Print version

Te deadline for submission of applications for the first grant round passed in September 2001. The second grant round will be announced in early 2002.                     E?aeiee n?ie iiaa?e cayaie ia ia?aue a?aio-?aoia i?ioae a naioya?a 2001 a. Aoi?ie a?ai-?aoia aoaao iauyaeai a ia?aea 2002 a.

Priority Investment Portfolio Project (PIPP) was initiated within the framework of the Caspian Environment Program and as a component of the GEF Project “Addressing Transboundary Environmental Issues in the Caspian Environment Programme”. The development objective of the PIPP is to increase the number and quality of priority environmental investments that have a positive transboundary environmental impact and that contribute to economic growth of the Caspian littoral countries.

The primary benefit from the overall CEP and PIPP was to improve long-term conservation and management of the coastal zone and bio-resources of the Caspian basin. It also increased regional, national and local capacities to manage environmentally related investments in context of a nationally developed agenda. Specific beneficiaries included :

•  Coastal and Neighboring Inland Communities benefited from, for example, pollution prevention, control and remediation, such as the water supply and wastewater treatment; hazardous waste management; capping of flooded oil wells; cleanup of past pollution from oil exploration activities, both on-shore and off-shore; and the preparation of oil spill contingency plans and risk prioritization activities. Neighboring inland and coastal communities also benefited from lower public health risks brought about by exposure to contaminants, and from increased opportunities for tourism in the long term.

•  Fishing and Aquaculture Communities benefited from investments identified, prepared and implemented related to the recovery of sturgeon stocks and habitat. The Project also helped to revive employment opportunities to both individuals and private-sector organizations in the fishing and aquaculture industries.

The Project included four major Subcomponents:

Subcomponent 1 - Investment Identification and Pre-Preparation

This Subcomponent supported the identification and pre-preparation of investment projects, with emphasis on the financial feasibility and blended funding for implementation. In the initial phase of this proposed Project, priority investments included , but was not be limited to, transboundary environmental issues in two areas:

•  industrial pollution prevention and mitigation directly affecting the Caspian waters (including pollution from the oil industry),

•  the recovery of sturgeon stocks and their habitat.

Additional transboundary environmental problems were addressed.

Subcomponent 2 - Institutional Strengthening and Training for Project Preparation

It was envisioned that this Subcomponent would address two main areas of institutional strengthening:

•  Training of National Focal Points (NFP) and other National personnel on project preparation, project cycle, financing, management and supervision, and

•  Training or seminars for NFPs and other senior National personnel on the role of investments in implementing the national policy agenda.

The training on project preparation, financing, management and supervision was targeted to coincide with pre-preparation activities undertaken as part of the first Subcomponent of this project.

Subcomponent 3 - Matched Small-Grants Program for Transboundary Issues

This Subcomponent helped to advance implementation of small-scale priority projects as quickly as possible in order to take curative or preventative actions, as well as to develop the capacity for future activities. It was envisioned that small-scale or pilot projects developed under this Subcomponent could complement projects to be identified or pre-prepared under the first Subcomponent of this proposed Project. The small demonstration or pilot projects were in direct support of development of small-scale investment projects.

This Subcomponent helped to establish a grant program to support the implementation of small demonstration or pilot projects.

Subcomponent 4 - Project Management

PIPP provided means to ensure transparency and the maximum use of resources by:

•  establishing a Priority Investment Portfolio Project (PIPP) Baku-based Project Manager at the CEP Project Coordination Unit (PCU), who would be responsible for all coordination among the NFPs, Caspian Regional Thematic Centres, and the PCU; and

•  establishing contracts with one lead local consultant on a half-time basis in each Caspian state to assist the NFP in implementation of the project.

The five Caspian states adopted the Caspian Environmental Program Concept Paper , which establishes the general framework of the CEP, have endorsed the GEF Project Brief, and requested the World Bank to execute this Project. As part of its role in execution, the World Bank , and International Finance Corporation when appropriate, provided advice in the identification of investment needs, funding options, investment partners and training (Subcomponents 1 and 2), and participated in the evaluation of proposals to the small matched grants program (Subcomponent 3).

As the implementing agent of the GEF grant, UNDP is responsible for the overall results of the Caspian Environment Programme. Consequently, UNDP headed the supervision and monitoring tasks related to the PIPP.