INTERNATIONAL WATERS
EXPERIENCE NOTES
2
http://www.iwlearn.net/experience
2006-012
Small Grants Programme (SGP) in the
GEF/UNDP Danube Regional Project
(DRP)
Abstract: Among some 80 activities pursued by the UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project, its Small
Grants Programme (SGP) has had a particularly remarkable impact. The SGP was the DRP's main
vehicle for engaging local stakeholders and the public through NGO involvement and capacity building for
actions at the local level to support the Danube SAP. In total, 120 National Grants and 10 Regional
Grants were distributed to NGOs in 11 countries in the Danube River Basin. Projects were monitored and
evaluated by the DRP through regular reporting and site visits. The best practices of NGO projects were
highlighted in stories submitted to both national and international media. The SGP support NGO activities
to reduce nutrient pollution, along with other projects and tools implemented by the DRP, has contributed
to significant and measurable improvements in the water quality of the Danube and the Black Sea.
Specific heuristics are presented here to help other projects replicate DRP's interactive SGP approach --
through design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation phases.
Kari Aina Eik
Kari.aina.eik@unvienna.org
Danube Regional Project
Dann Sklarew, editor
GEF IW:LEARN
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Small Grants Programme (SGP) in the GEF/UNDP Danube Regional
Project (DRP)
Experience of the GEF - sponsored
GEF/UNDP: Strengthening the Implementation for Nutrient Reduction and
Transboundary Cooperation in the Danube River Basin
GEFID: 1460/2042, (RER03/G31/A/1G/31 00036337)
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
programme for non-governmental organizations
(NGOs).
On December 1 2001, the US$17,2 Million
Danube Regional Project (DRP) was launched
THE EXPERIENCE
as the next 5-year phase of UNDP-GEF's long-
term commitment to achieving environmental
(a) Transboundary Water Management (TWM)
health in the Danube River Basin. The main
Issue:
DRP goal was to strengthen existing basin
management structures and activities, building
The objective of DRP's Small Grants Program
on lessons learned, and facilitating a regional
(SGP) component was to facilitate stakeholder
approach.
participation and action at the grassroots level
for addressing key Danube River Basin (DRB)
The project's objectives were:
environmental problems such as nutrient
pollution -- in the context of river basin
S To assist with the establishment of
management and transboundary cooperation.
institutional and legal instruments at the
Individual grants promoted pragmatic
national and regional level to assure nutrient
approaches to complex basin issues, creating
reduction and sustainable management of
demonstrations replicable in the Danube basin
water bodies and ecological resources, and
and elsewhere. The intention has been to
S To assist the 13 countries in implementing
stimulate awareness and action within the NGO
their agreed strategic action programme,
community while building cooperation for solving
focusing on nutrient pollution reduction.
nutrient pollution problems. The SGP
(The Danube Strategic Action Programme
consequently contributed to building the
(SAP) was adopted in a previous GEF-
participatory process needed for effectively
supported project.)
dealing with nutrient reduction and
transboundary cooperation in the DRB. The
A key focus was on building the capacity of the
SGP has shown how much local NGOs can
International Commission for the Protection of
contribute to raising awareness and doing
the Danube River (ICPDR) and Danube
practical work related to these issues. NGOs
countries to fulfill their legally binding
also increase public involvement in pollution
commitment to implement the Danube
reduction, including practical and replicable
Convention. Such efforts include the
community-based projects involving education
development of a River Basin Management Plan
training and monitoring.
in line with the EU's Water Framework Directive.
(b) How was the issue addressed
The DRP is an umbrella for some 80 activities to
strengthen agricultural policy, provide river basin
The SGP was the DRP's main vehicle for
management tools, protect wetlands and
engaging local stakeholders and the public
improve water services.
through NGO involvement and capacity building
for actions at the local level to support the
The project is also significant because of its
Danube SAP. The programme was coordinated
many links to the local level, including activities
and implemented by the DRP together with the
related to public participation, access to
Regional Environmental Center (REC). Other
information, communications, local pilot
NGOs were grant recipients, addressing
demonstration activities and a large grants
regional environmental problems and challenges
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while enhancing their own capacities in project
NGO network in the DRB with over 170
management and implementation. In this
members. Small grants provided to the DEF
fashion, the SGP helped raise the capacity of
represented a main component of the DRP's
many of the more than 170 NGOs participating
overall support activities for DEF.
in the Danube Environmental Forum (DEF).*
The aggregated results from NGO activities
* See "Institutional development of NGOs
geared to reducing nutrient pollution, in
Danube Environmental Forum (DEF)" (IW
combination with other projects and tools
Experience Note)
implemented by the DRP, has contributed to
significant and measurable improvements in the
RESULTS AND LEARNING
water quality of the Danube and Black Sea (e.g.
the depletion of oxygen in the lower levels of the
Grants were distributed to DRB NGOs through
Black Sea has been virtually eliminated). It can
two rounds, each lasting approximately one
therefore be observed that the DRP SGP has
year. Concise and compelling announcements
been an excellent tool in helping to reach the
of the grant competitions were publicized in
GEF International Waters global goal of nutrient
international and national media that were
reduction in the Black Sea.
known to effectively reach NGO readers. Many
NGOs responded to each call with project
REPLICATION
concepts which were screened by selection
panels. National projects were screened and
In order to develop and implement a small
selected by national selection panels. Regional
grants programme on this scale, there are some
projects were screened by an international panel
challenges and lessons learned that could be
that initially invited a short-list of NGOs to
useful for other projects. These span three
prepare more detailed proposals for submission.
