Thematic Area: Energy and Environment
|GAIN Progress Report Quarter 2 2008|
|GAIN Progress Report Quarter 2 2008 Annex 1 AWP|
[Last Updated July 2008]
Project Start Date: August 2008
Project End Date: March 2011
Project Location: Kabul
Status of the Project: In initial Stage
Implementing Partners: National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), UNFAO,Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livelihoods (MoAIL)
The long period of war and conflict, the subsequent influx of returnees and population growth, coupled with the practice of unsustainable use of resources in harsh natural conditions, have caused numerous environment problems in the urban and rural areas across the country. The most alarming ones include topsoil erosion, loss of vegetation cover and biodiversity, rapid deforestation and desertification, depleting wildlife and degraded ecosystems to include groundwater depletion, and urban pollution. The proper management of the natural resources is thus a very important foundation for longer-term development of Afghanistan – and recognized as such in the Afghanistan National Development Strategy (ANDS), in which environment features as a cross-cutting issue. However, its translation into comprehensive cross-sectoral plans requires more attention. Environment protection is vital for sustainable development given the explicit nexus between poverty, vulnerability and environmental health. In addition, energy is recognized as a necessary means to reach all the development outcomes including the MDGs goals.
At the corporate level, energy and environment is one of the main practice areas of UNDP. The Energy & Environment (E&E) Programme Framework of UNDP Afghanistan was formulated in late 2005. It is designed to contribute towards attaining Afghanistan’s MDGs, Afghanistan Compact and Interim ANDS (i-ANDS) (Benchmark 3.7 - Establishing environmental regulatory frameworks and management services). In close collaboration with the UN partners such as UNEP, FAO and WFP, as well as the line ministries such as the National Environment Protection Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livelihood (MoAIL) and Ministry of Rural Rehabilitation and Development (MRRD), the E&E Programme is currently working on the following priority areas:
1) Mainstreaming environment into national development policy and planning
2) Land and water management programme
3) Sustainable rural energy
Major Achievements:
Mainstreaming environment into national development policy and planning
• Participation in the UN joint environmental programme “Greening Afghanistan Initiative” (GAIN) – led by the UN Country Team of Afghanistan with participation of FAO, UNDP, UNOPS, WFP and UNEP. Under the GAIN framework, UNDP has been implementing the “Environmental Awareness Raising & Capacity Building” Project, and the Integrated Environmental Protection Project mainly targeting five provinces in north Afghanistan: Balkh, Saripul, Samangan, Jawzjan and Faryab. The achievements / activities of UNDP GAIN so far include:
• 64 Village Environment Committees established and institutionalized;
• A number of environmental promotion materials produced and distributed to target groups;
• 120 schools provided with environment awareness training - over 100,000 students (boys and girls) were reached and 73 Green Generation Clubs (GGC) established. GGC is student-based entity in schools which provide a platform for sensitizing environment among the school children as well as mobilising schoolchildren to plan and implement micro environmental conservation projects;
• Adopt-A-Tree Programme implemented in 50 schools in Samangan, Shebrgan, Saripu, Maimana and Pusthoon kot districs in the north through which 35,000 saplings planted and survived.
• 160 provincial government high officials provided with environment awareness training through four urban greening workshops. Four Urban Greening Committees established;
• 2,000 rural women provided with environment awareness training, especially to sensitise about the needs and methods to increase tree survival rate after plantation; these women have been supported through WFP to establish private nurseries and grow around 4,000,000 saplings in their nurseries.
• Regional GAIN Advisory Board was established and meetings convened, which included environmental activities in the north.
• The project concluded a baseline assessment of 800 nurseries established by rural women in Nahrshahi, Dehdadi, Balkh and Khulm districts of Balkh province, and distributed fertilizers; and
• Environmental publicity through, inter alia, the celebration of World Environment Day (5th June) in Balkh and Kabul in collaboration with NEPA and other UN GAIN partners.
• Substantial input given from the environmental perspective during the donor review process of relevant ANDS Sector Strategies, such as Environment, Water, Regional Cooperation, Energy, Urban development, Rural and Agricultural Development, etc. (September-November 2007).
