabilize forestry and cropping sys- specialized facility. An impressive suite of guidelines, tems through measures such as stream bank stabi- regulations and policies were prepared covering all lization. Successful sustainable forest management facets of PCB management and clean-up including, practices under implementation in other areas of the for example, risk-based system for PCB management Philippines are being replicated to restore and pro- and disposal, identification and labeling, temporary tect the integrity of forest ecosystems in the wider storage, long-distance transport, incineration, environ- landscape, as well as help mitigate climate change mental monitoring, TDU treatment, and emergency by increasing the above ground carbon storage. The response. Project results informed the design of the project is also mainstreaming biodiversity consid- Government’s current 12th 5-year POPs management erations into policy, planning and regulatory frame- plan and scale-up activities based on project experi- works at local and provincial levels, and reinforcing ence and results were carried out in 12 other provinces capacity for sustainable conservation, enhanced by the time of project completion. long-term fisheries management, and protection of the coast against natural disasters. Philippines Mindanao Rural Development Project, Phase II Laos People’s Democratic Republic Mekong Protected Area and Wildlife The marine and coastal zones of Mindanao, the Project Philippines’ second largest southernmost island, con- sist of various tropical ecosystems that harbor exten- In Laos PDR, natural habitats provide myriad services sive and globally-significant biodiversity including: that enrich and sustain human life with both tangible coral reefs, sea grass beds, mangroves, sand beaches and intangible economic and social value including, and dunes, headlands, wetlands, estuaries and clean air, exploitable water, watershed protection, lagoons, as well as whale sharks, sperm, humpback, biological control of pests, and crop pollination. Yet 13 and melon-headed whales, marine turtles, manta rays a lack of investment in the natural resource base that and giant clams. This rich biological diversity under- fuels the country’s economic growth has contributed pins the livelihoods of Mindanao’s population, where to the unsustainable degradation of natural eco- fisheries, forestry and tourism account for one-third systems. In turn infrastructure and public health are of the province’s GDP. jeopardized due to declining water availability and quality, increasing probability of flooding, soil fertility Over time, a range of socio-economic factors loss, increasing spread of diseases, and alienation of increasingly applied pressure to Mindanao’s coastal economic opportunities such as nature tourism. and marine environment, resulting in serious envi- ronmental degradation and loss of critical habitat Today many Lao citizens rely on natural resources and threatening the region’s ecosystem integrity for their livelihoods. This is especially relevant for and economic productivity. A GEF-funded Natural ethnic and rural communities where the overwhelm- Resource Management Project (NRMP) project was ing majority of the population is poor and depends designed to be associated with the second phase of on natural resources for food security and income a larger, IDA-funded Mindanao Rural Development opportunities. The GEF-funded Mekong Protected Project. Both projects work toward the higher objec- Area and Wildlife Project, which is blended with tives of improving livelihood opportunities and IDA resources, will work to turn this tide by creating incomes, and enhancing food security by supporting wildlife and protected area (PA) enforcement stan- a government supported decentralized system for dards, developing good practice applications, and agriculture and fisheries that promotes participation, growing successful schemes for PA management and transparency and accountability. The GEF-funded reductions in the trade of illegal wildlife. The Project components focus on specific conservation-related will build on bilateral initiatives to control and sustain objectives includes improving the management of illegal wildlife trade, while strengthening Lao PDR’s existing marine protected areas (MPAs) and increas- capacity to collaborate more broadly with regional ing their area through establishment of fish sanc- centers of knowledge and with international organi- tuaries and other categories of protected areas, zations involved in addressing wildlife trafficking. EAST ASIA AND THE PACIFIC Building Resilience in Kiribati — water, including during droughts; reducing leakage Adaptation Program, Phases II & III and waste from existing water systems; protecting reserves; and, improving long-term planning for local- Kiribati consists of three, predominantly low-lying, level water management. The project is also working coral island groups with total land area of 811 sq. km to protect against coastal erosion by investing in scattered over 3.5 million sq. km of sea in the cen- seawalls and mangrove planting at priority sites. It is tral Pacific Ocean. The country’s ability to respond further strengthening government and community to climate risks is hampered by its socio-economic capacity to manage the effects of climate change and situation and geography. Kiribati has experienced natural hazards by supporting the development and accelerated coastal development, its population den- adoption of a national Coastal Management Policy sity is high, and the growing costs of providing basic and locally-managed Adaptation Plans, as well as services render the country especially vulnerable to supporting the government in managing, monitoring external shocks, including the adverse impacts of and evaluating the KAP results. climate change. In tandem, sea-level rise and exacer- bated natural disasters such as drought and weather fluctuations pose significant and direct additional Vanuatu: Increasing Resilience to threats to sectors and resources central to the island Climate Change and Natural Hazards nation’s human and economic development. Project The Kiribati Adaptation Program (KAP) designed by Vanuatu, which experiences a high frequency of the World Bank, with support from the Government natural disaster events, such as cyclones, flooding, of Japan, was launched as a key component of the earthquakes and tsunamis, is another country highly government’s development strategy as part of a a vulnerable to climate change. With changing climate broad three-phase ten-year program, that spans come more extreme weather patterns, which are awareness raising, the integration of climate risk in likely to exacerbate the effects of natural disasters, government policies and programs, and the imple- engender sea level rise, and interfere with agricultural mentation of adaptation measures in critical sectors. productivity and water availability. The Increasing 14 This has laid the groundwork for the development of Resilience to Climate Change and Natural Hazards Kiribati’s National Adaptation Programme of Action Project, funded by the LDCF with support provided (NAPA). The Kiribati Adaptation Project II (KAP-II), under the GFDRR, will work to increase the resilience a follow-on GEF-funded pilot/demonstration proj- of communities in Vanuatu to the impacts of cli- ect, helped undertake a systematic diagnosis of mate variability, change and natural hazards on their climate-related problems and initiated design of livelihoods and food and water security. The project cost-effective adaptation measures, including build- will be implemented in concert with a Mainstreaming ing integration of climate risk awareness and respon- Disaster Risk Reduction Project, funded by the siveness into economic and operational planning. Government of Japan, that aims to reduce the impacts from natural disasters and climate change The program’s third phase, KAP III, is currently through the introduction of measures to increase under implementation with a grant from the Least community-level resilience to extreme weather con- Developed Countries Fund (LDCF), bilateral support ditions and the development of effective warning and from the governments of Australia and Japan, as well response systems. as financing from the Bank’s Global Fund for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). This phase is working to improve the country’s resilience to climate change impacts on freshwater supply and coastal infrastructure. It reinforces best practices in the design and implementation of adaptation measures in water and civil works to improve water resource use and management, and emphasizing community con- sultation and participation in the process. Scaling up on measures from previous phases, KAP III is building resilience by: improving water use and management by installing groundwater and roof rainwater har- vesting systems that ensure cleaner, safer drinking WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Disaster risk management efforts spear-headed by in terms of health, environmental sustainability, gender 15 the projects will benefit up to 6,000 residents across equality, livelihoods and access to education. 35 communities, and will help a target group of 10,000 farmers increase the climate resilience of their The Community Resilience to Climate Change and agricultural production. In tandem, the installation of Disaster Risk in Solomon Islands Project (CRISP) is a 300 rainwater catchment and storage systems will new project that will work help rural communities in deliver safer drinking water to 120 rural communities. the Solomon Islands mitigate and manage the risks A tsunami warning system will be installed in Port Vila of natural hazards and climate change by strength- and Luganville, and national hazard response systems ening climate and disaster risk information and early will also be strengthened. warning systems, support direct community invest- ments in climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction, and help integrate climate change Community Resilience to Climate adaptation and disaster risk reduction consider- Change and Disaster Risk in the ations in government policies and operations. Efforts Solomon Islands will focus primarily on the rural areas in up to four provinces, benefiting approximately 79,000 people The Solomon Islands also faces high economic risk over the course of the project’s implementation. The exposure due to geological, hydrological and climatic project, which complements an existing Increasing hazards. Modeling from the Pacific Catastrophe Risk Resilience to Climate Change and Natural Hazards Assessment and Financing Initiative (PCRAFI) has project funded under the Pacific Human Resource suggested that natural hazards and climate change are Development (PHRD) Trust Fund, a partnership likely to impose an average direct loss of over between the Government of Japan and the World $20 million per year on the country, equivalent to 3% Bank Group, is funded provided under the LDCF, with of GDP, and strongly affect the population’s well-being additional financing provided by the GFDRR. Leveraging Interest and Scaling-up Innovation Leveraging Interest and Scaling-up Innovation One common feature among and development partners, as well as many of the projects in the WBG- demonstrated in-house efficiencies GEF portfolio is the critical role Over the past 2 decades, from collaboration with other WBG- that GEF grant resources, often managed global partnership programs comparatively small-scale, have the WBG-GEF Program has which help reduce fragmentation of aid played in enabling the testing and better deliver integrated solutions channeled $4.8 billion in GEF of novel approaches that would to client countries. not have happened otherwise grants to client countries that The value-added that such an explicit with less concessional funding. A second prominent feature is partnership approach generates is have mobilized additional the success and impact of these rich. It supports provision of sound analytical frameworks upon which projects in leveraging additional or funding of $33 billion. follow-on investments. The WBG’s project concepts are built, validates Independent Evaluation Group the use of appropriate approaches (IEG) Global Program Review and technologies, provides just-in-time (GPR) on the WBG’s partnership with the GEF expert advice and services, and mobilizes scale-up (2013) captured the mutual relevance that infuses or second generation projects to make the most the relationship as follows: “The Bank considers the of shared agendas for sustainable production and GEF as a crucial contributor to innovative and risk- development. During GEF-5, WBG-managed activities sharing approaches, and the GEF perceives the Bank that benefited from GEF funding worked with the as having a key comparative advantage in leveraging following partners to expand access to knowledge 18 GEF funding to generate global environmental and financing: the Clean Technology Fund (CTF) and benefits in large projects.” (IEG, 2013) the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR) of the Climate Investment Funds (CIF); the WBG Carbon Over the past 2 decades, the WBG-GEF Program Funds; the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction has channeled $4.8 billion in GEF grants to client and Recovery (GFDRR), which helps developing countries that have mobilized additional funding of countries reduce their vulnerability to natural $33 billion. A key aspect of the WBG-GEF Program’s hazards and adapt to climate change; the Energy approach lies in the ability of the WBG to work Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), with GEF grants through an in-depth and tailored which assists low- and middle-income countries to investment framework that promotes synergies increase know-how and institutional capacity to and builds capacity to sustain a solid framework achieve environmentally sustainable energy solutions for other financing partners to help scale-up work for poverty reduction and economic growth; the on global environment challenges, ultimately Water Partnership Program (WPP), which works at generating significant economies of scale. Since the nexus of water with food, energy, environment, the WBG-GEF Program’s inception, over 40% of and human development needs; the Canada POPs WBG-GEF projects have been explicitly combined Trust Fund (CPTF); the Pacific Human Resource with WBG finance for higher impact, and many Development (PHRD) Trust Fund, which finances of those which were not combined at the outset technical assistance and other grant activities or during the GEF project lifetime lead directly to that support WBG investments to develop human follow-on, larger scale investments. Indeed, key resources in developing member countries; and, the to the Program’s value proposition is its access to Pacific Catastrophe Risk Assessment and Financing WBG in-house resources, such as staff technical Initiative (PCRAFI), which offers Pacific Island expertise and institutional convening power which Countries disaster risk modeling and assessment help ‘crowd-in’ a diverse range of partners including, tools, and integrated financial solutions to increase collaboration with the private sector, civil society resilience to natural disasters and climate change. WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS 19 REGION 20 WHEN WHEN FOUDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS FOUNDATIONAL Eastern Europe and Central Asia Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 90 ECA Portfolio Statistics 80 70 • Programming of $242.4 million 60 • Activities underway in 16 countries, 50 as well as 5 at sub-regional and regional levels 40 30 »» 18 active projects (3 implemented 20 by IFC) 10 »» 20 projects closed during the period (1 implemented by IFC) 0 »» 7 new projects under preparation Biodiversity Climate International Land Multi-focal POPs Change Waters Degradation Area Eastern Europe and Central Asia Sustainable Natural Resource Development in Albania More than half of Albania’s upland areas land-use 21 is dedicated to forests and pastures, and many Albanians rely on these resources for their livelihoods. Over several generations, socio-economic pressures, unsustainable practices and weak enforcement of laws and regulations led to overuse of natural resources. Relying on wood for fuel, illegal logging, uncontrolled harvesting and overgrazing of forests and pastures, as well as poor forest management has left a legacy of considerable land and forest degrada- tion, compounded by significant soil erosion. Beginning in the mid-1990s, a number of initiatives were implemented to help reverse this trend. A World Bank IDA credit, complemented by Italian and Swiss funding, supported preparation of a natural resource management strategy that was piloted in 30 communes, and established a participatory plan- ning platform that empowered local communities to participate effectively in land restoration measures by supporting the transfer of user rights and for- est and pasture management from Government to the level of the communities. The Albania Natural Resources Development Project (NRDP), supported by a further IDA credit blended with a GEF grant, extended the communal participatory forest and pasture management approach to 251 communes, EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA including 2,313 villages, in Albania’s upland and moun- countries to address transboundary water pollution tainous erosion-prone lands, covering 576,757 ha of in the region. This is done through country-level forest and 203,436 ha of pasture. Legislation enacted investments aimed at reducing nutrient inputs into provided for the transfer of forest and pasture land waterways from agricultural, municipal and industrial user-rights to 345 communes used by nearly one mil- wastewater by restoring wetlands, reforming lion people. A carbon sequestration program on 5,427 and improving agriculture and land management hectares, supported by the World Bank’s BioCarbon practices, and by improving wastewater treatment in Fund, assisted natural regeneration which was pro- communities and industries. jected to lead to sequestration of CO2 in the range of 140,000 to 160,000 tons C02eq by 2018. The Romania Agriculture Pollution Control Project supported the demonstration and piloting of The bulk of donor support to the forest sector to date improved manure handling facilities and environmen- has concentrated on forests traditionally used by the tally friendly agricultural practices in the country’s local communities and which now have been trans- Calarasi region to reduce nutrient discharge into ferred to local governance units. The more remote surface and groundwater. New agricultural practices forests, which remain under the direct management were introduced in a 90,000 hectare catchment area of state forestry authorities, continue however, to be along the Danube to reduce nitrate pollution and managed on an ad hoc basis and have suffered from improve groundwater quality, and 48 communities a lack of investment and proactive management. were involved in manure management and demon- None of these areas have adopted valid forest man- stration of environment friendly agricultural prac- agement plans, and unverified reports of unrecorded/ tices. Fourteen (14) village-level manure platforms unofficial removals abound. An urgent need exists to were constructed, as well as 2,250 household-level assess the scale of the unofficial harvest problem and manure storage facilities. At completion, the percent- more generally, to improve the management plan- age of households in the project area with livestock ning and supervision capacity of the country’s state that were using village manure storage, household forest institutions. A new IBRD, Sweden and GEF- bunkers and/or segregating waste materials reached funded Environmental Services Project will therefore, 54.4%, compared to the baseline of 0% at project 22 scale up succesful results to focus on enhancing the design. Nutrient discharge into surface and ground- financial, economic, and institutional sustainability of water was reduced by about 15% for nitrogen and land use and natural resources management. It will 27% for phosphorus, and a 34% increase in cropped lend support for sustainable land management prac- areas resulted from using environmental practices tices in targeted project areas, mainly in the erosion such as crop rotation. Eighty-four (84) hectares of prone rural upland areas, while seeking to increase degraded land were also reforested. communities’ access to monetary and non-monetary benefits through promotion of alternative livelihoods, provision of environmental services and sustainable utilization of wood and pasture products in the long term. The project will also help build the capacity of Albania’s farmers, community organizations and government institutions to efficiently access and use EU funding. Support for the GEF Strategic Partnership on the Black Sea and Danube Basin Under the auspices of the Black Sea and Danube Basin Strategic Partnership, established in 2001 by the riparian countries with the cooperation of the GEF, the WBG, UNDP, UNEP and other financiers, the WBG-GEF Program has implemented the Investment Fund for Nutrient Reduction. To date, the Investment Fund has supported 10 projects in nine WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS The project’s success in enhancing environmental reduce the discharge of agricultural nutrients into management in rural areas and initiating behavior surface and ground water, while encouraging animal change in target populations led to scale-up husbandry in 28 micro-catchments. The goal was through a follow-on Integrated Romania Nutrient to counter aggressive use of fertilizers, soil erosion Pollution Control Project, with IBRD and GEF and deforestation, and reduce nutrient inflow Funds, which is currently under implementation. draining from four provinces into the Black Sea. Best practices, farmer training, and awareness- Equally important, the project sought to improve raising applied in the Calarasi region are now the livelihoods of communities affected by natural being replicated through demonstration in all the resource degradation. country’s nitrate vulnerable zones. At the outset, virtually no farmers in the project’s In Bulgaria, the Wetlands Restoration and Pollution micro-catchments were processing or using manure Reduction Project worked to reverse the loss of over efficiently, and insufficient measures were in place 80 percent of the country’s floodplains and wetlands, to reduce nutrient discharge. Manure management and reduce nutrient loads in the Danube and Black systems, consisting of manure platforms and ade- Sea by changing agricultural practices to better quate manure storage facilities were constructed, and address pollution from fertilizers and by restoring training in optimum manure application as fertilizer floodplain sites. Wetland restoration was piloted on was provided. Training was also conducted in sustain- 4035 hectares of former marshes in two protected able nutrient management practices and implementa- areas (PAs), Persina Nature Park (2,280 ha) and tion of environmentally friendly agricultural practices Kalimok Brushlen Protected Site (1,755 ha), doubling such as shrub and tree planting and organic farming. the project’s initial target, and more than 27,700 Together, these activities encouraged a significant hectares of protected areas with globally significant increase in the percentage of farmers implementing biodiversity habitats were brought under improved environmentally friendly agricultural practices, and management and protection. Permanent professional contributed to decreasing nutrient loads entering soil staff engaged to implement the PA management and water bodies from agricultural sources. A signif- plans adopted were equipped with boats, vehicles icant increase in vegetative cover resulted, and crop 23 and monitoring equipment, growing PA management productivity, as a proxy for soil fertility, increased, capacity from 17% to 90%. ranging between 30% and 145% depending on the crop variety. An increase in the marketing of organic Both now hold the NATURA 2000 designation, products was also in evidence, which improved local linking them with the Europe-wide network of sites incomes. Legislation with respect to nitrates pollution focused on preservation of natural heritage. Farmers was harmonized with the EU Nitrates Directive, and received assistance in transitioning to environ- regulatory and institution-level mechanisms were put mentally friendly agricultural practices that reduce in place to support water quality monitoring. regional nutrient and pesticide pollution. The project also achieved success in changing the perception of local populations of wetlands from eyesores to eco- Supporting Environmental Land systems of natural beauty with value that contribute Management and Rural Livelihoods in to economic growth and play a role in climate change Tajikistan mitigation. A small grant program focused on raising awareness about biodiversity conservation, imple- Ninety (90) percent of Tajikistan is considered mented at the two sites and targeted at the young upland and mountainous, with more than two thirds generated 55 projects involving 23 NGOs, about of the population rural and dependent on 4.6 million 65 leading experts, in the range of 5,500 students, ha of agricultural land, the majority of which is rain- as well as 250 kindergarten children. All told, these fed pasture. The agricultural sector accounts for efforts reduced Bulgaria’s total land-based nutrient 64% of employment, and is generally characterized pollution to the Danube/Black Sea by 5%, while pro- by low productivity. tecting unique landscapes and habitats for important Environmental degradation and unsustainable use bird species, reducing nutrients in outflow waters and of natural resources are important constraints and restoring critical fish reproduction habitats. pose significant challenges to the country’s develop- Turkey’s Anatolia Watershed Rehabilitation Project ment. Tajikistan’s predominantly mountainous terrain introduced sustainable land use practices that makes it particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA Mono-cropping and improper land use practices, 126,000 persons, of whom at least 40% are female, such as wasteful irrigation methods and inadequate on selected project sites. Investments underway to drainage, are associated with soil degradation and support rural production and land resource manage- stagnating yields, especially in lowland areas. Pasture ment include: promoting sustainable village-based degradation, due in part to overgrazing and poor initiative rural production through provision of small- stocking practices is another important threat. In scale grants, allocated to ‘common interest groups’ or upland areas, the conversion of steep slopes to agri- groups of households by the villagers themselves, to cultural production has contributed to land degrada- increase the resilience of rural livelihoods in climate tion, and chronic energy shortages have increased vulnerable districts; introducing sustainable com- the burning of organic matter and vegetation that munity-managed pasture/fodder-based livestock pro- would otherwise be available as fertilizer or ground/ duction systems in up to eight selected areas, as well tree cover. Climate variability and change are likely to as sustainable on-farm water management practices pose additional and significant risks, particularly for in irrigated cropland, primarily in lowland districts; those pursuing subsistence agriculture or pastoralism. and, investing in knowledge management and exchange, as well as institutional support, to support It is expected that climate change will have a dra- the sustainability of efforts. matic impact on Tajikistan’s agriculture: crops will be exposed to increasingly low and erratic rainfall coupled with drying up of water resources through increased Bosnia and Herzegovina Sustainable regional temperatures, reduced snow accumulation