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Capacity Building Training on Project Development, Result based management, gender and safeguard

Adama, Ethiopia February 25 – The Global Green Growth Institute and the Ministry of Finance (MoF), under the Green Climate Fund (GCF) readiness program, organized a training on project development, results-based management, gender and safeguard at Adama, Ethiopia from February 25-29. The training was attended by 30 experts working in the Federal and Regional Institutions engaged in the implementation of the Climate Resilient Green Economy (CRGE) Strategy of Ethiopia.

The objective of the capacity building training was to enhance capacities of the National Implementing Entity (NIE) and other stakeholders in project proposal development, management, and safeguard systems. The training is expected to contribute to ensuring enhanced capacities of participants in terms of managing the implementation of projects/programs, developing bankable proposals and ensuring that CRGE Facility financed projects/programs have the right safeguards instruments for addressing and managing environmental and social issues.

The government of Ethiopia is deeply aware of and striving to manage, the mounting challenges posed by climate change. The government’s commitment to rapid growth and attainment of middle-income country status by 2025 is matched by efforts towards achieving a net-zero GHG emission and resilient socioeconomic and environmental development. Ethiopia developed its CRGE which is serving as an overarching roadmap that guides the overall development of the country within the frameworks of Green Growth. Realizing the emission reduction targets set in the national plans require investments that must be mobilized from domestic and international sources. While public mobilization is the key strategy that the country has adopted to derive green development, yet much more remains that call for the support of international partners. The CRGE, accordingly, underlines the need for resource mobilization. Within Ethiopia’s green growth initiative, the CRGE Facility is established with the responsibility of mobilizing and matching resources to programs and projects prioritized on a strategic basis.

MoF through the CRGE Facility is responsible to comprehensively build human, institutional and financial capacities across the implementing institutions at national and sub-national levels to effectively plan and integrate CRGE objectives into national development plans and also to implement, monitor and report on the CRGE indicators. It is also well recognized that the process of deriving Green Growth should not lead to undesired environmental and social impacts. Likewise, in relation to the government’s efforts of mobilizing resources for the realization and successful implementation of the CRGE targets, strengthening capacities for the development of bankable climate-related project proposals is expected from the facility.

GGGI and the Government of Ethiopia have long-term technical support and capacity development framework agreement.  To that end, GGGI has been supporting the Ethiopian government with realizing its vision of building a climate-resilient, carbon-neutral, middle-income economy by 2025. GGGI has provided technical and advisory support to the various ministries in Ethiopia. It has also supported MoF in the accreditation process by the GCF as well as the approval of the USD 50 million project by the GCF during the 28th board meeting in Cairo. In the GCF readiness project, GGGI is an implementing partner and executing the project in close collaboration with the NIE and the NDA.

Ethiopia’s GCF readiness support is intended to strengthen MoF in its institutional, project management and delivery capacities, including pipeline development, review, appraisal and monitoring, and evaluation. The readiness support is also aimed at further strengthening MoF’s systems for ESS environmental and social safeguards (ESS) and ensuring gender equity and equality. Through this support, the readiness project ultimately targets to upgrade the accreditation level of the MoF.

The training was designed in a progressive way starting from key concepts and national strategies in the implementation of CRGE, frameworks on Environment and social safeguards and moving to develop knowledge and skills in project proposal development and culminating in understanding of GCF requirements and templates. The training also covered safeguard issues that are key in accessing funding from international climate finance sources. It also introduced the major concepts of results-based management and its implementation.

The workshop participants work for the Federal and Regional institutions that are responsible for implementing the country’s long and short-term climate response plans. The training workshop introduced the participants with the basic knowledge of developing bankable project proposals and the investment requirements of the GCF. The training further provided key lessons on gender, social and environmental safeguards which are fundamental in the process of project proposal development. These skills and knowledge encourage the participants to develop concept notes and proposals that reflect the situations of their respective areas and approach climate finance mechanisms such as GCF. Ultimately, this will contribute to institutional strengthening through resource mobilization and further human resource development through subsequent training of trainees.

The participants at the end of the various sessions highlighted that it is significantly important to understand thematic focus, agenda, and procedures of development partners such as the GCF before writing a proposal and recognizing the huge implications of addressing their priorities. Through the skills transferred to the participants, it is expected to enhance institutional capacity in developing result-based project proposals to the GCF and other development partners. It is important to follow how the participants utilized what they have acquired through the development of climate-related concept notes. It is also important to support the participants to share the skills and knowledge they have acquired to other staff and institutions working in their Regions.