GEF PROJECT BRIEF COVER PAGE
AS APPROVED BY THE GEF COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 1997
Project Title:
Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA)
Implementing Agency:
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Country:
Global
Host Country:
Sweden
Country Eligibility:
Not applicable
GEF Focal Area:
International Waters, with relevance to aquatic
biological diversity
Operational Programs:
Operational Programs 8, 9 & 10 ( with particular
relevance to the Regional/Global Technical support
component of OP 10) and relevance to Operational
Program 2
Project Linkage to National priorities:
see paragraph 1.4
Executing Agencies:
UNEP in collaboration with the University of
Kalmar, Sweden, GESAMP1, SCOPE2, ACOPS3,
WWC4, ICSU5, NOAA6 and other Regional
Intergovernmental Bodies and National Institutions
Summary of Project Rationale, Objective and Expected main outcomes
Rationale:
Lack of an International Waters Assessment comparable with that of the IPCC7, the Global Biodiversity Assessment, and the
Stratospheric Ozone Assessment, is a unique and serious impediment to the implementation of the International Waters (IW)
Component of the GEF, since there exists no basis on which to identify areas of global priority for GEF intervention. There is a need for
a globally coherent incremental study of transboundary water issues, based on the many existing, but thematically narrow studies at
national, regional and global levels. The GEF is in a unique position to facilitate such a study by assembling groups of specialists at a
regional level following comparable methodologies to investigate the ecological status of international waters and the causes of
degradation. From the different regional and sub-regional assessments a global picture will emerge.
Objective:
The overall objective is to develop a comprehensive, strategic framework for the identification of priorities for remedial and mitigatory
actions in international waters, designed to achieve significant environmental benefits, at national, regional and global levels.
Expected Outcomes:
Strategic information for GEF use at a programmatic level through the provision of a framework for: the identification of regional and
global priority areas for the consideration of the GEF and its partners in the focal area of international waters, and decision making
concerning appropriate management interventions, including identification of more sustainable approaches to the use of water and its
associated resources. Preparation of approaches for the elucidation of incremental cost analyses, and protocols for the conduct of
causal chain and transboundary diagnostic analyses in GEF-IW projects. Increase in leveraged co-financing.

1 Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection supported by the International Maritime
Organization (IMO); the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); the Intergovernmental Oceanographic
Commission (IOC) of UNESCO; the World Meteorological Organization (WMO); World Health Organization (WHO); the
International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); the United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea; and the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
2 Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (of ICSU);
3 Advisory Committee on Protection of the Sea
4 World Water Council
5 International Council of Scientific Unions
6 National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the US Department of Commerce
7 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
1

