PROJECT IDENTIFICATION FORM (PIF)
PROJECT TYPE: Full-sized Project
THE GEF TRUST FUND
S
Submission Date: 30 October 2007
Re-submission Date: 21 December, 2007
PART I: PROJECT IDENTIFICATION
GEFSEC PROJECT ID: 3381
GEF AGENCY PROJECT ID: 3225
COUNTRY(IES): Niger
PROJECT TITLE: Oasis Micro-Basin Sand Invasion Control in the Gouré
and Maïne Regions (French Acronym: PLECO)
GEF AGENCY(IES): UNDP
OTHER EXECUTING PARTNERS: SIP Partners
GEF FOCAL AREAS: Land Degradation
GEF-4 STRATEGIC PROGRAM(S): LD-SP 1
NAME OF PARENT PROGRAM/UMBRELLA PROJECT: Strategic
Investment Program for SLM in Sub-Saharan Africa (SIP)
INDICATIVE CALENDAR
Milestones
Expected Dates
Work Program (for FSP)
CEO Endorsement/Approval
GEF Agency Approval
Implementation Start
Mid-term Review
Implementation Completion
June 2007
March 2008
May 2008
June 2008
Dec. 2010
June 2013
A. PROJECT FRAMEWORK (Expand table as necessary)
Project Objective: To improve natural resource-based livelihoods by promoting and up-scaling community-based sustainable land management
(SLM) aimed at protecting the integrity and improving the agro-sylvo-pastoral productivity of the micro-basin ecosystems in the Gouré and Maïne-Soroa
departments.
Project Components
1. Local level SLM
implementation
Invest
ment,
TA, or
STA**
TA
Expected Outcomes
 SLM applications are
scaled up on the ground
in country-defined
priority agro-ecological
zones
 SLM applications
adopted by land users in
project area
 Land degradation
effectively reversed at
key sites
(delivers on SIP IR1)
Indicators:
 Changes in livelihood
status in project areas;
 Water table levels;
 Increase in bioindicator
species of healthy
ecosystems
Expected Outputs
- Tools for implementation of
SLM in micro-basins
- Testing and demonstration of
restoration approaches
- SLM practices applied in 8
communes
Indicative
GEF
Financing*
Indicative
Cofinancing*
(M$)
(M$)
0.9
%
15
5
Total
(M$)
%
85
5.9
1
2. Capacity building on SLM
TA
3. Knowledge management
and linkage to policy
TA
 Local institutional
structures are
strengthened and
supported
 Enhanced individual
awareness of SLM and
LD issues
 Targeted individual and
systemic capacities
developed
(delivers on SIP IR 2)
Indicators:
 Changes in individual
and institutional
capacities based on
UNDP capacity
development scorecard
 Behavioural changes as
promoted through the
IEC
 Targeted knowledge
generated and
disseminated
 Monitoring established
and strengthened
 Lessons from PLECO
uptaken by SDR
(delivers on SIP IR2)
Indicators:
 Adaptive management of
PLECO
 M&E results internalized
into SDR
 KM platform established
- Support services to local
institutions defined and
rolled out.
- An adapted information,
education and
communication (IEC)
program is formulated and
implemented.
- A participatory and thematic
training program targeting
local structures is elaborated
and implemented.
