Background
161. Forests play an essential role in achieving sustainable development, a green economy and poverty eradication. They are the key land ecosystem ensuring the preservation of biodiversity and an important source of renewable materials. Countries in Central Asi a and the Caucasus face serious challenges that have hampered proper reporting on the state of their forests. Data are often not available; measurements and collection of data are difficult and require capacity that is currently missing. Policymakers and d ecision makers are not always aware of the importance of information for the effective implementation of sustainable forest management. Forestry officers require training and capacity-building in order to be able to collect and process the data needed to a ssess the state and trends of sustainable forest management in their country.
162. Up until now, efforts at the global and pan-European levels to assess the sustainability of forest management at the national level have used rather simple methods and deli vered limited results for a number of reasons, including the difficulty of defining sustainability in quantified objective ways and the diversity of country situations, which make it difficult to establish comparable norms which can be applied in all count ries. On the basis of the results and experiences acquired through past assessments, since 2011 ECE and FAO have been developing, with national and international experts, a new method to assess the sustainability of forest management in ECE member States. The System for
Evaluation of the Management of Forests reports on the sustainability of forest management at the pan-European level. This method seeks to provide a scientific and transparent system of accountability and will be applied during the project.
163. The project will help countries to respond to key capacity gaps and overcome these development challenges by providing knowledge, capacity-building, training materials and advisory services for: (a) defining the scope of the national reporting system and the information that is needed and appropriate for the implementation of sustainable forest management at the national level; (b) collecting relevant data to assess the implementation of policies related to sustainable forest management; (c) developin g a national accountability system on the basis of the data collected; and (d) reporting accordingly and developing national actions to address any shortcomings identified by the system.
164. The target groups will be officials from ministries responsible for forestry and related institutions. The project will primarily develop capacities at a national level. This will be achieved through tailored training workshops based on the content used at a national level. The eight target countries will represent either forest-poor countries where forest and land degradation pose serious environmental challenges, or forest -rich countries where forests are completely neglected regardless of their potential to provide social, environmental and economic benefits and that have recognized the need for capacitybuilding activities on forests.
165. The ECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section will be responsible for leading the project.
Objective of the Organization : To strengthen the national capacity of countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia to develop accountability systems for sustainable forest management
Summary budget
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General temporary

Relationship to the biennial programme plan for the period
2016-2017 : Economic development in Europe subprogramme 7
(Forestry and timber) assistance
Consultants
Travel
Contractual services
25.6
142.0
95.0
28.0
Seminars, workshops 210.4
Total 501.0
Expected accomplishments of the Secretariat Indicators of achievement
(EA1) Enhanced national capacity to collect data and measure sustainable forest management
(IA1.1) At least six countries out of eight report sustainable forest management data
(IA1.2) 80 per cent of trained officials confirm an increased capacity to collect data and measure sustainable forest management
(EA2) Enhanced national capacity to develop national reporting and accountability systems for sustainable forest management
(IA2.1) At least four out of eight countries have developed national forest management reporting/accountability systems
Main activities
166. The main activities of the project will include:
(A1.1) Develop training modules and training material on defining the scope of the national reporting system, collecting data, measuring and assessing sustainable forest management and developing a reliable system for the collection of sustainable forest management data;
(A1.2) Organize a regional inception workshop focused on data collection and analysis and the System for Evaluation of the Management of Forests; conduct a one-day study tour to demonstrate how forest monitoring works at the country level and to facilitate knowledge sharing among the participating countries;
(A1.3) Organize eight workshops/sessions for national officers in the releva nt areas on collecting data for participatory development of the accountability systems;
(A2.1) Organize eight national workshops to initiate development of national accountability systems. At each workshop, 25 participants from relevant ministries and organizations will be trained in developing a national system of indicators for monitoring sustainable forest management, starting from data collection and analysis;
(A2.2) Eight advisory missions to support the development and adoption of national accountability systems for sustainable forest management;
(A2.3) Conduct a regional forest reporting workshop to share national lessons learned and formulate recommendations for follow-up at the national and international levels; conduct a one-day study tour to demonstrate how forest monitoring works at the country level and to facilitate knowledge sharing among the participating countries (similar to the study tour under activity A1.1);
(A2.4) Prepare a publication on the national accountability systems for sustainable forest management in Central Asia and the Caucasus and related recommendations for remedial actions. The publication will be targeted to all countries in the ECE region to showcase progress in assessing sustainable forest management.

