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Background
According to the recent UNEP
report titled Sudan Post-Conflict Environmental
Assessment, UNEP, “an estimated
50 to 200 km southward shift of the
boundary between semi-desert and desert
has occurred since rainfall and vegetation
records were first held in the 1930s.
This boundary is expected to continue
to move southwards due to declining
precipitation. The remaining semi-desert
and low rainfall savannah which represent
some 25 percent of Sudan’s agricultural
land, are at considerable risk of further
desertification. This is forecast to
lead to a significant drop (approximately
20 percent) in food production.”
Over the past few decades Sudan’s
environment has experienced long and
devastating droughts, severe land
degradation, due to demographic pressure
and ill-managed development, and a
deforestation crisis in the drier
regions.
In an attempt to join the international
community’s endeavours to address
these pressing issues, Sudan has ratified
the Global Environmental Conventions
in line with global environmental
objectives agreed upon at the UN Conference
on Environment and Development, Rio
de Janeiro, 1992, and related international
instruments. In doing so, the country
became a party to the United Nations
Convention on Biodiversity (UNCBD)
in 1995; a party to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change
(UNFCCC) in 1992; and in November
1995, was the 16th Party to ratify
the United Nations Convention on Combating
Desertification (UNCCD).
In order to comply with these commitments,
the Government of Sudan developed,
in cooperation with UNDP/Global Environment
Facility, national plans and strategies
for the achievement of biodiversity,
climate change and desertification
convention goals. However, these programmes
and plans tend to adopt a sectoral
approach. They were not designed to
consider a coordinated and cross-sectoral
approach at the institutional and/or
systematic levels. While each convention
stands on its own with specific objectives
and commitments, there is a mutual
dependency between all of them. Therefore,
a holistic approach is necessary in
order to design a national strategy
and build the capacity of relevant
institutions, understand the synergies
between these conventions, and find
ways to coordinate and harmonize overlapping
activities between them.
To address these needs, in October 2005
UNDP launched the Self-Assessment of
National Capacity Building Needs in
Sudan to Manage Global Environmental
Issues (NCSA) project with the support
of the Global Environment Facility.
The project hopes to provide national
actors in Sudan with the opportunity
to articulate a thorough, participatory,
self-assessment and analysis of national
capacity building needs, priorities
and constraints which currently prevent
the achievement of the global environmental
objectives as set forth in the Rio conventions
and related international instruments.
To address these needs, in October 2005
UNDP launched the National Capacity
Self-Assessment project with the support
of the Global Environment Facility.
The project hopes to provide national
actors in Sudan with the opportunity
to articulate a thorough, participatory,
self-assessment and analysis of national
capacity building needs, priorities
and constraints standing against achievements
of global environmental objectives as
set forth in the Rio conventions and
related international instruments.
Objectives
The overall objective of the National
Capacity Self-Assessment project is
to build on previous and ongoing activities
related to capacity development, provide
a general overview of capacity development
needs, and identify capacity constraints
related to the management of Sudan’s
global environmental commitments, including
the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations
Convention on Biodiversity (UNCBD),
and United Nations Convention on Combating
Desertification (UNCCD).
The Specific objectives are as follows:
• Analyze the cross-cutting issues
and synergies on identification of options
for capacity development, and in-depth
analysis of priority options.
• Prepare a national assessment
report, setting out critical capacity
development, constraints and strategy
and action plan of National Capacity
Self-Assessment to meet prioritized
capacity needs.
• Establish a mechanism for monitoring
and evaluating progress made by the
Government of Sudan to meet capacity
development needs.
Snapshots of the project's major achievements
NCSA reporting includes stocktaking
and thematic analysis of priorities
for implementation under the UNFCCC,
UNCBD, UNCCD and were identified through
the following consultation process:
• Identified the following key
interventions for the UNCCD: environmental
policies, extension, community mobilization,
rural development, indigenous knowledge,
intermediate technologies, and renewable
energy. Several institutions were also
identified to be involved in the action
plan such as the Remote Sensing Authority
(RSA), Sudanese Environment Conservation
Society (SECS), and the Environment
and Natural Resources Research Institute
(ENRRI).
• Identified the following
key interventions for the UNCBD: the
need for a lead authority to supervise
the implementation of the National
Biodiversity Strategic Action Plan
(NBSAP), awareness, improvement of
institutional capacities, revision
of institutional policies, structures
and affiliations and building an information
centre for biodiversity. The need
to revise land use patterns and the
urgency of developing national land
use planning was also identified.
• Identified the following
key priorities for the UNFCCC: the
need to revise policies, structures,
and affiliations of institutions related
to climate change. Upgrade institutional
capacities to deal with climate change
and to build up capacities for implementation
of the National Adaptation Programme
of Action (NAPA), and enhance capacities
of universities and research centres
and enhance the role of civil society
organizations in climate change related
issues.
• Identified the linkages between
Multilateral Environmental Agreements
and recommended the following actions:
policy, legal and institutional reform,
the need for land use reform and planning,
emphasis on shelter belts and alternative
energy sources, promotion of environmental
education and research and involving
NGOs and CBO’s. The need for
government commitment and funding
is also stressed, and the role of
the Higher Council for Environment
and Natural Resources as a coordinating
body housing a database on environmental
issues has also been emphasized.
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