0.62
16
3.3
84
3.92
- National Sand Dune and
Land Degradation
Observatory established and
functional linked with the
WB PAC M&E systems
- Project steering committee
established
- Joint reporting to SDR
environmental programs
steering committee
0.3
26
0.85
74
1.15
0.2
2.02
17
17
0.95
10.1
83
83
1.15
12.12
4. Project management
Total project costs
B. INDICATIVE FINANCING PLAN SUMMARY FOR THE PROJECT (M$)
Project Preparation *
Project
GEF Grant
Co-financing
Total
0.350
0.065
0.415
Agency Fee
2.020
10.100
12.120
Total
0.182
2.202**
10.100
12.302
0.182
* PDF B funded under GEF 3; ** Total does not include PDF B
C. INDICATIVE CO-FINANCING FOR THE PROJECT BY SOURCE (M$), IF AVAILABLE
Co-financing Source
Project Government Contribution
GEF Agency(ies)
Bilateral Aid Agency(ies)
Multilateral Agency(ies)
Private Sector
NGO
Others
Total co-financing
Cash
In-kind
0.50
Total
0.50
0.50
0.50
1.20
1.20
7.90
9.60
7.90
10.10
0.50
PART II: PROJECT JUSTIFICATION
1) In line with the principles of the Rural Development Strategy (RDS) and its programs addressing SLM, the
government of Niger has requested the TerrAfrica/SIP support to contribute to improved conditions of poor
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populations and the terrestrial ecosystem services upon which they depend. Under the leadership of UNDP and in
close cooperation with WB and IFAD, this support will begin with the development of a SLM Country
Investment Strategic Framework (CSIF) at national level which will be translated and adapted to sub-national and
local levels in the Maradi, Zinger and Diffa. Terrafrica tools and processes (such as the CSIF and national
interministerial committee) will be aligned and integrated with existing ones created through the SDR. The three
SIP operations in Niger (PLECO, ARRDI and PAC) have therefore been designed and are being implemented in
line with the SDR’s priority programs 10 (environmental sustainability) and 13 (land restoration and
reforestation). The World Bank IDA/GEF blended operation will deliver targeted investments at local level
throughout the country; the UNDP and IFAD operations are geographically focused respectively in the
Zinger/Diffa and Maradi regions; in Maradi, IFAD has initiated a local partnership framework bringing together
government and donor agencies around a harmonized and aligned approach. The three PIFs were prepared in
close coordination among the three agencies and the government to ensure complementarity among the
interventions; specifically for site selection special caution has been given to avoid overlays of GEF and other
donor funded interventions.
A. STATE THE ISSUE, HOW THE PROJECT SEEKS TO SOLVE IT, AND THE EXPECTED GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS TO BE
DELIVERED:
2) Issue: Over the past 30 years, annual average rainfall in Niger has declined 20% to 40% with high variability year
to year and between different regions. This prolonged period of dryness, with acute droughts in 1973 and 1984, is
one of the fundamental causes of the accelerated degradation of natural resources, including: declining vegetation
cover, high death rates of certain tree species, modifications in faunal and floral species composition, and lower
recharge rates of ground and surface waters and falling water tables. The loss of vegetation cover, in combination
with high evaporation rates and strong winds, has increased soil exposure to wind erosion. This has led to large
scale desiccation of the landscape, soil fertility loss and the formation of moving sand dunes. For example, in
Mainé-Soroa, roughly 25% of the department’s land area (305 000 ha) is now affected by sand dune invasion, up
from 5% in 1986: an increase of approximately 12,360 hectares per year. Between 1986 and 2005, approximately
34,000 ha of micro-basins and shallow depressions in the PLECO project zone were lost due to sand dune
invasion. A significant additional number are currently considered to be under high risk.
3) Desertification is the main threat to Niger’s economic development. Desertification in Niger is driven by a
combination of climatic factors and human actions. Given prevailing poverty levels and increasing population
pressure, and without organized and concerted planning and coordination, the risk of overexploitation and further
degradation of the micro-basin ecosystems remains very high. In many parts of the country sand dune invasion
has become a major threat to agricultural land, water resources and social infrastructure. While the technical
success of sand dune stabilization has been very encouraging, a number of challenges remain, particularly
ensuring the long-term management of fixed dunes and increasing the capacity of local communities to control,
prevent and reverse sand dune creation. These result from ad-hoc approaches and lack of coordination among
development partners and different sectors at the national, departmental and local levels. These challenges will be
at the core of PLECO interventions.
