Programme Cooperation Agreement 2010 – 2011

11 Deviations from, and adjustments to the annual work plan

With regard to financial expenditures, the UNEP Shelf Pro- gramme required an additional allocation of funds during 2011. At the start of the year, 6 million NOK were allocated from the 2011 budget to support the Norwegian Initiative. During the year an increased level of support to countries under the Norwegian Initiative was delivered, which was not anticipated, resulting in additional costs of 2.2 MNOK. For activities in West Africa, the purchase of software and hardware (2.85 MNOK) was an extraordinary cost item not previously incurred for any other region or country. Op- erational costs (including workshops, data acquisition, and other support to the region) were also higher than anticipated due to additional, unforeseen interventions required for successful programme delivery. The funding shortfall was communicated during the course of the year to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 88 Subsequent to this, the Ministry agreed to cover the additional costs.

challenging to develop deliverables with a clear impact. This decision was made in consultation with partners and is based on recommendations from a paper prepared in collaboration with UNEP/Risøe in December 2010 that assessed experiences of ICT-based networks for capacity development in the area of renewable energy. The study highlighted preconditions for success, including a clearly defined target audience; a well-developed network of lo- cal partners (NGOs working on the ground) that could help bridge the “digital divide”; clear specification of value added; tools, products, and services relevant to end-us- ers; and significant levels of funding (larger projects than MAIN had failed). Following the review of implementation progress and, in light of insights gained from similar pro- jects, it was decided to terminate GRID-Arendal’s engage- ment in MAIN from mid-2011.

The Mitigation and Adaptation Information Network (MAIN) project was brought to a close in 2011 as it proved

88. Ref. letter to the ministry for the attention of Mr Harald Noreik, dated 2 December 2011.

12 Assessment of effectiveness

The Framework Agreement between the Norwegian Min- istry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and GRID-Arendal, dated 28 April 2010, prescribes an assessment at the end of the biennium of the effectiveness of the Work Programme un- der the Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The point of departure for an assessment of the ‘effectiveness’ of the Work Programme – defined as “the extent to which the purpose has been achieved” – is the first clause of the Framework Agreement: “The overall goal...is to support UNEPwithGRID-Arendal’s core competencies in creating innovative communication tools, products and services that draw from scientific assessments and present complex information in a manner that is compelling to a wide range of audiences.” In relation to GRID-Arendal’s long-standing and vital col- laboration with UNEP, the key message from this report is that the relationship is changing in a fundamental and strategically important way. This change is most evident in

the type of engagement – from ad hoc, short assignments concentrating on publication services, to long-term and programmatic collaboration that involves inter alia ana- lytical contributions and active outreach beyond launch. This approach permits much greater synergies and scope for innovation, as is made clear by the collaboration on the most recent rendition of the Global Environment Outlook 5 , which combines substantive content from GRID-Arendal with an extensive programme of “life after launch” outreach activities. Manifestations of the trend are also found in recent consultations on enhanced col- laboration at the regional level, for instance in relation to a strategic initiative to revamp the Africa Environmental Information Network (AEIN) , and in the multiple joint applications to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) , which is key to building the future foundation for ‘pro- grammatic’ (i.e. programme-led) collaboration between the institutions.

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