Forest and Landscape Management in mountain glaciers and an increased frequency of extreme weather events. These changes will lead to Relative to the size of the country, the forest impacts such as fluctuations in the hydrological cycle resources of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) rank — especially from glacial retreat and flash floods — among the richest in Europe in terms of their extent with downstream consequences nationally and region- and variety. A recently-completed national forest ally for agro-ecosystems and water resources. inventory, funded by an IDA Credit, cites the country’s total forest area to be 3.2 million ha and covering 24 Transformation of land management practices at approximately 62 percent of total land area, making the local level is required to allow Tajikistan to better BiH the most forested country in Europe. Forests deal with the range of challenges it faces, includ- are considered one of the country’s foremost natural ing those associated with climate variability and resources, particularly among the rural population change. Widespread adoption of sustainable land (estimated 3.5 million), which considers forests as an and water management strategies and practices for important source of employment, energy and recre- agro-ecosystems will assist farmers and communi- ation. Forests are also a source of non-timber forest ties in addressing these issues, and adapt, as well as products such as, mushrooms, berries and herbs. become more resilient, to climate change by improv- Substantial job opportunities exist especially for local ing local livelihoods and food security, and restoring people through tourism focused on the forest and productive natural resources. Furthermore, improved mountain landscapes as well as hunting. Forests also technologies and management practices can specif- have important watershed protection values, espe- ically enable farmers to adapt to climate variability cially for the middle and lower Danube. and change, address increasing periods of drought, and combat climate change by sequestering carbon, However as a result of illegal logging, ore mining, particularly in soils. construction, forest fires and others activities that degrade the forest base, areas under forest cover The Tajikistan Environmental Land Management and have been shrinking rapidly. Overall, 17 percent of the Rural Livelihoods Project, funded by a GEF grant forest areas are classified as low, degraded forests, and financing under the Pilot Program for Climate while an additional area of about 6 percent of the for- Resilience (PPCR) of the Climate Investment Funds est estate is classified as underutilized pasture land or (CIF), seeks to enable the country’s rural popula- bare landscapes, where natural regeneration of forest tion to increase their productive assets in ways that structure could take place, given the right condi- improve natural resource management and resilience tions. Improved forest management would allow BiH to climate change. The project is working with some to take advantage of “use” values from timber and 21,000 rural households, representing approximately other products to provide sustained income for local WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS people, while simultaneously protecting its “non-use” natural regeneration and stand rehabilitation and beneficial values associated with watershed protec- multi-purpose forestry demonstration techniques that tion and global ecosystem values. involve integrated management for vulnerable forest, scrub and unutilized pastures. In order to address fire The Sustainable Forest and Landscape Management management concerns, a demonstration sub-com- Project seeks to address these concerns by building ponent will engage and train local communities in the capacity of stakeholders in BiH’s forestry sector to implementing appropriate small-scale fire manage- demonstrate approaches for integrated sustainable for- ment interventions. est and land management (SFLM) of vulnerable forest, scrub and pasture landscapes. One project stream will tackle enhanced planning and monitoring for SLFM. South Eastern Europe Region: Forest certification support will work to improve the Neretva/Trebisnjica River Basin sustainability of forest management through communi- ty-level engagement for adoption of certifiable stan- The Neretva and Trebisnjica River Basin (NTRB) dards in regions of the country that have not yet had is a transboundary basin between Bosnia and the resources or capacity to advance in this important Herzegovina (BiH) and Croatia that covers approxi- area. Preparation of a model forest roads master plan mately 10,000 square kilometers within the Adriatic will help identify the most urgent forest road reha- watershed. The valley and delta of the lower Neretva bilitation projects required to improve environmen- River contain the largest and most valuable remnants tal and economic performance. An existing Forest of the natural Mediterranean wetlands on the Eastern Management Information System (FMIS) will receive Adriatic coast, as recognized by the area’s Ramsar enhancements to allow it to be of greatest relevance Wetlands site designation. The NTRB water resources, for decision-making, specifically through introduction and the ecosystems dependent upon them, play an of select climate change information such as carbon important part in the economies of both countries stock accounting for mitigation efforts and systems to and in the livelihoods of over 430,000 people. The monitor incidence of losses related to fires and pests. wetlands serve functions important to water resource management including purification, nutrient reduc- The project will also demonstrate, with a view to tion, sedimentation sink, flood management, and pre- 25 broad-scale replication, SFLM techniques in vulner- vention of shoreline erosion, as well as provide critical able areas through afforestation based on assisted habitats, and the rivers are crucial for transport, EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA recreation and fishing, not to mention drinking water, management has been strengthened through, for irrigation, and energy production. example, introduction of a scheme to contain salt water intrusion into Croatia’s Neretva Delta. A num- Lax industrial and municipal wastewater management ber of high-priority investments in water pollution and treatment, deteriorating agricultural practices, control have also been undertaken in conjunction inadequate river regulation and protection of sensi- with IAD finance focused on the introduction of low- tive areas, and weak cooperation among stakeholders cost, sustainable wastewater collection and treatment on addressing competing, sometimes conflicting, technology and infrastructure for both municipal and needs for water from the basin led to degradation industrial uses. and loss of wetlands and their associated habitats and biodiversity, which in turn resulted in salt intru- Civil society and the scientific community have been sion, particularly in the Neretva Delta, and erosion actively engaged in the water resource management of riverbeds and land. Coordination with respect decision-making process, as well as in the implemen- to infrastructure operation governing hydroelec- tation of project activities such as, the establishment tric power plants and accompanying reservoirs on of a small grant program as an incentive mechanism the Neretva and Trebisnjica was needed in order to to encourage responsible, local level management prevent further negative effects on the basin and its of resources. A website has been developed, and ecosystem activities. the project has actively participated in the GEF’s IW LEARN knowledge-sharing events. The Neretva and Trebisnjica Management Project was the first project to receive financing under the WBG- GEF Investment Fund for the Mediterranean Sea Supporting Resilience: Catastrophe Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) Partnership. Building Risk Insurance for Southeast Europe on the model established by the GEF Strategic and Caucasus Partnership for the Black Sea and Danube basins, the Investment Fund primarily financed investments The countries of South East Europe and the Caucasus that support pollution reduction and other conserva- (SEEC), the bulk of which are located within 26 tion targets agreed by the basin countries under the trans-boundary river basins, are highly vulnerable Strategic Action Program to Address Pollution from to natural hazards, principally flooding. With cli- Land-Based Activities in the Mediterranean Region mate change, the frequency and severity of natural (SAP MED). disasters, particularly those of hydro-meteorological origin, are seen to be rising in all SEEC countries. The project provides mechanisms for the efficient Natural disasters exact severe human, physical and and equitable allocation of water amongst the users economic losses to both governments and popula- of the NTRB in South Eastern Europe and Balkans at tions. Globally, economic losses from climate-related the trans-boundary level, and enhances basin eco- and geological perils have been rising, averaging systems and biodiversity through improved water $100 billion/annum over the past decade; in the first resources management. BiH and Croatia have actively half of 2010 alone, economic losses caused by natural cooperated in the project’s implementation and disasters totaled $72 billion. have established result joint bilateral meetings. A river basin management plan (RBMP), informed by Yet, the availability of catastrophe insurance and studies on minimum environmental flows and opti- weather-risk coverage for homeowners, farmers and mization for hydropower reservoirs, is being drafted. small- and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) is cur- Water resource management capacity associated rently virtually non-existent in the SEEC. In order to with basin-wide measurements, monitoring, mod- shift the balance and increase the number of insured eling, and data management in both countries has in the SEEC against weather related risks, the WBG, been strengthened and integrated into existing building on more than a decade of global experience institutional, technical, and regulatory transboundary in designing national and regional catastrophe and mechanisms. weather-risk insurance programs, is partnering with the Regional Cooperation Council for South Eastern Water infrastructure improvements have been Europe (RCC) and the United Nations International introduced in both countries through rehabilitation Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) to estab- of small-scale water management infrastructures lish the South East Europe and Caucasus Catastrophe such as weirs and irrigation structures, and wetlands Risk Insurance Facility (SEEC CRIF). SEEC CRIF will WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS promote the development of local catastrophe and stockpiles of DDT and concentrated PCBs, as well as weather-risk insurance markets in Albania, Macedonia associated contaminated equipment; construction and Serbia so as to enable local businesses and pop- of secure storage for lower-risk stockpiles such as, ulations to buy affordable catastrophe and weath- contaminated soils, equipment and mixed organic er-risk insurance products, currently unavailable in pollutants; and, provision of technical support for the commercial market. capacity development and institutional and regula- tory strengthening to support integration of POPs The SEEC CRIF is funded using a grant under the considerations into existing national health monitor- Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF), which comple- ing and environmental information systems, as well ments IBRD and IDA resources, as well as financing as to help define a long-term program to eliminate under the GFDRR. The project’s global environmen- unintentional POPs releases in future. Work has pro- tal objective is to reduce the economic vulnerability ceeded on two fronts. brought about by the adverse impact of climate change on homeowners, farmers, the enterprise With the support of the project, Belarus’ 14 biggest, sector, and government agencies by expanding their priority PCB hot spots were cleaned, resulting in 823 access to financial protection and transfer catastro- tons of PCB wastes being removed and transported phe and weather risk to the private sector in order to abroad for destruction. This project component pro- stem economic vulnerability at the local and national vided key awareness-raising and instituted improved levels and create a more climate resilient country. enterprise-level resource planning for ongoing PCB SEEC CRIF will incorporate long-term climate change phase out and disposal. adaptation planning as part of its insurance products. By revealing the true cost of risk through actuarial The project also tackled the challenge involving the pricing and by incorporating incentives to mitigate Slonim Landfill, a forty-year old burial site containing against weather events, the program’s catastrophe and weather-risk insurance products will contribute to more informed and less risky consumer and pro- duction decisions, choices and behaviors. 27 SEEC CRIF promotes cross-cutting and collabora- tive activities, founded on the engagement of major stakeholders. At the technical level, efforts will focus on establishing systems to collect and synthesize weather data. Stakeholders will be involved in order to build the requisite knowledge and skills needed to understand weather risk and help their countries adapt to the impacts of climate change. Public aware- ness information campaigns, as well as non-binding regulatory mechanisms are also projected to increase demand for catastrophe and weather-risk insurance products amongst the general public. Belarus POPs Stockpiles Management Belarus has adopted a coordinated approach to its Stockholm Convention obligations. The GEF-funded Integrated Solid Waste Management Project com- bined a World Bank loan targeted at increasing the environmental benefits of integrated solid waste management, with a GEF grant whose objective was to strengthen national capacity to manage hazard- ous wastes and encourage sound POPs stockpile management. The focus of the POPs component was three-fold: destruction of high-priority POPs EASTERN EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA hundreds of tons of pesticides, including significant energy sector, decades of heavy industrialization quantities of the once popular agricultural pesticide had led to the accumulation of large amounts of DDT that had been collected at the site. The prox- PCB-contaminated oils in electric capacitors and imity of the site to the town of Slonim (population transformers at the approximately 26,000 power 50,000) and its surrounding villages was of growing installations in the country. Moldova was dotted with concern to the government, particularly when anal- pollution hotspots. ysis showed that small amounts of pesticides had leached from the burial site to underground waters The Moldova POPs Stockpiles Management and and risked polluting groundwater, as well as well Destruction Project, which received additional water and nearby rivers. financing from the Canada POPs Trust Fund (CPTF) managed by the World Bank, closed in 2010 having By project completion, 950 tons of soils contam- succeeded in strengthening national regulatory and inated with obsolete pesticides were excavated, institutional arrangements which laid the foundation packed and shipped abroad for disposal at a special- for the establishment of a modern regulatory system ized facility, with an additional 750 tons extracted, for the management and control of POPs, as well as repackaged and transferred to secure storage await- other toxic chemicals and wastes. The Project success- ing environmentally sound destruction. fully engaged stakeholders at all levels of government, in local communities and within civil society through targeted awareness-raising on POPs issues. This in Moldova POPs Stockpiles Management turn increased public demand for the government to institute a modern and safe chemicals management In the early 1990s, Moldova’s agricultural sec- system, including for POPs. A POPs residual areas tor underwent significant privatization. Over identification and mapping exercise allowed for 3,000 tons of obsolete pesticides that had been 1,604 hot spots, including 1,588 old or abandoned imported during the 1980s to help spur agricul- warehouses and pesticide mixing/preparation sites, tural production, were abandoned across the and 16 PCB contaminated sites, to be identified and country and left exposed to the elements, to be organized into a national POPs Pollution Database 28 spread by wind and rain. Similarly, in the country’s WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS using GIS technology. In total, 1,293 tons of POPs in higher-cost energy efficiency measures in buildings containing and contaminated obsolete pesticides and and gain increased acceptance of the ESCO concept 934 tons of PCB containing capacitors were removed nationwide. By 2012, the number of transactions related and exported for environmentally sound destruction, to EE projects/ESCOs in the Polish market exceeded and the sites remediated. 28,000; the number of higher cost EE/ ESCO projects (>$250,000) in the Polish market had increased by a factor of 12; the number of in-country commercial busi- Poland Energy Efficiency nesses able to provide EE services tripled; and, the total volume of debt financing for EE had increased by more At the time of the design of the Poland Energy than 14 times within the same timeframe. Efficiency Project, the residential buildings sector was the country’s largest energy consumer, accounting The project did face challenges due to weak demand for more than one third of final energy consumption. influenced by changing market conditions. Although Despite declines in energy intensity over the years, several attempts were made to redirect guarantees the potential remained to dramatically save energy in associated with the project, the decision was finally residential buildings.. Through support for the opera- taken to restructure this component and align it in tion of energy service companies (ESCOs) and partial support of an existing government initiative, the credit guarantee components, the project designers Thermo-Modernization (TM) Program, which pro- sought to increase public and private sector invest- vided subsidies, up to 20%, for commercial EE loans ments in energy efficiency (EE) in buildings along in residential buildings in order to provide a stable three tracks: overcoming the risk barriers in the and predictable investment environment for residen- financial markets that inhibited commercial bank par- tial house owners. The uptake of this grant support ticipation in EE project financing; demonstrating the was positive and within little time, the funds had feasibility of packaging higher-cost EE investment been fully disbursed, indicating robust lending activ- in buildings and increasing acceptance of energy ity on the part of partner banks. performance contracting mechanisms in Poland; and, stimulating demand for EE services in the buildings A series of studies related to EE barrier removal sector by increasing awareness, as well as the capac- were also completed, and this analysis revealed that 29 ity of commercial banks to originate and implement the project leveraged an estimated 30,700 t CO2 loan transactions for EE investments. emission reductions per year through increased public and private investments in energy efficiency The project’s ESCO component was successful in reach- in buildings. ing its objectives to facilitate packaged investments HELPING DRIVE BEHAVIOR CHANGE Helping Drive Behavior Change Behavior change involves areas: agriculture, energy, environment influencing individual behavior, and natural resources, transportation and either by internal or external factors Behavior change is critical to water and sanitation. Of the 51 projects or forces. Change in behavior plays that were identified as demonstrating a critical role in achieving higher ensure that environmental behavior change interventions, 30, or level, sustainable results in many 59% were either fully GEF-funded or of the sectors in which the WBG threats are removed in a projects that included GEF-funding is active. While investments and blended with other sources of finance. sustainable way. access to information, education These projects tended to emphasize and communication are key civic engagement on a broad scale and toward building knowledge and used a wide range of media technologies infrastructure that supports to reach and involve community sustainable growth, behavior change members, as well as targeted interaction cements the longer-term sustainability of efforts. between clients and stakeholders, such as training. 32 Introduction of a modern and efficient public transit Another common trend lay with the focus toward system for example, may not generate its carbon establishment of enabling conditions, such as emissions reduction potential if commuters eschew development of policies or regulations, infrastructure, public transit due to a perceived lower social status or access to finance. Examples drawn for the WBG- association, and aspire rather to vehicle ownership. GEF Program portfolio included: Similarly, rehabilitation of a wetland and development of recreational and educational facilities may not The Indigenous Management of Protected Areas generate the ecotourism traffic projected if the local in the Peruvian Amazon Project, which adopted population’s perception of the wetland remains a strongly social, community-level approach to colored by its previous degeneration. biodiversity conservation was executed using a participatory, bottom-up approach that encouraged To better understand how to narrow the gap between responsibility among all stakeholders and inter- ‘investment and knowledge’ and ‘behavior change’, cultural dialogue. This allowed the project to take on and how such changes can best be stimulated and board existing local capacity and promote community sustained to increase developmental impact, a empowerment, as well as establish a social network preliminary portfolio review exercise was recently that supervised and monitored results. Extensive conducted by the WBG. It addressed behavior consultation ensured that indigenous perspectives change across five sustainable development topic and priorities regarding land and natural resource WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS uses were incorporated in planning, as well as into the In Croatia, the Karst ecosystem Conservation design of conservation strategies that were passed (KEC) project established community-based before community general assemblies for approval. mechanisms for biodiversity, conservation, and Indigenous representatives participated in the five sustainable resource use in the Karst region, protected area committees established under the promoted sustainable nature-based tourism, project, as well as in the community surveillance increased local public awareness and support for groups that were struck to monitor the protect areas biodiversity conservation, improved protected network. The response on the part of indigenous area management and services for biodiversity peoples’ to this approach was very positive: in their conservation and, demonstrated linkages between own words, they felt treated like equals. rural development and biodiversity conservation through establishment of a Conservation and Rural The India Ecodevelopment Project (IEDP) promoted Revitalization Grants program (CRRG) that financed village-level eco-development as a means of reducing beekeeping, sheep and goat raising, organic farming, negative interactions with biodiversity by increasing ecotourism, grassland management, restoration of the collaboration of local populations in conservation 33 cultural heritage sites, as well as supported various measures. This was done by fostering alternative learning programs and websites for biodiversity. livelihoods and resource uses financed through The behavior change intervention associated with village eco-development programs that specified the project improved beneficiaries’ understanding measurable actions on the part of local populations of, and attitudes toward, biodiversity and nature to improve conservation. The IEDP helped to free protection by supplying new knowledge and skills. tribal communities and forest fringe villagers, who As a result, traditional practices were revitalized by belong to the poorest sections of society, from modern concepts of natural resource use such as, moneylenders, greatly increased understanding and the production of wooden shingles and traditional cooperation between communities and forestry meadow maintenance, both of which are a potential officers, and improved the income, welfare, and status source of income-generation for local households. of local people. Countrywide, the establishment Such rural revitalization and sustainable nature of eco-development committees empowered protection activities generated significant, and local villagers, enabling them to access additional sustained, interest among local people. A Croatian resources from local government (panchayat) beneficiary’s analogy for the project’s final impact schemes and to develop self-help groups and literacy was that “we were not just handed a fish, we received programs for women and youth groups. tools and know-how to catch our own fish.” WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Latin America and the Caribbean Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 300 250 LCR Portfolio Highlights 200 • Programming of $574.2 million • Activities underway in 15 countries, 150 as well as 11 at sub-regional levels »» 30 active projects 100 »» 29 projects closed during the period »» 7 new projects under preparation 50 0 Biodiversity Climate Land Multi-focal Change Degradation Area LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN Amazon Region Protected Areas, managers, and a “protection plan” requirement to Phase 2 (ARPA 2) enhance enforcement and strengthen partnerships with environmental law agencies. A nationally- Brazil’s Legal Amazon Region represents the 35 managed endowment fund (FAP), is capitalized and largest area of intact tropical rainforest in the world. meets performance benchmarks. Encompassing around five million square kilometers, it provides essential global environmental benefits The first phase, which closed in 2008, supported including preserving significant levels of unique designation of 24 million hectares of new protected biological diversity as well as providing carbon stores areas. GEF funding of $30 million supported the estimated at 120 billion tons. Despite the region’s incremental costs of creating new protected areas significant influence as a global climate regulator, it (PAs), and strengthening management infrastructure remains threatened by deforestation that has come and financial and cost recovery mechanisms. from increasing settlement that brings expanded Significant additional resources were provided by agricultural, ranching, logging, and mining operations. Germany’s Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW), This often unchecked development has led to the loss the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the Government of tropical forest, degradation of watersheds, and overexploitation of wildlife and fisheries. The latest phase of the WBG-GEF Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) Program is addressing deforestation by expanding and consolidating areas under strict protection and increasing the total area under strict supervision to 10 percent of Brazil’s Amazon basin, including samples of all 23 Amazonian eco-regions, and catalyzing coordination, management, and monitoring systems to support sustainable development and ecological integrity. The approach includes a web-based administrative management tracking system, a shared account