Mainstreaming Gender in Water

1
2nd Regional Environmental Forum for Mainland
Southeast Asia UNDP and Environmental
Governance January 30, 2004 Bangkok
Sergio Feld, Bangkok SURF Environment Advisor
2
Presentation Outline - UNDP and Environmental
Governance - Ongoing UNDP EG related Activities
in the region - Upcoming UNDP EG initiatives
3
UNDP and Environmental Governance

• UNDP defines governance as
• The exercise of economic, political and
  administrative authority to manage a countrys
  affairs at all levels. It compromises the
  mechanisms, processes, and institutions, through
  which citizens and groups articulate their
  interests, exercise their legal rights, meet
  their obligations and mediate their differences.
• Environmental governance (EG) deals with and
  takes into account aspects of of governance
  unique to the environment.

4
UNDP and Environmental Governance

• Promoting EG has a dual purpose
• Provide solutions for specific environmental
  issues and
• Serve as proxy for good governance in general.
• UNDP Strategy is to
• Draw from its key practices, i.e. energy and
  environment and democratic governance and
• Work in partnership with traditional and
  non-traditional partners at all levels, regional,
  national and local.

5
Ongoing UNDP EG-related activities in the Region

• GEF Small Grants Programme (GEF/SGP)
• Local Initiative Facility for the Environment
  (LIFE)
• Public Private Partnership for the Urban
  Environment (PPPUE)
• The Urban Governance Initiative (TUGI)
• All four programmes have supported activities
  aimed at and providing important lessons for
  strengthening capacity for EG in the region in
  local and urban settings.

6
UNDP EG Country-Level Activities

• SCDP/NPC-UNDP Environmental Governance in Nepal
• (EG reference guide produced for implementation
  by local authorities in Nepal)
• UNDP support for the Access Initiative (TAI) in
  Indonesia

7
Upcoming UNDP EG programmes in the Region

• Regional Environmental Governance Programme for
  the Asia Pacific Region
• Environmental Governance in the Lower Mekong
  Countries
• Water and Environmental Governance Community
  Dialogue in the Lower Mekong

8
Regional Environmental Governance Programme for
Asia Pacific (1)

• The Programme (funded by Cap 2015, RBAP and BDP)
  aims to strengthen EG in the Asia-Pacific Region
  by
• Promoting sustainable approaches for natural
  resource and environmental management and
• Enhancing the opportunities for public
  participation in decision-making that affects
  natural resource use and livelihoods

9
Regional Environmental Governance Programme for
Asia Pacific (2)

• The Programme consists of two components
• Enhancing cross-practice approaches for improved
  regional EG (Activities will emphasize advocacy,
  knowledge management and networking and derive
  policy lessons from existing experiences)
• Developing country-specific activities and
  transboundary strategies for EG (Pilot activities
  at the local level through a small grants
  facility, emphasize the application of best
  practices and the leverage resources for further
  expansion of environmental governance principles
  in the region)

10
Environmental Governance in the Lower
Mekong Countries (1)

• The Programme (RAS/03/230/A/01/99) aims to
• Strengthen the capacity of the MRCS for EG and
• Strengthen the capacity of the NMCs for EG in
  Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam.

11
Environmental Governance in the Lower
Mekong Countries (2)

12
Water and Environmental Governance Community
Dialogues in the Lower Mekong

• Programme being developed for UNDP/WB TRIB
  funding, key outputs include
• Awareness of EG issues relevant to local
  communities raised through a series of dialogues
  in Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam and Thailand
• Creation of transboundary network of communities,
  including potential for local environmental
  leadership support