What is the NCSA?

The National Capacity Self-Assessment (NCSA) for Global Environmental Management, funded by the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) and UNDP, assists countries to assess their priority national capacity for implementation of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The MEAs considered include in particular the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, UN Convention for Biodiversity, and UN Convention to Combat Desertification, collectively known as the Rio Conventions. Namibia has ratified all three Rio Conventions and has obligations to enact their provisions - and a real need to deal with environmental issues in support of sustainable development.

Namibia's NCSA: the link between environment and poverty reduction

Namibia has engaged in a NCSA process, and has, over the past two years, developed an Action Plan to address priority capacity needs systematically over the next decade. The Action Plan is based on a series of local, regional, and national assessments, which allowed Namibian people and natural resource users to identify their own priorities. The NCSA Action Plan has been prepared recognising that for all Namibians, but particularly for rural Namibians, ecological integrity of the land they live on is crucial to their existence and livelihoods. Poverty reduction is a key concern to Namibia, as about 38% of the population live below the poverty line. Poverty is on the increase, especially in some rural areas. Implementation of the Rio Conventions and environmental management in Namibia must address poverty reduction as a strategy to reduce vulnerabilities of the poor. Loss of biodiversity and its goods and services, desertification/land degradation, as well as the negative impacts of climate change expected over the longer term put poor people greater and greater at risk, and reduce their livelihoods options. It is understood that most development objectives important to Namibia can only be achieved if environment-related issues such as environmental health, sustainable natural resources utilisation, and other environmental concerns are mainstreamed into development policies such as Namibia’s Vision 2030, implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the National Poverty Reduction Action Programme of Namibia (NPRAP). Conversely, the impact on poverty reduction must be a constant presence in the elaboration of national environmental management strategies. Consideration of HIV/AIDS and gender equality are particularly important.


What is "Capacity Building"? 

Capacity is the combination of human resources, institutions, and practices that enable a country to achieve its development goals.

At the individual level Capacity Building refers to changing attitudes and behaviours, imparting knowledge and developing skills while maximising the benefits of participation, knowledge exchange, and ownership. At the institutional level, Capacity Building focuses on overall organisational performance and functioning capabilities, and the ability of an organisation to adapt to change. At the systemic level, Capacity Building emphasises the overall policy framework in which individuals and organisations operate and interact with the external environment, as well as the formal and informal relationships of institutions.


Capacity Building is at the heart of Namibia’s development objectives and a number of strategies are in place to help especially previously disadvantaged Namibian’s to fully engage in development activities. Further Namibia aims to become a technically and scientifically cutting edge nation, in line with the development goals of Vision 2030. The NCSA Action Plan aims to build capacities especially in the environment and development fields to reach these goals.


Namibia's NCSA process: 

Phase 1 Namibia has implemented a large number of successful environmental management initiatives and the nation has devoted efforts to the implementation of provisions of the Rio Conventions. NCSA allowed Namibia to take stock and evaluate to some extent the impacts of these initiatives and provides strategic entrance points to further focus and prioritise support actions in the environmental fields, as well as to leverage additional support for capacity building requirements in particular.

The primary objective of the NCSA is to identify national priorities and needs for capacity building in the areas of biological diversity, climate change, and land degradation, with the aim of catalyzing domestic and externally assisted action to meet those needs in a coordinated manner.

Specifically, the NCSA: Defines how global and regional environmental objectives, especially those related to biological diversity, climate change and land degradation issues, can be internalised in ongoing and planned capacity-building efforts, sponsored by the Government and other agencies in Namibia; Assesses how existing capacities can be utilized more effectively; and Acts as a catalyst for domestic and externally assisted action to meet capacity needs in a coordinated manner.

The ultimate aim of the NCSA is to establish the strengths, weaknesses, barriers, to and opportunities for the development of a synergized Namibian environmental management plan that fully uses the resources (human, financial, technological) of all stakeholders.

Key outcomes from the NCSA phase 1 include: 
1. The Assessment provides policy makers with all necessary information to design 
    programmes and policies that meet the needs of the communities, taking into 
    consideration the goals of sustainable economic development and poverty reduction;
2. Linkages have been established to the UN-supported Southern Africa Capacity 
    Initiative (SACI);
3. Key recommendations from the NCSA are expected to contribute to the formulation of 
    NDP III;
4. An Action Plan with a medium- to long-term implementation plan constitutes the NCSA 
    process.

NCSA Action Plan 

The three overall key objectives of the NCSA Action Plan are: To identify/confirm the institutional arrangements for the ongoing implementation of the NCSA Action Plan, beyond the horizon of the initial two-year NCSA process; To raise awareness about the NCSA objectives and findings, and leverage support for implementation of the Action Plan; and To address key individual, institutional and systemic capacity needs identified at the local, regional and national level through targeted priority interventions. Cross-cutting priorities to be emphasized include decentralisation and focus on the needs of the users of natural resources.

Objective 3 forms the heart of proposed interventions (actions) for programmes and projects and is sub-divided into a set of sub-objectives.

The full Action Plan is contained in the Final NCSA report.

          

Biodiversity from the Erongo region: To the left is a fog-basking beetle, and on the 
right is a !Nara plant, utilized for its fruit by both animals and people living in the Namib.
 
Next steps 

The Action Plan foresees the implementation of priority activities by various Namibian stakeholders. A Permanent Secretary Roundtable meeting will further discuss these priorities. A follow-up proposal for funding for the implementation phase of the NCSA Action Plan is under preparation, and a long-term funding strategy is currently being developed.

Contacts 
1. Mr. Sem Shikongo 
   Focal contact, MET

E-mail:

2. Mr. Teofilus Nghitila