4) Project Strategy: The PLECO will become a thematic leader on sand dune invasion control and sustainable land
management in Niger. It will assume the role of catalyzing discussions, thematic groups and interventions at local,
regional and national levels and provide its knowledge to programs and policy makers working on sustainable
development, desertification control and sustainable land management. At the local level in the project zone, the
PLECO will mobilize communities, strengthen local capacity, support local and departmental coordination,
encourage a participatory process by which the causes and risks of land degradation are identified, disseminate
knowledge about state-of-the-art sustainable land management practices, encourage information sharing,
technically assist in testing appropriate sand dune invasion control techniques, mobilize co-financing for
additional investments, assist in establishing a participatory monitoring and evaluation strategy and facilitate the
sharing with stakeholders at all levels of project results, lessons learned and best practices.
5) The PLECO project will build on the experiences of past and on-going projects in the area but will bring valueadded by adopting a long-term vision of the problematic of land degradation and sand invasion based on an
integrated approach that takes into account not only the different characteristics of local agro-sylvo-pastoral
systems but also the socio-economic, legal and institutional factors affecting land use. The project will also
upscale activities by building synergies between other projects and actors intervening in the region. Concretely,
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the PLECO will take a lead role in proposing mechanisms to harmonize approaches and practices for fighting
against sand invasion in the intervention zone and contribute to the creation of a functional network of
information exchange and joint interventions at the local, regional and national levels.
6) The project will promote best practices in agriculture and livestock management that contribute to the
regeneration of vegetation cover and soil protection in order to prevent sand dune formation. In collaboration with
the local population, the PLECO will also elaborate long-term management plans for sand dunes that will guide
local communities in restoring these degraded niches and improving their productivity. While the WB/SIP
project will address the issue of infrastructure development at communal level, the project will strengthen
capacity in term of knowledge production and management in the local communities, who will be the primary
project stakeholders and implementers of best practices. In addition, the PLECO will help local institutions to
develop strategies and capacity to address the imminent threat of desertification through effective and coordinated
efforts.
7) The project will also contribute to achieving larger national, regional and international objectives. In working to
improve sustainable management of the productive capital (soils, vegetation, biodiversity, water) and the living
conditions of the rural populations, the PLECO responds to the main stakes of desertification control as defined in
the Niger’s National Action Plan for Desertification Control and Natural Resources Management (PAN/LCDGRN). The project’s focus on the protection and restoration of biodiversity in the micro-basins and shallow
depressions and on the plateau, including the protection and management of water resources, will also contribute
to the larger scale management of the threatened regional Lake Chad basin. Finally, by reducing wind erosion
through improved management of vegetation cover, the PLECO will also contribute to reducing the impacts of
climate change.
8) Global Environmental Benefits: Improved vegetation cover binds soil and retains water through enhanced
infiltration into the dunes, which are important aquifers in the Sahel. The global environmental benefits to be
realized by the project include: (i) reduction of the negative consequences of desertification and land degradation,
including loss of ecosystem functions and services, (ii) restoration and improvement of the functional integrity
and resilience of the micro-basin ecosystems in Niger, thereby protecting and enhancing environmental services,
(iii) improved protection and management of water resources, thus contributing to the larger scale management of
the threatened Lake Chad basin, (iv) reduction of wind erosion and loss of vegetation through improved
management of vegetation cover, thereby contributing to the reduction of the impacts of climate change. The
project aims to promote practices that will protect, restore, and improve the integrity of Niger’s micro-basin
ecosystems and improve the agro-sylvo-pastoral productivity in these areas. The GEF Alternative Scenario will
contribute to developing and executing interventions that focus on identifying system-wide, landscape-scale
solutions to control and prevent land degradation, thus supporting Niger’s aim to effectively address
desertification in all its dimensions. As a result of PLECO’s interventions, at least 8 communes: Bouné, Kellé,
Guidiguir, the Urban Commune of Gouré (Gouré District); Goudoumaria, Nguelbayli, Foulatari, the
Urban Commune of Maïne-Soroa (Maïne-Soroa District) and local NGOs in the project area apply
sustainable land management practices on at least 4,150 hectares of micro-basins and 3,360 hectares of pastoral
area, 1,000 hectares of previous fixation interventions are consolidated, and a functional National Sand Dune and
Land Degradation Observatory is established in Niger. These environmental benefits will be tracked through
proxy ecosystem indicators agreed to within the SIP partnership, with the baselines to be refined during project
preparation. (i) has of sand-dunes rehabilitated; (ii) presence of indicator species of sound ecosystem status; (iv)
piezeometric level of water table. These indicators, capacity to measure them and a budgeted monitoring and
evaluation program will be included in the CEO approval request and fine-tuned if necessary during the first year
of the project. Indicator species of ecosystem status include: Aristida mutabilis, Cenchrus biflorus (good site
conditions), Pergularia tomentosa (sign of pronounced erosion), Acacia Senegal, Acacia raddiana and Acacia
seyal in association and Calotropis procera (very poor site conditions).The recolonisation of the old Pleistocene
dunes in the Sahel by these species could indicate that the open savannah ecosystems have been restored that
provide important habitats for birds, small mammals, etc.
B. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH NATIONAL PRIORITIES/PLANS:
9) The project is part of the operational translation of the Government of Niger’s National Plan for Environment and
Sustainable Development (1998), the Sectoral Consultation on Environment (2004) and the National Action
Programme of the UNCCD (NAP/CCD-NRM, 2000). It is linked to the Medium-Term Action Plan 2006-20114
on Environment and Desertification Control in Niger and contributes to both Niger’s Poverty Reduction Strategy
and the Rural Development Strategy. This extensive policy framework is an indication of the high priority given
to land degradation and sustainable land management (SLM) in Niger, as is the Special Program of the President
of the Republic, which includes soil rehabilitation as a priority component. Most recently, Niger became a priority
country under the TerrAfrica Initiative (2005) and has been included in the Strategic Investment Plan (SIP), under
which this project will be submitted and for which UNDP is the lead GEF Agency in Niger.
10) Capacity building initiatives delineated in this project are in line with the capacity building needs assessment for
sustainable land management that was undertaken in the framework of the GEF financed NCSA project and
validated through local and national workshops.
C. DESCRIBE THE CONSISTENCY OF THE PROJECT WITH GEF STRATEGIES AND STRATEGIC PROGRAMS:
11) The project is consistent with the GEF - LD focal area strategy concerning the mitigation and prevention of land
degradation and desertification. The project will contribute to GEF 4 Strategic Objective 2: Demonstration and
up-scaling successful SLM practices for the control and prevention of desertification and deforestation. By
promoting a national Land Degradation Observatory, the project will also contribute to GEF 4 Strategic Objective
1: To create an enabling environment that will place SLM in the mainstream of development policy and practice
at regional, national and local levels. In line with the GEF focal area strategy for land degradation and the agreed
SIP framework, this operation enhances the performance of coordinating bodies to (i) mainstream SLM in
national, departmental and local development planning; (ii) leverage financial resources towards the
implementation of agreed national frameworks to address land degradation. It also bridges the knowledge gaps by
(i) identifying, codifying and adapting cutting-edge approaches while (ii) generating knowledge and best practices
in terms of sand dune rehabilitation. It therefore contributes to IRs 1 and 2 of the SIP.
12) Moving towards a programmatic approach to SLM investments in Niger, in line with TerrAfrica, will facilitate
harmonization of activities and a more strategic targeting of planned activities not only with the GEF but in the
broader donor community. This will entail: (i) coordinating efforts at the political, strategic, technical, and
program levels particularly within the SDR framework within which the WB and IFAD SIP project also fit ; (ii)
developing and consolidating activities that support SLM by contributing in the implementation of SDR Program
13 (Land Rehabilitation and reforestation); (iii) increasing the quality and quantity of contributions and exchanges
of knowledge, data, and expertise through the framework of the national observatory and (iv) mobilizing and
channeling financial resources more efficiently in line with SDR and UNDAF framework.
D. OUTLINE THE COORDINATION WITH OTHER RELATED INITIATIVES:
13) Commitments to donor and sector alignment around a SLM shared programmatic approach were expressed by
numerous partners during the environment sector consultations of November 2005 under the leadership of UNDP,
which was designated as Executing Agency of a national partnership for SLM initiatives. UNDP is leading the
international presence under SIP and TerrAfrica and this operation will be coordinated with other agency support.