---

1.
Background
1.1
A GEF objective in the International Waters foc al area is "to contribute primarily as a
catalyst to the implementation of a more comprehensive, ecosystem-based approach to managing
international waters and their drainage basins as a means to achieve global environmental
benefits". The present proposal addresses the issues of priority setting within the c ontext of the
International Waters Portfolio of the GEF and seeks to eluc idate the soc ietal c auses of water-
related issues and problems.
1.2
The GEF Operational Strategy identifies four major areas of c onc ern relating to
International Waters, inc luding: degradation of the quality of transboundary water resources;
physical habitat degradation; introduction of non-indigenous species; and excessive exploitation of
living and non-living resources. Whilst these major c onc erns are, if not universal then at least
widespread, their extent and relative importanc e varies c onsiderably from geographic region to
region. The Operational Strategy states that "GEF's activities will focus on seriously threatened
waterbodies and the most imminent transboundary threats to their ecosystems". It also identifies
c ertain problems inc luding persistent organic pollutants (POPs), thought to be of global
signific anc e but requiring further assessment. Dec iding on whic h waterbodies and whic h threats
should rec eive priority attention is diffic ult in the absenc e of a c omprehensive assessment of the
ecological status of international waters and related causes of degradation.
1.3
At its fourth meeting in Nairobi, 15-17 February 1996, the GEF Sc ientific and Tec hnic al
Advisory Panel (STAP) noted that: ÒLack of an International Waters Assessment comparable with
that of the IPCC, the Global Biodiversity Assessment, and the Stratospheric Ozone Assessment,
was a unique and serious impediment to the implementation of the International Waters
Component of the GEFÓ. STAP further noted that ÒWhile there exist a number of assessments of
separate aspects of International Waters, there is no holistic assessment of the kind needed to
develop an intergovernmental consensus on priorities for action by the GEFÓ.8 Subsequently during
the sixth STAP session, in Amsterdam, 9-12 September 1996, it was agreed that there is a
nec essity for a region by region assessment of water systems whic h, taken together, would plac e
these issues within a global c ontext. In the absenc e of an overall, c omprehensive, global
assessment of the nature, extent, and distribution of partic ular issues and problems affecting
international waters, and their soc ietal c auses, the strategy for GEF in the International Waters
portfolio lac ks adequate c riteria for priority setting. Selection of projec ts in this portfolio to date
has been undertaken in the absenc e of a c lear understanding of the global priorities for ac tion
and information c onc erning the optimum sites for maximising global environmental benefits.
1.4
The urgent need for an assessment of the causes of environmental degradation has
been highlighted in recent international fora such as the UN Special Session on the
Environment (UNGASS) 23 June 1997, where commitments were made regarding the work of
the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) on freshwater in 1998 and seas i n
1999. In two recent international Declarations, the Potomac Declaration on Oceans and
Security (Washington, D.C., May 21, 1997), and the Stockholm Statement on Interaction of
Land Activities, Freshwater and Enclosed Seas (Stockholm, August 14, 1997), specific
emphasis was placed on the need for a assessment which examines the root causes of
degradation of the transboundary aquatic environment and options for addressing them. In his
recent speech to the UN General Assembly, the Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan noted the
achievements of GEF and the need to replenish the fund. He also stressed the importance of
UNEP's role "as the forum for development of international policy, law and negotiation and
implementation of c o-operative arrangements to deal with environmental issues, as a bridge
between sc ienc e and policy-making". In the light of all of these developments, this assessment
would appear to be both appropriate and timely.
1.5
The GEF is in a unique position to facilitate such an assessment by assembling groups
of specialists at a regional level following compatible methodologies to investigate the
ecological status of international waters and the causes of degradation. From the different
regional and sub-regional assessments a global picture will emerge. The c hallenge fac ed by
GIWA though timely, is onerous. In effect, GIWA, through the GEF should be in a position to
provide tec hnic al information nec essary to support muc h of the politic al dialogue undertaken
within the forum of the UNCSD as a follow-up to initiatives suc h as UNGASS.

8 UNEP/GEF/STAP/4/6
2

---

2.
Project Rationale and Objective
2.1
Lack of an International Waters Assessment comparable with that of the IPCC, the
Global Biodiversity Assessment, and the Stratospheric Ozone Assessment, is a unique and
serious impediment to the implementation of the International Waters (IW) Component of the
GEF, since there exist no basis on which to identify areas of global priority for GEF intervention.
There is a need for a globally coherent incremental study of transboundary water issues, based
on the many existing, but thematically narrow studies at national, regional and global levels.
2.2
The overall objective is to develop a comprehensive strategic assessment that may
be used by GEF and its partners to identify priorities for remedial and mitigatory actions in
international waters, designed to achieve significant environmental benefits, at national,
regional and global levels.
2.3
To meet this objective the projec t aims to produc e a fully c omprehensive and integrated
Global International Waters Assessment, enc ompassing the ecological status of and causes of
environmental problems of transboundary freshwater basins and their associated c oastal and
oc ean systems. The GIWA will undertake this from the perspec tives of: water quality and quantity;
associated biodiversity and habitats; their use by soc iety; the soc ietal c auses of the regionally
identified issues and problems; and sc enarios of future c onditions based on projec tions of
demographic , ec onomic and soc ial c hanges associated with the proc ess of human development.
3.
Baseline Course of Action
3.1.
The most rec ent c omprehensive global assessment of the environmental problems of the
Oc eans is that published by GESAMP9 in 1990. The rec ently c ompleted Comprehensive
Freshwater Assessment (1997), undertaken by relevant UN organisations and the Stoc kholm
Environment Institute at the request of the UNCSD, provides an overview of freshwater resourc es
and their present use. This assessment provides sc enarios of the probable situation in 2025, based
on existing driving forc es of c hange and as suc h is the first assessment in this area to take a
forward looking approac h. However it is inadequate in the assessment of transboundary
freshwater basins and associated transboundary groundwaters.
3.2
Several thematic assessments and c ompilations of data relevant to the GEF International
Waters portfolio are available or planned by the FAO, IOC, IUCN, WWF, UNEP, World Bank,
SCOPE, GESAMP, GEMS, IGBP/LOICZ10, and World Water Council, amongst others, whilst
numerous regional and sub-regional assessments of freshwater and marine problems are
available, inc luding the transboundary diagnostic analyses c ompleted to date within the
framework of GEF projec t ac tivities. On-going regional assessments of the impact of land-based
ac tivities on the marine environment are also being c onduc ted within the framework of the
GPA/LBA11. A preliminary bibliography prepared during the PDF-B phase lists several hundred
relevant assessments and ac c ess points for meta-data c atalogues and holdings, providing a
substantial basis on whic h to build a c omprehensive global assessment of International Waters
issues and problems.
3.3
Past assessments have generally lac ked the holistic , systems approac h advocated by the
GEF, sinc e they have c onc entrated on spec ific issues suc h as biodiversity, or have treated
freshwater independently of the associated marine and c oastal systems. Assessments tend to be
sec torial and it has been diffic ult to ac hieve a holistic approac h with the existing international
institutional structures. Suc h ac tivities will c ontinue in the absenc e of the overarc hing framework
that will result from this project which is itself an incremental activity that is unlikely to be
initiated without the intervention of the GEF.
4.
Alternative Course of Action
4.1
Description of the GEF Intervention
4.1.1
The geographic sc ope of the projec t is global with a defined regional focus. It is