facility that allows resources to flow directly to site LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN of Brazil and other donors. Community-level or the dry season, glaciers assure year-round water public consultations helped define policies for land flows for agriculture, potable water, hydroelectric occupation and management, and communities power generation, and the stability of extensive receive training in agricultural and extractive mountain biomes. Accelerated glacier retreat is techniques to ensure the preservation of natural accompanied by the formation of new lakes in the resources, as well as to prevent and extinguish forest highlands which, in addition to hindering glaciers’ fires. Parks now include conservation units endowed ability to regulate water, increase the risk of floods with executive councils made up of representatives and landslides, ultimately exacerbating water short- from the Brazilian Government, civil society ages. As changes induced by tropical glacier retreat associations, and the local administration, among and reduction alter the sustainability of current pat- other stakeholders. terns of water use and the viability of the ecologies of glaciated basins, they also threaten to impose lasting Support for the second phase, launched in early implications on the region’s economic activity and 2012, includes GEF grant funding of US $15.9 million. the welfare of local populations. These rapidly dete- Phase 2 seeks to create an additional 13.5 million riorating conditions therefore presented a clear case hectares of protected areas, consolidate 32 million for the need to put in place adaptation strategies. hectares of existing protected areas, and capitalize the endowment fund with a 150 percent increase over Beginning in 2008, the Adaptation to the Impact of current funds. Payments for carbon offsetting in Pas, Rapid Glacier Retreat in the Tropical Andes (PRAA) through the United Nations Collaborative Programme Project for Andean Countries was implemented in on Reduced Emission from Deforestation and Forest Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru, with some activities under- Degradation (REDD), will be directed to state taken in Colombia, under the administrative man- governments and/or to communities in these areas. agement of the General Secretariat of the Andean Community of Nations (SGCA). Peru alone is home to ARPA’s benefits are immediate and long-lasting; they 71% of the world’s tropical glaciers. The countries all are local and global. The PAs represent an offset of have ‘glacierized basins’ from which water generated emissions equivalent to 430 million tons of carbon. by melting glaciers contributes significantly to their 36 Indigenous communities are returning to their way local and national economies. of life, preserving cultures that otherwise would have been lost. Improvements in land use and man- The project supported the resilience of local ecosys- agement allow small family farms and large scale tems and economies to the impacts of glacier retreat agriculture to co-exist. Service providers, as diverse by improving understanding of the glacier retreat as eco-tourism agencies and genetic explorations, phenomenon, illustrating the costs and benefits of can expect to benefit from ARPA’s results. Lessons adaptation activities, and strengthening existing learned are being broadly shared with stakehold- capacities to address the challenge and take action ers throughout the global conservation community. to scale-up broader response in future. Specifically, In June 2012, the U.S. Treasury recognized ARPA the project targeted the effective integration of in its inaugural Development Impact Honors. The socio-economic-environmental implications of glacier Program’s success has also led to the initiation of a retreat into regional and local planning efforts for new WBG-GEF project in Brazil’s protected coastal areas and marine waters. Adaptation to Climate Change in the Andean Countries Climate change has been linked to the acceler- ated retreat of tropical glaciers in the Andes and to increased weather variability and extremes affect- ing the Andean ecosystems. Tropical glaciers play a critical role in regulating water supply to associated watersheds, making runoff from glaciated basins essential for the regional water budget and the integ- rity of mountain ecosystems. Even during droughts WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS previous WBG-GEF-implemented Integrated National Adaptation Project in Colombia, and regional Rapid Glacier Retreat in the Tropical Andes project. Funding under the SCCF will support an ongoing effort to tackle the challenges that result from the changes to the water cycle being experienced as the Andean tropical glaciers recede. This project offers an import- ant window of opportunity to scale-up work on climate change adaptation in the region along two tracks: 1) by undertaking the challenge to improve integrated water resources management that pro- motes more efficient use of the resource and takes into account future variability; and 2) by spearhead- ing efforts to generate a new, higher level of engage- ment for the issue and positively influence national level decision-making, based on the concrete results generated to date. Large-Scale Renewable Energy Development in Mexico: Tapping Solar Power and Wind Potential Mexico is the ninth largest greenhouse emitter in glacier fed basins, it charted and embedded gla- the world. Its main carbon dioxide emission sources cier retreat impacts into local sector development emanate from energy combustion (89 percent) and projects and, generated data on glacier dynam- industrial processes (11 percent). Although Mexico ics. Small-scale risk assessments were conducted has abundant renewable energy sources, its share of 37 to demonstrate the benefits of more automated, generation capacity based on wind, solar, hydro or water-conscious agriculture, complemented by a geothermal resources has remained small, despite the training program designed to improve the efficiency fact that the country is located, for example, within of clean water distribution. the world’s solar belt where high solar insolations allow for the efficient operation of grid-connected The project also has contributed important south- solar-based power generation. south knowledge exchange by hosting academics and government officials from Afghanistan, China, The Mexico Hybrid Solar Thermal Power Project India and Pakistan, who visited Ecuador in January (Agua Prieta) seeks to demonstrate the benefits of 2014, to learn about the results and impacts of integrating a solar field with a large conventional the regional program. Additional funding from the thermal facility, contribute to reducing the long- Government of Japan allowed for the installation of a term costs of the technology, and reduce global network of eight glacier monitoring stations situated greenhouse gas emissions. It represents the first more than 4,000 meters (13,100 feet) above sea level pilot application of Integrated Solar Combined Cycle in the four countries. Working in cooperation with the System (ISCCS) power generation technology in National Meteorological and Hydrological Service of Mexico and Latin America, and only the seventh in Peru (SENAMHI), this coordinated network will obtain the world. The technology is seen to hold particular and consolidate regional information on glacier con- advantages in that it combines solar and thermal ditions that will be used to help define more efficient, sources of energy. The use of solar resources allows evolving adaptation strategies in the high Andes. for partial substitution of fossil fuels, while thanks to the combined cycle system, energy can also be A follow-on regional initiative involving Bolivia, supplied to the grid as required. Such a system can Colombia, Ecuador and Peru, the Andes also be integrated into an existing thermal system, Adaptation to the Impact of Climate Change allowing for broad replication. The carbon emissions in Water Resources project, is currently under reductions of 391,270 tons of carbon dioxide are preparation building on the results achieved by a estimated over the 25-year economic life of the plant. LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN The project has suffered delays in implementation Under implementation since 2007, the Project includes early on due to budget constraints that impeded suc- three components: (i) a financial support mechanism cessful bidding for construction of the hybrid thermal that provides a $1.1c/kWh subsidy to an IPP, via Mexico’s solar plant. Accordingly, and in order to advance with national power utility, CFE, for the first five years of the the budget approved, CFE requested a restructuring La Venta III wind power plant’s operation; (ii) techni- to allow for reduction in the size of the solar field cal assistance to address analytical and policy barriers from 30 MW to 12-15 MW to better align the avail- associated with wind power development; and, (iii) able budget with market prices. Prices observed project management support to ensure effective over- and experiences gleaned from two other WBG-GEF- sight, monitoring and evaluation, and reporting. implemented projects in Morocco and Egypt served to inform the restructuring of the solar component. As was experienced in developing the Agua Prieta In tandem, CFE adjusted specifications for the gas- solar thermal power plant, construction of the La based thermal project component. Construction of Venta III plant faced hurdles which delayed its initial the solar-field has since progressed according to construction timeline. These were due to the proj- schedule, with over 80% of works now completed. ect’s innovative design - the first application of an IPP mechanism for grid connected renewable energy in Mexico,) failure of the initial bidding process, and tensions emanating from social and environmental issues. The plant went into operation in October 2012 and since that time has produced 338,951 MWh, cor- responding to a capacity factor of 30%. Despite the challenges faced, the project has played a key role in the development of renewable energy in Mexico. The first IPP scheme launched by CFE for production of electricity from renewable energy sources in the country, it is paving the way for the 38 rapid development of wind power generation in Mexico. The Project’s contribution to Government’s efforts to develop renewable energy in a sustain- able manner is also particularly relevant given the Government’s focus on energy reform. The objective of the Project is to demonstrate and encourage the replication of Integrated Solar Integrated Energy Services — Combined Cycle System (ISCCS) power generation Increasing Access through Rural technology in Mexico and elsewhere, thereby Electrification contributing to the reduction of global greenhouse gas emissions. ISCCS technology includes the Mexico has an electrification coverage rate of nearly installation of a combined cycle plant connected to 95 percent, yet in the predominantly rural areas of its a field of concentrating solar thermal collectors. The southern states, where average electrification cov- installation of the solar field is being financed by erage stands at 88 percent, millions continue to live a $49.3 million GEF Grant, while Mexico’s national without electricity. Electrifying remaining households power utility, the Comisión Federal de Electricidad poses a challenge, given that the majority are located (CFE), is funding the design and construction of the in small, remote communities mired in poverty. gas-based thermal plant. Furthermore, the unelectrified population is expected to continued to increase as a result of population Mexico’s Large-scale Renewable Energy Project (La growth. In the order of 60 percent of those without Venta) is working to assist in developing initial expe- electricity are indigenous and hail from communities rience in commercially-based grid connected renew- that also lack access to other basic services and infra- able energy applications through the construction structure such as roads, water, telecommunications, of an approximately 101 MW wind farm operated by an education and health. Independent Power Producer (IPP), while simultane- ously building institutional capacity to value, acquire The Integrated Energy Services Project (PSIE, from the and manage such resources on a replicable basis. Spanish, Proyecto de Servicios Integrales de Energía) WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS is part of the Government of Mexico’s flagship rural agri-businesses. Specifically, the project seeks to electrification program, which aims to increase elec- contribute to the goals of the National Strategy on tricity supply through the expansion of conventional Climate Change and the President’s Special Program distribution networks and through the use of renew- for Climate Change (PECC) by addressing energy able energies. The project also contributes to one of efficiency and methane capture as it relates to the the strategic objectives of Mexico’s National Energy agricultural sector. One project stream is supporting Strategy 2013–2027: expanding energy access for social investments in environmentally sustainable technolo- and human development. Funded by IBRD resources, gies in agribusinesses operating at the various stages complemented by a GEF grant that promotes reduc- of the production chain of agricultural products. GEF tion of greenhouse gas emissions through the use of support, provided as a matching grant to eligible renewable energy for the provision of electricity in rural agribusinesses, is tied to provision of initial capital areas, the project aims to provide 40 communities in investments, and to removal of technological barriers predominantly indigenous rural areas with solar-based to improve energy efficiency through, for example, electricity. The project focuses on development of cen- introduction of solar thermal systems. Another stream tralized solar farms, and works with the national utility, seeks to ensure the quality at entry of investment CFE, who is responsible to execution of the rural energy sub-project proposals by partially reimbursing benefi- subprojects. To date, construction of the first five solar ciaries for the costs associated with sub-project busi- farms nears completion, with bidding processes under ness plan preparation, including energy diagnostics way for an additional 20 solar farms. In addition, the when necessary. It further provides beneficiaries with CFE has finalized 2 pilot projects in Guaycora, Sonora technical assistance for implementation of business and La Ciénega, Nayarit that benefit about 200 inhab- plans to ensure effective integration of new technolo- itants. Such pilot projects have a considerable impact gies at the level of the farm or agri-business. on the daily lives of beneficiaries given the possibili- ties they offer to store food/medicine in refrigerators, Institutional strengthening is also a focus, with assis- to improve access to education through multimedia/ tance provided regarding policy development that electronic tools, and to carry out activities that require engages specifically, the Ministry of Agriculture, lighting, such as sewing, reading, etc. Livestock Production, Rural Development, Fisheries 39 and Food (SAGARPA) in broader efforts to address environmental considerations and climate change Mexico Sustainable Rural Development mitigation. In this vein, the project shares important synergies with other WBG activities currently under Mexico’s rural sector has undergone substan- implementation in Mexico namely, a Climate Change tial reforms over the past 15 years, resulting in a Development Policy Loan (DPL) and the Mexico Low- largely liberalized, market-oriented, and private Carbon Country Case Study (MEDEC) that is building sector-driven rural economy. Agriculture however, a program of high-priority GHG mitigation investment remains a relatively weak sector of the country’s needs. Through collaboration, the GEF-funded project economy. According to Mexico’s National Climate can contribute to overcoming knowledge barriers in Change Strategy (NCCS), agriculture continues to support of the National Climate Change Strategy. be an important source of carbon emissions (7% of total emissions), primarily due to land-use change, tillage, synthetic fertilizers, and anaerobic decompo- The Rio de Janeiro Sustainable sition of organic materials. As a means of beginning Integrated Ecosystem Management in to address this challenge, as well as to improve the Productive Landscapes of the North- contribution of the sector to the overall economy, the Northwestern Fluminense Project government has prioritized increasing the competi- tiveness and environmental sustainability of agricul- The main threats facing the north/northwestern ture and agribusinesses in support of climate change Atlantic Forest region of Rio de Janeiro State in mitigation objectives, through promotion of energy Brazil were deforestation and soil erosion, caused by efficiency and biomass practices. centuries of land conversion and poor agricultural practices. Between 1990 and 2000, Rio de Janeiro The objective of Mexico’s Sustainable Rural had the highest rate of deforestation of all Brazilian Development Project, which is funded by IBRD states. The resulting degradation of pastures, soil resources and a GEF grant, is to promote the adop- loss, and decreasing water availability were affecting tion of environmentally sustainable technologies in LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN the region’s 30,000 family farms, as out-migration councils, had invested in 2,728 subprojects that increased and rural poverty became more entrenched. resulted in the adoption of over 4,000 separate con- servation practices on 31,360 hectares of farmland. The Rio de Janeiro Sustainable Integrated Ecosystem Of these farmers, 588 organized themselves into 87 Management in Productive Landscapes of the North- groups in order to implement small-scale agro-indus- Northwestern Fluminense Project sought to introduce trial ventures that produce environmentally-friendly an integrated ecosystem management (IEM) approach goods and services. For 245 of the subprojects, to guide the development and implementation of leadership responsibility lay with women. Soil struc- sustainable land management (SLM) practices in tural stability had improved in 48 micro-catchments, the North and Northwest (NNWF) regions of Rio thanks to investments in pasture rotation, soil conser- de Janeiro State. It promoted an integrated ecosys- vation equipment, agro-forestry systems and riparian tem management approach to help family farmers forest restoration. As a result of 224 pasture rotation adopt sustainable land management practices that investments, carbon storage exceeded 19,000 tons by conserve and protect fragile agro-ecosystems, while project completion. demonstrating that improved land management was economically and socially beneficial. Convincing The cost-effectiveness of environmental impacts also farmers to adopt better practices was challenging: demonstrated positive impacts across a range of human and institutional capacity was weak; commu- investments, such as in poultry and honey produc- nities were poorly organized and lacked the capital to tion, which generated average rates of return from finance investments in improved farming techniques; 26.2 percent to 59 percent. Environmental education and research was needed to adapt and demonstrate events, which stressed the importance of integrating improved natural resource practices suitable to local environmental, economic, and social concerns, were farming conditions. organized in 24 municipalities and benefitted 5,700 individuals. This helped anchor behavior change, as Farmers living within selected micro-watersheds were reflected by the many farmers who subsequently organized to enable them to participate in develop- made conservation investments at their own expense. ing farm diagnostic plans. Project outputs to farmers The project also supported the development of a 40 included financial incentives, training, and technical Payment for Environmental Services (PES) mecha- assistance to adopt innovative practices designed to nism, which was enacted by State Decree, to support conserve their agro-ecological assets, reduce land the ongoing sustainability of the investment made. degradation, and improve farm productivity. This Equally as important, the project supported the ana- experimental approach demonstrated how the state’s lytical foundations for a follow-on WBG loan to the existing rural development programs could be more state for a Sustainable Rural Development Project, agro-ecologically friendly, better-organized, and currently under implementation. sustainable at the farm, institutional, and policy levels. Based on experiences and lessons generated by simi- lar WBG-supported projects in the country’s south, the Peru Strengthening Sustainable project stressed micro-catchments as the best unit for Management of the Guano Islands, conservation planning and management, local partici- Isles and Capes National Reserve pation, dissemination and replication, and inter-institu- System Project tional collaboration. Peru is one of the most biologicaly diverse coun- Funded by IBRD resources and a GEF grant, the proj- tries in the world . Eighty-four (84) of the planet’s ect also benefited from financing channeled through 117 existing life zones are found in Peru, and it ranks two prominent national non-government organiza- within the top three with respect to genetic resources tions (NGOs): SOS-Mata Atlantica and Conservation and species of fish, birds and amphibians. Threats International-Brazil. This co-investment strategy to the country’s marine and coastal diversity and enabled state development institutions to reach the resources include habitat disturbance and destruc- local level, overcoming time and distance challenges tion, overfishing and destructive fishing, such as facing micro-catchment residents while fostering the illegal use of explosives and high seas bottom self-managed development. trawling, as well as other economic activities, all of which have contributed to a decline in fish stocks, At completion in late 2011, 2,254 family farmers, who’d marine biodiversity and overall ecosystem health. In been organized in 48 participatory micro-catchment late 2009, the government of Peru established the WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Guano Islands, Islets, and Capes National Reserve of which accounts for one-third to one-half of GDP System (Reserva Nacional Sistema de Islas, Islotes in most of the OECS countries. Tougher safeguards y Puntas Guaneras or RNSIIPG) to counteract this were essential. trend. RNSIIPG is made up of a group of 22 islands and 11 capes spread along 3,000 kilometers of coast- The Protected Areas and Associated Alternative line, whose surface coverage totals 140,883 hectares, Livelihood Project contributed to the conserva- including the terrestrial sites plus 2 nautical miles tion of biodiversity of global importance in six around each. member countries of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS): Antigua and Barbuda; the The Strengthening Sustainable Management of the Commonwealth of Dominica, Grenada; St. Kitts and Guano Islands, Isles, and Capes National Reserve Nevis; St. Lucia; and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. System Project is being implemented with a view to The project curbed mounting environmental degra- improving the overall management of marine and dation by strengthening the application of environ- coastal ecosystems of the RNSIIPG, and protecting its mental safeguards, removing barriers to effective biological diversity in pilot sites. GEF project funding management capacity of protected areas (PAs) and is complemented by additional resources provided identifying economically sustainable opportunities by Germany’s KFW. The project has four compo- for environmentally compatible livelihoods in buffer nents. To support institutional strengthening, the zones. Key to the project’s success was the reliance project is working to build capacity within the arm of on increased participatory management that involved Government responsible for natural protected areas civil society and the private sector in the planning, (Servicio Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas — management and sustainable use of these areas. SERNANP), as well as in other institutions involved in Sub-projects were initiated to increase and diversify the management of marine and coastal resources. In PA-related income to local communities through tandem, the project promotes collaborative regional tourism development, organic farming ventures and management through the development of socially training in biodiversity conservation. viable marine management models to be carried out through the implementation of locally implemented 41 collaborative subprojects on pilot sites, selected through a consultative process involving SERNANP and local stakeholders. In order to ensure effective monitoring and evalu- ation, support is provided for the development of ecological baseline approaches to monitor marine biodiversity, implementation of regular ecological monitoring systems in pilot sites, and institution of a management effectiveness monitoring and evaluation system within SERNANP. The project will also serve to strengthen the capacity of the Peruvian trust fund for national parks and protected areas (Fondo de Promocion para las Areas Naturales Protegidas del Peru (PROFONANPE)) to carry out the administrative and financial management of the project. OECS Protected Areas and Associated Livelihoods Project A trend of degradation of reefs and other coastal ecosystems, including wetlands, tropical forests and seagrass beds, beach erosion, deforestation, deple- tion of fish stocks combined to threaten important biological systems in the region, as well as liveli- hoods in agriculture, fishing and tourism, the latter LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN In total, 24,693 hectares of marine and terrestrial and environment issues in a coordinated manner areas were protected under six demonstration and to ensure that Latin American cities were better sites, and management effectiveness was shown to positioned to meet the growing demands posed by improve across the board in all the countries, based the evolving climate change agenda. In addition, the on use of the OECS scorecard system. As a result fact that the link between the transport sector and of the enhanced management in place at the six climate change mitigation was still poorly understood sites, the habitat of 11 regionally endemic species at the local level underscored the need to develop improved thanks to better preservation processes, common working frameworks and methodologies including declaration. Four PAs established under in order to generate platforms for effective South- the project, the North East Marine Management South exchange. Operations were undertaken at the Area in Antigua and Barbuda, the Annandale Forest regional level and three in each of the participating Reserve in Grenada, the Central Forest Reserve countries: Argentina, Brazil and Mexico. The common National Park in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and the Pointe focus they shared involved reducing GHG emissions Sable Environmental Protection Area (EPA) in Saint growth rates by promoting an increase in the patron- Lucia, demonstrated improved management again age of less energy intensive urban transport modes, measured by scorecard, over the life of the proj- and inducing policy changes that favored sustainable ect. Upwards of 500 people received training in transport projects. livelihoods skills and over 200 more received seed funds, thereby leaving the localities well-equipped to The project’s first objective, which involved engage in environmentally compatible livelihoods. establishment of a network of local and national government stakeholders, international organizations, In addition to