Speech
by Dr. Nguyen Van Tai – GEF Vietnam Operational
Focal Point at the Third Assembly of the Global
Environment Facility (GEF)
Speech by
Dr. Nguyen Van Tai – GEF Vietnam Operational Focal
Point at the Third Assembly of the Global Environment
Facility (GEF) - Cape Town International Convention
Centre (CTICC), Cape Town, 30 August 2006
Side event :“Integrating GEF
Programs and Strategies at Country Level - Experiences
in GEF National Coordination”.
Subject :“Vietnam's experience in preparing a
national GEF strategy”
Yours Excellency, Distinguished
Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
First of all, on behalf of GEF
Viet Nam, I would like to thanks the organizers
for inviting GEF Viet Nam to speak in this very
important event – the third Assembly of the Global
Environment Facility.
On behalf of the GEF Viet Nam,
let me begin by congratulating the Assembly and
Africa for their commitment to facilitate the
exchange of ideas, views and experiences on issues
related to the global environment from a wide
range of stakeholders, including representatives
from different countries, donors and NGOs in the
effort to raise awareness of and address the various
challenges of managing the global environment,
to foster improved policies, and strengthen partnerships
among GEF stakeholders at the highest political
level.
On a personal note, I am delighted
to be among so many young colleagues from the
GEF’s 176 member countries. You are the ones who
can really make a difference in the environment
and in the state of our world.
Let me focus my remarks around
two issues:
The experience of Viet Nam in preparing a national
GEF strategy and addressing global environmental
issues, and Some reflections on how to strengthen
the partnership between Vietnam and GEF countries
for the new GEF Replenishment.
After the first National Dialogue
in 2000, GEF Vietnam prepared the draft GEF operational
strategy. This draft strategy has provided guidance
to the national partners and implementing agencies
in developing, advocating and implementing GEF
financed projects. However, under the rapid changes
of both international and national contexts, especially
given the new GEF Resource Allocation Framework
(RAF) recently been approved by GEF Council, the
GEF draft strategy has proved to be inadequate.
It is, thus, important to revise this current
draft and develop a new GEF strategy for the coming
years.
The design process of the GEF
Strategy has been characterized with the spirit
of consultation and cooperation. GEF Vietnam has
been working closely with UNDP and WB with their
important focus on environmental management. We
all agree on the need to ensure that our GEF Strategy
in the next phase address issues related to the
global environment and meet the needs of almost
every people particularly the poor and the disadvantaged,
involve them directly in all stages – from identifying
to planning and implementation, and that the services
delivered by these programs be of high quality.
We hope that through the design process of the
GEF Strategy, the government, UN agencies, the
World Bank and donors will find ways to work even
more closely together in joint efforts. Today’s
conference offers an important opportunity to
share and differing views on this process.
I am pleased to note that many
of the lessons learned in the past are now being
used in the design for the GEF Strategy. These
include, for example,
I) For preparation work for
the strategy development:
Reviewing GEF portfolio by operational programs
over the last 10 years in order to produce recommendations
for effective collaboration and harmonization
of the program for the next five years.
Reviewing the processes/coordination by different
agencies for accessing GEF funding in the past
and make recommendations for collaboration and
harmonization over the coming 5 years.
Analyzing the national priorities
of key sectors, and determine the opportunities
and priorities for GEF funding.
Carrying out a needs assessment
for building capacity among key beneficiaries
for implementing the strategy.
II) Organizational arrangements:
Establishing a Steering Committee chaired by the
Chairman of GEF Vietnam with other representatives
from the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment
(MONRE), the Ministry of Agricultural and Rural
Development (MARD), the Ministry of Industry (MoI),
the Ministry of Planning and Investment (MPI),
The Government’s Office and Ministry of Foreign
Affairs (MoFA), Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry
of Science and Technology (MOST) for review and
approval of the strategy.
Establishing a group of national
consultants with part-time input from an international
consultant to conduct research studies required
for the development of the strategy and consultation
workshops to collect comments from various agencies,
experts and relevant stakeholders.
Establishing a drafting team
to draft the GEF Strategy including representatives
from the line-ministries. GEF Vietnam will take
lead in drafting the GEF Strategy of Vietnam,
and in close consultation with UNDP and WB, conducting
the consultation process with line-ministries,
institutions, universities, NGOs, private sector
and other stakeholders and then, incorporating
stakeholders’ comments in the draft strategy.
III) Process:
For background studies, a working group including
national consultants with part-time input from
an international consultant to:
Set key criteria (both national
and GEF) and process for screening and selecting
projects.
Based on the findings of the review, propose GEF
coordination mechanisms including synergies among
existing and proposed multi-and bi-laterally funded
and GEF projects.
Provide clear guidance to the
government, relevant stakeholders and GEF implementing
agencies on the processes of developing, advocating,
approving, seeking co-finances and implementing
GEF funded projects in Viet Nam.
Develop mechanisms for national
stakeholders, GEF implementing agencies and donors
to provide input to define national GEF priorities.