9 GESAMP: State of the Marine Environment. UNEP/RSRS No. 115, UNEP 1990.
10 Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO; IUCN - The
World Conservation Organization; World Wildlife Fund; Global Environment Monitoring System (of UNEP); International Geosphere-
Biosphere Programme, Land Ocean Interactions in the Coastal Zone.
11 Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities
3

---

anticipated that governments having interests in transboundary fresh waters (both surface and
subsurface) and marine waters and their dependent resourc es will partic ipate through
involvement of national scientific and technical experts, managers and policy makers.
4.1.2
The sc ientific and tec hnic al sc ope of the projec t is primarily defined by the linkage
between transboundary freshwater and marine systems, but enc ompasses other issues relating
to freshwater and marine systems separately. The substantive sc ope of the projec t inc ludes an
integrated assessment of the environmental, managerial, sc ientific , legal, soc ial and ec onomic
aspects of water related environmental problems.
4.1.3
GIWA is not foreseen as primarily a data gathering exercise. It will gather only that
information required to c omplete a stepwise, iterative analysis of transboundary water-related
problems and their c auses. This information will be used to generate scenarios reflec ting
c ontinuation of c urrent prac tic es, and adoption of environmentally sustainable alternatives. The
analysis requires a broad base of information from the physic al and soc ial sc ienc es, that ac c ounts
for the geographic al and geopolitic al pec uliarities of c ountries and regions and reflec ts the
different rates of c hange in soc ial, c ultural and ec onomic prac tic es c harac terising the proc ess of
Òhuman developmentÓ.
4.1.4
On the one hand, GIWA must c onduc t a globally coherent assessment of the
ecological status of transboundary waters. On the other, it will probe societal causes of the
identified issues whether or not these are geographic ally loc ated on the rivers or seas themselves.
It will quantify some of the hidden environmental c osts or externalities of existing domestic ,
industrial, agricultural and transport prac tic es and c ompare prevailing prac tic es with more
environmentally, soc ially and ec onomic ally, sustainable approac hes.
4.1.5
Spec ific ally, the sc ope of the projec t will enc ompass the c ompletion of: a regional
(region by region) assessment of the ecological status and causes of degradation of
transboundary water systems, inc luding c ross-c utting elements of widespread prac tic es;
assessment of soc ietal c auses of identified major c onc erns and principal issues; up-to-date, issue-
related global reviews of selected issues of relevanc e to International Waters; a global overview of
inter-regional transboundary issues in the area of international waters; and sc enarios of future
trends and state of the aquatic environment and resourc es under various planning bounds of
soc ial and ec onomic c hange and development
4.2
GIWA Activities Leading to Expected Outcomes and Results
4.2.1
The pre-project preparatory phase
4.2.1.1 This phase, already completed, had the main objectives of defining the thematic
analytic al sc ope of GIWA and establishing the operational geographic units of assessment, the
doc uments available from this phase are listed in Annex I. The first expert group examined
internationally recognised water-related environmental issues with transboundary consequences
at the regional or global levels (Annex II); identified the primary socio-economic forces causing
water related environmental degradation (Annex III); and developed a matrix illustrating the
interactions between the major concerns and principal issues (Annex IV). The group was able to
evaluate suitable approaches for examining the status and causes of the identified problems
through a "causal chain approach" and demonstrate how alternatives and options for
subsequent action involving the GEF may be identified (Annex V). The approac h is applic able,
with small variants, to all types of international waters: seas; rivers; lakes; and groundwaters. It
needs to be extended to examine unc ertainties, policy options and barriers to addressing the
c auses, but the power and utility of the methodology are amply illustrated.
4.2.1.2 The sec ond expert group developed the geographic al framework for GIWA. The task was
to divide the world into a series of areas, based upon a mix of environmental, biogeographic al
and geopolitic al fac tors whic h seemed the most appropriate for the purposes of this projec t. The
main determining fac tor was the integrity of eac h unit in terms of enc ompassing the major c auses
and effects of environmental problems associated with eac h transboundary water area, whether
river basin, groundwater, lake or sea. In many c ases a drainage area and associated marine basin
(often a Large Marine Ec osystem) were the most appropriate units. Sixty six of these sub-regions
were identified and grouped into nine Regions, for the c onvenienc e of projec t management only.
The 66 sub-regions will be the basic units of assessment of GIWA and are listed in Annex VI.
4

