Workshop reviews and validates document for funding |30 April 2015

Various stakeholders gathered yesterday at the International Conference Centre (ICCS) for a national validation workshop to review the National Portfolio Formulation Document (NPFD) for Seychelles Global Environment Facility (GEF 6) fund allocation.

The meeting wass to review and validate project ideas being proposed for funding from the Sixth Replenishment of funds of the GEF 6 facility.

Held by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)-GEF in collaboration with the Ministry of Environment, Climate Change and Energy, the workshop saw the presence of the two principal secretaries from that ministry -  Wills Agricole of the climate change and energy department and Alain De Commarmond of the environment department.

NPFD is the project proposals being developed through national consultations with key stakeholders in alignment with the current and emerging environmental priorities and GEF programming directions. Under the sixth GEF fund allocation, Seychelles has secured an investment contribution of US $7.59 million for a four-year period from 2015-2018. The workshop is the final stage in the process of defining priorities for the next round of GEF funding.

Officially opening the workshop, Mr Agricole said it has come at a crucial juncture when the Seychelles is pushing its blue economy agenda at every given opportunity.

“I am confident it will go a long way to creating awareness on GEF procedures among relevant government agencies, NGOs, private sector and the general public,” Mr Agricole said.

He added as a GEF-implementing agency, UNDP plays a major role in facilitating Seychelles’ access to GEF resources.

Mr Agriccole explained that to further strengthen GEF strategic engagement at country level, during the GEF sixth replenishment period, Seychelles was requested to prepare a national portfolio formulation exercise which is a prerequisite for GEF project funding. It covers all relevant focal areas and describes how GEF allocations will be programmed with projects and programmes that reflect national and even regional priorities to benefit the global environment. The GEF portfolio formulation exercise was held in February at the Ephelia Resort & Spa at Port Launay.

“Everyday there is more evidence of the impact that human activities have on the environment. In all the changes that data degenerates, is the natural balance of the ecosystem. More than thirty years ago, the whole ozone layer demonstrated the effect for the CFCs on the atmosphere. More recently we have confirmed that the initial of greenhouse gases are generating an adverse impact on the global climate caused by human interference,” said Mr Agricole, while highlighting the role of Seychelles which has emerged as one of the world leaders in the field of environment conservation.

He described the environment here as largely intact and pristine and said this was possible through the visionary and farsighted leadership guidance of our president.

“That’s why Seychelles can still boast as having the highest record of any nation to have a large percentage of land under natural conservation with fifty percent of the whole area of Seychelles being a natural wildlife reserve.

But he advised that Seychelles must be well informed and prepared to meet the emerging environmental challenges and the GEF national exercise was a call to use the GEF allocation wisely, to make us think harder, look further and dig deeper to come up with a draft NPFD which is intended to meet these challenges.

Acknowledging that the various environment threats are real and that the allocation will be used towards countering them, Mr Agricole said the workshop will provide the necessary platform for all relevant stakeholders to have another chance to discuss, change, share information ideas with regard to what they think about the draft document.

Dr Elvina Henriette, the consultant for GEF6, went through the draft document for clarification.