the GEF grant, the project benefited and private sector entities to promote policies and from support extended by OECS, the Organization actions leading towards more energy efficient and of American States (OAS) and the French Global cleaner urban transport systems in Latin American Environment Facility (Fonds Français pour l’Envi- cities was achieved in part. When the project closed ronnement Mondial). in June 2013, the Clean Air Initiative (CAI), which was managing pilot investments in the 11 cities participating 42 in the program, had obtained 34 formal endorsements LAC Regional Sustainable Transport and leveraged resources in the amount of $2.2 million, and Air Quality Project and had a staff of 4 on hand to manage the work plan. However, the volume of financial or in-kind At the time of project design, the transport sector contributions received, given the number of network in Latin America was responsible for more than 20 members engaged, was considered low. This fact led percent of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and rep- to the WBG’s evaluation upon project completion to resented the fastest growing emitting sector in the identify the sustainability of both the network and the region, due in large part to the urban growth rate that institution as a potential risk in the longer-term. it was experiencing. With approximately 75% of Latin Americans living in cities, the bulk of vehicle kilome- Efforts to assist participating cities to develop sus- ters of travel were occurring in urban centers. Urban tainable urban transport strategies that integrate transport was seen to represent an obvious, and key, climate change and air quality were highly successful. sector through which to tackle long-term greenhouse CAI supported STAQ cities in developing strategies gas (GHG) mitigation efforts in the region. that integrated these components through the provi- sion of hands-on, on-demand training and technical The Regional Sustainable Transport and Air Quality assistance through numerous training clinics, confer- (STAQ) Project was therefore, designed with a view ences and workshops, as well as through webinars. to reducing the rate of growth of GHG emissions from CAI also created, and maintains, a virtual network transport in the region through the promotion of less of regional trainers, experts and institutions under energy intensive and cleaner modes of transport. Its a “train the trainers” approach that is expected to regional structure was proposed to address transport WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS continue to deliver services and execute activities in As a result of the project’s implementation, the num- Latin America over the long term. The CAI also func- ber of hectares under environmental service con- tions as a repository and clearinghouse for strategies, tracts that were providing environmental services in options, instruments and experiences to design and hydrological, biodiversity conservation and/or carbon implement transport programs and projects informed sequestration benefits from existing funding sources by climate change and air quality considerations. grew by 500% to 2.5 million hectares, while the sur- Together, these activities helped STAQ cities inte- face area under environmental service contracts that grate climate, land use, and sustainable urban trans- were providing environmental services in biodiversity port concepts into their legal, policy, and planning conservation and/or water services from new funding frameworks, and served to improve their capacity to mechanisms that had been established by the project quantify the impacts of transport policies on climate totaled 57,357 hectares. Stand-alone local PES mech- change and air pollution emissions. anisms were designed and under implementation at four sites to contract (buy and generate) environmen- tal services in priority areas: Cuenca del Rio Pixquiac, Mexico Environmental Services Veracruz; Fabricas de Agua Centro de Sinaloa; SAS_ Project Veracruz; and Cuenca del Alto Nazas Irritila. A total of 353,340 ha of forests and other natural ecosystems of Over the past 20 years, 20% of land in the Latin global biodiversity significance were under effective America and Caribbean region has been set aside conservation, involving protection and sustainable for conservation using novel approaches to finance management by landowners prior to project comple- preservation efforts including, building partnerships tion, and more than 2,800 PES contracts had been to garner non-public finances such as payments for issued to conserve forest or other natural ecosystems environmental services, incentive-based conservation in areas of globally significant biodiversity. At least contracts and co-management with communities and 15 proposals for new carbon sequestration projects NGOs, amongst others. were submitted to potential buyers during the life of Mexico adopted a payment for environmental ser- the project, demonstrating an achievement of 350% vices scheme to combat the significant pressure against the target value identified at concept stage; 43 that urban sprawl and expansion of extractive indus- one project in Oaxaca commercialized 76,821 tons tries and agriculture were putting on its forests and of carbon on a surface of 2,973 ha during the period coastal areas with respect to water quality/supply 2008 to 2011 alone. and deforestation, which threatened the economic Institutional arrangements to facilitate PES mecha- activities and the welfare of Mexico’s people, while nisms’ management and learning were established also engendering loss of globally important biodi- and properly staffed and resourced to support versity. Alongside complementary regional and local replication and scale up of the market-based PES conservation programs, the Payment for Ecosystem program. The capacity of CONAFOR, the National Services Project worked to enhance the provision Forest Commission to manage a nationwide program, of environmental services of national and global including 21 active PES sites, improved significantly. significance and secure their long-term sustainabil- Indeed, thanks to the project, CONAFOR now man- ity by instituting local payments for environmental ages a program three times larger than without the services (PES) mechanisms in eight pilot areas. The project, and benefits from corresponding institutional project also sought to enhance and protect biological arrangements to support future growth. The proj- diversity and preserve globally significant forest and ect offered practical lessons in mounting successful mountain ecosystems by paying forest landowners financing schemes to protect and maintain valuable to maintain woodlands to protect the ecosystem and and vulnerable ecosystems, and clearly demonstrated reduce the risk of deforestation. A similar scheme the potential that ecosystems hold in helping trans- was also implemented by a WBG-GEF Project in form biodiversity conservation into an engine of Costa Rica. green growth. Engaging Private Sector Partnership Engaging Private Sector Partnership The GEF and the World Bank and energy efficiency financing by Group share a strong interest in local banks. The Philippine Sustainable involving the private sector to To date, the program has Energy Finance program, supported by support sustainability. The World GEF in 2007, recently won “Momentum Bank, through its private sector contributed to 7.7 million for Change Lighthouse Activities” arm, the International Finance award launched by the United Nations Corporation, has offered technical people gaining access Framework Convention on Climate assistance and financing solutions Change (UNFCCC) Secretariat for to better lighting. IFC’s to transform markets through direct helping increase private sector investments, advisory services, partnership with the GEF financing for sustainable energy in the standard-setting and, creation of country. business enabling environments. A also enabled IFC to pioneer series of successful initiatives have IFC currently manages two GEF-funded been initiated that target private risk-sharing facilities to programs — the Environmental Business 46 Finance Program (EBFP) and the IFC- sector engagement and the use of non-grant instruments to pioneer promote renewable and GEF Earth Fund Platform. Projects risk mitigation, introduce innovative under both programs use a wide range financial products and promote energy efficiency financing of non-grant financial instruments, such open and competitive markets in as debt, subordinated debt, convertible by local banks. loans, equity and guarantees to test and client countries. pilot new initiatives through innovative Broadly speaking, the projects financial structures or the adoption implemented by IFC with GEF of new technologies, as well as support have focused on addressing barriers that support scale up of innovative financial structures or impede wider private sector participation and technologies. The EBFP program is currently tracking prevent faster, more widespread or more long-term more than $150 million in co-financing and leverage sustainable adoption of technologies, financial in its portfolio. The IFC-Earth Fund platform is a products or business models that address global platform under the GEF Earth Fund, a public-private public goods. For example, the joint World Bank-IFC partnership (PPP) initiative established by the GEF Lighting Africa Initiative that promotes affordable, in 2008 in recognition of the fact that private sector modern, off-grid lighting market in Africa has been initiative in climate change is vital to achieve the successful in removing key barriers to developing world’s mitigation and adaptation goals. By late 2013, a market for clean, low-cost, and quality lighting the IFC-Earth Fund platform had provided $15 million products. To date, the program has contributed to in funding for investment and advisory projects with 7.7 million people gaining access to better lighting. a total value of $133 million, representing a leverage IFC’s partnership with the GEF also enabled IFC to ratio of about 7.9. pioneer risk-sharing facilities to promote renewable WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS 47 REGION 48 WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Middle East and North Africa Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 140 120 MNA Portfolio Highlights 100 • Programming of $230.9million 80 • Activities underway in 8 countries, as well as 3 at either regional levels 60 »» 18 active projects closed during 40 the period »» 5 projects closed during the period 20 »» 3 new projects under preparation 0 Biodiversity Climate International Land Multi-focal POPs Change Waters Degradation Area MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Developing Djibouti’s Geothermal The project is financed by an IDA credit supported Capacity by a GEF grant, as well as important additional financing mobilized by Bank from the OPEC Fund Djibouti depends entirely on imports to meet its elec- 49 for International Development (OFID), the African tricity needs. And access to that electricity remains Development Bank (AfDB), the Agence Française an elusive luxury for the bulk of the population due de Développement (AFD), the Sustainable Energy to high tariffs, expensive connection costs and the Fund for Africa (SEFA) and the WBG’s Energy Sector limited coverage of the electricity grid, which sources Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) Global only Djibouti City and its outskirts. Geothermal Development Plan (GGDP). The recently launched Geothermal Power Generation Project is working to tap into the volcanic riches in Middle East and North Africa Desert Fiale Caldera near the country’s Lake Assal region as Ecosystems and Livelihoods Program a source of geothermal power, and assist Djibouti in (MENA—DELP) assessing the commercial viability of this resource. The project is the first phase in a two-step process The Middle East and North Africa region houses two to develop local geothermal generation capacity of the world’s largest deserts: the Sahara and the that could help Djibouti fully meet its peak demand, Arabian. On a global scale, deserts play an import- alleviate energy dependency, reduce electricity ant role as regulators of ecosystem services namely, production costs by 70 percent and boost access to air quality, atmosphere composition, and climate electricity for all its citizens. Clean geothermal energy regulation. In the MENA region, deserts encompass would also mean a reduction in carbon dioxide unique and highly adapted ecosystems that provide emissions and a healthier environment for the popu- life-supporting services to the environment and the lation. The project’s first phase will focus on exploring communities that inhabit them as well as linking to and assessing the feasibility of large scale geother- productive sectors such as tourism and agriculture. mal power generation. A second phase will initiate Sustaining the capacity of desert ecosystems to pro- competitive tendering of the development of an vide goods, services and livelihoods in an integrated estimated 56 MW geothermal power plant to private manner represents a critical cornerstone for long- power producers. term development prospects in fragile deserts at the local, national and regional levels. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA Desert communities represent a small proportion fragile ecosystem. Woodcutting, overgrazing, and of the overall population of the region. While they intensive agricultural practices have decimated demonstrate a highly sustainable level of social natural habitats and exacerbated soil erosion. cohesion, desert populations are not fully integrated Important breeding areas for migratory birds’ in development policies and plans and are not have witnessed decreasing numbers of migratory always in a position to capitalize on new economic visits, and a related drop in successful breeding opportunities to improve their livelihoods, despite the events, due to excessive vehicular traffic, and valuable know-how, practices and techniques they surface and underground water resources are possess to adapt to their arid environment. increasingly threatened by unsustainable water use and extraction which in turn, affects flora and The MENA-Desert Ecosystems and Livelihoods fauna habitats and micro-ecosystems. Program (MENA—DELP) is a partnership between the WBG, the GEF and four countries in the region. The Badia Ecosystem and Livelihoods Project This 10-15 year program aims to contribute to the (BELP), one of the MENA-DELP projects, supports enhancement of livelihoods in desert ecosystems sustainable livelihoods and enhances ecosystem by harnessing their value in an environmentally services through participatory approaches in and socially sustainable manner so that the flow selected areas of the Jordan Badia. One aim of desert goods and services can be optimized. Its promotes a people-centered sustainable natural framework promotes improvement of the flow of resource base development approach, with the desert ecosystem services and knowledge of valuable goal of improving range and fodder production adaptive practices for sustainable development into services through establishment of rangeland a positive feedback loop. The program pilots desert- reserves, as well as strengthening community specific economic activities that aim at increasing the engagement in the identification, and ongoing resilience and adaptation of desert communities and management and maintenance of reserves in the ecosystems, while maintaining the health and diversity Badia’s south. Local employment opportunities of the desert biome. based on biomass restoration activities and site monitoring are also under consideration. Another 50 Projects focus on improving the sustainability of approach seeks to reduce rangeland degradation investments in one or more productive sectors while enhancing local development benefits by including, tourism, agriculture, and livestock grazing, tapping into Jordan’s high ecotourism potential through adoption of an integrated ecosystem through expansion of existing centers of tourism in management approach. All the MENA-DELP projects region’s northeast, home to attractive landscapes, emphasize a participatory approach, capacity unique biodiversity and archeological sites. The building, and the harnessing of local knowledge as Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature a means to influence meaningful and sustainable (RSCN), with whom the Bank has cooperated on behavior change. An overarching regional knowledge past protected areas initiatives, manages these and coordination project seeks to strengthen efforts in partnership with Jordan’s leading nature- networks and communities of practice by sharing based tourism agency and local communities. experiences and knowledge regarding key desert • Tunisia tourism is key to the country’s economy: ecosystem management issues. Areas of note include: Over seven million tourists each year, principally from Europe, many of whom are drawn to high • Jordan’s Badia is a large desert area east of the volume beach resorts in coastal areas. This sector country’s western highlands. This arid region, contributes 7% of GDP and provides employment which receives annual rainfall of only 50 to 200 for some 10% of the population. The country’s mm covers 80 percent of the country’s territory, interior, which remains largely underdeveloped and remains largely poor. Nearly half of the Badia in terms of tourism, houses significant cultural, is rangeland, and the livelihoods in the region’s historical and natural attractions in varied desert southern and northern zones, which include ecosystems that harbor a rich biodiversity of nomadic, semi-nomadic and settled communities, highly adapted, unique species. The biome’s are largely dependent on raising livestock. biodiversity is under growing threats from habitat Over the past two decades, impacts from both encroachment, overexploitation, and poaching, human induced and natural factors, including even within protected areas, whose numbers climate change, have engendered significant have grown in recent years, due principally to degradation of the region’s highly diverse and WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS lack of enforcement capacity, lack of community limited access to irrigation and limited capital with involvement, and lack of awareness. which to invest in agricultural inputs contribute to low production quality and output, impeding The Tunisia Ecotourism and Conservation of prosperity. Poor levels of education and lack of Desert Biodiversity Project, also under MENA- organization compound the problem through DELP, is working to improve desert livelihoods agricultural overexploitation and poor land man- through enhanced provision of ecosystem agement, leading to land and water degradation, services, with a view to laying the foundations for loss of biodiversity and reduced production ecotourism development and related local income capacity, which further limit access to markets and generation. The project is mining the potential income, and entrench poverty. Through promotion that Tunisia’s arid desert ecosystems hold for of sustainable intensification, the Plan Maroc Vert tourism diversification and development based (PMV), the country’s 2008–2020 agricultural on adoption of a sustainable ecotourism model in strategy, seeks to improve the livelihood of small which desert ecosystem integrity is intrinsically farmers while protecting natural ecosystems, thus linked with socioeconomic benefits flowing to breaking the cycle of poverty on marginal lands. local communities. This approach provides the opportunity to promote both traditional and innovative land and natural resource management practices within adjacent agro-ecosystems, thus preserving the adaptive response capacity of local communities. And, the creation of appropriate regulatory and financial incentive mechanisms for the development of ecotourism activities are expected to facilitate private sector involvement in the establishment of ecotourism ventures and in the piloting of management approaches that include community participation. 51 • Morocco agricultural production: This sector rep- resents 15% of GDP, 23% of its exports, and employs nearly half the country’s population, it is vital to the country’s economy. It is characterized by both highly commercialized production processes and small-scale farming. The Plan Maroc Vert (PMV), which is supported by a WBG investment, outlines Within the broader context of WBG support to the country’s agricultural strategy from 2008 to the PMV, the GEF-funded Morocco Social and 2020. The PMV is predicated on a series of systemic Integrated Agriculture Project (ASIMA), which is reforms and investments that aim to double the part of the MENA-DELP family of projects, focuses sector’s output by 2020 and create 1.5 million new specifically on the issues facing small farmers on jobs expanding opportunities for the integration of marginal lands. The project finances pilot invest- commercial farming into the international economy, ments that support the integration of land, water, while enhancing the participation of small farming and biodiversity conservation considerations using communities within domestic markets. The PMV an integrated ecosystem management approach. aims to increase the value of Moroccan agriculture Training for small farmers will focus on the imple- and promote balanced economic growth, particu- mentation of conservation measures appropriate larly in areas that traditionally have suffered social for select agri-food chains typical of marginal and economic marginalization. One of its pillars areas including, cacti, olives and aromatic and focuses specifically on the plight of small farmers in medicinal plants, and will explore synergies the country’s marginal areas. between agri-food chains. Adoption of sustainable production methods within each agri-food chain Morocco’s rural areas are home to nearly half the is expected to enhance small farmers’ integration country’s population, 70% of whom are poor. For into domestic markets, while cross-cutting inte- small farmers, the majority of whom reside in gration between agri-food chains will promote marginal zones, poverty and environmental deg- better use of limited natural resources and enable radation go hand in hand. Low and erratic rainfall, better management of by-products. MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA The ASIMA project’s objectives are aligned with highly urbanized and densely populated: today they the actions promoted by two WBG programmatic are home to more than half the country’s population. agricultural Development Policy Loans (DPLs) that support the PMV efforts to improve For over a decade, Morocco’s Mediterranean efficiency of domestic markets. The project is coastline, which had long remained less developed further complemented by the related Integrating than the country’s Atlantic coast, has undergone Climate Change in the Implementation of the significant economic development. Competing PMV (PICCPMV) project funded by the Special coastal natural resource uses, together with growing Climate Change Fund (SCCF), which seeks to do coastal population density and urbanization, have exactly as its name suggests: promote important taken their toll on the zone’s ecosystems, negatively agriculture and climate change synergies by impacting marine biodiversity and ecologically integrating climate change considerations into sensitive areas. Environmental costs are embodied the Plan Maroc Vert’s implementation. The in water supply issues, salinization of aquifers, blending of GEF and SCCF grants with WBG coastal erosion and sewage and solid waste disposal. lending provides the Government of Morocco The region’s coral reefs, which provide a range of with a comprehensive means to tackle critical and ecosystem services including, coastline protection, inter-related problems, thereby strengthening the large-scale commercial and smaller-scale artisanal potential for future economic, environmental and fishing, and tourism activities such as, diving, social sustainability in the agricultural sector. snorkeling and recreational fishing, are particularly threatened. The impacts of climate change are projected to aggravate existing environmental problems, hinder infrastructure development and maintenance, and significantly impact the livelihoods of coastal residents. To better manage the competing interests affecting the coast, an integrated coastal zone management 52 (ICZM) approach has been adopted to compel the diverse coastal sectors to work together under the aegis of cooperation to eliminate the negative externalities associated with their activities. In order to promote application of the ICZM approach by users of coastal resources, and to help the Government of Morocco meet its obligations under the regional Sustainable MED Program to which it is party, GEF funds were secured to support Morocco’s transition towards sustainable development along its Mediterranean coast. The Integrated Coastal Zone Management Project works to protect biodiversity and ecologically sensitive areas, promote sustainable in situ coastal resource management, and generate related indirect benefits for other countries bordering the Mediterranean Basin, as well as strengthen coastal communities’ resilience to climate change and regional efforts to address the decline in biodiversity Integrated Coastal Zone Management and fisheries. To meet these ends, the project focuses along Morocco’s Mediterranean Coast on enhancing and accelerating the implementation of trans-boundary pollution reduction, improving water Morocco’s expansive coastlines harbor rich ecosystems resources management, and improving biodiversity vital to the country’s economy, providing food and conservation measures in priority hotspots and employment from agriculture, fisheries and tourism. sensitive areas. Over time, the country’s coasts have also become WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS country’s biggest pollution “hot spot”. Home to 2.3 million people, the Greater Tunis area is also a major tourist destination. Currently, 86% of the volume of wastewater collected is treated in wastewater treat- ments plants (WWTPs) in the greater Tunis area. The current infrastructure, which is running at overcapac- ity in certain plants, does not allow for proper treat- ment and disposal of the effluents such as removal of nitrogen and phosphorus and lacks submarine out- falls for efficient disposal. It is clear that the current infrastructure is not adequately structured to take on the treatment of any additional wastewater volume within the growing urban sector. In the face of these challenges, the government’s National Development Plan (2007–2011) made the protection of sensitive ecosystems, the reduction of nutrient discharges into the Gulf of Tunis, and the use of treated wastewater a source of water for agriculture and, where feasible, groundwater Tunisia Northern Tunis Wastewater recharge, national priorities. With the support of the Bank, the government requested funds from the GEF Tunisia, like many other countries in the region, faces to help achieve these objectives. An $8.03 million serious water challenges. Highly variable tempo- GEF grant was approved to co-finance a $52 million ral and geographical rainfall patterns exacerbate World Bank loan, with the Government contribut- the problem. The limited water resource challenges ing an additional $8.6 million in co-financing. The that plague the country are further compounded by project’s higher level objectives seek to reduce the stressors, such as agricultural usage. This use alone, in 53 environmental impact of the wastewater discharge in a key economic sector that employs about a quarter the Gulf of Tunis, with particular focus on seawater of the country’s workforce, commands 80% of the quality in the northern Tunis seashore, and to support country’s water resources given that 90% percent of the implementation of Tunisia’s National Program arable lands are located in