---

4.2.1.3 In order to illustrate the plausible utility of GIWAÕs analytic al approac h, a preliminary table
(Annex VII) was developed as an indication of the potential regional importanc e of eac h of the
major water-related environmental c onc erns and principal issues identified by the first expert
group. This table provides a means of sc oping the full assessment and will be further developed
during exec ution of GIWA, through the iterative analysis of quantitative information and sc ientific
reviews, gradually bec oming more objective and detailed in its geographic al c overage.
4.2.2
The Establishment of the GIWA network and development of an assessment
protocol12
4.2.2.1 The network established to ac c omplish the work of GIWA (the GIWA network) will c onsist
of national experts and institutions, regional and global c ollaborating bodies organised around
the geographic units of assessment and grouped into nine major regions. A preliminary list of
possible c ollaborating agencies is provided in Annex VIII. Wherever and whenever possible
existing regional and thematic networks will be used. Overall c o-ordination of the work of the
partic ipating individuals and institutions will take plac e through Focal Points for eac h of the sub-
regions who will partic ipate in the work of Nine Regional Task Teams, of (between 10 and 15
members) supported and assisted by a Core Team of (between 4 and 6) full-time spec ialists
c overing both regional and thematic c onc erns. The Core Team will be advised by, and report to,
a Steering Group of (between 12 and 15) senior sc ientists and representatives of the major c o-
sponsoring organisations. Individual members of the Core Team will func tion as links to, and foc al
points for, one or more of the Regional Task Teams. During the first three months, the primary task
of the Core Team will be to build upon the work undertaken during the preparatory phase,
establish the major c omponents of the network and prepare rec ommendations c onc erning the
establishment of the c omponents of the GIWA network, for c onsideration by the Steering Group.
4.2.2.2 The first meeting of the Steering Group, will be c onvened within four months from
c ommenc ement of the projec t to agree upon the principal components of the GIWA Network,
namely the c omposition of the Regional Task Teams, and the regional organisations hosting the
Task Teams. The network is intended to be "open-ended", to c onsist, at least in part of a network
of networks and is expected to grow ac c ording to the needs and in-kind c ontributions of sponsors
and partic ipants. During the subsequent six months, the Core Team will c onvene the nec essary
expert c onsultations for the c ompletion of a preliminary GIWA Assessment Protocol and will
c onvene first meetings of all Regional Task Teams to review the protoc ol. They shall also draw
upon the experienc e of the regional teams in order to design an approved methodology for
c onduc ting c ausal c hain analyses to examine soc ietal root c auses of water related environmental
problems and guidelines for the c onduc t of transboundary diagnostic analyses - a primary GIWA
produc t applic able to GEF IW projec ts partic ularly in the GEF Operational Programme 8. In
addition, the expert c onsultations will identify the needs for establishment of Thematic Task
Teams and should also identify needs for c ase studies where strictly nec essary, partic ularly in the
soc io-ec onomic domain. The Thematic Task Teams may need to meet twic e during the first year
in order to assist the Core Team with the development and finalisation of the assessment
protoc ols. The Regional Task Teams, will c onvene onc e during the first year and working c losely
with the Core Team shall c omplete the initial products of GIWA by the end of project year one.
4.2.2.3 The anticipated products at the end of year one are: a global network of c ollaborating
institutions/organisations and individuals in governmental and non-governmental organisations; a
meta-data c atalogue of existing/c ompleted projec ts in all regions; a GIWA assessment protoc ol
inc luding an agreed methodology for c onduc ting c ausal c hain analyses to examine soc ietal root
c auses of water related environmental problems, an agreed methodology for c onduc ting
transboundary diagnostic analyses at regional sc ales; detailed approaches to the application of
inc remental c ost analysis in International Waters projec ts; a preliminary analytic al tool for the
analysis of the ec ologic al status of water-related environmental issues and their soc ietal c auses
(this will subsequently be a c omponent of all TDAs).
4.2.3
The analytical phase of GIWA
4.2.3.1 During the sec ond twelve months the national experts and institutions shall gather and
analyse the information, nec essary for applying the GIWA assessment protoc ol at the sub-
regional level. They will be assisted in this task by the Regional Task Teams, the Core Team and
where nec essary the Thematic Task Teams. Based on the produc ts of the sub-regional