14) The programmatic approach to investment that is emerging in Niger will be founded upon on-going and planned
in-depth analytical work and related policy dialogue. Several activities currently being supported by partners
include: 1) a public expenditure and institutional review of the rural sector with a focus on SLM, 2) an impact
evaluation of land rehabilitation programs on poverty and sustainable land management , 3) a study on the
harmonization of “schemas d’aménagement et de gestion des resources” and 4) a series of Development Policy
Lending operations in support of policy and institutional reforms, including on the local governance of natural
resources.
15) Niger is one of the 22 countries included in the first phase of the SIP and the proposed project contributes to the
overall SIP Program Goal – Support sub-Saharan countries in improving natural resource-based livelihoods by
reducing land degradation, in line with MDGs 1 and 7. This project will contribute to SIP 2007-2010 Program
Objective: Stakeholders in countries design, implement, and manage suitable SLM policies, strategies and on-theground investments that are aligned against national priorities and SIP priorities. In particular the proposed project
will contribute to SIP Intermediate Results 1, 3 and 4.
16) The proposed effort will complement the GEF-supported UNEP Niger-Nigeria Trans-boundary Ecosystems
Management project, which is being implemented in the same region but does not intervene in the same
geographical zone, by applying lessons learned to the micro-basin landscape. At field level, the project will
intervene in two departments particularly in Goure – Zinder Region and Mainé Soroa – Diffa Zegion, thus will
not overlap with IFAD/SIP project witch will intervene in the Maradi Region. In term of thematic orientation,5
the project will specifically intervene in micro basins ecosystems protection; therefore will not overlap with
WB/SIP which is oriented toward local communities’ infrastructure development to strengthen the
decentralization process in Niger. The proposed project will communicate with the GEF-supported IW Lake Chad
project in terms of lessons learned and replication/up-scaling of activities. GEF resources under the SIP will
contribute strategically to advancing the SLM agenda via an emergent programmatic approach. Through GEF-SIP
support leveraged by the TerrAfrica platform, Niger aims to capture existing momentum towards cooperative
partnerships and joint programming to scale up SLM in the country’s priority agro-ecological zones; the CSIF
being pursued in the country will ensure coordination and avoid duplication. UNDP capacity support, combined
with WB policy dialogue and large-scale financing on local governance for NRM, and IFAD community-level
development will strengthen the GEF impact in the country.
17) In practical terms, and to avoid duplication of institutional mechanisms, the three GEF/SIP projects will report to
the environment program steering committee of the SDR; this overarching steering committee is composed of
concerned national administrations and development partners. Its role is to: (i) define implementation modality;
(ii) coordinate activities and ensure they are coherent and conform with the SDR; (iii) establish a coordination
framework; (iv) supervise, monitor and evaluate progress; (v) report to the SDP Interministerial committee and
ensure coordination with other SDR programs. It is through this committee that the three projects will harmonize
their approaches, exchange lessons and transfer knowledge. The national observatory to be established with the
support of PLECO will serve as a repository of information, expertise and best practices for all SIP and SDR
interventions.
E. DISCUSS THE VALUE-ADDED OF GEF INVOLVEMENT IN THE PROJECT DEMONSTRATED THROUGH INCREMENTAL
REASONING :
18) Without GEF: The project’s focus would be limited to sand dune stabilization in a discrete project area, building
only on local capacity and benefiting the local environment without attention to longer-term solutions or extent
beyond the boundaries of specific sites. Thus, the project would not be able to adequately address the scope of the
problem of sand invasion and loss of ecosystem stability and integrity. Without an observatory, the general lack of
knowledge will continue, observed changes and impacts on the ground will not contribute to policy making and
resource use practices leading to land degradation will continue.