phases: planning/design, implementation and
In this time, potential regional grantees were
monitoring/evaluation.
assisted financially and technically in project
development, after which five regional grants
Planning / design
were selected in each round. In total, 120
Initial challenges for SGP implementers include
National Grants and 10 Regional Grants were
scoping the grants/ guidelines and the objectives
distributed to NGOs in 11 countries in the DRB.
of the grants programme to overall GEF project
Projects were monitored and evaluated by the
objectives. Improving public awareness and
DRP through regular reporting and site visits.
communication are primary results of many
The best practices of NGO projects were
small grants. As a result, the SGP should reflect
highlighted in stories submitted to both national
this audience with an approach that is not too
and international media.
technical. In addition, guidelines and
announcements should use simplified English,
NGO projects with a high potential to reduce
as this is not often the first language of members
nutrient and toxic pollution received funding for
of participating organizations. Materials for
their activities. Activity examples ranged from
applicants should also be specific in describing
the direct reduction of nutrient pollution through
the types of activities that would be funded, to
wetland vegetation absorption, to raising the
ensure alignment with the SAP adopted by
awareness of urban consumers about the
participating governments.
contributions made by laundry detergents to
nutrient pollution. In the end, many activities
Another issue, for larger programmes to
resulted in direct reductions in nutrients at the
consider, is sub-contracting implementation if
local level, for example small scale waste water
there is not sufficient staff in-house to manage it.
treatment plants or projects focused on
SGP implementation and follow-up are quite
changing agricultural practices and the reduced
resource-intensive. For the Danube SGP, the
use of fertilizers.
REC served as a sub-contractor to handle the
120 National grants and 10 Regional grants.
The main beneficiaries of the grants projects
Each grant had its own inception, progress and
were local residents, local community, local
final reports and an extensive payment
authorities and DRB NGOs. A large proportion
schedule. Thus, projects should allocate an
of the grants went to NGO members of the
estimated level of effort equivalent to
Danube Environmental Forum (DEF), the largest
approximately one full-time staff per million US$
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in grants, split as appropriate among project,
measurement must be built into the design of
NGO, regional, national and local personnel.
the small grants proposals to ensure that grants
address the priority concerns identified by
In design of an SGP should budget 10 percent
governments in their agreed SAP.
for overhead costs. It is also useful to set aside
approximately 10% of the total budget for
SIGNIFICANCE
unforeseen costs, such as meetings,
dissemination of results, as well as for an
This experience is significant because:
evaluation either at mid-term and/or at the end
S It is one of the main vehicles for public
of the project.
participation in GEF IW projects and has
raised awareness and involvement at local,
Implementation
national and regional levels;
With respect to institutional setup, who should
S It has supported the overall goals and
be involved in selection, monitoring and follow-
objectives of the project for nutrient
up at the national level? In this case,
reduction and trans-boundary water
governmental representatives through the
cooperation;
International Secretariat for the Protection of the
S It is replicable and valuable for GEF
Danube River Basin (ICPDR) as well as national
international waters projects to engage local
and regional NGOs (DEF) were directly involved
communities and facilitate the start of local
in both grant decisions and follow-up for the
action to address priority transboundary
selected projects.
concerns; and
S The lessons learned and experience from
It is important to provide NGO grant applicants
this and other GEF projects need to be
with training during both project preparation and
incorporated into the design and support of
implementation phases. For the Danube SGP,
new grants programmes for other waters.
NGOs developed concept papers from which the
best ideas were selected and provided technical
REFERENCES
and financial support to develop full proposals.
In this way, final project proposals are more
All documents related to the Danube SGP are
focused and targeted to the overall SGP
available at the project web-page as well as at
objectives. It is also important to provide on-
the REC web-page. See links:
going technical assistance to the projects in the
preparation/implementation phase.
S www.undp-drp.org (until mid-2007),
www.icpdr.org (thereafter) for SGP
Other lessons learned relate to the time-line for
information
project implementation: For a large and complex
S www.de-forum.org Danube Environmental
SGP such as in the Danube, an interactive
Forum (DEF)
process across two (or more) calls for grants is
S www.iwlearn.org GEF IW:LEARN project
recommended. This allows the second iteration
S www.rec.org Regional Environmental
to draw upon valuable lessons learned and
Center (REC) for Central and Eastern
experiences from the first call.
Europe
Kari Aina Eik
Monitoring and Evaluation
Project Implementation Specialist
Small grants are excellent communication tools
Tel: +43.1.26060.5616
for any project. It is necessary therefore to use
Email: kari.aina.eik@unvienna.org
this potential and disseminate results and
success-stories. Such outreach increases
KEYWORDS
popular understanding of environmental
problems and challenges and also builds a
S Danube River Basin
public mandate for the project itself.
S NGO Participation
S Nutrient Reduction
And last but not least, it is important to develop
S International Commission for the Protection
proper and meaningful indicators at the local
of the Danube River (ICPDR)
project level to measure the local impact of the
S Outreach
grants. Base-line surveys or other initial
S Small Grants Program (SGP)
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The Global Environment Facility (GEF)
International Waters Experience Notes series
helps the transboundary water management
(TWM) community share its practical
experiences to promote better TWM.
Experiences include successful practices,
approaches, strategies, lessons, methodologies,
etc., that emerge in the context of TWM.
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http://www.iwlearn.net/experience or email
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