water-poor arid and semi- for Wastewater Reuse. The project complements arid zones. It should therefore, come as no surprise existing, funded activities under implementation with that Tunisia has become one of the most advanced the World Bank and other partners. An investment countries with respect to water management in the program in the water sector, financed jointly by the MENA region. Important results have been achieved World Bank, the French Development Agency (AFD) with respect to water supply and sanitation, yet and the African Development Bank (AfDB), supports Tunisia’s water crisis continues to increase in magni- implementation of priorities set forth in the National tude, driven by a variety of external factors. Ongoing Development Plan and focuses on modernization of pressure to support rural employment opportunities water resources management through, for example, has led to further expansion of agricultural pro- increased reuse of treated wastewater by farmers. duction through the development of new irrigation The Tunis West Sewerage project in contrast, targets perimeters, which has increased existing over-ex- infrastructure development through construction of ploitation of aquifers in several regions. Urban growth a wastewater treatment plant in the Western area is burgeoning, especially in the greater Tunis area and of the city, which will greatly improve the quality of bringing with it increased water needs. The impacts sanitation services in greater Tunis. that mounting climate change will bring to bear are of growing concern. Yemen Agrobiodiversity and Compounding growing water scarcity, Tunisia’s Adaptation coastal and marine ecosystems are increasingly threatened by the combination of agricultural and In the highlands of Yemen, a GEF-funded agro-biodi- wastewater discharges. The Gulf of Tunis is by far the versity and climate adaptation project is enhancing MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA coping strategies for change through the conser- rainfed agriculture and more broadly, lay the ground- vation and use of agro-biodiversity and traditional work for climate resilient development in future. agricultural practices. Specific objectives include: Over 40% of Yemen’s population is impoverished. • Capturing and assessing traditional agro-biodi- Many of the country’s rural poor inhabit its highlands, versity knowledge through development of an one of the driest and harshest terrains in the world, inventory of farmers’ knowledge on the adaptive where cultivation of rainfed agriculture remains, as characteristics of local landraces and their wild it has for centuries, the primary means of livelihood. relatives, and identifying and testing selected The region’s agro-ecosystem offers rich agrobio- landraces for climate resilience with a view to diversity in the form of sorghum, barley, and chick developing vulnerability profiles for the crops. pea, globally important crops that have a history of Information on the agro-biodiversity resources will early domestication in this area. Several landraces of be used to develop natural resource management these crops are the result of centuries-old selection, and alternative income-generation plans with the wherein genetic varieties that were shown to offer communities as part of a strategy approach to better resistance to diseases and pests and greater building climate resilience in the highlands. resilience to drought, local soil quality and climatic • Raising awareness on climatic changes and devel- conditions, were adopted. Traditional methods of oping local predictive capacity of weather pat- water harvesting and storage, as well as terrace terns, climatic changes, and longer term climate construction and maintenance have been invaluable change scenarios for Yemen’s rain-fed areas. in protecting the agro-ecosystems in the highlands against adverse climatic and environmental events by • Enhancing the range of coping mechanisms improving water use efficiency and minimizing land available to farmers to integrate climate resilience degradation. The agro-biodiversity of the highlands, into their rain-fed agriculture practices including, together with the traditional knowledge of farmers, in-situ conservation, improved terracing with soil has been the cornerstone of communities’ ability to and water conservation practices, and expanded adapt to changing climatic conditions in the past. crop choice and cropping patterns. 54 • Improving the capacity of key agencies and stake- Increasingly however, information on these resources holders to collect and analyze data to improve is dissipating due to growing urban migration and climate predictions and manage information flow the adoption of modern high-yielding varieties that to enhance the uptake of coping mechanisms involve greater dependence on irrigation for farming. throughout the agricultural sector, while at the There is also general consensus that the increased local level, developing a climate-resilient rain-fed variability in precipitation brought about by climate agriculture strategy and piloting a menu of coping change, poses increased risk of crop failure and loss strategies in partnership with the communities. of livelihoods in a region where water is a scarce and the level of poverty is already far too high. Traditional To enhance further the potential for sustainabil- varieties and practices are seen to represent an ity of action, these efforts are complemented by important repository of genetic variability that can work under the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience both protect small farmers by diversifying their (PPCR) of the Climate Investment Funds in Yemen. production and provide important genetic traits to improve ‘modern’ varieties through purposive breed- ing. The conservation of agro-biodiversity is also seen Jordan Integrated Ecosystems/Rift to be critical to building climate resilience of rainfed Valley agro-ecosystems and contributing to enhancing The Jordan Rift Valley is an integral part of the Great national capacity in climate modeling and analysis. Rift Valley, a globally important ecological corridor Building on a long-standing partnership of develop- and a major flyway between Africa, Europe, and Asia ment lending in the agriculture sector with the Bank, that houses a large variety of ecologically diverse the Government of Yemen and the Bank are chan- habitats and that is used by millions of migrating birds neling GEF funds in support of the Agro-biodiversity each year. The Rift Valley also holds many import- and Climate Adaptation Project (ACAP). ACAP is ant ecosystems, including the Dead Sea, the Gulf of developing national capacity in climate modeling and Aqaba, and the Jordan and Yarmouk river systems, as analysis and which, in turn, seeks to ‘climate proof’ well as unique habitats of regional importance like the Quercus aegilops oak forests of Yarmouk. The valley’s WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS critical geographical location and its agriculturally pro- Concentrating Solar Power in Egypt ductive land resources have attracted infrastructure and Morocco and tourism development, and land conversion. These developments threaten the Valley’s unique ecological Egypt has a rapidly expanding economy that needs and cultural values and are leading to increasing habi- a reliable and low-cost source of electric power. tat degradation and species loss. While connectivity is widespread, the reliability of the electricity supply is poor, a problem com- Under the auspices of the Integrated Ecosystem pounded by the country’s growing population Management Project, Jordan’s Royal Society for the and economy, which place continuous additional Conservation of Nature (RSCN) has been working demand for electricity generation on Egypt’s energy with local communities to secure the economic and infrastructure. A central element of the country’s ecological integrity in and around four of the Valley’s comprehensive economic reform program therefore, high biodiversity sites. The Project’s design drew centered on diversification of energy production, on lessons generated from previously implemented and improvement and expansion of the country’s biodiversity activities in order to build an integrated electricity infrastructure, including the its transmis- ecosystem management network founded on consul- sion and distribution networks. tative planning and management procedures, involv- ing all relevant stakeholders. The project therefore, promotes a strategic community-based approach to management of special conservation areas (SCAs), a process which involves communities directly in land- use and conservation planning and management. Seven SCAs have been recognized in the Rift Valley Management Plan. Further, given the expectation that development pres- sures will continue to impact the Valley in the coming years, the project is applying integrated ecosystem 55 management principles to land use and protected areas management to ensure that biodiversity conser- vation is viewed as a positive contribution to devel- opment and not detrimental to it. Such an approach favors the buy-in and participation of local communi- ties by giving them a say over the use of their natural The Kureimat Solar Thermal Hybrid project, which resources. This is particularly important for the mar- blended a $49 million GEF grant with World Bank ginalized agricultural and pastoral communities in the lending of $200 million in the energy sector for both Valley who are more likely to benefit from appropri- Egypt and Morocco, allowed the government to ate, long-term opportunities for improved livelihoods develop Egypt’s solar energy capacity and increase offered through ecotourism and other nature-based the share of renewable energy within the Egyptian businesses, than from large infrastructure projects. energy generation mix by providing incentive to grow technological change suitable for a low carbon This project, as well as others in which the WBG- economy. Drawing upon experiences gained from GEF Program has partnered in Jordan, owe a good previous work in this sector, the Kureimat project deal of their success to the involvement of RCSN. adopted an innovative Integrated Solar Combined An experienced NGO with good political support, Cycle (ISCC) design that incorporated a parabolic including that of the royal family, RSCN has sought trough solar field with a conventional combined-cycle creative conservation solutions appropriate to the power plant. Jordanian landscape and culture, working with local communities to reduce pressure on high biodiversity The Kureimat Integrated Solar Combined Cycle areas while ensuring appropriate local benefits from (ISCC) power plant reached commercial operation new and alternative livelihood activities, backed with in June 2011. The operation is one of the first fully strong marketing of products. Lessons yielded from dispatchable hybrid CSP-combined cycle power Jordan have proven highly relevant to other conser- plant projects to have been deployed at a commer- vation projects in the region. cial scale in the world. The plant has contributed to MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA diversification of Egypt’s electricity grid, generating implement nine commercial-scale power plants in 20 megawatt (MW) of electricity, enough to serve Algeria, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco and Tunisia, and two about half a million households, thereby contributing European Union (EU)-MENA interconnection projects. to improved living standards and sustainable eco- nomic growth. Morocco’s consumption of electricity, fueled by economic development, population growth and the The contributed positively to the government’s country’s policy of universal access to electricity, is objective of diversifying electric power production by rising dramatically. The country is strongly reliant demonstrating how de-carbonization of the power on the import of fossil fuels for electricity gener- sector could be encouraged through the large-scale ation given its lack of endogenous resources, and development of new energy production processes this import need is only projected to become more using modern, low greenhouse gas emitting energy entrenched as time goes on. Renewable resources technologies. Based on limited initial data, the total such as solar energy, which is bountiful in Morocco, electricity generated from solar sources at Kureimat offer the country an opportunity to decrease depen- totaled 35.1gigawatt hours (GWh)/year, surpassing dency on foreign imports. the project’s targeted value was 33.4 GWh, and the solar output as a percentage of total energy pro- duced by the hybrid plant was 4.1 percent. The Kureimat ISCC experience confirmed that this low greenhouse-gas emitting technology holds good prospects for scale-up, and can contribute positively to the competitive diversification of Egypt’s energy mix. The plant’s construction supported local entre- preneurship, helping Egyptian companies move into the field of innovative CSP technology and job creation. During construction, all road works, mod- 56 ifications to access roads, site leveling, excavation works, civil engineering, and erection of steel struc- tures and solar collectors were undertaken using local manpower. Sixty percent of the materials and ser- vices used during construction of the solar plant were sourced from local or national firms including, the steel and cables used to erect the structures that sup- Under the auspices of the same GEF-supported port the parabolic troughs, the solar collectors which global program to accelerate cost reduction and were pre-fabricated from welded steel parts, and commercial adoption of large-scale low greenhouse steel mounting structures and tubes. Now in oper- gas (ghg) emitting generation technologies that sup- ation, the plant employs 220 local people full time ported the Kureimat project in Egypt, the Morocco including both highly skilled engineers and unskilled Integrated Solar Combined Cycle Power project used laborers. A host of Egyptian companies gained valu- a $43 million GEF grant, with significant additional able experience working to support this new tech- financing necessary provided by the Government nology such that they are now able to submit bids and through lending from the African Development to participate in dissemination of the technology in Bank (AfDB), to finance a portion of the develop- other countries in the region. ment of an ISCC power plant at Ain Beni Mathar in the country’s north-east. The project selected an In part due to the experience gained through imple- ISCC configuration to introduce solar field based mentation of this project, the government launched electricity generation into Morocco based on analysis preparation of another CSP project at a scale of 100 that demonstrated that the integration of the solar MW at Kom Ombo, under the MENA CSP Scale-up field with the combined cycle technology offered Initiative, a $5.6 billion program led by the WBG a number of important cost reductions and opera- that includes $750 million of concessional funding tional advantages with respect to reduced daily solar from the Clean Technology Fund and is working energy losses over the construction of an indepen- closely with the African Development Bank and other dent solar thermal plant. European, Arab, Islamic, and Japanese donors, to WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS The Ain Beni Mathar Integrated Solar Combined Cycle included, developed the Africa Stockpiles Programme power plant was commissioned in October 2010. It (ASP), a regional GEF project, with the support of integrates a solar trough collector field with a natural the WBG and the Food and Agriculture Organization gas-fueled fossil-fired power generating element. The (FAO). The ASP sought to prevent further accumu- project is one of the first power plants to integrate lation, support clean-up of contaminated waste sites concentrated solar power (CSP) and natural gas on and facilitate safe destruction of stockpiles by building a large scale ever built in the world. Since November technical, institutional and financial capacity, as well as 2011, the plant has been operating satisfactorily at the necessary regulatory capacity to manage pesti- expected capacity. cides into the future to prevent potential re-occurrence of the stockpiles problem. The project has generated a number of positive social impacts for both the local population and the local In Tunisia, work centered on building capacity economy, both of which relied on agriculture and through training and awareness-raising to prevent livestock grazing. Direct, as well as indirect sources re-accumulation of obsolete pesticides stock, sup- of employment have been generated by the plant. ported by the Fonds Français pour l’Environnement During its construction, 500 jobs were filled by local Mondial of the French Development Agency (FFEM/ recruits and since the production phase began, 50 AfD), and clean-up and disposal of existing stockpiles local jobs have been secured. Important improve- in cooperation with the WBG. The project trained ments in local infrastructure that benefit the local both governmental and non-governmental stake- population and the ICCS plant have been made, such holders across a spectrum of sectors, and organized as the rehabilitation of local roads. Equally as impor- workshops on sound pesticide management and tantly, connectivity and access to electricity, particu- environmental protection targeted at different audi- larly for the rural poor, is now possible. ences including, journalists, NGOs and technical staff. More than 400 technical staff were trained under the auspices of a 2011 awareness campaign that reached Tunisia Africa Stockpiles Program out to 8,000 pesticide users across the country. In Over the past decades, poor pesticide management addition, a forward-looking pesticide management 57 practices, along with the imposition of bans on the plan of action, developed following diagnostic study use of certain chemicals in other regions, led many of the country’s sound chemicals management needs, African countries to accumulate significant quanti- was finalized and is under implementation. An empty ties of pesticides. Over time these have degraded, container management program launched at two lost their efficacy for controlling pests and become sites in 2009 collected and cleaned empty contain- obsolete. As a result, the continental landscape ers. Evaluated in 2010, it was judged successful and ended up littered with stockpiles of still potently subsequently extended to two other governorates. toxic pesticides, often improperly stored, that present The project has also allowed for publicly-held obso- risks to human and environmental health. Given that lete pesticides stocks and associated waste to be abandoned pesticide stockpiles and dumps are fre- inventoried. This exercise revealed over 2,000 tons quently found in rural areas or poorer communities, a of waste including, 1,280 tons of obsolete pesticide disproportionate impact is borne by the poor, many stocks and 756 tons of associated waste, scattered of whom scavenge for recyclables unaware of the at over 200 sites across the country. The availabil- potential dangers involved. ity of an inventory allowed for risk profiling of the By the early 2000s, many African countries had ratified stockpiles to be undertaken which in turn, informed international agreements, developed hazardous waste the elaboration of a comprehensive prevention pro- regulations, including imposing controls for illegal gram captured in Tunisia’s Country Environmental dumping, imposed tighter border controls and adopted and Social Assessment (CESA). By March 2012, Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approaches to over 1,200 tons of the inventoried waste had been reduce reliance on pesticides. Stockpiles of obsolete repackaged and shipped to Europe for disposal in pesticides were understood to pose a serious envi- accordance with environmentally and technically ronmental and social threat until safely removed and sound disposal methods. destroyed. A number of countries in the region, Tunisia EnGendering Equity EnGendering Equity During the GEF-5 replenishment seeks to address gender and social period the GEF adopted a Policy on inclusion issues through its use of Gender Mainstreaming to more clearly Women engaged full-time participatory processes, and the formalize the GEF commitment to monitoring and evaluation of project establishing operational systems in fish processing, smoking results. Community mobilization for mainstreaming gender. The activities are using mechanisms, such policy’s development was informed and salting are estimated to as women only sessions, that help by recommendations in the Fourth ensure participation. Rural investment represent the equivalent of Overall Performance Study (OPS4) design is taking into account women’s conducted by the GEF Independent roles and responsibilities and builds 27,000 full-time jobs. Evaluation Office, as well as by on their skills, interests and motiva- input solicited from the World Bank tions. The project will also explore and other agencies that form the mechanisms, such as financial incen- GEF partnership. In follow-up in 2013, the GEF tives, to encourage female participation in the 60 Secretariat undertook a review of the WBG’s systems management of resource user groups. Fully 40% and practices used to ensure gender informed of project beneficiaries are expected to be female. investments and confirmed that they fully met the • West Africa Regional Fisheries Program in Ghana GEF policy’s objectives. Project: As many as 2.2 million of Ghana’s popula- tion is dependent on the fisheries sector for their The next step in the operationalization of the GEF livelihoods, including some 135,000 fishers in the policy calls for GEF Agencies, and other experts, marine sector. Women engaged full-time in fish to work with the GEF Secretariat on developing a processing, smoking and salting are estimated to Plan of Action on gender mainstreaming that further represent the equivalent of 27,000 full-time jobs. integrates gender consideration into GEF operations. The project supports provision of services to pro- The WBG-GEF Program strongly supports gender mote improved smoking and salting techniques mainstreaming across all its areas of intervention, as by women fish processors, using awareness-rais- relevant, and is committed to effectively contribute ing, demonstrations, training on improved fish to the elaboration of a Plan of Action that supports handling practices and efficient processing and the GEF Policy based on practical experience gained drying methods, and targeted education, as well from across the portfolio to date. Examples include: as continuous quality improvements for the tech- • The Tajikistan Environmental Land Management nologies identified. Women processors who adopt and Rural Livelihoods Project: While it is widely modern technologies will be linked to credit and acknowledged that women carry out most of the marketing facilities to enable them to procure and agricultural labor in Tajikistan, relatively few have utilize appropriate tools and equipment. Given meaningful decision-making power. The project the importance of women in Ghanaian fisheries, WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS the establishment of a national confederation of beneficiaries, will be disaggregated to account for women’s fish processors and trader groups will be the percentage of female and vulnerable individ- facilitated under the project to give voice to this uals, including displaced and unemployed youth, valuable stakeholder segment in the management impacted by the project. and development of the nation’s fisheries-based The GEF Plan of Action to be developed and businesses and resources. adopted in GEF-6 in support of its Policy on Gender • Mali’s Natural Resources Management in a Mainstreaming should build on the existing gender Changing Climate Project: The project, one of strategies and plans of the WBG and other GEF those funded under the Sahel and West Africa Agencies in developing tools to guide the GEF Program (SAWAP), includes a number of specific partnership forward in order to avoid duplication categories of activities such as, small ruminant of efforts and ensure consistency as well as real- fattening and non-timber forest product (NTPF) ism based on practitioner experience. Guidance on valorization, which are mastered by women. Such how gender mainstreaming supports and furthers sectors have therefore, specifically been high- achievement of global environmental benefits, 61 lighted for consideration for investment support and how this objective can best be pursued in the under the project component dedicated to the various sectors and types of projects specific to improvement of livelihoods at community levels. the GEF, can be an important incremental contribu- With respect to the monitoring and evaluation tion to help elucidate good practice and streamline one of the project’s indicators, related to direct approaches across agencies. 