Programme Cooperation Agreement 2010 – 2011

2 Executive summary

GRID-Arendal is recognised internationally as a reliable provider of high quality environmental information and knowledge through assessments and reports, its com- munications tools and expertise, and an extensive pro- gramme of outreach and capacity building that targets de- veloping countries and economies in transition. From its inception, GRID-Arendal has applied itself to strengthen the capacity of national environmental agencies in fulfil- ment of its mission to provide strategically relevant sup- port to the United Nations system and, specifically, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP). GRID-Arendal facilitates intergovernmental dialogue on common chal- lenges, supports the work of UN environmental conven- tions, provides technical assistance to countries in envi- ronmental information acquisition and management, and builds regional information networks that serve a broad range of stakeholders, from practitioners, scientists, and public sector decision makers, to civil society and advo- cacy groups, and the public at large. The 2010-2011 Work Programme under the Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA) reinforced the overarching role of GRID-Arendal to support UNEP with its key communication services in visualizing and disseminating scientific data and environmental messages, building capacity at the country level, and innovatively applying communication tools and training techniques in three focal areas: Marine environment (with emphasis on the UNEP Shelf Programme), Polar and Cryosphere (with increased focus on climate change interlinkages and impacts), and Environmental assessments and information. The work programme was delivered largely as planned, on schedule and within budget. Appropriate steps were taken on a case-by-case basis to manage the small number of deviations (ref. Chapter 11). GRID-Arendal’s long-standing and vital collaboration with UNEP is evolving in a fundamental and strategically important way. This change is positive and 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 analytical contributions and active outreach beyond launch. GRID-Arendal’s ‘traditional’ core competencies in communications tools, methodologies and products remains the comparative advantage at the centre of the collaboration, but is complemented and reinforced by a range services that add significant value to UNEP initiatives, such as analytic content, programme design and management, capacity building technical assistance (in relation to both client countries and UNEP staff ), web hosting and content management, and targeted networking skills.

There are indications that GRID-Arendal’s work is generating positive results. Given the long ‘gestation’ period of many projects, it is now becoming possible to trace causal links between activities, through outputs and services, to outcomes and impacts that are contributing to positive changes for the environment, countries and local communities around the world. There is also evidence of a catalytic or ‘multiplier’ effect, whereby issues spearheaded by GRID-Arendal, such as, Blue Carbon, are actively adopted and promoted by other institutions, even national governments, ensuring that even greater attention is secured in the relevant policy and research arenas. This testifies to the compelling nature of the issues and to the quality of GRID-Arendal’s work, but also creates an opportunity for the organization to carefully evaluate its future focus and strategic direction. Over the biennium, GRID-Arendal has strengthened its collaboration with traditional partners and begun to foster new, strategic collaboration with, for example, the International Seabed Authority, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and The World Bank. GRID-Arendal has become a ‘partner of choice’ in several new environmental initiatives and has been given lead responsibilities in prominent global projects, in particular within the framework of the Global Environment Facility (GEF). GRID-Arendal has collaborated closely with all UNEP divisions and contributed to each of the sub-programmes in contributing to UNEP’s Programme of Work for 2010-11. A number of projects span sub-programmes, thereby highlighting important interlinkages between issues such as marine ecosystems, climate change, and environmental governance. The biennium has also been marked by a welcome trend towards greater engagement at the regional level, reflecting UNEP’s evolving operational priorities and momentum towards the One UN approach. GRID-Arendal is recognized as an effective partner in the ‘marine environment’, with a global reach and growing portfolio of highly relevant projects managed by the Marine Programme. The organisation is increasingly seen as a results-oriented partner, as evidenced by the establishment of new collaborations with a diverse range of institutions, such as the IOC of UNESCO, Conservation International, IUCN, the International Seabed Authority, the World Bank, the Commonwealth Secretariat, and Geoscience Australia. As a result, the profile of GRID- Arendal as a source of credible marine science information and marine related capacity building has grown steadily, illustrated by the fact that the marine programme attracted

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