The National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA) Project

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The final workshop for the NCSA project took place on Thursday, 22 September 2005 at the Esibayeni Lodge in Matsapha at 9.00 am. The workshop examined and commented upon the draft Capacity Development Action Plan (674kb).

Background to the NCSA

Over the last decade, capacity constraints have been increasingly recognised as a main obstacle to sustainable development in many countries. Accordingly, the development community has paid increasing attention to capacity development and capacity assessment in its policies and projects. In addition, a large number of regional and international agreements and Conventions have come into force over the last two decades. Each places additional demands on the capacity of participating countries.

This lack of capacity has been identified as a key obstacle to the effective implementation of the Conventions.

In this context, the Government of Swaziland in cooperation with the UNDP is currently undertaking a National Capacity Self Assessment (NCSA) with respect to three global conventions: UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UN Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) and UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).

The NCSA process provides Swaziland with an opportunity to review her global environmental responsibilities she has assumed since the Rio Earth Summit and determine how to reconcile these responsibilities with national sustainable development priorities. In particular, the NCSA process has three aspects that make it a particularly valuable exercise.

First, the NCSA process can carefully examine past capacity development efforts focused on the three thematic areas in order to derive lessons from the successes and failures of specific interventions.

Second, the process allows stakeholders the freedom to explore potential "win-win" situations between their global environmental obligations and local and national environmental challenges and opportunities.

Third, with its unprecedented focus on analysing issues that cut across the Rio conventions, the NCSA represents a critical step in effective implementation by promoting a more integrated and synergistic approach. Lessons learned from past projects seem to suggest a need in countries for capacity building measures to strengthen co-ordination of environmental policy formulation and implementation among sectoral authorities at the national (and local) levels for global environmental management.

The NCSA aims to identify, through a country-driven consultative process, priorities and needs for capacity building to protect the global environment. It will analyse capacity gaps and capacity building needs for each of the three Convention thematic areas, namely biodiversity, climate change and land degradation. Capacity will be assessed at the individual, institutional and systemic (policy and legislative framework) levels, as well as looking at vertical (local & regional authorities - national government) and horizontal (government - NGOs/CBOs - private sector) coordination structures.

The NCSA places strong emphasis on exploring synergies among the three Convention thematic areas in order to provide a highly strategic input to environmental management in Namibia. The NCSA should act as a catalyst for domestic and externally assisted action to meet those needs in a coordinated and planned manner.

Potential Benefits Flowing From a National Capacity Self-Assessment for Global Environmental Management (NCSA)

The Government of Swaziland has recognised the need for a concerted effort to strengthen Swaziland's capacity to manage the global environment and has thus decided to undertake this NCSA process to identify the gaps and opportunities in building its capacity. Issues such as unused, misused, underused or overburdened capacities need to be identified and gaps or constraints that cut across several sectors need to be addressed as a joint effort by different stakeholders.

The NCSA process should have multiple benefits to Swaziland. Some of these potential benefits include:

Direct contribution to socio-economic development and addressing local environmental issues. For example, the NCSA may identify and design measures that can both improve the global environment and contribute to local development priorities;
Enhanced ability to negotiate with the donor community regarding technical cooperation and capacity development assistance being offered in the environmental arena;
Improved cross-sectoral coordination and dialogue, as the NCSA brings together stakeholders from the various sectors;
Strengthened national-local coordination and decentralisation processes, as the NCSA process can be designed to support such objectives and analyse capacity constraints, introduce new working methods, and contribute to local level capacities;
Strengthened networks within the environmental community, and between the environment and the broader governance communities. For example, by working together on the different NCSA components, members of these communities may develop a mutual trust and understanding. Communities that were previously in conflict may realise that it is possible to work together, and that this would be mutually beneficial;
Strengthened non-governmental roles in environmental management, as the NCSA brings NGOs to work with governments, for the first time in many countries; and
Establish a culture of self-evaluation and problem-solving.

Study Objective

The objective of this NCSA study is to identify the national capacity needs to meet binding commitments contained in the Rio Conventions and determine how best to develop this capacity to meet Swaziland's commitment to global environmental management. Capacity assessments will be conducted within and across the thematic area of each convention (climate change, desertification and land degradation and biodiversity).

The assessments will also embrace three levels of capacity issues: individual, institutional and systemic. The consultancy will focus on capacity related issues that are common across the conventions, assessing the capacities needed to address these in a synergistic manner, including needs associated with strengthening existing institutional mechanisms and developing appropriate networks.

In addition the study aims to strengthen the dialogue, information exchange and cooperation amongst all stakeholders. A key deliverable of the NCSA process is a document which outlines - for each thematic area of biodiversity, climate change and desertification/land degradation as well as across the thematic areas - priority issues, capacity constraints and opportunities for capacity building.

Documents

Terms of Reference

The official launch of the NCSA Project took place on Wednesday 24 March 2004 at the Mountain Inn in Mbabane

Inception Report (647 kb August 2004)

Mid Term Report (501 kb October 2004)

Thematic Assessment Reports (February 2005) - The following final draft reports are now available:

Thematic Assessment Report for the UNCBD (523kb)
Thematic Assessment Report for the UNFCCC (639kb)
Thematic Assessment Report for the UNCCD (600kb)

Final Cross-cutting Report on the National Capacity Self-Assessment Report on National Capacity Needs, Constraints and Priorities for the Implementation of the Climate Change, Desertification and Biodiversity Conventions (Cross-cutting Assessment Report 512kb)

National Workshop (17 June 2005)

Final National Capacity Self-Assessment Report on National Capacity Needs, Constraints and Priorities for the Implementation of the Climate Change, Desertification and Biodiversity Conventions (available October 2005)

Capacity Development Action Plan (1704 kb December 2005)

National Validation Workshop (22 September 2005)