62 WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS South Asia Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 160 140 SAR Portfolio Highlights 120 100 • Programming of $208.7million • Activities underway in 8 countries 80 »» 18 active projects (1 implemented 60 by IFC) 40 »» 4 projects closed during the period 7 new projects under preparation 20 0 Biodiversity Climate Change Land Multi-focal Degradation Area SOUTH ASIA Bhutan’s Sustainable Land often spread over different agro-ecological zones Management Project and altitudes. The landlocked Kingdom of Bhutan lies in the rugged 63 Eastern Himalayan range. Bhutan’s usable resources are limited, owing to difficult and high mountain terrain, vast areas of snow and barren rocks, and dense forests which cover some 72.5 percent of the country. This forest area, which includes scrub forest, is mandated to remain above 60 percent across the national territory in perpetuity. Arable land, which makes up less than 8 percent of Bhutan’s territory, is for the most part located in the central valleys and southern foothills, and in these relatively flat areas agriculture must contend with other development activities that engage the country’s population, which is growing steadily. The Bhutan Sustainable Land Management Project, which closed in 2013, worked to strengthen insti- Many Bhutanese therefore, make their living within tutional and community capacity to anticipate and fragile and inherently unstable ecosystems. Bhutan manage land degradation in the country. A GEF grant is a predominantly agrarian society, and 79 percent supported demonstration of successful sustainable of the population live in rural areas and subsist on land management practices in pilot areas, provided an integrated livelihood system of crop agriculture, lessons and experiences to guide policy development, livestock rearing, and use of a wide variety of forest and enabled the mainstreaming of such approaches products. Some 98 percent of Bhutan’s poor live in country-wide. The sustainable land management rural areas. Population growth has led to split inheri- (SLM) approach was guided by bottom-up planning tance among families, and consequently farmland is at the village level with participation by local farmers becoming fragmented, resulting in less investment and other stakeholders, including resource mapping in sustainable land management by farmers. The of village lands as a basis for planning on-the-ground average rural household owns 3.48 acres of land, investments in consultation with local farmers. SOUTH ASIA In addition to the 138 villages in the 9 blocks of vil- faced in its electricity sector including: low levels of lages that comprised the project sites, SLM initiatives connectivity, particularly in rural areas; high industry were introduced in an additional 30 villages in 23 coping costs, with over 60 percent of Indian firms village blocks. The number of farmer households that relying on captive or back-up generation; limited grid adopted SLM practices increased by 70% from base- supply infrastructure and capacity for interregional line, compared to the project’s target value of 30%. trade; poor maintenance of state distribution sys- Measurements taken from soil erosion plots in partic- tems resulting in an inability to meet demand; power ipating blocks of villages show a 42 percent/annum shortages driven by insufficient new capacity and reduction of soil loss as a result of the application of rehabilitation of existing capacity needs; weak utility SLM techniques. governance; unpredictable fuel supply and costs, par- ticularly for gas; and, the important contribution that In addition, SLM principles and practices were main- reliance on indigenous coal-based generation and streamed into the 11th Five Year Plans (2013- 2018) small inefficient and polluting back-up generators at the national, district and village block levels, were during supply shortages was making to India’s carbon integrated into the 2010 National Land Policy and the emissions. These issues, and growing concerns about approved 2007 Land Act. energy security and the high costs of energy imports, caused Indian authorities to evaluate measures The project contributed significantly to the devel- aimed at reducing non-essential or inefficient energy opment of high quality baseline data on resource consumption, as captured in the country’s Integrated mapping, land cover and land use. The geographic Energy Policy (2006). information system (GIS) based mapping of biophys- ical and socio-economic factors identified the causes At the time of the project’s development, the and incidences of land degradation, while identifying Government had already put in place a broad legal hotspots to allow the prioritization of SLM invest- and policy framework for the power sector that ments in action plans prepared by the participating included ambitious targets for provision of universal village blocks. access to reliable and good quality power, while also highlighting the urgent need to mitigate power short- 64 The capacity for coordination in implementing SLM ages and achieve financial viability in the electricity practices was strengthened within the Ministry of sector. India’s coal-fired installed generation capacity Agriculture and Forests (MOAF), as well as in other at the time represented more than 50 percent of total sectors and across different levels of government. capacity and contributed in the order of 80 percent From an institutional perspective, and in order to sus- of total generation, though a significant proportion of tain the project’s achievements, the MOAF approved the existing coal-fired power plants were not oper- the establishment of a land management unit to con- ating efficiently. Coal-fired generation plants also tinue scaling-up SLM approaches and mainstreaming figured as part of the country’s planned capacity mix, them into national, district and local policies and which also included renewables such as wind. programs. The success of the project’s approach has generated significant interest in replication, and it has Supported by an IDA loan and a GEF grant, whose currently been integrated into other rural develop- focus on generation of global environmental benefits ment projects in Bhutan financed by bilateral donors targeted the GHG reduction aspects of the project, and a WBG credit. one component funded EE renovation and modern- ization pilots for old coal-fired power generation capacity to demonstrate viable EE rehabilitation India coal-fired generation approaches. The approach used went beyond the rehabilitation practice typical in India of focusing solely on restor- The objective of the Coal Fired Generation ing original generation capacity, life-extension, and Rehabilitation Project for India is to improve energy improving availability, by also modifying, or where efficiency (EE) of selected coal-fired power gener- necessary replacing, certain equipment and systems ation units through renovation and modernization to enable units to operate with higher fuel efficiency. (R&M) and improved operations and maintenance The project’s other component focused on provi- (O&M), while reducing greenhouse gas emissions sion of technical assistance, specifically in providing through EE rehabilitation of coal-fired power plants. support during implementation of the EE R&M pilots, The project was designed to assist the Government supporting the development of a pipeline of EE R&M of India in responding to a range of challenges it interventions, addressing barriers to EE R&M projects, WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS and strengthening the institutional capacity of imple- transport systems have been designed and are being menting agencies for improved O&M practices. delivered in five demonstration cities, and the project is supporting the training and professional develop- The project intervention has worked to inform and ment of transport professionals, and has produced remove barriers to rehabilitation in a series of pilot manuals and guidelines for urban transport institu- states through analysis and preparation of studies, tions, systems and design processes. backed by international experiences, a robust policy/ regulatory dialogue and the strengthening of insti- Provision of support for the implementation of mea- tutional capacity. Part of this effort has targeted the sures that improve public and non-motorized trans- mobilization of qualified contractors to bid on the port enhances the accessibility of the urban poor; EE R&M opportunities supported by the project, as while capacity building and technical assistance help well as demonstrate effective and replicable R&M underpin the local governments’ ability to effectively approaches. Given the significant demand/supply manage public transport service delivery in the long gap faced by the sector, an important aspect of term. The results being generated by the project pro- the project’s work focused on demonstrating how vide very positive visibility to the efforts of the NUTP. rehabilitation of older coal-fired power plants could This is expected to help facilitate a shift toward sus- serve to augment power availability on competitive tainable urban transport policies and programs at the terms. The overall environmental performance of state and local level in India in future. plants, including particulates emission, water treat- ment, ash disposal and overall safeguards practices and policies, areas that do not always attract ade- quate attention on the part of state utilities, was also systematically improved. Institutional capacity in the areas of design and execution of R&M projects, and efficient plant O&M was strengthened. Improving the EE of selected coal-fired power generation units through these inputs is generating co-benefits from 65 reduced greenhouse gas emissions per kilowatt hour of electricity generated. India Sustainable Urban Transport Project Fostering long-term sustainable urban transport is a India Uttarakhand Decentralized priority for the Government of India and is the objec- Watershed Development Project tive that lies at the genesis of the Sustainable Urban Transport Project, supported by IBRD resources and The Uttarakhand Decentralized Watershed GEF grants implemented by both the WBG and UNDP. Development (SLEM) Project was developed as a The SUTP, which directly supports India’s National complement to India’s IDA-financed Uttarakhand Urban Transport Policy (NUTP), has been designed to Decentralized Watershed Development Project build capacity and promote environmentally sustain- (UDWDP). Specifically, the project aimed to scale-up able urban transport in India, as well as to improve and mainstream the outcomes achieved under the the usage of environment-friendly transport modes UDWDP, with the goal of enhancing watershed sus- by undertaking a series of city-level demonstration tainability by restoring and sustaining ecosystem func- projects which aim to induce major change in urban tions and biodiversity while simultaneously enhancing transport in India. The project is working to achieve income and livelihood functions, while generating this objective by supporting the implementation of lessons learned that could further be scaled-up and the NUTP, specifically those aspects of the policy that mainstreamed at state and national levels. emphasize the priority use of public and non-motor- ized transport, as well as those that target the broad The project worked to control land degradation need to build capacity to develop and implement sus- through the sustainable land and ecosystem man- tainable transport systems at both local and national agement (SLEM), as well as to improve local liveli- levels. In this regard, innovative sustainable urban hoods. The range of areas of intervention that the SOUTH ASIA production of cereals rose by 79 MT, while that of pulses increased by 2 MT. • Small timber and fuel wood plantation and fodder development that received support from both projects increased biomass production on 17,475 ha in the targeted areas and plantations increased annual production by approximately 121 MT. • Some 4,500 beneficiaries, representing a 50 percent increase, engaged in alternative livelihood activities, such as pine needle briquetting, gharats (traditional water mills), biogas, and medicinal and aromatic plant cultivation. project engaged in included: soil conservation, forest • Agribusiness initiatives were piloted in 327 of regeneration, pasture and silvi-pasture development, the project sites and 27 farmer federations, reversal of soil erosion, vegetative barriers, fire man- representing 8,408 farmers, were formed. In turn, agement, water augmentation, scale-up of briquette these federations facilitated the sale of 41 MT making to meet local energy needs and improve of high value crops, off-season vegetables, and income potential, and biodiversity conservation processed farm products in 19 facilities financed through domestication and cultivation of medicinal under the project, generating total sales volume of and aromatic plants. As the results demonstrate, the Rs. 486 million (about $ 9.7 million). pairing of the UDWDP and SLEM initiatives under a • The number of farmers participating in the pro- multi-activity umbrella generated positive, synergistic cessing of farm products totaled 6,743, 42 percent outcomes in terms of both environmental services of whom were women. and livelihood benefits. • The participatory approach and capacity building • Twenty (20) micro-watershed management plans, activities promoted under the projects, including 66 principally focused on reserve forests, were devel- training, exposure visits, knowledge management, oped and implemented. and participatory monitoring and evaluation helped increase substantially the participation by • An overall area of 234,787 ha received resource women and vulnerable households. Facilitated conservation treatments by adopting decentral- by women village motivators, the engagement of ized watershed management. women increased from 11 to 45 percent, while that • The treatment of 167,556 ha of non-arable lands of vulnerable households doubled. using soil conservation reduced runoff and soil erosion, the outcome of which was an estimated Sri Lanka Renewable Energy for 142,438m3 of soil loss reduction, which in turn Rural Economic Development (RERED) protected topsoil on 185 ha and increased gross Project cultivable land to 278 ha. • The projects’ interventions contributed directly In the late 1990s, some 70 percent of Sri Lanka’s to rehabilitate dried up stream sources and households, principally those in the country’s rural capillary-based water springs through the estab- areas, were not connected to grid electricity. A press- lishment of rainfall runoff capture and infiltration ing reality was that the use of traditional grid-based ponds at strategic locations throughout the water- approaches to meet rural electricity demand by sheds. The additional water retained at higher lev- extending power lines to dispersed populations was els of the catchments resulted in an approximate prohibitively expensive, moreover the growing need increase of 68 percent in water discharge rates. to increase imports of petroleum products contrib- • The water harvest structures developed by the uted to a significant trade deficit. These consider- projects created additional water holding capacity ations spurred interest on the part of the government of 671,536 m3, resulting in 9,402 ha of arable lands to identify cost-effective renewable alternatives, such receiving irrigation thanks to project intervention. as solar photovoltaics and off-grid micro-hydro plants to meet increasing demand. • Improved varieties and high value crops were cul- tivated in 7,464 ha, crop yields from arable lands In response to this growing need, the Sri Lanka increased from 35 to 60 percent, and the annual Renewable Energy for Rural Economic Development WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS (RERED) Project was developed to follow-up on obstacles that used to plague attempts to secure to the successful WBG-funded Energy Services financing, or imposed much higher costs, due to Delivery (ESD) Project that had been in implementa- perceived risks associated with small-scale privately tion from 1997–2002. The ESD project put in place a developed infrastructure projects in the county and/ credit program to encourage private sector provi- or the usually high capital cost of such investments. sion of renewable energy services, thereby providing medium and long-term financing to private sector The project directly supported the installation of firms, NGOs and cooperatives for renewable energy about 185.3 MW of grid-connected renewable energy investments. The project was supported by IDA sub-projects including, 2 wind projects (19.8 MW financing and a GEF grant. total capacity), 1 biomass project (1 MW capacity) and 68 mini hydro projects. Indicators specific to The aim of the RERED Project, whose implementation the GEF grant’s use involved avoiding emissions of was extended through 2011, was to expand the com- 1.25 million tons of CO2 and promoting adoption of mercial provision and utilization of renewable energy renewable energy by removing market barriers, and resources, with a focus on improving the quality of reducing implementation costs. The total electricity life in rural areas through the use of electricity as a generation from RERED-financed sub-projects at the means to further income generation and social service time of project completion in 2011 was 422.5 GWh. delivery. The GEF-specific objective sought to reduce The resulting avoided emissions of sub-projects that atmospheric carbon emission by removing barriers had been commissioned by that time 1.84 million tons and reducing implementation costs for renewable CO2 equivalent, which surpassed the project target energy, and removing barriers to energy efficiency. by 47%. In addition, the removal of market barriers was in evidence given the additional installed capac- ity of grid-connected renewable energy from all investments in the sector. All told, RERED provided 116,795 households access to electricity. For many of the families living in the areas of project intervention, this first time access to elec- 67 tricity was considered a life-changing event. Although improvement in family incomes was limited, signifi- cant benefits in quality of life were gained through better lighting, enabling children to study longer in the evening hours, facilitating the work of women and improving family and community relationships. Improved domestic lighting played a significant role in improving the quality of life of beneficiaries. Many villagers described the access to improved lighting to be “a reawakening of their lives,” a dream they never thought would have been realized. The project worked with stakeholder ministries to apply energy solutions appropriate to their sectoral India Partial Risk Sharing Facility in strategies and goals. This included identification Energy Efficiency and promotion of opportunities where provision of The Indian economy is growing at about seven per- energy services such as electricity, modern sources of cent and despite the fact that the country’s power thermal energy and energy conservation would have sector has also been growing, in the double digits, a significant impact on rural income generation and India nevertheless faces significant power shortages social development. that are expected to continue in the foreseeable RERED achieved a number of notable successes. It future. The government is therefore, looking to addi- supported the emergence of a sustainable industry tional supply-side and demand-side resources, such which today develops finances and maintains energy as renewable energy and energy efficiency (EE), to delivery systems. Commercial banks have contin- help meet the country’s significant power deficit and ued to lend to private developers, overcoming the diversify the generation portfolio mix. SOUTH ASIA The Government of India’s Expert Group on ‘Low this type of long-term financing is currently largely Carbon Strategies for Inclusive Growth’ and other unavailable from commercial lenders. technical studies, undertaken by leading indepen- dent agencies in India and abroad, have suggested The Partial Risk Sharing Facility in Energy Efficiency that huge potential exists for electricity savings to be Project that is currently under development will seek achieved through EE. Some of the biggest barriers to achieve energy savings by mobilizing private sector to wider adoption of EE measures involve a lack of investment in India’s EE industry. One avenue that understanding by financial institutions of EE tech- will be pursued is mobilizing commercial financing by nologies, the scarcity of commercially-proven EE offering risk-sharing mechanisms supported by the technologies in the market, the lack of a developed project’s GEF financing and leveraged from the CIF market for energy service companies (ESCOs), and Clean Technology Fund (CTF). Another area of focus is the high discount rates that decision-makers apply to catalyzing ESCO-implemented EE projects by provid- EE investments due to their high current capital costs ing complementary technical assistance and capacity and uncertainty over future returns. building to stakeholders in India’s EE market. ESCOs, or performance-contracting companies, play The project will also initiate a risk-sharing facility fund, a crucial role in identifying and harnessing potential as well as technical assistance, for partner commercial energy savings. They are third-party private enter- banks and other agencies to encourage development prises that implement technological, process-linked of low carbon lending tools. Included in the fund will and managerial improvements that reduce energy be technical assistance and this expanded capacity consumption in industrial and commercial firms. building to various project stakeholders will lay the ESCOs either make the investments themselves, groundwork for preparation of codes for the energy thereby assuming both the credit and technical per- savings performance contracting market, including formance risks, or, for a lower fee, take only technical associated monitoring and verification (M&V) proto- risks and guarantee performance while deploying EE cols. In this manner, commercial banks will be incen- technologies and/or processes in host institutions. Due tivized to increase access to finance to ESCOs who in to the inherently technical and capital-intensive nature turn, will be in a position to invest in projects to reduce 68 energy consumption in large industry, small and of the services provided, ESCOs require their own financing to increase their market penetration. In India, medium enterprises and commercial buildings. WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS 69 Harmonizing for Enhanced Efficiency Harmonizing for Enhanced Efficiency Partnership is key to the GEF. considerable pressure due to increased Indeed, it defines the GEF’s very transaction costs, the drive for cost- foundations. Beginning with the The WBG-GEF project cycle effectiveness and a limited resource launch of the Facility’s pilot phase in envelope. Streamlining measures 1991, which was established by the harmonization initiative is an associated with the GEF project cycle, World Bank Group in collaboration under implementation since January with the United Nations example of how the WBG- 2013, have been in response to this. The Development Programme (UNDP) OPS 5 has recommended an overhaul GEF Program is tackling new and the United Nations Environment of the GEF Business Model which would Programme (UNEP), the partnership approaches. require that a fresh gaze be cast on has grown today to more than current roles and responsibilities, as well 10 implementing and executing as on the need for more innovation and agencies and is poised to continue risk in process management. to expand, following the initiation, in May 2011, of a 72 The WBG-GEF project cycle harmonization initiative pilot program for accreditation of new agencies. is an example of how the WBG-GEF Program is The WBG welcomes renewed efforts in GEF 6 on a tackling new approaches. Since December 2012, needed revitalization of the GEF partnership. The fifth the GEF and the WBG began a major streamlining GEF Overall Performance Study (OPS 5), recently of each organization’s project cycle that aims conducted by the GEF Independent Evaluation both to add strategic value to the portfolio, and to Office (IEO), concluded that the partnership is under reduce project processing technical inefficiencies. In WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS practice, it means that project review processes are by WBG senior management. The drive for simpler more effective and interactive, thanks to improved and easier access to financing is underscored by the synchronization of the review and decision stages WBG’s Change Roadmap. To meet the demand for of the WBG and the GEF. Recipient countries quick and efficient access to expertise, services and and WBG teams are faced with less duplication financing, the WBG is redesigning its delivery model in documentation through simplification of GEF and redefining its approach to operational risk. Our templates and, more upstream consultation and internal structures and processes are evolving to interaction on the part of the GEF Secretariat staff is make the new way of doing business called for by taking place with project task teams during project OPS 5 and the WBG’s evaluation body a reality. design and preparation. Initial experiences with this pilot suggest that inter-agency coordination has More GEF responsiveness on the urgency and become smoother and allowed for more constructive depth of reform is essential for an efficient exchanges among the partners on individual projects. GEF-6. Continued changes are needed in the way we do business to make GEF efficient and The WBG-GEF harmonization ‘pilot’ on project cycle improve its image as a champion of speed and 73 simplification represents a good first step. However, nimbleness. The emphasis in GEF-6 on innovation as pointed out by a WBG evaluation office Global and transformation in the pursuit of global Program Review (GPR) on the WBG’s partnership environmental benefits can only succeed if matched with the GEF, momentum for further streamlining by corresponding innovation and transformation reforms calls for greater trust and reliance on agency of its systems, supported by operations that aim to systems as essential (IEG 2013), a view supported generate those results. REGION 74 WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Africa Region: GEF-5 Distribution by Focal Area (US$m) 250 AFRICA Portfolio Highlights 200 • Programming of $698.7 million • Activities underway in 34 countries, 150 as well as 26 at either regional or sub-regional levels 100 »» 62 active projects (1 implemented by IFC) 50 »» 47 projects closed during the period »» (1 implemented by IFC) 0 »» 9 new projects under preparation Biodiversity Climate International Land Multi-focal POPs Change Waters Degradation Area SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA West Africa Regional Fisheries employment, food security, trade and economic Program (WARFP) growth through regional integration. WARFP’s focus is to instill better management of the region’s rich The fishing sector is of crucial importance to West 75 fish resources through a combination of regional Africa’s coastal countries, employing 3 million individu- cooperation, national reforms and local education als and generating an estimated $2.5 billion in revenue and empowerment. from fish legally captured each year in the region’s waters. However, illegal trawling, often by foreign ships has a punishing effect on local economies: it damages the nets and boats of villagers, destroys the seabed breeding grounds of many fish, depletes regional fish stocks and, robs the countries of wealth gener- ated from their fisheries. Yet regional governments often lack effective tools to combat poaching. Better enforcement of existing policies and stronger regula- tions to effectively manage marine fish resources are needed. Another challenge is that coastal communi- ties in general, lack basic port and processing infra- structure that allow for industrial vessels to land and process fish locally. Taken together these constraints contribute to slow regional development. The West Africa Regional Fisheries Program (WARFP) Project is successfully piloting a model for sustainable harvesting one of the largest natural resources in Africa. The project, which is currently implemented in six countries across West Africa — Cape Verde, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Senegal — is funded by IDA resources complemented by GEF grants. The project directly supports SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA The program is similar for each country, and is based on four components: good governance of fisheries, reduction of illegal fishing, increased contribution of fish resources to local economies, and regional coor- dination. The GEF-funded portion supports develop- ment of new policies, laws and relevant institutions for rights-based fisheries, institutes a program of regis- tration and licensing of all fishing vessels, empowers communities to effectively manage resources, and pro- vides training and access to micro-finance for transi- tion to alternative livelihoods in zones of overexploited fisheries. Country-level activities are tailored to the individual needs of each country, while best practices and common goals are shared amongst the countries. The Sub-Regional Commission on Fisheries (CSRP) of West Africa implements the project, which ensures client buy-in and helps harmonize the long-term poli- cies of each country with the program. At the national level, the WARFP team works closely with ministries of fisheries to support legislation that increases illegal fishing surveillance, supports conser- Fighting against wildlife poaching vation and protects the rights of artisanal fishermen and illegal trade in Africa to manage their fish resources sustainably. Many countries in Africa are facing a worrisome surge Results to date are very positive. In Cape Verde, two of wildlife poaching and illegal trade which threat- 76 communities have developed their own fishermen’s ens to undermine the financial, social and economic association that works to protect fishing zones for capital of communities and undermine national locals. The communities, local government, and security. Elephant poaching for example is escalating maritime police have also collaborated to register at alarming rates, with about 35,000 elephants killed fishing boats systematically to help crack down on in 2012 and 2013 alone. The remaining global popu- illegal fishing. One of the community’s is investing in lation of Savanna Elephants stands at approximately an ice factory that will allow fishermen to fish longer, 500,000, while only about 30,000 Forest Elephants as well as reach more distant markets, thanks to cold