CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT

Enhancing capacity development in ocean and coastal management is a major concern and priority of developing countries, small island developing States (SIDS), and countries with economies in transition.

This issue has been a priority theme for discussion at the three previous global conferences on oceans, coasts, and islands, and has been a major concern of the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands.

SIDS Rapid Assessments

The Global Forum has carried out a number of analyses related to ocean and coastal management in SIDS countries, especially:

--Four analyses focused on assessing progress achieved in ocean and coastal management in the major small island developing States (SIDS) regions since 1994, prepared by several authors on a volunteer basis (available on the SIDS section of the Global Forum website);

--Four rapid assessments on the specific steps that can be taken to rapidly implement the Mauritius Strategy in four SIDS regions, including specific steps that need to be taken to enhance capacity development in each region (prepared by local SIDS consultants with the support of various governmental and nongovernmental partners, and especially the Global Environment Facility)

The four rapid assessments are included in this volume:
Capacity Building Assessments in Small Island Developing States in the Pacific, Caribbean, Indian Ocean, the Atlantic, and the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries 

Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations (CPLP) Workshop at the Ocean Policy Summit

The Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations (CPLP) held a separate workshop on The Seas of the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Nations, as a part of The Ocean Policy Summit (October 10-14, 2005, organized by the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, in Lisbon, Portugal, and supported by the Government of Portugal, the Nippon Foundation, and other partners), which brought together high-level representatives from the eight Portuguese-speaking nations to discuss common needs and prospective shared solutions for addressing capacity building in ocean and coastal management.

Two documents detailing the capacity building needs of these countries are included in the Capacity Building Assessments volume.

Other Materials on Capacity Building (also included in the Capacity Building Assessments volume)

--Summary of discussions on capacity building which took place at the 2003 Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands

--Outline of the Ocean Strategy Workshop for Decisionmakers from Small Island Developing States, Developing Countries and Economies in Transition, held in Lisbon, Portugal, October 14, 2005, held in conjunction with TOPS: The Ocean Policy Summit

Capacity Development at the Third Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, UNESCO, Paris, January 23-28, 2006

A Panel on Capacity Development for Ocean and Coastal Management: Mobilizing to Address Needs was held at the Third Global Conference to identify specific capacity development needs for further advancing capacity in ocean and coastal management in developing countries, SIDS, and countries with economies in transition, on the basis of rapid assessments being carried out in 6 regions.

Panel Discussion Points 
Discussion Group Report 

Regional Capacity Assessments

With funding from the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands has organized regional assessments on capacity building needs in three other regions: Africa, Latin America, and East Asia, in order to examine:

1. Gaps and problems in capacity and determine their relative importance to current and future ocean governance initiatives, including national and regional integrated policy development;
2. The presence (or absence) of university formal programs related to ocean and coastal management in countries in the region, as well as needs for enhancing these;
3. The presence (or absence) of informal programs of ocean and coastal management targeted to decisionmakers in countries in the region, as well as the needs for enhancing such programs;
4. Approaches to institutionalizing "Extension" services at the community/local level for problem-solving and community education regarding ocean and coastal resources;
5. Strategic solutions to the identified gaps and needs through the development of an implementation strategy for capacity building in the regions, including funding sources.

The following assessments have been carried out or are nearing completion:

Assessment of East Asia's Capacity Building in Oceans and Coastal Governance PEMSEA, UNESCO-IOC, and the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands (2007)

Assessment of Africa's Capacity Building Needs for the Development and Implementation of Ecosystem-based Ocean Governance
Ali Mohammed and James Kamula, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Coastal and Marine Coordination Unit (COSMAR) Secretariat (in draft)

Capacity Assessment in Ocean and Coastal Management in Latin America
Secretariat of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT), Mexico, and Patricia Muņoz, National Polytechnic Institute (IPN), Mexico (Assessment underway)

The next step in this process is for the Working Group on Capacity Building to develop a global strategy for action in capacity development to be formulated in consultation with a variety of key stakeholders, including donors. While this process is ongoing, it is clear that the process of self-evaluation involved in the regional capacity assessments may also itself lead to initiatives in the region and to South-to-South cooperation in capacity development. This has taken place, for example, in the context of the 8 Portuguese-speaking nations.

Global Forum Capacity Development Task Force Members

Indumathie Hewawasam, The World Bank (Chair)
Margaret Davidson, U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Coastal Services Center
Margarita Astralaga, IUCN
Awni Behnam, International Ocean Institute
Ehrlich Desa, Capacity Building Section, UNESCO
Franklin McDonald, UNEP Caribbean Environment Environment Programme
Robin Mahon, Caribbean LME Programme
Cristelle Pratt, Pacific Islands Applied Geoscience Commission (SOPAC)
Marina N'Deye, Cape Verde
Chua Thia-Eng, Partnership for Environmental Management in the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA)
Ali Mohamed, Coastal and Marine Secretariat, New Partnership for Africa's Development
Anamarija Frankic, University of Massachusetts Boston

For additional information, please contact Miriam Balgos, Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands Secretariat, at mbalgos@udel.edu or 1-302-831-8086.