43 / 88
43
11 Deviations from, and adjustments
to the annual work plan
With regard to financial expenditures, the
UNEP Shelf Pro-
gramme
required an additional allocation of funds during
2011. At the start of the year, 6 million NOK were allocated
from the 2011 budget to support the Norwegian Initiative.
During the year an increased level of support to countries
under the Norwegian Initiative was delivered, which was
not anticipated, resulting in additional costs of 2.2 MNOK.
For activities in West Africa, the purchase of software and
hardware (2.85 MNOK) was an extraordinary cost item not
previously incurred for any other region or country. Op-
erational costs (including workshops, data acquisition,
and other support to the region) were also higher than
anticipated due to additional, unforeseen interventions
required for successful programme delivery. The funding
shortfall was communicated during the course of the year
to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
88
Subsequent to this, the
Ministry agreed to cover the additional costs.
The
Mitigation and Adaptation Information Network
(MAIN)
project was brought to a close in 2011 as it proved
challenging to develop deliverables with a clear impact.
This decision was made in consultation with partners and
is based on recommendations from a paper prepared in
collaboration with UNEP/Risøe in December 2010 that
assessed experiences of ICT-based networks for capacity
development in the area of renewable energy. The study
highlighted preconditions for success, including a clearly
defined target audience; a well-developed network of lo-
cal partners (NGOs working on the ground) that could
help bridge the “digital divide”; clear specification of value
added; tools, products, and services relevant to end-us-
ers; and significant levels of funding (larger projects than
MAIN had failed). Following the review of implementation
progress and, in light of insights gained from similar pro-
jects, it was decided to terminate GRID-Arendal’s engage-
ment in MAIN from mid-2011.
88. Ref. letter to the ministry for the attention of Mr Harald Noreik,
dated 2 December 2011.
12 Assessment of effectiveness
The Framework Agreement between the Norwegian Min-
istry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) and GRID-Arendal, dated
28 April 2010, prescribes an assessment at the end of the
biennium of the effectiveness of the Work Programme un-
der the Programme Cooperation Agreement (PCA). The
point of departure for an assessment of the ‘effectiveness’
of the Work Programme – defined as “the extent to which
the purpose has been achieved” – is the first clause of the
Framework Agreement:
“The overall goal...is to support UNEPwithGRID-Arendal’s
core competencies in creating innovative communication
tools, products and services that draw from scientific
assessments and present complex information in a manner
that is compelling to a wide range of audiences.”
In relation to GRID-Arendal’s long-standing and vital col-
laboration with UNEP, the key message from this report
is that the relationship is changing in a fundamental and
strategically important way. This change is most evident in
the type of engagement – from ad hoc, short assignments
concentrating on publication services, to long-term and
programmatic collaboration that involves inter alia ana-
lytical contributions and active outreach beyond launch.
This approach permits much greater synergies and scope
for innovation, as is made clear by the collaboration on
the most recent rendition of the
Global Environment
Outlook 5
, which combines substantive content from
GRID-Arendal with an extensive programme of “life after
launch” outreach activities. Manifestations of the trend
are also found in recent consultations on enhanced col-
laboration at the regional level, for instance in relation to
a strategic initiative to revamp the
Africa Environmental
Information Network (AEIN)
, and in the multiple joint
applications to the
Global Environment Facility (GEF)
,
which is key to building the future foundation for ‘pro-
grammatic’ (i.e. programme-led) collaboration between
the institutions.