Propose ways that allow GEF
funded projects to communicate results with the
GEF Operational Focal Point.
For strategy development, based
on the findings of the reviews and other related
documents, the drafting team to:
Determine the scope and define
goals (long term and short term) and objectives
of the strategy ;
To develop and finalize the outline of GEF strategy;
Identify the priorities for each of the GEF Focal
Areas/Operational Programs. These will need to
be aligned with GEF priorities found in the GEF
4 planning document and in new Socio-Economic
Development Plan and the 5-Year Plans of the region
and of the Government for relevant lined ministries.
Determine resources required to achieve the goals
in the context of the new GEF Resource Allocation
Framework.
Examine alternatives for prioritizing project
selection under the resource Allocation Framework,
ensuring that the:
planning process is explicitly linked to assistance
planning mechanisms of the Implementing Agencies
(WB, UNDP, UNEP, etc); and mainstreaming and leveraging
objectives of GEF are maximized
Identify opportunities that exist to build partnerships
and joint ventures with institutions/organizations
in the country (or other countries in the region),
i.e., GOV, NGOs, academic and research institutions,
and private industry including co-financing possibilities
with other multi and bi-lateral institutions.
Identify potential role of and mechanisms to further
involve private sector.
Identify potential opportunities
and/or lessons learned under the SGP to reflect
in MSP/FSPs.
Propose ways to facilitate the
link between formal, professional knowledge and
informal, local knowledge to address the identified
national GEF-related issues.
Develop mechanisms to monitor
and evaluate the implementation performance and
impacts of the proposed GEF strategy.
Though significant improvements
have been made in the draft strategy, certain
areas merit additional discussion. I hope that
after today’s workshop, we can have clearer focus
on key issues such as targeting (including criteria
for selection of poor communities), implementation
mechanisms, budget allocation and financial management,
participation and empowerment, monitoring and
evaluation, program coordination and management.
Distinguished participants!
Environmental risks exist in
all places and at all levels, and some are increasing.
Poverty in Viet Nam is reducing rapidly, and yet
the natural resources based livelihoods and environmental
health situation of some of the poorest are not
yet improving fast enough. Important advances
have been made in Viet Nam in terms of involvement
of the people in planning and monitoring of development
projects, but more involvement in for example
environmental management is needed.
We hope that the GEF Strategy
of Viet Nam will show how Viet Nam can achieve
rapid poverty reduction whilst improving the environment.
Mr. Kofi Annan in his message to the 5th Ministerial
Conference on Environment and Development in Asia
and the Pacific in Seoul stated that ‘the prevailing
model – grow first and clean up latter is not
the answer”. I am confident that our preparation
today will help avoiding such an approach in defining
our future development.
And from the perspective of
GEF Viet Nam, we believe that the starting point
has to be the recognition of the needs, interest,
capacities of every people as when people are
empowered and their capacities strengthened, much
can be accomplished and development should only
be realized when there is shared responsibility
among people. This means that our common work
must promote and secure respect for human rights
and we are all in this together.
In spite of the fact that ultimately
success will come from within and be owned by
the country and its citizens, we have learned
that the Government alone cannot effectively manage
the global environment. This requires not only
the active participation and involvement of citizens
and their organizations but also external assistance
as more can be accomplished if external assistance
and international cooperation are in place.
So this brings me to my second
point on the perspectives of co-operation among
the GEF countries for the new Replenishment Cycle.
In the developing countries,
the governments, the grassroots and civil organizations,
working on their own or closely with communities
they serve, have a thorough understanding of the
development challenges especially environmental
challenges faced by people at the local level.
With the participation of the local communities
they can develop and apply innovative solutions
to concrete development challenges. However, external
assistance in various forms from donor countries
are still of great significance to developing
countries. Such help can take many forms, including:
Ideas: The GEF can identify
and support new, innovative activities, which
generally are not covered by traditional development
assistance, such as ecotourism.
Information, experience, skills,
technologies, techniques, and technical solutions
that work around the world. These are certainly
important for expanding choices and capacities
of people in developing countries.
Finally, funding. ODA funding
in general and GEF funding in particular could
help developing countries and countries with economies
in transition including Viet Nam to achieve the
GEF strategic goals and MDGs faster and in a more
sustainable fashion .
The way forward is to create
responsive partnerships that enable strong responses
to a range of complex development and environmental
challenges. To achieve that goal, everyone must
be involved. The goals are our goals and everybody
has a part in achieving them. What we need to
do is be sure that global development wins out
over short term interests. We need to improve
our ability to talk about global development in
general, environmental management in particular
and to share our successes as well as point out
our failings. And the key to such a successful
partnership is in our hands.
Finally, I would like to confirm
the commitment of the GEF Vietnam to the GEF targeted
programs and to related efforts by the GEF, GEF
countries and other development partners to forge
an even strong partnership for achieving GEF strategic
goals and for a cleaner and better global environment.
Thank you.