• In this quarter, a new UN Joint Programme proposal on “Strengthened Approach for the Integration of Sustainable Environmental Management in Afghanistan” was signed by UN partners and line ministries including ‘UNAMA, UNDP, FAO, UNEP, NEPA, MoAIL and MRRD). This 3-year Programme is funded by the newly established UNDP-Spain MDG Achievement Fund.
• The GEF funded Capacity Building for Sustainable Land Management Project has been signed and will start within 2008 which will mainly focus on mainstreaming SLM into national policies, plans and legislation, institutional and human capacity development for SLM, capacity development for knowledge management for SLM, completion of national action programme and investment planning and resource mobilization for the implementation of SLM.
• As part of the capacity building and policy mainstreaming, support provided for relevant government representatives for participation in a number of environment-related international workshops.
• The GEF start-up assessment mission for the start of the Small Grants Programme was successfully conducted; as a result Bamyan has been initially qualified for start-up of SGP and further expanded to Badakhshan. This Programme provides the NGOs/CBOs with small grants of up to 50,000 to implement environmental projects at grassroots level.
Land and water management
• Participation in two UNEP hosted technical meetings on “Integrated Water Resource Management and the Sistan Basin Wetlands” (Geneva, 5-7 December 2005 and 15-18 May 2006) with delegates from Afghanistan and Iran Governments. Further, a transboundary project entitled,”Restoration and Sustainable Use of Shared Sistan Basin” for collaboration between Iran and Afghanistan was finalized and submitted to GEF for Approval.
• Support provided for MoAIL to prepare the Afghanistan National Report on Desertification for the submission to the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). Following this, UNDP also supported MoAIL’s participation in the regional report synthesis workshop on 7-11 August 2006, Bangkok, Thailand, and the UNCCD COP 8 (Madrid, September 2007).
• Support provided for NEPA for the organization of the meeting of the Environment and Security in the upper Amu Darya River Basin between Afghanistan and Tajikistan (20-21 November 2007, Kabul).
• NEPA visit facilitated to attend GEF Sub-Regional Workshop for Government Focal Points on 2-3 December 2007, Bali, Indonesia.
Sustainable rural energy
• Following the Rapid Assessment and Gap Analysis of energy sector in Afghanistan conducted in 2005, a rural energy survey was conducted in Balkh, Jawzjan, Saripul and Samangan provinces in 2007. The data from all the provinces have been analyzed and the final survey report is being drafted.
• Rural energy project formulation missions have been conducted in November 2006 and April-May 2007 during which a wide consultation was undertaken with the government and other stakeholders. As a result, a rural and renewable energy project has been initiated as a sub-component of NABDP within MRRD, titled “Energy for Rural Development Afghanistan”. In this quarter the recruitment of the core ERDA team made progress. (See also the above NABDP section.)
• A Carbon Development Mechanism (CDM) framework for Afghanistan was drafted by an expert mission and shared with relevant stakeholders for further discussion. The final version will be produced.
Future Priorities:
• GAIN: Establishment of 40 VECs, implementation of 80 micro environment projects at village levels, establishment of 80 Green Generation Clubs, implementation of Adopt-A-Tree Programme in 40 schools, delivering environmental awareness raising to 800 men and women of the communities, arrangement workshops for VECs, teacher patrons and government staff.
• Strengthen collaborative partnership with key UN agencies such as UNEP, FAO on promoting environment governance.
• Build partnership with CDCs in NSP covered districts to strengthen environment institutions at village level.
• Continue supporting institutional capacity building of NEPA and MoAIL.
• Complete recruitment and initiate implementation of ERDA under NABDP.
• Strengthen strategic focus on building capacity of NEPA for mainstreaming energy and environment in Afghanistan.
• Strengthen coordination and cooperation amongst the environment stakeholders.
• Resource mobilization and further refinement of the E&E portfolio in line with the UNDP Strategic Plan 2008-2011.
Partnerships and Resources
Target Budget: USD 4,161,202.00
Received Budget: USD 3,735,331.00
Shortfall: USD 425,871.00
Donors: GEF, MDG Spanish-fund, UNDP, WFP (USAID and SDC)
Focal Points:
Mirwais Sarah, Programme Officer (mirwais.sarah@undp.org)
Mohammad Rafi Hameedi, Programme Associate (rafi.hameedi@undp.org)
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