V: Accountability systems for sustainable forest management in Caucasus and Central Asian countries
Implementing entities: ECE, in collaboration with FAO
Duration : 2016 – 2019
Objective: To strengthen the national capacity of countries in the Caucasus and Central Asia to develop accountability system for sustainable forest management.
Summary budget
(Thousands of United States dollars)
General temporary assistance 25.6
Consultants
Travel
142.0
95.0
Contractual Services 28.0
Seminars, Workshops 210.4
Total 501.0
Detailed budget (US dollars)
General Temporary Assistance

Support to the UNECE/FAO secretariat in the implementation of the project ($4,270 x 6 months) = $25,600 in support of activities A1.1,
A1.2, A2.1 and A2.3
Consultants
International consultants

One international consultant to work with the UNECE/FAO Forestry and Timber Section on the provision of advisory services in support of the substantive preparation of workshops, the development of training material in cooperation with national consultants, the drafting of the accountability systems and the final report on the state of SFM in the
CCA (1 consultant x 5 months x $9,200/per month = $46,000 + $17,000 for consultant travel to 8 workshops/ coaching sessions = $63,000) and to develop the final publication, in support of A1.1, A1.2, A2.1, A2.3 and A2.4
National / Regional consultants

One regional consultant to work with the international consultant to conduct coaching sessions and support other trainings, including support to developing the accountability systems: (4 months x $3,000= $12,000 and $18,000 for consultant’s travel to 8 coaching sessions to act as a trainer) in support of A1.1, A1.2, A2.2 and A2.3= $30,000. Eight (one per beneficiary country) national consultants to serve as coordinators for workshops and developing the accountability systems, including participation in regional workshops in support of activities, A1.1, A1.2,
A2.1 and A2.3 (8 consultants x 2 months x $2,200 per month= $35,000)
Evaluation Consultant

Surveys in the target countries to evaluate usage of projects, results and impacts including participation to the final regional workshop: $14,000
25 600
142 000

Travel of staff

Travel of two UNECE staff to organise and coordinate the national workshops with national consultants, build partnerships with national institutions to provide advisory services, participate in the regional workshop in support of activities A1.2; A1.3; A2.1; A2.2 & A2.3.
Total $95,000
Contractual Services

Translation of documents into Russian, in support of activities A1.1
$5,000. Translation of the training material into English, or Russian, in support of activity A2.1 and A2.3: $3,200. Translation of national accountability systems into English A2.1.: $4,000. Translation of the final project publication into Russian: $4,000.

Publication on the national accountability systems for sustainable forest management in the Caucasus and Central Asia and related recommendations and remedial actions (60 pages) A2.4. Layout and assembling of final publication and printing: $5,800. Editing: $6,000
Seminars, Workshops and Study Tours

National capacity building workshops and workshops/ sessions - 25 participants for each (21 self-financed, 4 financed by the project). Venue and conference services including interpretation (English-Russian)
$7,000 x 8= $56,000; stakeholder participation (such as forest experts from different regions inside the country) in development of accountability systems in support of A2.1: $872 x 4 persons x 8 workshops = $27,900; total $56,000+27,900 = $83,900

Regional workshops for the development of accountability systems for all countries ($2,300 per participant x 2 workshops x 25 participants from all project countries, from different relevant Ministries –e.g.
Forestry, Energy, Environment) in support of A.1. 2 and A.2.4: $2,376 x
25 participants x 2 workshops = $118,800.

Study tours to showcase current forest monitoring and assessment systems (research institutes, forest agency or other responsible for forest monitoring) back-to-back to the regional workshops to facilitate knowledge exchange between workshop participants, in support of A1.2 and A2.3: 2 study tours x 25 participants, covering lunch, coffee and transportation = $7,700
95 000
28 000
210 400
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