Climate Change Enabling Activity (Additional Financing for Capacity Building in Priority Areas)

UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAME
GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT FACILITY
Proposal for Review - 
Expedited Financing for (Interim) Measures for 
Capacity Building in Priority Areas Part II
Country: 	Paraguay

	Name of the Project: 
	Paraguay: Climate Change Enabling Activity (additional financing for capacity building in priority areas)

GEF Focal area 	Climate Change

Country Eligibility 	(x) Eligible under a financial mechanism of the UNFCCC

	Date of ratification: 	24 February 1994

	GEF Financing (Phase I): 	US $190,550

GEF Financing (Phase II): 	US $100,000 
Total cost: 	US $290,550 

	GEF Implementing Agency: 	UNDP 

	Executing Agency: 	Environment Secretary

	Local Counterpart Agency: 
	Environment Secretary

Estimated date of initial National Communication Submission	October 2001

	Estimated Starting Date:	November 2001 

	Project Duration: 	12 months

CURRENT PROJECT STATUS
Paraguay ratified the United Nations Convention Framework Climate Change (UNFCCC) on 24 February 1994 and committed to fulfilling the commitments assumed under the Convention. Paraguay has requested international support for climate change projects. 
Paraguay began work on climate change issues in 1996 through the Environment Secretary, and benefited from CC:TRAIN (GLO/95/G31). Paraguay has established a national technical group for climate change, which received training to assist with developing and implementing climate change related activities. 
The principal objective of the UNFCCC is to reduce the atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to a stable level, which is assisted by national studies. These national studies include the GHG Inventory and evaluation; strategies for abating GHG emissions and impacts of climate change; socioeconomic analysis; and examination of the financial and technological needs associated with activities and measures envisaged under the Convention. 
The National Communication is the result of the first phase of the GEF-UNDP Climate Change project executed in Paraguay (PAR/98/G31) under the leadership and responsibility of the Environment Secretary. The National Communication is going to be submitted to the UNFCCC during COP-7, once the English version is translated and printed. During June and July 2001 the results of the first phase were produced in Spanish. The Executive Summary of Paraguay’s National Communication is provided in Annex I. 
The results and experience acquired in Phase I helped to define, for Phase II, the topics of interest for the country’s sustainable development, including relevant issues that have not yet been considered. These topics are related to technology transfer, climate observation systems and emission factors in the energy and forestry sectors. In this way, this project will help to guarantee the continuity of the processes already initiated during the execution of previous projects, given that the Phase I Climate Change project is concluding.
By undertaking the GEF/UNDP Paraguay Climate Change Enabling Activity Part II, Paraguay is aware that it must wait both for the future decisions of the Conference of the Parties regarding the preparation of the Second National Communication and for the GEF guidelines to operationally those decisions.
The Implementing Agency and the GEF focal point of Paraguay have satisfied themselves that the proposal for additional funding complies with the Operational Criteria for the expedited financing of climate change enabling activities.
ACTIVITIES INVOLVED IN PHASE I
The following is a summary of the various activities conducted under the Phase I Enabling Activity.
Training for the National GHG Inventories: National consultants, and representatives of the private and government sector, were involved in training sessions, where the project’s objectives, goals and purposes were also presented and discussed. The work was carried out with the participation of professionals, which were trained to prepare the national GHG inventories and the identification by sector.
Awareness through Climate Change Workshops:  The Office of Climate Change conducted several workshops and seminars with the participation of government, private sector, NGO’s and academic institutions.
Vulnerability and Adaptation Training: The project conducted vulnerability and adaptation analyses, and made use of foreing specialists to train national consultants who were then able to carry out this work for the different sectors identified.  In particular, these national consultants conducted vulnerability and adaptation analyses in the health, agriculture and cattle raising sectors. Socioeconomic studies were carried, modeling different times and conditions.
Compilation of the First National Communication for Climate Change – Paraguay: The Climate Change Office in Paraguay has finalized the compilation of the First National Communication for Climate Change. The document includes an executive summary of socioeconomic and political circumstances of the country, and comparative GHG emissions in Paraguay for the years 1990 and 1994. It also presents the results of the vulnerability and adaptation analyses, socioeconomic analyses and construction of scenarios, projections, policies and measures, and abatement and adaptation options.
Activities to be Involved in Phase II Project
The National Communication Support Program (NCSP) is currently developing regional/global proposals in several areas of work that might have implications for the national activities described in this project. Implementation of the project will be carried out in close co-ordination with the NSCP to ensure that areas of synergy will be identified where possible, and to avoid duplication for cost effectiveness. The country will be will be informed of the proposed NCSP activities as soon as they are underway.