At the Second Intergovernmental Review (IGR-2) of the GPA in Beijing in 2006, governments determined that the period 2007 – 2011 would “focus on mainstreaming the implementation of the GPA in national development planning and budgetary mechanisms”. Governments indicated that “mainstreaming will require integration of the GPA across sectors and ministries and also integration into domestic and international aid budgets, development plans, strategies and actions.”
MAINSTREAMING IS: “The informed inclusion of relevant environmental concerns into the decisions of institutions that drive national, local and sectoral development policy, rules, plans, investment and action” (Steve Bass, IIED, 2008)
Mainstreaming marine and coastal environmental concerns is about accounting for the value of the marine and coastal environment into a planning or policy process with a resulting positive change or impact. Normally processes such as a national development plan, a sector strategy or a budget exercise are targeted for mainstreaming, which is key to human wellbeing and sustainable development. Governments or authorities at the local, national and regional levels are the focus of UNEP’s mainstreaming support. Key coastal habitats such as coral reefs, mangrove forests, salt marshes and seagrass meadows are hotspots for biodiversity and provide important and valuable ecosystem functions, including a large carbon sink capacity and UNEP supports inclusion of ecosystem service values in development initiatives. Developing and financing a GPA National Programme of Action (NPA) or a similar policy is one way to mainstream environment.
In response to the IGR-2 call, the UNEP/GPA Coordination Office developed Making Mainstreaming Work - Guidelines and Checklist for the Mainstreaming of Marine and Coastal Issues into National Planning and Budgetary Processes; organised a series of regional workshops to promote this approach; and developed and is still developing national programmes of action focused specifically on promoting mainstreaming.
The mainstreaming workshops explored the links between the management of coastal and marine resources, poverty reduction and economic growth, based on country experiences, with a particular focus on policy development and implementation processes. Countries that have embarked on the development of a coherent policy framework to address these challenges also shared their mainstreaming experiences.
The UNEP/GPA Coorination Office is also compiling case studies which will be posted here shortly.
Blue Diamonds Newsletter - Mainstreaming issue