The National Capacity Self-Assessment

Support for country capacity development is an integral part of the Global Environment Facility, with a focus on strengthening the capacities of countries to manage their priority environmental issues and contribute to global environmental benefits. Each of the GEF modes of delivery (Full and Medium-sized Projects; Small Grants; and Enabling Activities) aims to incorporate some form of capacity development. Since 2002, the direction of capacity development work has been set by the GEF Strategic Approach to Enhance Capacity Building, one of the outcomes of a major review carried out in 1999-2000, the Capacity Development Initiative. Under the GEF Strategic Approach, a first Pathway of support, the National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA), was provided to GEF programme countries to make a self-assessment of their capacity needs and prepare a national capacity action plan.

The purpose of the NCSA is to enable each participating country to

1. review the global environment issues that require its priority attention, particularly, but not exclusively, with regard to issues covered by the Rio conventions;
2. determine what capacity development is needed to strengthen management of these issues; and
3. prepare a national plan of capacity development actions.

Subsequently, beyond the NCSA, countries will be able to implement their capacity development plans, leading to systematic strengthening of management systems and institutions to address the environmental issues identified.

Since 2002, 152 countries have become engaged in the NCSA programme. This has required each country to prepare and submit an NCSA proposal, plan and budget with assistance from one of the GEF Implementing Agencies, then secure approval and funding from the GEF and initiate the activity. UNDP is responsible for 116 NCSAs (76%), UNEP for 35 (23%) and the World Bank for 1. An important feature of the NCSA is that it is a country-driven enabling Activity (EA), a self-assessment of issues and needs, leading to a national capacity development plan. Following project formulation, the NCSAs are being implemented by the countries in accordance with guidelines developed by the GEF-Secretariat and IAs, as a standard sequence of analysis and planning steps:

Formulation Inception Capacity needs assessment Action Plan preparation Completion

Country drafting and GEF approval of the NCSA proposal Organization of the country Enabling Activity Stocktaking and analysis of capacity needs Drafting and approval of a plan for developing country capacity Final reporting and closure of the Enabling Activity