Programme Cooperation Agreement 2010 – 2011

13.1 Strategic level If the lessons generated over the last biennium could be summed up in one word, it would be “leverage”. This word is reflective of how GRID-Arendal’s strategic stance is evolving in the context of a changing global landscape for environmental services. The organisation has re- sponded flexibly by leveraging both its financial resources and comparative advantages in order to strengthen the sustainability and relevance of its operations. As a result, GRID-Arendal is in a stronger position than ever before to give specific, policy-relevant insights at the country-level – where it’s most needed – through extensive experience with environmental research and assessments (e.g. atlas- es, rapid response assessments, vital graphics, targeted environmental assessments) at the sub-regional, regional and global level. Illustratively, the organisation diversified its funding sources in response to the downward trend in financial commitments from UNEP, which presented a clear risk to GRID-Arendal’s financial viability. Today, external contri- In this sense, GRID-Arendal’s ‘traditional’ core compe- tencies in communications tools, methodologies and products remains the comparative advantage at the cen- tre of the collaboration, but is complemented and rein- forced by additional services that add significant value to interventions initiated by UNEP, such as analytic content, programme management, technical assistance in provid- ing capacity building (in relation to both client countries and UNEP staff ), training programmes, web hosting and content management, and, not least, networking skills. An important emerging synergy is in relation to GEF, whereby GRID-Arendal brings both funding and expertise to the table but also facilitates UNEP access to significant funding as a de facto implementer (GEF rules prohibit lead coordinators from also playing a formal lead imple- mentation role). At the same time as the skills base is expanding and im- proving, GRID-Arendal places great importance on its reputation among valued UNEP colleagues. The anecdo- tal evidence and documented feedback contained in this Final Report suggests that GRID-Arendal is perceived as a responsive, dynamic and agile partner, willing to go the ex- tra mile under very tight timelines and within constrained

butions to the work programme outstrip those of UNEP. Likewise, GRID-Arendal has successfully exploited grow- ing demand (from country authorities as well as institu- tions) for its communications expertise and tools and associated advisory services, by fostering partnerships outside the UNEP orbit. New strategic relationships – which effectively comple- ment the long-standing collaboration with UNEP – of- fer the prospect of enhancing long-term impact through ‘scaling’ up GRID-Arendal’s range of tested products and services. There is also the real prospect of bolstering the collaboration with UNEP through new partnerships, as evidenced by GRID-Arendal’s increasing participation in programmes financed through the Global Environment Facility (GEF), which by their nature are implemented through the coordinated action of multiple partners. In parallel, the organisation is on a trajectory to reduce its reliance on ad hoc, short-term contract-type work as- signments with low funding levels and higher associated risk. Engagement with additional partners – such as the budget frames. As an “official collaborating centre”, much is expected of GRID-Arendal. And yet, there is a frank ac- knowledgement that UNEP colleagues share responsibil- ity for successes and shortcomings. There is scope for improving coordination and avoiding the kind of lapses in project management that cause unnecessary strains, both financial and operational, for both partners. This report also bears out that the institutions are mov- ing in step with one another to improve the working re- lationship. Important progress has already been made in strengthening coordination processes, principally through joint consultations on how best to apply the principles of Results Based Management (RbM) to joint reporting re- sponsibilities and, most important, to joint management and implementation responsibilities. While RbM holds the key for strengthening the effectiveness of GRID-Aren- dal / UNEP collaboration going forward where it counts the most, at the operational level, the significance of joint efforts to better align the institutions at the strategic level cannot be underestimated. In this sense, the emphasis is on ensuring that the planned revision of GRID-Arendal’s corporate strategy is appropriately linked to and coordi- nated with UNEP’s mid-term strategy.

13 Summary of lessons learned

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