Capacity Building for the Ministry of Environment of Georgia

GEO/96/015
Total budget: USD 500, 000
UNDP Sector: Environment
Starting Date: November 1998
Duration: 5 years

The sharp decline in economic activity that has followed the breakdown of the former USSR, has benefited the environment, bringing about a significant reduction in release of industrial emissions and wastes, as well as in agricultural run-off. Nevertheless, problems are on the rise. Water is now being extensively polluted by sewerage discharges, which, due to a shortage of electric power supply and dilapidated water treatment plants, are no longer processed. Excessive logging and reckless agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and erosion. With a growing economy and changing consumption patterns, traffic and air pollution are on the increase, as is the problem of growing amounts of waste not being treated or deposited safely.

There are a number of obstacles for effectively addressing the above problems, including the following: i) lack of capacity within the Government to monitor adherence to environmental standards, as well as to enforce existing legislation, ii) environmental legislation is inherited from the Soviet Union, scientifically based and much too stringent to enforce in reality, and there is a lack of modern policies, such as economic instruments, to alter polluting activities; and iii) awareness about environmental problems and the concept of a sustainable development is inadequate for establishing an influential environmental movement in the country, resulting in environmental concerns receiving far too little attention in the national debate, and a Ministry of Environment with a weak power base to promote environmental policies.

Objective:

The objective of this Project is to assist the Ministry of Environment of Georgia in strengthening its managerial and operational capacity to efficiently and independently fulfill its growing responsibilities in the field of environmental management and natural resources protection. The project will also assist the MoE in taking a lead role in coordinating with other Georgian governmental and non-governmental bodies the preparation of Georgia’s national strategy for Sustainable Human Development.

1. To make recommendations on necessary and/or possible improvements of the organization of the Ministry;

2. To create an effective information network to improve data collection and information-transfer between the MoE and its regional offices;

3. To design and carry out training sessions on: i) data processing and presentation, ii) drafting of environmental legislation and regulations, iii) environmental enforcement, with special attention to the economic and financial instruments;

4. To carry out a comprehensive assessment of the needs of the MoE in terms of pollution control and monitoring, and draft needs assessment report for further assistance;

5. To set up a Working Group on Sustainable Development (SD), responsible for facilitating the work of the National Commission on SD, as well as for producing recommendations and background documents for the preparation of a national strategy for SD, ensuring that Georgia’s socio-economic development programme fully integrates, environment-, health- and safety-related issues.

6. To identify new areas of needs for immediate and longer term assistance.

The project is expected to produce: i) recommendations for re-organizing the MoE; ii) an internal information and communication network within the Ministry, including its regional offices; iii) a system for systematic and standardized environmental information management; iv) an enhanced capacity within the MoE and the Parliament to formulate effective environmental legislation, v) an enhanced capacity within the MoE to enforce environmental regulations and increased familiarity with the principles and practice of economic instruments vi) a project document designed to increase the capacity of the Ministry to monitor and control the state of the environment, vii) a forum for discussions established within the Government, with an agreed timetable for meetings and working documents for preparing Georgia’s National Sustainable Development Strategy.