Environment and Energy for Sustainable Development
The UNDP Environment and Energy (E & E) Programme assists the Government of Lebanon to meet the environmental goals and priorities stipulated in the mandate of the United Nations and international conventions. Of particular relevance are the agreements set forth at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development, which reinforce The Millennium Declaration, specifically, the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) adopted in 2000 that pledge to "integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programmes, and reverse the loss of environmental resources"(MDG Goal 7, Target 9).
In order to support sustainable development in Lebanon, which includes the protection and regeneration of the environment, and the access by all people to clean, affordable energy services, the E & E Programme provides technical, policy and operational assistance to ministries and national stakeholders throughout the country. Other global environmental issues addressed include climate change, biodiversity conservation, land degradation and ozone layer depletion. Among its most prominent counterparts is the Ministry of Environment (MoE), which executes many of the Programme’s current projects.
The E & E Programme helps meet national needs in strategic environmental areas, through the promotion of the following two areas:
IMPLEMENTING CONVENTIONS
INSTITUTIONAL STREGTHENING AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
IMPLEMENTING CONVENTIONS
UNDP E & E Programme supports relevant ministries and governmental institutions in designing and implementing national strategic and operational plans that meet the requirements of international conventions. Some examples include:
Convention on Biological Diversity and Cartagena Protocol
The Biodiversity Enabling Activity Project aims to assess national capacity building needs and analyse institutional and functional capacities to determine the necessary mechanisms needed to protect national biodiversity in accordance with the National Biodiversity Strategy Action Plans recommendations. Another project that also targets institutional capacities is the Development of National Biosafety Framework Project, which assists the Government of Lebanon to assess current technical and institutional capacities related to biosafety in order to prepare the national frameworks. The Protected Areas Project and the MedWetCoast Project put in place an effective system to safeguard endemic and endangered species. Finally, the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Dryland Agro-Biodiversity Project promotes the conservation of important wild relatives and landraces of agricultural species by introducing and testing in-situ and on-farm techniques. The project works closely with farmers and the rural communities using their indigenous knowledge for the conservation and sustainable use of agrobiodiversity.
Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
The Ozone Office at the MoE was established by the Montreal Protocol and is responsible through several investment and non-investment projects for the phase-out of ozone-depleting substances. The Methyl Bromide Alternatives project aims to phase out methyl bromide from the vegetable, tobacco and cut flowers sectors by providing farmers with the required technical knowledge and know-how on the use of several alternatives to methyl bromide.
UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
UNDP has assisted Lebanon in the preparation of its first National Communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and is in the process of preparing its second communication. The Communication has developed a greenhouse gas inventory identifying the high emissions sectors, paving the way for several operational projects, among which are the Lebanon Cross Sectoral Energy Efficiency and Removal to ESCO Operation (LCECP) project, the Energy Efficiency Buildings project, and the Policy Assessment of Electricity Tariffs project.
UN Convention to Combat Desertification
The National Action Plan for Combating Desertification (NAP) Project, funded by UNDP/Drylands Development Centre and Ministry of Agriculture, has prepared the National Action Plan and has initiated several pilot activities for the implementation of the NAP. Furthermore, it has established the current state of desertification and land degradation in Lebanon and has identified gaps in legislation.
INSTITUTIONAL STREGTHENING AND CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT
UNDP promotes capacity development for national policy makers and key stakeholders within the MoE and other concerned ministries, and raises public awareness among the local community regarding key environmental issues. Some examples of projects being implemented in this field include: the Enhancement of the Permanent Awareness Unit at the Ministry of Environment (EPAUE); Technical Assistance to Reinforce Governance in Environmental Tasks (TARGET); National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA); and the Olive Oil Project.
UNDP encourages the mainstreaming of environmental sound strategies within all ministries at the national level. The Strategic Environmental Assessment project, for example, aims to integrate environmental considerations into policies, programmes and plans at the national level.
Two projects managed by UNDP in Lebanon support local community development and environmental initiatives through small grants, namely the Local Initiative Facility for Urban Environment (LIFE) and the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP)
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Lebanon
