INTEGRATING GEFIN THE

NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT FRAMEWORK

IN BURKINA FASO

Presentation by Ms. Mariam Gui NIKIEMA

Sub-regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points Sub-regional Workshop for GEF Focal Points in West and Central Africain West and Central Africa

Douala, 19 June 2008

PRESENTATION OUTLINE

1. Introduction 2. Key Actors3. Actions and Outcomes4. Constraints and Challenges5. Lessons and Prospects6. Conclusion

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1. Introduction

Burkina Faso officially became a member of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in 1994, after the creation of the Electoral College of West Africa representing CILSS countries. Like other countries receiving GEF support, Burkina Faso has been endeavouring to integrate GEF within its sectoral and intersectoral development policies, plans and programmes. This approach has been evolving constantly in order to keep pace with new emerging trends some of which cannot be ignored.

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Coordination :The coordination of GEF activities in Burkina Faso is

ensured mainly by two government ministries: - The Ministry in charge of Finances, which is the policy

and administrative coordinator as regards government relations with GEF agencies; this ministry is the GEF Political Focal Point (PFP);

- The Ministry in charge of Environment, which acts as the technical coordinator for GEF integration; this ministry is the GEF Operational Focal Point (OFP).

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2. Key Actors Involved in Integration

3. Main Actions and Outcomes

3.1 Institutional Arrangements* Creation (in 2001) of a National Council for Environment

and Sustainable Development (CONEDD): CONEDD currently supports the actual integration of the basic principles of national and global environmental management within sectoral and intersectoral development policies, with a view to promoting sustainable development.

* CONEDD structure : the Conference, the Specialized Commissions, the Permanent Secretariat

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3. Main Actions and Outcomes

* Total communalisation : The communal space consists in 3 components, i.e. habitation space, production space and conservation space.

This forces the GEF Focal Point to undertake actions at the community level in order to help the communities integrate GEF within the production and conservation activities.

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3. Main Actions and Outcomes

3.2 Creation of Central Integration Entities:

GEF Project Advisory Committee: It monitors the development (PIFs and Project Documents) as well as the implementation of GEF projects.

It is placed under the Ministry in Charge of Environment and chaired by the GEF/OFP.

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3. Main Actions and Outcomes Single Consultation Framework for

environmental conventions and agreements

This framework includes representatives from the various government ministries concerned (Focal Points and Departmental Managers), as well as the coordinators of projects and programmes associated with the implementation of environmental conventions.

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3.3 Actors Information/Awareness-raising

Organization of dialogues:

- National dialogues on GEF (2002 and 2008): Strengthening actors’ ownership of GEF policies and programmes du FEM, as well as legislation, national policy documents, national strategies, international conventions, etc., pertaining to the national and global environment;

- Regional Dialogues with territorial communities : Enhanced actors’ knowledge of environmental policies and strategies (National Environment Policy, Environmental Plan for Sustainable Development, etc.) and of the country’s international commitments (environmental conventions), aimed at facilitating the sustainable, decentralized management of the national and global environment.

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3. Main Actions and Outcomes

- National symposiums on private sector involvement in national and global environment management: these are biannual meetings

Development of supports for stakeholders and actors:- GEF in Burkina Faso;- Procedural Manual on GEF Activities in Burkina Faso;- The Environmental Market in Burkina Faso;- Guide for Community Actions in Burkina Faso;- Reference Guide to Ecocitizenship in Burkina Faso.

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3. Main Actions and Outcomes

Challenge linked to integral decentralization intégrale: Sometimes faulty understanding of the integral communalisation concept on the part of some elected officials who would wish to exploit natural resources with the sole local interest in mind.

Constraints related to GEF-4 allocations: - Postponement of some projects (Desert margins programme) by

GEF management- Actors’ despair caused by low GEF-4 allocations;- Difficulty in accessing GEF-4 allocations.

Constraint related to the drop of the US$:Difficulty or impossibility for current GEF projects to obtain

expected results, due to the drop in value of the US dollar.

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4. Constraints and Challenges

Difficulty in monitoring certain GEF projects executed by other government ministries beside the one housing the GEF/FP, due to their autonomous character;

Lack of initiative on the part of most potential promoters when it comes to identifying projects due to difficulties in accessing GEF resources;

Excessive workload of some subregional GEF Entities’ coordinators resulting in slow processing of project requests.

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4. Constraints and Challenges

5. Lessons and Prospects.. Strengthened GEF integration strategy at the central level; development of same

approach at the decentralized level;

. Relevance of dialogues conducted – need to promote permanent dialogue on GEF integration du FEM, placing an emphasis on territorial collectivities;

. Difficulties in accessing GEF resources (low allocation and rigid criteria) – need to revise GEF-4 strategy and to relax resource access criteria;

. Delays in processing of Project Identification Forms (FIPs) within GEF Entities – need to create a FIP cycle for GEF Entities;

. Difficulty in leveraging cofinancing - need for a better cofinancing mobilization strategy;

. Drop of value of the US dollar jeopardizing the success of current projects – need to establish a system to offset losses suffered by the projects.

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6. Conclusion

The results yielded by the actions implemented to date by

Burkina Faso in order to integrate GEF activities within the

national development process have been described as

encouraging. Therefore, it is the country’s intention to maintain

and strengthen the current GEF integration mechanism, while

also adapting it to such new trends as may be warranted.

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THANK YOU VERY MUCH

1. Introduction 2. Key Actors

MicrofinanceMiniEnvi

1. Actions and Outcomes

2. Constraints and Challenges3. Lessons and Prospects4. Conclusion