1. Introduction

CAPACITY 2015 is a global partnership mechanism assisting countries to develop the capacity of their professionals, institutions, and systems to formulate and implement strategies for sustainable development to achieve local, national and international development goals. It will work with developing and transitional countries to build and develop their capacity for sustainable development based on proven successes 1.

Regional Sustainable Development Challenges
Countries across the Arab region share many common development problems -- acute water scarcity, high population growth rates, and rapid land degradation. Many face similar challenges in planning and managing for sustainable development -- weak national institutions, outdated legal frameworks, centralized structures, low levels of civic participation and undersized business sector. Unless they are addressed, these capacity limitations make it doubtful that they will be able to fully realize the Millennium Development Goals by the year 2015.

The Regional Capacity 21 Experience
Since its inception, Capacity 21 has supported various Arab States in formulating, designing, and implementing policies and practices compatible with sustainable development. Capacity 21 programmes have helped develop national and local sustainable development visions, reinforced legal and institutional capacities, and provided training and technical assistance to a broad range of local stakeholders in civil society and in the private sector.

2. The Strategic Framework for Capacity 2015 Arab States

Capacity 2015 Africa will contribute to sustainable development in the region by strengthening the requisite capacities for transforming Africa to enable it to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.

Capacity 2015 Arab States will support countries in localizing sustainable development planning and management operations, while promoting a regional approach to economic integration and the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. In partnership with the Regional Bureau for the Arab States and others, Capacity 2015 Arab States will work with governments to further decentralize sustainable development efforts and ensure that local communities are adequately equipped to work toward meeting the Millennium Development Goals. Through grassroots interventions to empower local groups to better cope with the changing economic realities imposed by globalization, Capacity 2015 Arab States will have an impact on the lives of the poorest, most marginalized segments of the population.

The Programme Components
Capacity 2015 Arab States will focus on four areas.

Localizing Sustainable Development
Capacity 21 confirmed that decentralization is critical to building capacities. Capacity 2015 will work with local and national governments to promote activities that enhance decentralization and localization of sustainable development operations. It will help strengthen local institutional and legal frameworks; improve access to finance and other forms of capital; upgrade locally owned information and communication systems; and, reinforce planning and management functions at the government and community level.

Enhancing Strategic Thinking and Policy Analysis
Most development policies and strategies in the region were formulated in isolation and so lack cohesiveness and adequate monitoring systems. While Capacity 21 has helped a great deal, more need to be done. Capacity 2015 Arab States will work with key policy makers to develop comprehensive strategies for sustainable development, strengthen adequate legislation and regulations, and put in place proper monitoring and evaluation functions. All this will be done in close collaboration with local communities to ensure compatibility with needs and priorities of the grassroots level, in order to enable them to benefit from national level policies.

Reinvigorating Local Economies
Reducing poverty and enhancing productivity requires improved public services and revitalized local economies. Capacity 2015 will work with rural and urban communities in the Arab States to maximize their economic potential and improve access to services. It will promote entrepreneurial training; introduce advanced information and communication technology systems; provide incentives to attract and retain private businesses; facilitate access to financial and commercial markets; and, build partnerships between private businesses and the public sector to provide improved services.

Reinforcing Regional Learning
In the Arab world, the development crisis is closely related to inappropriate knowledge policies. A system of national, regional and international linkages among individuals, institutions and communities is needed to fully benefit from new research and technology. Capacity 2015 Arab States will work with local, national and regional actors to create an environment where those linkages can flourish. Capacity 2015 Arab States will establish a regional Center of Excellence for knowledge-sharing and technology transfer so that people across the region enjoy the breadth of global information sources and contribute to them as equals. Local research and development hubs will be pursued in cooperation with interested private businesses and with the assistance of various donors.

3. Programme Implementation

Partnerships
Capacity 2015 Arab States will be implemented by developing active partnerships, supporting networking and the exchange of ideas, and by actively engaging in programmes and projects that encourage the development, retention and extension of existing capacity. It will support initiatives that promote capacity development and that increase incomes and link local communities to the global economy.

A strong partnership will be established with the Regional Bureau for the Arab States, which will give substantive guidance on thematic issues. Already in place are close partnerships with the Drylands Development Center’s Coordination Office for Western Asia in Beirut and the Arab Network for Environment and Development. Contact has been established with the Global Environment Facility’s Office in Beirut and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia.

For local level initiatives, a partnership with the Arab Urban Development Institute will be pursued. Other organizations such as the Center for Environment and Development in the Arab Region and Europe and UNDP’s Public Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment have already expressed keen interest in joining Capacity 2015’s efforts.

Country and regional support
Capacity 2015 will operate at the national, sub-regional, and regional levels. Countries may be clustered as sub-regions -- North Africa, Middle East and Gulf States – or by common development challenges. National governments have already expressed interest in a Capacity 2015 programme and are highly likely to contribute resources.

Programme timeframe
The programme will be implemented in three phases:

Start-up Phase (2003 – 2004) – Intense preparations to ensure comprehensive national dialogues on priorities and fostering ownership, consolidating and rephrasing existing Capacity 21 programmes. This will ensure a right footing for the programme –substantive content, country ownership, institutional and management arrangements. This phase will also focus on partnership building, resource mobilization, and putting in place a participatory monitoring and evaluation system.

Implementation Phase (2005-2011) – Programme implementation.

Learning and Exit Phase (2012 – 2015) – Capturing lessons from phases 1 and 2 through rigorous applied research and distillation of accumulated experiences. This will also be the “handing over” stage during which exit strategies will be tailored to programmes.

Monitoring and evaluation
The monitoring system must ensure accountability and must empower communities through participatory monitoring and evaluation. It will be keyed to monitoring sustainable development outcomes based on the Millennium Development Goals and WSSD. It will use monitoring information to improve management of the initiative. And it will develop the programme monitoring capacities of partner countries.

4. Institutional Arrangements

Management arrangements

1.1 Regional Coordinating Committee - composed of prominent sustainable development champions in the region drawn from national governments and parliaments, academia, private sector and the non-governmental arena. Will provide overall strategic guidance to all operations in the region.

1.2 National Programme Committee – composed of representatives of national and local institutions, implementing and donor agencies and other beneficiaries. Will be responsible for the ongoing and daily management of the programme.

1.3 Capacity 2015 Arab States Regional Coordination Office (composition to be discussed) - will coordinate all aspects of the programme, including partnerships, resource mobilization, learning, advocacy, and monitoring and evaluation functions.

1.4 UNDP Structure (SURF Beirut and Country Offices in the Region) - will offer technical backstopping for national and regional programmes and filter relevant demands up into the Capacity 2015 Regional Coordination Office.

Links with other regional initiatives
Capacity 2015 will link up with any ongoing sustainable development initiatives in the Arab States -- including those run by other UN agencies, bilateral and multilateral donors, regional NGOs and others -- to maximize cost effectiveness and ensure programmatic integration across the region.

5. Resource Mobilization

The programme will rely on five main funding sources:

• Core resources used as seed money to leverage non-core resources at the national level;
• Cost-sharing with bilateral donors for programme interventions;
• Partnership with foundations and the private sector;
• Cost sharing with the UNDP thematic trust funds; and,
• Contribution from the Net Contributing Countries (NCC’s) in the region.

Footnotes
1. Capacity 2015 builds on the lessons learned through UNDP's extensive capacity development experience including Capacity 21, Local Initiative Facility for the Urban Environment, Public Private Partnerships for the Urban Environment and the Global Environment Facility's Small Grants Programme. For further background on these programmes please consult www.undp.org