12 See section 8. Institutional Framework for detailed information on the various components of the GIWA Network
5

---

assessments, the Thematic and Regional Task Teams, together with the Core Team shall
c ommenc e, and as far as possible c omplete the regional level assessments. This proc ess will be
designed in an iterative manner in order to review the quality and relevanc e of the information
gathered and to ensure c omparability and c ompatibility of the analyses. There will be differenc es
in the approac h required in eac h region as some regional studies have already c onsolidated the
information required by GIWA, whereas others have very sc arce and fragmented information.
4.2.3.2 GIWA products resulting from these ac tivities will inc lude: regional meta databases and
bibliographies to be issued on CD ROM; c ontributions to the Internet site prepared by IW-learn;
approximately 66 sub-regional reviews of the transboundary ecological status and major water
related concerns and principal issues, inc luding analyses of their c auses; published guidelines for
preparation of a c ausal c hain analysis for use in GEF regional level transboundary diagnostic
analyses; guidelines for the applic ation of transboundary diagnostic analyses in GEF IW projec ts
partic ularly in the GEF Operational Programme 8; and regional reviews of issues and their
soc ietal c auses for widespread dissemination.
4.2.3.3 Of partic ular c onc ern during this phase will be the information requirements for soc io-
ec onomic analyses as these will be the major driving forc es built into the possible sc enarios. A
major task will be to dis-aggregate existing data (generally assembled on the basis of geopolitic al
divisions and without regard to their relationship to the environment and the distribution of natural
resourc es) and regroup it ac c ording to environmentally relevant geographic al areas desc ribing
transboundary systems. A Thematic Economic Task Team will be established to: oversee this
work; provide advice and assistanc e to some regions; and to ensure c onsistenc y in the applic ation
of the GIWA assessment protoc ol. Simultaneously the Core Team, assisted by the Thematic Task
Teams will develop the draft methods and approac hes to be used during the predic tive and
policy options analysis phase.
4.2.3.4 It is anticipated that the Regional Task Teams will need to meet an average of two times
during the analytic al phase. Muc h of the work will depend on day-to-day elec tronic mail
c ommunic ations established by the Regional Task Team members and the individual experts
working at national level. It is hoped that some of the GIWA donors may be prepared to establish
sc holarships at relevant postgraduate researc h departments in order to provide additional
dedicated intellec tual input to the GIWA proc ess. In addition to the meetings of the Regional
Task Teams, there will be a number of Thematic Task Team meetings in whic h experts from the
regional groups, and outside spec ialists will meet together, in order to: disc uss progress with
implementation; fac ilitate improved quality of GIWA produc ts; and to bring peer pressure to bear
on any team that is performing inadequately. The partic ipation of experts from established
international bodies suc h as ICSU and GESAMP will be essential in this work. The expertise
needed to c over transboundary freshwater, marine, c oastal and groundwater issues as well as
soc ietal c auses of degradation and driving forc es of c hange, c annot presently be found within
any single international body.
4.2.3.5 The GIWA Core Team shall ensure that the nec essary support is provided to the Regional
and Thematic Task Teams during this phase of the projec t. They shall fac ilitate the provision of
additional expertise to regions requiring suc h support and ac tively promote GIWA to additional
potential donors.
4.2.3.6 The Thematic Task Teams in c ollaboration with the Core Team, shall begin the
elaboration of a series of global reviews based on the outc omes of the work of the UNCSD. These
will be developed through integration of information from the regional studies and historic al
information and will be c ompleted and published in the third year of GIWA. In some c ases, these
reviews will be based upon existing programmes/reviews c onduc ted by the c ontributors to GIWA.
The work of existing bodies will not be duplic ated and GIWA will serve to provide added value
where possible.
4.2.4
The predictive/policy options analysis phase
4.2.4.1 During the third year of GIWA, dedicated to sc enario development and policy options
analysis, the work of the Task Teams and the Core Team will be foc used upon the evaluation of
alternative scenarios. The analyses will inc orporate a number of sc enarios developed on the
basis of projec ted ac tions taken to address the identified soc ietal c auses of environmental
degradation. The initial starting point for these sc enarios will be Òc urrent trends". In effect, from an
ec onomic perspec tive, the analyses will c onsider the implic ations of measures to internalise
6

