Technical Messages

1. How are CBA projects different from SGP focal area projects?
2. What sorts of projects can be funded by the CBA?
3. What is the relationship between Global Environmental Benefits and Adaptation in the CBA project?
4. How will both Global Environmental Benefits (GEB) and Adaptation be measured?
5. Some adaptation examples from existing practice (for example, dissemination of seasonal climate forecasts) suggest that many adaptation strategies don’t have GEB. What can be done in those cases?

Operational Issues

6. Can CBA be added onto existing SGP projects?
7. What are the co-financing requirements for CBA projects?
8. Will co-financing be attained globally or at the country level?
9. What approvals do CBA projects need, and what is the role of the national coordinating committee vis-à-vis HQ approval?
10. What are the database requirements for CBA projects?
11. What are the selection criteria for NGOs?
12. What are the selection criteria for new members of the NCC?

Other Issues

13. What is the role of UNV in project implementation, design, and support?

1. How are CBA projects different from SGP focal area projects?
CBA is focused on adaptation to the adverse impacts of climate change. When screening proposals, the key question to be asked is: “what is the climate change threat to the community/ecosystem?” Projects must be CC adaptation projects, not similar to standard focal area projects financed by the GEF Trust Fund. Each project should be able to indicate what (range of) climate change threats the specific community/ecosystem is responding.

2. What sorts of projects can be funded by the CBA?
The GEF expects practical, tangible activities at community level for coping with risks associated with climate change. Activities such as research assessments, awareness, advocacy, etc., are not permitted. CBA projects that only focus on such types of activities should be avoided. However, these activities can be components of a project, but should not be the main focus of the funding provided.

3. What is the relationship between Global Environmental Benefits and Adaptation in the CBA project?
The CBA project is funded by the Strategic Priority on Adaptation (SPA), which is part of the GEF Trust Fund. The SPA guidelines indicate that eligible projects make a contribution towards securing global environmental benefits and also that global environmental benefits are resilient in the face of climate change. SPA projects should place special emphasis on the opportunities for structured learning and capacity building through implementing measures that respond to climate change risks. The success of each project must therefore be evaluated based on (a) contribution to securing global environmental benefits and (b) improving resilience of global environmental benefits as well as other adaptation benefits.

4. How will both Global Environmental Benefits (GEB) and Adaptation be measured?
Each CBA project will contain two sets of indicators. For the measurement of global environmental benefits, the standard Impact Assessment System – designed for SGP projects for the purpose of tracking contributions towards global environmental benefits – is used. The adaptation layer is to be measured through an additional set of indicators (referred to as Vulnerability Reduction Assessment indicators—the details of which are included in the Project Document). In the context of deriving adaptation-related indicators, countries are open to integrate the suggested framework into existing mechanisms which are designed to track adaptation benefits (for example, the Community Risk Assessment approach which has been piloted in Bangladesh). Key categories as reflected in the VRA approach, which follows recommendations of UNDP’s Adaptation Policy Frameworks document, must be covered in the adopted approach. Indicators for both tracking global environmental benefits and adaptation benefits must be defined and recorded in the CBA database. NCs should clear the approach used for measuring adaptation benefits, if they are to adopt an approach other than the VRA.

Monitoring will be done by communities, potentially with support from the CBA country programme. Innovative ways of ensuring a consistent framework for monitoring, perhaps with the assistance of a research institute who may be interested in using the framework of CBA to undertake analysis is encouraged. As financing is limited, addition resources maybe required for this purpose.

5. Some adaptation examples from existing practice (for example, dissemination of seasonal climate forecasts) suggest that many adaptation strategies don’t have GEB. What can be done in those cases?
In the context of this project, given the SPA criteria, not all adaptation options are eligible for funding through the CBA – CBA projects must satisfy the GEB criteria. If a project does not fit the SPA criteria, it cannot be funded—no matter how urgent an adaptation project it may be. There are other funding windows which should be explored for such types of projects. However, CBA can be linked substantively with other initiatives that may not focus on global environmental benefits or climate change but are nonetheless relevant on the whole.

Operational Issues

6. Can CBA be added onto existing SGP projects?
CBA projects, unlike SGP projects, must meet the SPA requirements. While it is possible to have CBA activities in a community that has or plans to have a SGP project, and where the two projects are linked substantively, the two would in effect be different projects financially.. Therefore, CBA and SGP projects cannot co-fund each other, as they both come from the GEF trust fund. In addition co-financing provided to a SGP project may not be counted as co-financing for a CBA project.

7. What are the co-financing requirements for CBA projects?
The GEF and SPA guidelines require that 1:1 co-financing is required at the programmatic level. All projects must show attainment of 1:1 co-financing in cash.

However, once the portfolio starts to develop, and once co-financing has been secured through various projects, a stock-take will be undertaken on whether or not to relax the requirement of cash co-financing for projects at the country level.

Note that “cash” is defined as either parallel finance or cash managed by UNDP on behalf of a donor.

8. Will co-financing be attained globally or at the country level?
Both. Some countries will be able to secure the necessary co-financing locally, while others may find this difficult. In such a case, partnerships with bilateral donors will be developed by the HQ CBA team. It is important therefore that Country Programme Strategies are developed as best as possible so that they can serve as a fundraising tool.

9. What approvals to CBA projects need, and what is the role of the national coordinating committee vis-à-vis HQ approval?
The role of the NCC is critical. The NCC will screen and recommend for technical and financial clearance projects that meet the selection criteria. HQ technical and financial clearance is necessary, to ensure that GEF specific technical and financial criteria are met. It is encouraged that NCs share concepts/proposals with the HQ team before they are sent to the NC for review so that the global team can provide comments which could then be taken into account by the NC. HQ will also provide advice on how concepts could be structured. HQ can be viewed as a “virtual” NCC participant.

10. What are the database requirements for CBA projects?
They are the same as with the SGP projects, plus an additional layer of the adaptation indicators. They must enter all project information, they must mark the project funding source as “Strategic Priority on Adaptation,” and they must enter data on IAS and VRA indicators.

11. What are the selection criteria for NGOs?
The criteria are the same as for SGP. Technical capacity and transparency are important criteria in selecting NGOs/CBOs.

12. What are the selection criteria for new members of the NCC?
NCs should ensure that there is sufficient technical, rather than political, presence in the NCC. This may already be present on the SGP NSC, or it may require the addition of a few members to the NSC who are proficient in climate change impacts and adaptation.

Other Issues

13. What is the role of UNV in project implementation, design, and support?
UNDP is currently in the process of negotiating with partners on potential mechanism for assistance in countries on M&E, capacity building and programme development support. A partnership with UNV is under discussion but no decisions have been made as yet. UNDP will seek opportunities to partner with other appropriate agencies but this will be discussed and agreed with NCs.