19) With GEF: The GEF increment of PLECO will support the participatory diagnostic and development of local
action plans for the prevention of sand dunes. The GEF will bring additional resources and a more comprehensive
approach that will help frame the fight against sand invasion and land degradation over the longer-term and at the
landscape scale. In doing so, GEF resources will enable the project to address some of the key barriers to SLM;
these include: (i) knowledge gaps; (ii) lack of required institutional capacity to sustain the long-term cooperative
effort; (iii) limited links between science and policy, including in the design of land-use plans and financial
incentive measures. As a response to these gaps, the project will reinforce synergies and harmonization and focus
on scaling up lessons learned and best-fit practices. It will establish a national observatory aimed at (i) increasing
scientific and land users’ knowledge of the issues and problems Niger is facing and (ii) identifying solutions to
land degradation and (iii) informing policy reform processes.
20) The three SIP projects will work together to lift barriers to SLM and implement activities that will help the SLM
agenda move forward in Niger: (i) the WB PAC will support the preparation of the CSIF, which is also financed
through core UNDP resources; (ii) capacity building will be undertaken at local, regional and national levels with
each SIP intervention focusing on a thematic issue or region; (iii) knowledge and best practices will be generated
by the three interventions, with the project teams working together through the SDR processes to avoid
duplication, enhance synergies and generate the highest level of technical and site-specific information possible;
(iv) a monitoring and evaluation system will be generated through the WB PAC with contribution from the UNDP
and IFAD led projects either thematically or regionally. The establishment of the observatory proposed through
PLECO will be undertaken in close coordination with the WB PAC team and the SDR team in a way that it serves
the SLM agenda in Niger as broadly as possible and henceforth informs policy reforms and adjustments to the
SDR strategy.
F. INDICATE RISKS, INCLUDING CLIMATE CHANGE RISKS, THAT MIGHT PREVENT THE PROJECT OBJECTIVE(S) FROM BEING
ACHIEVED, AND IF POSSIBLE INCLUDING RISK MEASURES THAT WILL BE TAKEN:
Summary table of the project risk and mitigation measures
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Risk
Risk rating
Environmental: Low or irregular Moderate
rainfall could cause an increase in
active sand dune formation and
invasion leading to the loss of
micro-basins and depressions, an
increase in the loss of vegetation
cover and decline in water
availability
Stakeholder participation: Due to Low
poverty, local land users prioritize
individual and immediate livelihood
needs rather than long-term SLM
goals. Thus, effective stakeholder
participation presents a challenge;
Institutional/Political:
Weak Low
institutional capacity at both
national and local levels may inhibit
project implementation
Risk mitigation strategy
A local early warning mechanism on ecosystem condition will be develop
and strengthen through the observatory. The NAPA for Niger has just
been initiated and will offer the possibility of integrating the findings of
the NAPA into project interventions and strategies as it unfolds. The
NAPA follow – up project which is underdevelopment and which puts
emphasis on micro basins as alternative potentials for food security in
Niger will provide urgent measures on which PLECO will build to
develop long term measures to ensure ecosystem integrity. Also, the
leading role PLECO is expected to play in the micro basins ecosystem
management, will allow to mainstream SLM practices in the all partners
activities of the local “Cadre de Concertation”.
The participative approach developed and conducted by the project in the
preparatory phase has demonstrated effectiveness in mobilizing
stakeholders participation. The central role of the community
representatives (mayors, elected municipality advisers, district official and
traditional leader representative) has developed a strong ownership of the
project by local community. The challenge will be the maintenance of the
dynamic and the capacity development of the local administration and
representatives.
The main objective of the project is the development and strengthening of
capacities both at national and local level including within the SDR
framework and in close coordination with WB&IFAD /SIP projects. The
actual development of decentralization in Niger, with a good baseline
foundation is an opportunity to achieve the capacity development target at
all levels.