---

environmental externalities in the evaluation of alternative options for water use. Different
alternative approaches will be considered in order to reach a given objective (alternative
scenarios, policy changes, investment in technological solutions, etc.). From a soc ial
perspec tive, the analysis will c onsider the inc remental c ost of measures to enc ourage the
modific ation of unsustainable soc ial and ec onomic development trends. The uncertainties in
the sc enarios must also be identified and c learly stated.
4.2.4.2 The predic tive phase of the assessment will build on the studies and analyses undertaken
over the entire three-year period of GIWA. The produc ts will be finalised in the third year when
suffic ient validated data from the sub-regional and regional analyses bec ome available. This
phase will require the partic ipation of well-rec ognised regional and international experts,
supported where possible from the bodies and donors c ontributing to GIWA itself. This phase of
the work will not be treated as a merely ac ademic exercise but will ac tively involve stakeholders
from governments, industry and all levels of soc iety. The principal product from the third year of
GIWA will be a detailed sc heme for placing priorities on transboundary environmental issues i n
the various sub-regions.
4.2.4.3 Products at the end of year three will be: nine regional and 66 sub-regional sc enarios of
the future state of international waters based on planning bounds reflec ting differing rates of
c hange and industrialisation, population and development trends; a global analysis of the
soc ietal c auses of identified water-related, major c onc erns and principal issues; a global overview
of the relative importanc e of the various major c onc erns and principal issues by region; and a
signific ant number of global reviews of topics through the regional reviews and the work of
UNCSD;
4.2.5
Dissemination of the GIWA products
4.2.5.1 The final phase of GIWA will be dedicated to the preparation and dissemination of the
global and regional GIWA produc ts. Whilst numerous intermediate produc ts will have been
produc ed and disseminated during the earlier phases of the projec t many of these will be of a
highly tec hnic al nature. During this phase emphasis will be directed towards the preparation of
reviews that are easily comprehensible to various sectors of society. GIWA should not remain
a desk exercise but should be made available to the public in general, to educ ational institutions
and to national and regional authorities. The GIWA meta-data base and regional reports should
be freely available through elec tronic c ommunic ations, on CD ROM and, where strictly
nec essary, in hard c opy. The GIWA Core Team and the Task Teams, together with spec ialists on
public educ ation and awareness will c omplete this work. Anticipated products from this phase
inc lude: popular educ ational and information materials c onc erning transboundary water-related
environmental problems on a regional basis; CD-ROMÕs of data and information for use in
dec ision making; a meta-data c atalogue of relevant assessments, data and information sources
available via the Internet; and substantive c ontributions to an Internet website for international
waters to be established in c lose c o-operation with the GEF IW-Learn projec t implemented by
UNDP.
4.3
Expected Outcomes/Results
4.3.1 Expected outc omes of the projec t will be:
· strategic
assessments
of
ecological
status of transboundary waters for GEF use at a
programmatic level through the provision of an assessment of ecological priorities at the
regional and global sc ales c onc erning issues and problems in the foc al area of
international waters;
·
provision of a framework for GEF projects to decide upon appropriate management
interventions inc luding remedial and mitigatory ac tions in international waters, of value to
the GEF, regional international organisations, and governments partic ipating in the GEF;
·
identific ation of more sustainable approac hes to the use of water and its associated
resourc es, at national regional and loc al levels;
·
protoc ols for the c onduc t of c ausal c hain and transboundary diagnostic analyses for use
in GEF International Waters Projec ts by the Implementing Agencies;
·
a c onsiderable inc rease in leveraged c o-financ ing as a result of improved foc using and
c redibility of future interventions and projec ts;
·
a baseline of information at the regional and sub-regional level which will facilitate the
regional task of preparation of Transboundary Diagnostic Analyses within new projects
7