remain. Recent publicity has highlighted the prob- storage. In Liberia, the incidence of illegal fishing lems that come to communities from the slaughter has been reduced by 83%. In Ghana, the Fisheries of hundreds of elephants in raids by well-armed and Commission has recently published a list of all indus- well-equipped gangs — and the situation is getting trial and semi industrial licensed vessels, making it dramatically worse by the day because of the $8-10 possible for any stakeholder to determine if a vessel billion annual market for these poached animals. is legal, and heralding a significant change in fisheries governance in the country. With seed funding provided by a GEF medium-size grant of $2 million, the WBG has launched an In addition to the support the project provides to 18-month regional project to enhance a shared weed out illegal fishing, it is demonstrating positive understanding of current trends in elephant poaching results as it works to assist countries to build more and illegal ivory trade in Africa, including economic sustainable and profitable fisheries through gover- drivers, and develop a regional collaborative platform, nance reforms focused on limited and secure access supported by a coalition of partners, to combat the rights, stakeholder empowerment, transparency and problem. The project is working to help make the a strong enabling environment for business. Building economic case for why anti-poaching efforts should on this, the development of infrastructure and skills be a priority, including analysis of the value chain to boost private investments to secure greater val- of supply and demand for ivory, and assessment ue-added locally, will allow countries to capture a of the impacts on legal trade, economic develop- bigger share of the returns on healthier fish stocks. ment, national institutions, and financial and judicial WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS systems. It also seeks to build strategic alliances to to conserve biodiversity, while in tandem, increasing combat African elephant poaching and illegal ivory resilience and offering coffee growers protection trade and, it initiating African elephant anti-poaching from price volatility. The project will also offer train- emergency activities. This work is expected to feed, ing to improve agronomic practices for increasing with the advent of GEF-6, into the development of coffee production, to reduce water pollution at a pan-African program of action to turn the tide on bean-washing stations through the use of more mod- species and habitats loss to be supported by the ern water-efficient equipment, and to support coffee WBG, the GEF and other donors. marketing and certification schemes and introduce landscape approaches that combine conservation with eco-tourism. In addition, the project will provide Burundi Sustainable Coffee Landscape farmers hands-on training using new sustainable land Project management techniques that improve long-term pro- ductivity, such as mulching, inter-cropping, pest-man- In Burundi, the most pressing environmental prob- agement, and methods appropriate for small-scale lems are linked to deforestation driven by mounting farming such as terraces, ponds and underground population pressure that is accelerating agricultural cisterns. To stem encroachment on protected areas, land clearing and making fertile lands even scarcer. funding will also be used to strengthen protection These actions in turn spur bush fires, exploitation of and management of the globally-significant Bururi marshes and other wetlands, and poor management Natural Forest Reserve (BNFR), including support for of agricultural lands, principally due to inappropriate patrolling equipment, law enforcement, and training farming practices. and environmental education activities. Coffee, the country’s primary export crop, typically To support learning, a South-South Knowledge accounts for more than 60 percent of all of Burundi’s exchange on coffee landscapes was organized by export earnings: in 2011, coffee export revenues the WBG in early 2014 with a focus on enhancing accounted for 3.3 percent of GDP. In the order of stakeholder understanding and organizational skills 2.3 percent of the total land area in Burundi is under associated with shade grown coffee programs. The coffee cultivation, and some 600,000 households, 77 exchange was hosted in Colombia by the National out of 1.2 million total, depend on coffee farming Coffee Federation and included visits to farms, for their livelihood. These rural families rank among research stations and demonstrations sites in several the poorest in the country. Coffee washing, drying, towns in the country’s main coffee region. The initia- grading, storage, and other processing steps there- tive offered a unique opportunity to witness results fore, present a significant source of employment and and interact with individuals engaged in functioning income. Yet unsustainable and unregulated coffee shade grown coffee cultivation, as well as on coffee production also contributes to land degradation and farms that have established agroforestry systems. poor water management. The use, by coffee farmers, The study tour successfully helped raise awareness of marginal lands on steep slopes, and the elimination regarding the social, economic and environmental of tree cover on hillsides has contributed to degrada- benefits of shade, biodiversity friendly coffee cultiva- tion of land, biodiversity loss, and expansion of the tion following a landscape approach. agricultural frontier into important protected areas. In addition, solid and liquid organic waste from the de-pulping of coffee cherries at coffee washing sta- Gabon Sustainable Management of tions is a major source of water pollution. Critical Wetlands Ecosystems The Sustainable Coffee Landscape Project will sup- Gabon is renowned for its exceptional biodiversity. port the government’s efforts to promote sustainable The country belongs to the Congo Basin rain forest land and water management on the country’s coffee ecosystem, which is the world’s second-largest area farms in Bubanza, Bururi, and Muyinga provinces. of contiguous rain forest, and features rich faunal Shade-grown coffee that promotes coffee cultiva- and floral wildlife and a variety of landscapes, includ- tion and a planting approach that mixes coffee with ing an 800-kilometer coastline marine ecosystem. various trees and plants such as beans and maize Three terrestrial eco-regions are found in Gabon: will be piloted. Practiced in other countries, including the Congolian Coastal Forest, the Northwestern Colombia and Ethiopia, shade-grown coffee produc- Congolian Lowland Forests and the Western tion techniques improve watershed health and help Congolian Forest-Savanna Mosaic, all of which are SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA defined by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as the monitoring, and evaluation (M&E) which looks to world’s most outstanding examples of each of these support the overall daily administration of the area major habitat types. The country is also home to sig- to ensure that regular M&E is carried out and that nificant stands of central African coastal mangroves, results are fed back into decision making on project to patches of Congolian-Zairean swamp forests in the implementation. northeast, and to several priority freshwater systems. For over a decade, Gabon has worked to expand its Ghana Urban Transport Project areas under protection. In 2002, it created a network of 13 national parks covering 28,371 km², represent- More than half of Ghana’s 25 million plus population ing 10.6 percent of the country’s surface area. The lives in urban areas, with about 10 percent inhabiting Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN) was the country’s capital, Accra. In the two decades lead- created to manage all 13 parks. An earlier WBG-GEF- ing up to the development and approval of the Ghana funded project, ‘Strengthening Capacity for Managing Urban Transport Project, which started in 2007, National Parks and Biodiversity’, helped define the Accra’s population had doubled and its built-up area roles and operational modalities of the ANPN, con- had expanded nearly three-fold, increased from 133 tributed to building the agency’s fiduciary, M&E and sq. km in 1990 to 344 sq. km by 2005. This expansion HR management systems, and supported the uptake made it difficult for municipal authorities to meet the of sound management practices in three Parks which service demands of the city’s residents. This nega- were then extended across the entire park network. tively affected Accra’s residents, particularly the most Important progress was made in preserving biodi- vulnerable sections of society given their dependence versity both within the parks and in immediate buffer on public systems for provision of water, electric- zones, yet biodiversity management outside the ity, transport, and other services. Similar problems parks system network remained a challenge, partic- affected Ghana’s second largest city, Kumasi. ularly with respect to wetlands, which provide major Urban transport in Accra and Kumasi is character- ecosystem services but were often overlooked. Since ized by chronic unmet demand, compounded by Gabon’s wetlands ecosystems are critical for the 78 an inability to attract sufficient new investment to provision of drinking water in major urban centers, redress supply shortages. Overcrowded buses and energy production and in sustaining fisheries produc- long wait times are endemic despite the proliferation tion, further action was required. of taxis and tro-tros (mini buses). In addition, the low The Sustainable Management of Critical Wetlands productivity potential of such capital assets in highly Ecosystems Project for Gabon will work to enhance congested traffic also acts to deter investment in high protection of biodiversity of selected forested wet- volume, reliable buses. lands that figure on the Ramsar List of Wetlands of The Ghana Urban Transport Project was initiated International Importance through knowledge creation in response to the critical importance that trans- and the development of appropriate conservation port services and infrastructure play in enabling measures for sustainable wetlands management. economic growth and poverty reduction. Funded Knowledge will accrue as a result of monitoring by IDA resources, supported by a grant from the of selected critical wetland ecosystems which will French Development Agency (l’Agence Française de enable Gabon to set up a reliable monitoring system Développement) and a GEF grant, the project is sup- to produce early warnings on potential alterations of porting improvement of mass transport services and wetland ecosystems. mobility within the Greater Accra Metro Area (GAMA) Another critical part of the project includes support through a combination of measures including traffic for sustainable management of selected critical wet- engineering, management improvements, regulation land ecosystems. A third component will strengthen of the public transport industry, and implementation the institutional framework in order to better sup- of an efficient and affordable Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) port wetlands management. This features a design system that will be piloted in Ghana’s two largest that complements the sustainable management cities: Accra and Kumasi. The GEF grant specifically of the Wetlands of International Importance (used promotes a shift to a more environmentally sustain- interchangeably with ‘Ramsar wetlands’ in Gabon at able urban transport mode by encouraging lower both the national and local levels. Finally, the fourth transport-related GHG emissions along Accra’s pilot component includes tailored project management, BRT corridor. WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS A number of critical actions towards introducing higher level bus services on selected corridors have been achieved so far: the Greater Accra Public Transport Executive (GAPTE), a planning and regu- lating entity, has been established. Three bus oper- ating companies also have been created, and have engaged in advanced discussions with both bus man- ufacturers regarding the purchase/lease of buses, as well as with the GAPTE regarding allocation of routes. Sahel and West Africa Program (SAWAP) in Support of the Great Green Wall Initiative Small-scale farmers across the Sahel and West Africa have long coaxed seemingly unproductive lands into robust and reliable sources of livelihood. The Sahel Africa to lead the way on tackling sustainable land and West Africa Program (SAWAP) in Support of the and water management in a changing climate. Great Green Wall Initiative is working to harness the successes gained to date and expand best practices SAWAP encompasses 12 discrete country projects through adoption of community-based sustainable in Benin, Burkina Faso, Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, land and water management (SLWM) practices in Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sudan, targeted landscapes, especially climate vulnerable and Togo, through application of various points areas in West African and Sahelian countries to build of entry including, land management, biodiversity climate resilience and food and water security. conservation, water resources, sustainable forest and disaster risk management, agri-business, and food The Program represents an investment of $1.1 bil- security. Specific objectives include increasing land 79 lion financed by IDA, the GEF, and other trust funds. area with SLWM practices, changing vegetation cover, SAWAP builds on the experiences developed under imbuing institutions with increased adaptive capacity, the TerrAfrica Partnership Program on Sustainable and witnessing changes in carbon accumulation Land and Water Management led by the New rates in biomass and soil. By treating landscapes as Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). It portfolios of renewable assets and applying smart leverages TerrAfrica partnerships and benefits from management, the program is working to secure more the knowledge of its partners, their investments, and food, fiber, freshwater, and firewood while in tandem, the harmonization of efforts promoted by this coali- protecting natural resources in the face of climate tion. The program’s innovative framework positions variability and change. The investment is expected to yield sustainable management of natural resources of up to 2 million hectares of cropland, rangeland, and dryland forest ecosystems in participating countries, protect threatened dryland biodiversity against erosion and desertification, and generate the potential for sequestration of 0.5 to 3.1 million tons of carbon per year. A regional project, the Building Resilience through Innovation, Communication, and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) Project, ties the projects together by providing technical assistance to regional centers of excellence including, the Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS), the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), to facilitate technical knowledge exchanges and monitor services SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA among the 12 country investment operations in the broader portfolio level. Sustainable Natural Resource Management and Resilient Landscapes in Ethiopia (under SAWAP) Ethiopia’s diverse production landscapes and natural resources provide a range of resources to its rural poor including, fresh water, crops, timber and firewood. However, these natural resources and landscapes are increasingly subject to persistent land degradation that damages the hydrologic cycle, reduces the availability of forest products, and reduces agricultural productivity. The cost of land degradation in Ethiopia is estimated to be at least 2–3 percent of agricultural GDP. Enhanced sustain- able management of natural resources and land- scapes can help support prosperity and contribute to poverty reduction. introduction of best-fit and tested sustainable land and water management practices. At completion, The Sustainable Natural Resource Management and nearly 100,000 rural households had benefited from Resilient Landscapes project (SLMP 2) supports project outputs and outcomes, and over 200,000 the country’s efforts to reduce land degradation hectares of land that had once been degraded, and improve land productivity in selected water- uneconomical and unproductive were rehabilitated. sheds in six regions. The project contributes to the Government of Ethiopia’s flagship Sustainable Land SLMP 2 will support implementation of the govern- Management (SLM) Program and builds on the ment’s broader SLM program which includes, repli- results of an initial IDA and GEF financed sustainable cation of the successful technologies identified in the 80 land management project, strongly participatory first phase in 90 additional watersheds, promotion in nature, that identified degradation factors and of climate smart agriculture, and supporting income impacts, planned and designed appropriate soil and generation and value-added activities in 135 water- water conservation technologies and, facilitated com- sheds. The project will be implemented in 135 water- munity-led implementation of improved practices and sheds/woredas (including the 45 watersheds that were infrastructure, such as terraces, re-vegetation, and partially supported by SLMP-1) in the Regional States check dams. SLMP-1 contributed significantly to the of Amhara, Tigray, Oromiya, SNNP, Gambela, and Benshangul Gumuz. The project’s innovation rests in its emphasis on a multi-sectoral landscape approach that supports coordinated effort on land use, land man- agement and land administration, an approach that will generate multiple benefits in terms of productivity improvement, resilience to climate risks, enhancement to natural wealth, diversity of livelihood opportunities, reliable water security and ultimately, poverty reduc- tion to an estimated 1.9 million people. The project’s objectives will be achieved through capital investments, technical assistance and capac- ity building for smallholder farmers in the watersheds and government institutions at the national and sub-national levels. Funding for the project includes a $50 million IDA credit, complemented by a $40 million grant from the Government of Norway and a $13 million GEF grant. WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Burkina Faso Third Community Based Rural Success will be measured by measuring agricultural Development Project (under SAWAP) yields that should come from improving the status of the natural resource base in targeted areas. This will Located in the heart of West Africa, Burkina Faso is happen by applying sustainable land and water man- endowed with natural habitats such as gallery for- agement practices to enhance soil fertility and vegeta- ests, sacred forests, nature reserves, and wetlands. tive cover, and increasing land area under cultivation, Particularly notable sites include the Pics de Sindou, with the aim of generating higher rural household the Karfiguela Waterfall, the Sacred Dafra Pond, and incomes. The project also targets expanding access the Tengréla Lake. to basic services for rural populations in project sites including primary school enrollment, access to health Many of these sites are threatened, as are many of services and access to drinking water. the species native to this area including panthers, elephants, crocodiles, and pythons. Over the years, high pressure on the natural resource base and the Malawi Shire River Basin Management environment caused rapid degradation. Deforestation Program alone claims an estimated 10,000 hectares per year. A World Bank–funded project focusing on lowland Malawi’s population is highly rural and the majority areas in selected sub-watersheds in Burkina Faso of those that live in these areas make their liveli- has demonstrated how communities can improve the hoods from smallholder, rain-fed agriculture. While productive capacity of rural resources agriculture is the main source of Malawi’s economic growth, it is also a major contributor to poverty, Building on results achieved during two previous given the high level of subsistence farming that project phases, the Burkina Faso Third Community occurs. Over 70 percent of all farmers cultivate less Based Rural Development Project (CBRD-3) is work- than one hectare, and a significant number struggle ing to consolidate a sustainable basis for decentral- to produce enough food to meet their families’ con- ized rural development. The avenues being pursued sumption needs. include supporting the implementation of rural land tenure reform and enhancing local conflict resolution The Lake Malawi–Shire River hydrological system 81 mechanisms, funding community-level and regional represents Malawi’s single most important natural social, economic and environmental investments, resource system, providing water for myriad pro- and continuing to strengthen institutional develop- ductive purposes including, hydropower, agriculture, ment and build capacity to support sustainable land fisheries, transport, tourism, water supply (for both and forestry management. The more than 300 rural urban and rural areas), as well as various important communities in Burkina Faso will benefit from these environmental functions. project interventions. Issues related to population density and pov- Financed by IDA resources, complemented by a GEF erty have led to mounting human pressure on the grant plus national and community-level funding, the environment and degradation of the Shire Basin’s project will work to ensure alignment with govern- natural resource base, notably land and forests. ment policy on question of decentralization, rural Deforestation, due to exploitation of forests and development and land security by supporting village woodlands for firewood and charcoal production, development councils (Conseil Villageois de Gestion soil erosion and sedimentation stand as the most des Terroirs) to continue to develop and implement serious threats, as they also drive increased inci- annual investment plans. Active community involve- dences of erosion, run-off and flash floods. High ment will be pursued, with emphasis on drawing in loads of sediment are also deposited in river beds, the poor and marginalized, to ensure that ownership reservoirs and floodplain wetlands, affecting irriga- and commitment to local development efforts is tion canals, fisheries and generation of hydropower. grounded in social cohesion and championed in the Certain tributaries pass through heavily cultivated long-term. Funding will also support commune-level areas, townships and cities, resulting in water micro-projects that seek to address reforestation, pollution from agricultural run-off, and human and agro-forestry, dry land and soil reclamation, river industrial waste that generates adverse impacts on bank protection, watershed and lowlands manage- human health and accelerates the growth of aquatic ment, as well as corridors management to ensure weeds. All told, water resources have increasingly cattle access to pasture zones and water sites. been degraded due to catchment degradation, SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA unsustainable land use and management practices, to exogenous shocks. Poverty is a widespread fact and increased use of chemical fertilizers without of life for most of the island’s population of some complementary soil and water conservation mea- 180,000. sures, which has resulted in unhealthy silt loads and increased levels of sedimentation, eutrophication, The island’s coastal communities and artisanal fishers biological contamination and effluents. are particularly vulnerable to the changing climate. Nearly 20 percent of the nation’s workforce are The Shire River Basin Management Program is employed in artisanal fisheries; some 2,000 people financed by IDA and grants from the GEF and the directly and an additional 18,000 indirectly. Easily LDCF. Conceived as a three phase program, its first 70 percent of the fishing vessels in use are small dug- phase is tackling the development of a planning out canoes of 3-4 meters in length with locals using framework for the Shire River Basin to improve land paddles, sails, and traditional gear such as lines and and water management for ecosystem and livelihood nets. Less than 300 canoes are of fiberglass con- benefits in target areas. At the foundational level, struction and motorized. Artisanal fishers navigate the project is working to strengthen the institutional by visual contact with land or by clouds, generally capacity and mechanisms for Shire Basin monitoring, at distances of 20 nautical miles from the shore. STP planning, management and decision support systems. lacks a reliable early warning system which means Project investments focus on strengthening water-re- that sudden squalls or dry fog can result in debili- lated infrastructure, reducing erosion in priority tating accidents or loss of life and, while its coastal catchments, protecting and enhancing the Basin’s villages have recently become more diversified due to ecological services, improving agricultural productiv- easier access to land and growth of informal com- ity, flood management and livelihoods, and providing merce, they have also become increasingly exposed community level adaptation and mitigation support. to the effects of climate variability, in particular stronger river flooding and more fierce sea storms. The project expects to directly improve the sustain- The government therefore, prioritized the provision of ability of roughly 2.9 million hectares of protected navigation and safety equipment and the strengthen- areas, forest reserves and floodplain wetlands. Its ing of its early warning system as part of its national 82 support for cross-sectoral basin planning and man- adaptation program of action (NAPA). agement will build capacity in the Department of Parks and Wildlife and the Department of Forestry. The São Tome and Príncipe Adaptation to Climate The adoption of community-based management Change Project seeks to increase the adaptive capac- within Forest Reserves in the lower Shire, based on ity of STP’s vulnerable coastal communities to the a model developed nationally, is helping mainstream adverse impacts of climate variability and change. biodiversity conservation into landscape planning The project is working along two investment tracks, at both the basin and protected area cluster levels. one of which is developing coastal early warning LDCF funds channeled into the project support a systems and improving safety at sea by disseminating broader community flood resilience program in the timely forecasts prior to extreme events. To support lower Shire floodplain, whose objective is to reduce these objectives, safety equipment is distributed to vulnerability to extreme climate events by using inte- fishers, training is provided on safety at sea and, com- grated flood management to save lives and reduce munity emergency preparedness is being reinforced. damage. The total number of direct project benefi- In tandem, the project is addressing coastal erosion ciaries includes some 430,000 people, 50 percent of and inundation by piloting participatory adaptation whom are female. measures in vulnerable coastal communities, raising public awareness and implementing improved coastal resilience policies. About 8,300 project beneficia- Sao Tome y Principe Adaptation to ries are active artisanal fishers who will benefit from Climate Change training on safety at sea training and the establish- ment of the early warning system, a tool that will also The Democratic Republic of São Tome and Príncipe serve pilot coastal communities tremendously. An (STP) is a small island state with a fragile economy. estimated additional 63,500 people are also slated to Located 350 km off the coast of West Africa and with benefit indirectly thanks to improved meteorological a surface area of 1,001 sq. km, STP is one of the con- data and the early warning system. tinent’s