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IW:LEARN 5 phase has started!

GEF - IW:LEARN

By IW:LEARN

January 12^th, 2023

GEF IW:EARN 5 has officially started in July 2022 and will run until mid-2026. During the second half of 2022, IW:LEARN co-organized a number of important sessions at key events, including the World Water Week in August in Stockholm, the International River symposium in November in Vienna and the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater in December in Paris. In December, IW:LEARN also participated in the Seventh meeting of the Task Force on the Water-Food Energy Ecosystems Nexus and the Global Workshop on Source-to-sea Management that took place in Geneva. A Second Inception Workshop with the project partners was held towards the end of October.

The organization of the 10th International Waters Conference (IWC10) in Uruguay later in the year will make 2023 a milestone year for the IW:LEARN community. With the main objectives to facilitate cross sectoral and portfolio-wide learning and experience sharing, the IWC is the signature event of the GEF International Waters portfolio. The exact dates and venue will be announced very shortly.

Other key activities planned in 2023 will include the design of the training programme, relaunching the twinning programme, revamping of the IW:LEARN website … just to mention a few. GEF IW:LEARN will ensure active participation in the UN Water 2023 Conference in March in New York, the World Water Week in August in Stockholm and will resume the organization of the Annual Large Marine Ecosystems (LME) Consultation meeting in Paris. The 2023 calendar of events will be posted shortly on the GEF IW:LEARN website.

Stay tuned for more news and information. We are looking forward to revitalizing the IW:LEARN community, reconnecting with the long-standing members and warmly welcoming new ones. And with that we are launching our new Linked-In account!

We wish you all a prosperous and productive 2023!

What is IW:LEARN 5?

The Global Environment Facility’s International Waters: Learning Exchange and Resources Network (GEF IW:LEARN)’s latest project phase commenced in July 2022, implemented jointly by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (UNESCO-IOC) serves as executing agency for the project. Project activities will be executed by a project coordination unit based in UNESCO-IOC headquarters in Paris, France.

This IW:LEARN 5 will continue supporting the core mandate of the GEF International Waters Focal Area to support transboundary cooperation in shared marine and freshwater ecosystems and assist the project portfolio in achieving long term benefits. The project’s proposed activities will help the portfolio to implement regionally endorsed SAP priorities, mainstream gender considerations, and stimulate private sector investment.

The project includes five interrelated and mutually supportive components:

Component 1 Provide Targeted Knowledge Sharing and Results Showcasing Across Projects and Development Partners (Through Face-to-Face Dialogue and Training) to Advance Transboundary Water Management in All IW Focal Area Ecosystems

This Component will feature the 10th and 11th GEF Biennial International Waters Conferences (IWC) to share practical experiences, apply evolving policies and procedures, address emerging priorities and improve overall project performance covering all water systems. A second focus will be the regional and global training through a blended learning approach (online and face-to-face) on cross-cutting topics. Thirdly, this component will facilitate iterative and ad-hoc twinning exchanges, covering iterative face-to-face learning missions between GEF IW projects and their selected partners (institutions with demonstrated excellence in water and ocean management). Finally, it will facilitate the participation of the GEF IW Portfolio in key global and regional dialogue processes with GEF IW:LEARN as an organizing partner and support from the GEF Secretariat

Component 2: Support the Communication and Replication of Portfolio Results and Experiences.

This Component will see an essential upgrading of GEF IW:LEARN Web Platform’s system and user interface, including enhanced digital access to project experience, as well as the integration of and continued support to the LME Hub, which was developed during the preceding GEF LME:LEARN project. The component will also see easier access to the synthesis of key individual project results and experience. Secondly, the Component will provide: (a) support to the use of a number of information technology platforms, including the IW:LEARN website solutions, utilized by many portfolio projects, and online networking tools (social media, chat groups, Listserve, etc.); and (b) access to industry-standard best practices to improve projects’ capacity to manage and publish information about themselves. Finally, the Component will feature training activities on project communication and visualization, and on data and information management (DIM) building on the previous work in the GEF LME:LEARN project.

Component 3Deliver Intra and Inter-Regional Knowledge Management Across Focal Areas in Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to Improve Portfolio Performance.

The Component 3 will aim at supporting the collaboration among SIDS through regional and inter-regional twinning and dialogue activities. Secondly, it will support the existing dialogues and share IW portfolio freshwater and large marine ecosystem experience through GEF projects. Thirdly, this component will cooperate with other GEF focal area projects of interest to SIDS, and strive to build partnerships with the applicable UNEP Regional Seas or other regional intergovernmental environment bodies as appropriate. Finally, it will seek synergies with the GEF7 Islands program’s knowledge management component.

Component 4Deliver Support to Surface Freshwater, Groundwater and Large Marine Ecosystem Subsets in Support of Portfolio Strategic Priorities.

This component will include knowledge exchanges, training on new tools in key regions and sub-regions on Water, Food, Energy and Environmental Security, to help guide transboundary regional projects in supporting their participating countries to address these trade-offs and incorporate them into the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis-Strategic Action Programme (TDA-SAP) process. Secondly, the component will support regional and national cooperation on shared freshwater surface and groundwater basins. Activities will feature exchanges and programmatic guidance on policy formulation regarding the conjunctive management of linked groundwater and surface freshwater ecosystems through better governance, as well as with coastal and ocean projects. A third set of activities will focus on sustaining healthy coastal and marine ecosystems, in particular investments that focus on mainstreaming marine area-based management and spatial tools in regional entities. These activities will help advance large marine ecosystem projects in guiding participating countries towards transboundary Marine Spatial Planning (MSP), with a focus on supporting the portfolio with the development and implementation of environmentally sustainable blue economy strategies. Finally, the component will continue fostering collaboration among LMEs, Regional Seas conventions and Regional Fisheries Management Organizations to protect and restore these key habitats.

Component 5Mobilize Public and Private Partnership to Enhance Long-term Sustainability of Project Interventions

This Component will feature the establishment and operation of a global IW Partnerships Advisory Panel to help matchmake GEF IW projects and development partners with the business community in line with the draft GEF’s Private Sector Engagement Strategy on a portfolio level. Secondly, it will support further facilitation of partnerships via regional-level networking and dialogue events. Finally, this component will support the development of training materials and programmatic guidance on attracting sustainable financing to address SAP investment priorities.