---

and improve the capacity to evaluate projects underway or within the existing GEF
pipeline.
5.
Project Risks and Sustainability
5.1
As noted in the Logical Framework Matrix (Annex IX) the success of project
implementation is based on the assumptions that governments will support the process of GIWA
execution and will actively contribute to it and further that governments and donors will accept
the results of the assessment.
5.2
Progress to project completion is dependent upon the preparation of sub-regional
reviews and analyses in an orderly and timely manner to permit their aggregation to regional
and global scales. It is also assumed that the sub-regional reviews and analyses will be of
comparable quality permitting regional level aggregation of information and analysis at
broader scales. Both these assumptions seem likely to be met through the proposed
organisational structure.
5.3
One further assumption relates to the nature in which social and economic data are
normally aggregated on the basis of political and administrative boundaries and without regard
to environmental boundaries. Handling such data during the analytical phase will require their
dis-aggregation and re-aggregation and it was the opinion of the second working group that
although time consuming such a re-aggregation was possible.
6.
Dissemination of Project Results
6.1
As noted in sec tion 4.2.5 the final phase of GIWA will be dedicated to the preparation
and dissemination of the global and regional GIWA produc ts. Throughout the life of the ac tivity
information and analyses will be produc ed in a variety of forms and disseminated widely by
various means inc luding Internet, CD ROMÕs and in print media where nec essary.
8.
INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORK AND EVALUATION
8.1 Institutional Framework
8.1.1 Supporting Organisation:
8.1.1.1 The project will be executed by the University of Kalmar at the Global level, assisted by
a UNEP appointed Core Team of scientists. The Core Team will be located in the City of
Kalmar, Sweden, at the Marine Biological Centre of the University of Kalmar.
8.1.1.2 The University of Kalmar has a well established profile in natural science and
technology with special emphasis on the environment and marine biology. There are
established Chairs in Natural Resource Management, Aquatic Ecology and Technical
Environmental Science. Doctoral studies in Agenda 21 have been established at the University.
Nautical Officers and Marine Engineers are trained at the Merchant Marine Academy, which is
equipped with advanced simulator capacity.
8.1.1.3 The Host Country Agreement between UNEP and the Swedish Government and the
Agreement between UNEP, the University of Kalmar and the Municipality of Kalmar are
provided in Annexes XIV and XV. Annex XV provides details of the support to be provided by
the University of Kalmar to the work of the Core Team. The University of Kalmar will be
responsible for managing the funds provided to support the work of the Core Team and a l l
components of the GIWA Network, and for timely production of financial reports to UNEP.
8.1.2 The Core Team:
8.1.2.1 The Core Team will consist of between 4 Ð 6 professionals (depending upon available
co-financing) headed by a Scientific Director, and appointed by UNEP, see Figure 1. The
Terms of reference for the Core Team and for individual professional staff within the team are
attached as Annexes XVI and XVII to this document. All the proposed substantive activities will
be managed and co-ordinated on a day-to-day basis by the UNEP Core Team, in consultation
with UNEP HQ (Division of Environmental Assessment and Early Warning) and the University of
8

---

Kalmar. UNEP will designate a Programme Officer in the Division of Environmental Assessment
and Early Warning as the half-time focal point for the implementation of the project.
9

---