most isolated nations and is highly vulnerable WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Enhancing Institutional Capacities on un-redd.org). The underlying rationale in tackling REDD issues for Sustainable Forest deforestation and degradation in the Congo Basin is Management in the Congo Basin there are multiple benefits such action will generate: in addition to conserving stored carbon, the project The Congo Basin forest ecosystem is the world’s will conserve important biodiversity, provide a buffer second largest contiguous block of tropical forest to climate change impact, reduce and reverse land on the planet, harboring extraordinary biodiversity degradation, and ensure water services. and a high level of endemism. It forms an integrated ecological unit encompassing highly–forested terri- One project stream underway is improving and tories of the Congo Basin countries which include, accelerating the uptake of knowledge and coordina- the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic tion on REDD at the regional level. Specific focus lies of Congo, the Republic of Equatorial Guinea, the in facilitating exchange of learning and knowledge Gabonese Republic and the Republic of Cameroon, between the political and technical spheres, as well as all of whom are Party to the Central African Forest promoting inclusive participation and representation Commission (Commission des Forêts d’Afrique of civil society in policy and strategy discussions at Centrale — COMIFAC), the regional political and tech- the regional level. These actions speak to one of the nical authority whose mandate is to guide, monitor project’s overarching principles, that is to build econ- and coordinate conservation and sustainable man- omies of scale that can be leveraged using a regional agement of Central African forest ecosystems. approach, in particular with respect to sharing tech- nical advances and knowledge generated. Another More than 24 million people live in the Congo Basin component is building technical capacity for the forest area, and most rely on it for their livelihoods. In measurement and monitoring of carbon stocks in the all six countries, forestry is a major economic sector, Basin’s forests by setting up a scientific partnership generating jobs and local livelihoods from timber and to support this end. This element of the project is also non-timber products, which contribute significantly contributing to the elaboration of specific algomet- to both fiscal and export revenues. The Congo Basin ric equations for the Congo Basin’s forests to enable forest also performs valuable ecological services, the countries to accurately report changes in forest such as flood control and climate regulation at both 83 carbon stock in future to tap into a results-based local and regional levels. Given its abundant vegeta- financial incentive system for REDD. The project also tion, the Basin’s forests represent a considerable car- supports the mainstreaming of the REDD concept bon stock, with the above-ground vegetation alone in sustainable forest management (SFM) Projects by estimated to store 24–39Gt of carbon, serving as an working with REDD project developers to build their important buffer against global climate change. capacity, preparing methodologies and technical guidelines for REDD project preparation and imple- Building on an existing COMIFAC commitment to mentation, and exchanging information and results. collaborate regionally on coordinating forestry issues, the Enhancing Institutional Capacities on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation Lighting Lives in Liberia (REDD) Issues for Sustainable Forest Management in the Congo Basin Project was approved to bring Liberia has been in a transition phase since 2004, new opportunities to the fore regarding the conser- slowly rebuilding civil wars, one result of which was vation and sustainable use of forest resources. This devastation of the country’s energy infrastructure. is being done by strengthening country capacity on REDD issues and forest carbon stock measurements as well as by helping them prepare to take advan- tage of a future REDD+ mechanism. The UN-REDD program is a collaborative initiative that seeks to allocate a financial value for forest carbon stores by offering incentives for developing countries to reduce emissions from forested lands and encour- aging investment in low-carbon paths to sustainable development. “REDD+” looks further to include the role of conservation, sustainable management of for- ests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks (www. SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA Less than 0.6 percent of Liberia’s urban population linkages - Limpopo, Lubombo and Chimanimani - and virtually no rural residents have access to publicly TFCAs, by supporting the establishment and man- provided electricity. The bulk of the country’s popu- agement of multiple-use conservation areas, and lation depends on unreliable and inefficient sources promoting economic growth and development of energy including, small gasoline and diesel gen- based on sustainable use of their natural resources erators, firewood, charcoal, candles, kerosene, bat- by local communities, with emphasis on ecotourism. tery-powered LED torches and lamps, and palm oil. Environmentally sustainable tourism development The WBG, along with a number of partners including links the conservation and development objectives of the GEF, is working with Liberia’s government and the the TFCAs by providing an economic alternative to national energy utility to restore the electricity supply unsustainable, destructive use of natural resources, with emphasis on expanding rural electrification as well as a direct economic incentive to maintain the in order to help balance development and growth natural ecosystems and their biodiversity. While the beyond the capital of Monrovia. TFCAs span national boundaries, the program itself is national in focus and supports the government’s In 2010, Liberia’s Rural and Renewable Energy participation in international agreements and commit- Agency (RREA) and a Rural Energy Fund (REFUND) tees aimed at coordinating activities across national were established with the specific goal of facilitat- borders, as well as on-the-ground activities in portions ing access to modern energy services for Liberia’s of the TFCAs in Mozambique. rural areas. With the support of the WBG, the RREA launched a program that aims to provide affordable The project is working to increase the area, connec- lighting for Liberians. This initiative, which goes by tivity, and effectiveness of biodiversity conservation ‘Lighting Lives in Liberia’, is supported by the WBG in the three TFCAs through implementation of the IDA-financed Liberia Electricity System Enhancement TFCA concept on the ground. It is financed by an Project (LESEP), which is complemented by the IDA Credit which is fully blended with a GEF grant, GEF-funded Lighting Lives in Africa Project, as well as well as a grant from the Pacific Human Resource as financing from ESMAP. The project draws on the Development (PHRD) Trust Fund. The focus of this experiences of ‘Lighting Africa’, a GEF-funded ini- phase of the TFCA program includes: legal desig- 84 tiative executed by the WBG’s International Finance nation of TFCAs through adoption of regulations, Corporation (IFC) that has facilitated access to mod- criteria, procedures and institutional structures for ern, off-grid, portable, durable, inexpensive, safe, and planning, management and development; prepa- clean lighting for 2.5 million people on the African ration and implementation of Integrated District continent (www.lightingafrica.org). Development Plans (IDDPs) in each TFCA, to provide an environmentally sustainable framework for land Lighting Lives in Liberia aims to improve and increase use planning, natural resource management, and access to electricity in Liberia and reduce the coun- development investment; developing environmen- try’s greenhouse gas emissions when compared with tally sound and socially inclusive nature tourism that its emissions growth baseline. The project is expand- emphasized community/private sector partnership; ing options for power generation, supporting the and, improving the effectiveness of the PA networks enhanced delivery of distribution services, including within the TFCAs through improved management, for low-income households, and providing modern rehabilitation, expansion, and the establishment of renewable energy services to off-grid users. community reserves and conservation. Good progress has been made during this phase Mozambique Transfrontier of the program’s implementation. Although not all Conservation Areas and Tourism works have been completed, Mozambique’s new Development Project Conservation Law was approved in May 2013 and was passed by the Parliament in April 2014. The National The Trans-frontier Conservation Areas and Tourism Administration of Conservation Areas (Administração Development Project (TFCATDP) represents the Nacional das Áreas de Conservação — ANAC) has second phase of a larger-scale, 15-year Trans-frontier been established, a director has been appointed and Conservation Areas (TCFAs) Program being sup- some staffing, by skilled technicians has occurred, ported by the WBG, whose objectives are to con- though various related activities remain to be serve biodiversity and natural ecosystems within completed. Tourism activities also have been launched, three areas with significant transfrontier biodiversity TFCA technicians have benefited from technical WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS training, outreach has identified a company prepared that supports and empowers local communities to to develop and produce tourism maps, and a public establish and manage community-based biodiversity sector concessions manual is undergoing review. conservation areas (CBCA). The participatory process applied engaged some 150 Bénin Community-based Coastal Marine communities in the creation of CBCAs to preserve Biodiversity the biological diversity of various coastal wetlands. These are now rebounding as a result of sustainable Bénin’s coastal zone stretches 125 km and 50-60 km use of the biological diversity of marine resources inland, covering about 8 percent of the country’s and environmentally friendly business activities. The land area. Thought small, it harbors 50 percent of active protection of mangroves, coastal zones, and the country’s population and most of its economic forests helped begin to move these riparian popula- infrastructure, making it of great economic tions out of poverty. Fish farming is now possible and importance to Bénin. allows them to meet their families’ needs and educate their children. Communities and palm oil producer The ecological functions and the natural and biological associations have realized the importance of pre- processes that take place at the interface between the serving their forest, as they have reaped the benefits rivers, lagoons, lakes and swamps of the coastal zone of income-generating activities derived from their on the one hand, and the marine areas on the other, conservation efforts. make Bénin’s coastal zone one of the most produc- tive one the Gulf of Guinea. Fisheries play an import- To encourage residents to better manage these newly ant role in protein intake and food security, income protected zones, training sessions were organized generation and employment. The coastal zone is also that covered marine and coastal resource conser- the provider of key agricultural products, including vation and management, tools and techniques for export crops such as pineapples, palm oil, and banana. community-based natural resource management, Significant quantities of local food products and non- community-based procurement, financial manage- food products collected from the zone’s wetlands ment of associations, planning, and monitoring of and other permanent and seasonal water bodies play activities. Infrastructure for market gardening, fish 85 important roles in home consumption and income farming and transport also were provided to enable generation for rural households, especially, the poor. beneficiaries to engage in income-generating activ- ities, such as the production and sale of market Bénin’s coastal zone also harbors globally important products, salt trade, fish farming, fish processing and and unique biodiversity assets given geological, topo- marketing, and palm oil production. Overall, commu- graphic, and hydrological conditions, which combine nities have increased their production, expanded their to create a wide variety of ecosystems and habitats businesses, and are generating profits and savings. for rare animal species. Wetlands, lagoons, and rivers cover 40 percent of Bénin’s coastal zone, and these water bodies encompass eight different ecosystems Liberia Protected Areas that provide irreplaceable ecological functions, and breeding, feeding and nurturing grounds for many Liberia’s forests cover 4.4 million hectares, roughly fish species and other aquatic organisms. Together, 46% of its land area, and constitute by far the largest these critical human, natural and economic assets remaining tracts (43%) of the Upper Guinean Tropical made protection of the zone’s production potential Rainforest, a recognized hotspot for biodiversity and its sustainable management of its resources a key which is considered a global priority for conservation. priority for the government. An enormously valuable environmental and economic asset, Liberia’s forests house a range of important The Community-Based Coastal and Marine biodiversity including, some 240 tree species, 2,000 Biodiversity Management Project has promoted flowering plants, 125 mammal and 590 bird species, participatory conservation and sustainable use of 74 reptiles and amphibians and over 1,000 insect biological diversity of coastal wetlands and marine species. Rural communities depend heavily on the resources through the establishment of viable com- forests for fuel wood, building materials, foods and munity-based coastal zone management systems medicinal plants, as well as a wide range of other across a series of biodiversity priority sites. Its focus non-timber forest products. Properly managed, has been to develop an integrated approach to Liberia’s forests have great potential to contribute, in coastal wetlands and marine resource management SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA a balanced way, to long-term, sustainable economic towards the creation of a new protected area in Gola. growth and employment, supporting the livelihoods Second phase of the EXPAN project is now seeking to of local and rural communities, and ensuring that entrench sustainable community livelihoods around their important national and global biological Liberia’s protected areas. heritage is conserved. Unfortunately, as often arises in situations of conflict, a Sénégal Sustainable Land Management country’s natural resources pay a heavy price, and such Project was the case for Liberia’s forests during the country’s civil strife. In May 2003, sanctions imposed on Liberia The livelihood of 70 percent of Sénégal’s rural pop- by the UN Security Council in 2001 were extended to ulation—which equates to about half of the coun- include a ban on timber production and export based try’s total population—depends directly on the land. on evidence that suggested that the country’s forestry Yet nearly two-thirds of the country’s arable land is stocks were being vastly over-exploited and used degraded, some 2.5 million hectares, and land deg- primarily to finance the civil conflict. radation has increasingly affected the country’s land resources which in turn, has impacted livelihood To spur the lifting of the sanctions, an ambitious options and income-generating opportunities, thus forests sector reform process was launched in 2004, exacerbating the poverty and vulnerability of the led by the establishment of the Liberia Forests people. Land degradation has occurred primarily Initiative (LFI). This multi-donor platform, initiated by because of overgrazing and unsustainable agricultural the Liberian Forestry Development Authority and the practices, which have helped speed deforestation, but Government of the United States, brought together ancillary causes include population growth which has the WBG and a coalition of donor governments, extended areas under cultivation and increased the lending agencies, nongovernmental organizations pressure on forest resources. Soil fertility depletion and civil society participants. The LFI supported is one of the main causes of stagnating agricultural a cross-cutting approach to forests sector reform productivity and, consequently, one of the major con- through promotion of transparent, sustainable, straints to agricultural and economic growth. 86 fiscally prudent forest sector management, with a view to improving the livelihood of communities The Sénégal Sustainable Land Management (SLM) in forested areas. Its objectives included building Project worked to contribute to the reduction of land local capacity for improved forest management, degradation and the improvement of ecosystem establishing sustainable policies and good practices, functions and services in specific target areas through tracking revenues, supporting a “Chain of Custody” the adoption of SLM practices. Many villages and system to verify legal timber practices and creating communities benefitted. Over 20,000 hectares of land a network of protected areas. Forest conservation were recovered using SLM practices, which contributed efforts were promoted using what has come to be positively to food security, income generation and known as the “3Cs — commercial, community and improved living conditions, including better health and conservation — forestry” approach. education. The improved soil fertility that resulted from adoption of the SLM approach translated into increases The WBG has supported Liberia’s forests sector in production of target communities’ main staples: reform through a variety of initiatives. GEF funding millet production grew from 550 to 850 kilograms in particular, has allowed the WBG to provide critical per hectare by containing the millet wild weed; rice support through three key projects. The Sapo production increased from 1,200 to 2,300 kilograms per National Park Project elaborated and adopted an hectare as a result of use of ground nut (peanut) shell effective park management process that conclusively as a soilless media; and, peanut production rose from established the basis for integrated biodiversity 600 to 1,400 kilograms thanks to the use of organic conservation and community development both in fertilizer. Nurseries that were built for fruit and plant the Park and in its fringe communities. Furthermore, production and their associated gardening activities it set standards for protected area management also had noticeably positive impacts on resident’s in Liberia and beyond through its adoption of nutrition in the short run. participatory and adaptive management practices. The Establishment of Protected Areas Network The SLM project also made great strides with (EXPAN), which closed in GEF-5, secured the respect to gender equity by introducing dynamic creation of a multi-use reserve and made progress changes at the grassroots level which by empowered WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS women to either purchase or request land ownership the project diffused technologies that responded to in their capacity as individuals or as a group. women-specific needs, such as improved charcoal- The introduction by the project of innovative saving stoves and biogas from manure, reduced the technologies associated with activities that are time women spend collecting wood and gave them usually the domain of women, such as fruit and tree more time to devote to productive activities. Equally planting, encouraged and heightened the level of as important, the 6,600 improved charcoal-saving involvement of females in agricultural production stoves distributed to women added to the success processes, which underscored the need for reform in the fight against deforestation by reducing the to the rules of land tenure. In addition, the fact that pressure on natural resources. 87 CHANNELING ONGOING ACHIEVEMENTS IN GEF6 Channeling ongoing achievements in GEF6 The sixth replenishment of the GEF leverage diversified investment finance, (2014–2018) has received pledges attract other programs and partners of nearly $ 4.5 billion to support GEF-6 offers the WBG-GEF to work collaboratively, promote developing countries’ actions to innovation, and advance sustainable continue to advance the global Program the opportunity transformation and scale-up, all of effort to prevent degradation of the which contribute to accelerated actions world’s environment. In addition to build upon the wealth of on the ground that fulfill commitments to the support the GEF lends to to the global environment and national knowledge and experience achieving the objectives of the UN development in a sustainable manner, Framework Convention on Climate that has accrued in its more ultimately responding to the goal of 90 Change (UNFCCC), the Convention ending extreme poverty and boosting on Biological Diversity (CBD), than 20 years’ of work as shared prosperity. the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) and the part of the GEF partnership During GEF-6, the work of the WBG- Stockholm Convention on Persistent GEF Program will therefore, continue Organic Pollutants (POPs), under mechanism. to be: GEF-6 donors have agreed to Strategic. It will support GEF contribute new financing to support recipient countries in meeting the implementation of the 2013 global environment challenges where WBG Minamata Convention on Mercury. involvement can make a difference, specifically GEF-6 offers the WBG-GEF Program the opportunity given the capacity to innovate and leverage global to build upon the wealth of knowledge and environmental benefits at scale. Programmatic experience that has accrued in its more than 20 approaches will be deployed where agendas dictate years’ of work as part of the GEF partnership that impact is best served by reaching across mechanism. The WBG-GEF Program will implement multiple countries and regions. Drawing in and on GEF-6 strategy and policy recommendations during support from different resources and partners, the this next cycle by delivering strong value proposition Program will continue to pioneer risk mitigation and to client countries based on a proven ability to the use of innovative financial products. WHEN FOUNDATIONAL ACTS GENERATE SIGNIFICANT IMPACTS Effective. Independent evaluations have shown that in-house, such as the Global Partnership for Oceans the WBG has delivered the GEF projects with the (GPO), the Low-Carbon Livable Cities initiative, the highest impact, particularly in the climate change Energy Sector Management Assistance Program and ozone depletion focal areas. The Bank’s role (ESMAP), the Wealth Accounting and Valuation of as a provider of catalytic finance and knowledge Ecosystem Services (WAVES) initiative, the Water services to country clients will be enhanced Partnership Program (WPP), the WBG Development through deliberate leveraging of private and public Grant Facility (DGF), the International Development resources, as well as global knowledge to maximize Association (IDA), IFC Advisory Services and the impact and development results. South-South Trust Fund, to name a few. Collaborative. Success very much depends on strong Efficient. The WBG will continue to maximize client ownership. The WBG approach promotes the harmonization of the project cycle with the tailored solutions that build on national priorities GEF and support streamlining of processes and and systems from the bottom-up, in order to ground systems. The consideration of global environment sustainability and impact. Our projects work with a concerns upstream during project and portfolio 91 wide variety of partners and rely on local capacity for development will help clients by providing more execution of investments as a cornerstone to longer timely and comprehensive support packages. By term ownership and sustainability. Bank teams work blending GEF project resources with IDA, IBRD and side by side with counterparts throughout the life of a range of other WBG managed funds, the Program an investment, help trouble shoot issues that arise will continue to benefit clients and remain one of during implementation, and enhance impact through the most cost-effective and impactful GEF agency specialized expertise on the ground to adapt global programs. experience and knowledge to local conditions. Consolidative. The GEF Evaluation office’s OPS5 Synergistic. WBG support in GEF-5 forged many report found that larger projects have more impact, synergies with other global programs to deliver which is an important finding in light of the trends multiple global environmental benefits. The GEF-6 during GEF-4 and GEF-5 that pointed in the Integrated Program themes will depend on the opposite direction. Increased floors and flexibility ability to work across sectors, boundaries and issues, to aggregate funds within the GEF’s System for the one of the WBG’s key strengths. The WBG’s solid Transparent Allocation of Resources (STAR) will experience with integrated programming as it relates, be critical in GEF-6 to avoid fragmentation which for example to broader landscape approaches, reduces overall impact. The WBG-GEF Program will climate smart agriculture and mainstreaming climate proceed more selectively in considering GEF funding resilience, can be further expanded in GEF-6. One in certain cases if adequate resources are not of the unique advantages of working with a large available to generate the impacts projected. Greater global development Bank is that GEF funding can effort will also be required at country programming be easily combined with any number of mutually stages by all GEF partners to ensure that impact beneficial initiatives, including many managed drives priority in funding decisions. PHOTO CREDITS Photo Credits Aden Jordán-Garza p.9 Almin Zrno p.25 Andrea Borgarello cover, p.58, p.79, p.80, p.87 Andrew Losos p.47, p.48, p.70 Assaf Zvuloni p.74 Curt Carnemark p.51, p.52, p.63, p.65, p.66 Claudia Sobrevila p.69 Dana Smillie p.53 Daniel Mira-Salama p. 2, p.34, p.36, p.37 Dominique Kayser p.11 Drew Harvell p.16 Elena Klochan p.27 92 Gabrielle Sheehan (Philippines) p.6 John Virdin p.75 Julio Pantoja p.35 Karen Bazex p.38 Kate Wong p.76 (top) Kin Cheung/AP p.76 (bottom) Li Haisheng p.11 Malcolm Cosgrove-Davies p.67 Mark Paterson p.19 Maye Rueda p.30 Michele Somi p.22 Philips.com p.83 Pirate_J (Flikr) p.41 World Bank Group Project Team (Albania) p.21 World Bank Group Project Team (Bhutan) p.62 World Bank Group Project Team (Croatia) p.20, p.88 World Bank Group Project Team (Moldova) p.28 World Bank Group IFC Project Team (Philippines) p.44 World Bank Group Project Team (Vanuatu) p. 14, p.15 World Bank Group Project Team (Yemen) p.61 World Bank Group Flickr inside cover, p.1, p.8, p.55, p.56, 68 May 2014 ©2014 The World Bank Group (WBG) 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 www.worldbank.org This report is available on the WBG-GEF website (www.worldbank.org/en/topic/climatechange/brief/gef). Acknowledgements This report was prepared by Dominique Kayser of the Implementing Agency Team for the Global Climate Change Group (WBG), with contributions from Louise Shaw-Barry and Karin Shepardson. Special thanks to Maureen Shields-Lorenzetti for editorial review and the World Bank’s Printing & Multimedia Services Department for the design and printing of the report. Disclaimer This work is a product of The World Bank Group. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank Group, its Board of Executive Directors or the governments they represent. The World Bank Group does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank Group concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. 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