19 May 2003 -

We are pleased to announce that the GEF Council endorsed the new “GEF National Consultative Dialogue Initiative” during its' May 2003 meeting.

The main objectives of the GEF Dialogue Initiative are to assist Participating countries by:

(a) promoting in-depth understanding of the GEF’s strategic directions, policies and procedures;

(b) strengthening country coordination and ownership in GEF operations and sharing lessons learned from project implementation; and

(c) achieving greater mainstreaming of GEF activities into national planning frameworks and coordination and synergies amongst the GEF focal areas and convention issues at the national level.

The Dialogue Initiative will be organized over a four-year period as a collaborative process between the GEF National Focal Points, the GEF Secretariat and the Implementing Agencies.

The GEF Dialogue Initiative, based upon lessons learned from the GEF Country Dialogue Workshops, will serve as one tool under a comprehensive and strategic response to the recommendations of the Second GEF Assembly, the Third Replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund and the Second Overall Performance Study of the GEF concerning strengthened country involvement and ownership and capacity building for national focal points.

Activity during the first component of the Dialogue Initiative will focus on Sub-regional Consultations with GEF national focal points in recipient Participant countries as a means to immediately engage all countries in understanding the current strategic priorities and operational modalities of the GEF.

The design and objectives of each multi-stakeholder National Consultation, conducted during the second component of the Dialogue Initiative, will be based on individual country circumstances and will focus primarily on GEF policy-related issues. The consultations may involve Governments, GEF national focal points and Council Members, GEF/SGP National Coordinators and/or representatives from SGP National Steering Committees, non-governmental organizations, indigenous and local communities, IA/EA country-based staff, bilateral and other donors working in the country and private sector representatives.

Click here to download GEF National Consultative Dialogue Initiative Project Brief

Click here to go back to GEF Country Dialogue Workshop Programme website