Experience Notes & Lessons Learned

Report containing experience notes and lessons learned from the project.
FileExperience Note: International Development of NGOs: Danube Environmental Forum (DEF)
The Danube Environmental Forum (DEF) is a network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which is dedicated to protecting the Danube River and its tributaries, their biodiversity and national resources by enhancing cooperation among governments and stakeholders. Targeting pollution reduction and transboundary cooperation in the same basin, the UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project (DRP) has worked to build and strengthen the DEF regional NGO network and to establish a Regional Secretariat to coordinate its widespread, multi-country activities and projects. DEF now has a strong Secretariat, 174 member organizations and national focal points from 13 Danube countries. Activities such as an annual basin-wide Danube Day as well as their participation in the International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River Basin (ICPDR) are among its successes. DEF challenges included selecting a small set of common issues to focus network efforts and developing financial sustainability. DRP seed funding to support such efforts and institution-building was critical for the DEF and its members to reach new heights in positive regional impact. Through a similar process, other projects and NGO networks can take advantage of regional economies of scale and networking to support public involvement across their transboundary water basins. Kari Aina Eik, Danube Regional Project Dann Sklarew, editor
FileExperience Note: Small Grants Programme (SGP) in the GEF/UNDP Danube Regional Project (DRP)
Among some 80 activities pursued by the UNDP-GEF Danube Regional Project, its Small Grants Programme (SGP) has had a particularly remarkable impact. The SGP was the DRP's main vehicle for engaging local stakeholders and the public through NGO involvement and capacity building for actions at the local level to support the Danube SAP. In total, 120 National Grants and 10 Regional Grants were distributed to NGOs in 11 countries in the Danube River Basin. Projects were monitored and evaluated by the DRP through regular reporting and site visits. The best practices of NGO projects were highlighted in stories submitted to both national and international media. The SGP support NGO activities to reduce nutrient pollution, along with other projects and tools implemented by the DRP, has contributed to significant and measurable improvements in the water quality of the Danube and the Black Sea. Specific heuristics are presented here to help other projects replicate DRP's interactive SGP approach -- through design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation phases. Kari Aina Eik Danube Regional Project Dann Sklarew, editor GEF IW:LEARN
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