G. DESCRIBE, IF POSSIBLE, THE EXPECTED COST-EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROJECT:
21) Cost-effectiveness of the project will be determined by a) conducting a fuller risk assessment and a financial
appraisal; b) conducting an “alternative designs” exercise when developing the project’s logical framework, thus
enabling the project proponents to select the best options; and c) ensuring that all UNDP requirements for project
management, fiduciary responsibility, and independent oversight are met. A first indication of project
effectiveness results from the fact that the project is inscribed in the framework of the SDR at the national level
and of the Terrafrica partnership at a regional level. The national framework ensures the high impact and uptake
of project lessons nationally, while the Terrafrica framework facilitates the sharing of lessons and exchanges
regionally. Furthermore, the fact that there are three SIP operations in Niger will ensure that GEF investments are
mutually supportive, for example in terms of generating lessons and knowledge products on the regionalization of
the SDR.
22) Alternative project approaches could have encompassed the regionalization of the SDR throughout the Zinder and
Diffa regions. This would have entailed working in different ecological settings rather than focusing on oases
micro-basins; broadening the scope of ecological coverage would have spread the team too thin on the large
territory in question. Given that other SIP operations (WB and IFAD) will be operating in different settings and
ecological systems, the project’s focus is justified in terms of leadership on oases micro-basins and their
rehabilitation. Such experience will then feed into the SDR knowledge management products and be replicated in
other oases micro-basins across the country.
H. JUSTIFY THE COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE OF GEF AGENCY:
23) According to the GEF comparative advantage matrix, UNDP has the comparative advantage in SLM Agricultural
and Rangelands in capacity building and technical assistance. UNDP’s comparative advantage for GEF lies in its
experience in integrated policy development, human resources development, institutional strengthening, and nongovernmental and community participation. As indicated the UNDP Strategic Plan 2008 – 2013, at global level
UNDP will strengthen the capacity of national and local authorities to undertake participatory planning processes,
assessment and adoption of effective service delivery systems, including data generation and analysis as a basis
for policy design. Building on extensive experience from the GEF Small Grants Programme and other initiatives,
UNDP will assist local authorities to build the capacity of local agents including communities, non-governmental
organizations, micro, small and medium-sized enterprises, financial institutions and other private sector actors to
manage and stimulate business and development benefits from environmental and energy service delivery. The
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project is completely in line with this UNDP strategic orientation at national and local levels.
24) The UNDP country office itself is very well positioned to take on the implementation agency role for PLECO and
the lead agency role for SIP operations in Niger. Indeed the CO has nurtured close relations with national policy
bodies over the past decade The SDR encompasses 14 focused programs each led by one development partner and
one national agency;. Programs 10 – Environmental conservation; 13 – Land restoration and reforestation; and
sub-program 4.4 – rural electrification, are led by the Ministry of Environment for the government and UNDP for
development partners. Within this framework UNDP CO has allocated financial resources to support the
CSIF/environment program preparation and to undertake the necessary analytical studies leading up to that. These
will complement work supported by the WB through its SIP operation in Niger.
25) The UN country team is in the process of preparing the UN Development Assistance Framework for 2008-2011,
which takes on board the priorities of the national government as set up in the new PRSP (September 2007). Two
UNDAF outcomes relate to the SDR, SIP operations and PLECO: (i) Sustainable Development through food
security and environmental management; (ii) support to the implementation of multilateral environmental
agreements, sustainable development strategies and national policies. It has been decided that the UNDP Country
Program Document will be determined on the basis of the UNDAF–retained priorities of which PLECO is part.
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PART III: APPROVAL/ENDORSEMENT BY GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT(S) AND GEF
AGENCY(IES)
A. RECORD OF ENDORSEMENT OF GEF OPERATIONAL FOCAL POINT (S) ON BEHALF OF THE GOVERNMENT(S):
Endorsement letter attached.
Yakoubou Mahaman Sani, Commissaire chargé du Développement,
Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances
Date: 21 September 2007
B. GEF AGENCY(IES) CERTIFICATION
This request has been prepared in accordance with GEF policies and procedures and meets the GEF
criteria for project identification and preparation.
Project Contact Person
Mirey Atallah
Regional Technical Advisor Land Degradation
John Hough
UNDP-GEF Deputy Executive Coordinator,
a.i.
Date: 21 December 2007
Tel. and Email: mirey.atallah@undp.org
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