Mid-term Report on the Status of Development of the Pan Africa eLearning for the Environment Network

eLearning Africa 6 : Pre-Conference Seminar

Milimani City Conference Centre, 25-27 May 2011, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

       3rd Open-ended Steering Committee Meeting (25 May 2011)

           Mid-term Report on the
        Status of Development of the
             Pan Africa eLearning
        for the Environment Network

                          Gerard Cunningham
                    Capacity Development Branch (CDB)
             Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA)
              United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Overview of Presentation

3 Parts:

 Background to AMCEN Decision 12/6

 Progress made 2008-2010

 Looking forward 2011-2012

1. Background to AMCEN Decision 12/6

From Johannesburg to Bamako

African Ministerial Conference on
the Environment – 12th session
(AMCEN-12, Johannesburg: 7-12
June 2008) adopted Decision 6:
Environmental education (EE)
and technology supported
learning (TSL).

AMCEN-13 (Bamako, Mali: 21-25 June 2010)

Interim report presented on
the implementation of Decision 6.

Opportunity to show progress
made and receive policy
guidance from AMCEN.

2. Progress made (2008-2010)

What has been achieved?
Since the adoption of AMCEN Decision 6 in June
2008, a good deal of progress was made on its
implementation.

5 main areas of achievement:

   Capacity development (needs survey, training,..)
   Networking and Partnerships
   Awareness-raising and Outreach
   National Strategies/Plans (Kenya case study)
   Strengthened mandate from AMCEN-13

A. Pan-Africa survey on
                environmental education (EE) and
               technology-supported learning (TSL)

• Conducted Feb-May 2009 by UNEP and Common Sense consultancy
in response to Para (a)(i) of Decision 6. Online questionnaire in
English and French. 550 complete responses.

• Objective - to assess the current status of environmental
education and technology supported learning within African
institutions working in the areas of environmental protection and
sustainable development.

• Results of the survey can be viewed here:
 http://www.unep.org/mentor/Africa/Selected_Survey_Results.pdf

Key finding:

• More than 70% of all responding organizations had no
eLearning/TSL strategy in place.

A. Training programme

 First “eLearning in Practice” (eLIP) course for environmental
institutions in East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda)
in April 2008.

 Second eLIP course for environmental institutions in (mainly
anglophone) West Africa in Accra, Ghana; 26-27 May, 2008.

 Third eLIP course for environmental institutions in Senegal
held in Dakar; 25-26 May, 2009.
 Fourth eLIP course for network hubs in Nairobi; 6-7 Dec,
2009
 Fifth eLIP course for environmental institutions in Southern
Africa (Botswana, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe) in
Lusaka; 24-25 May 2010 and Dar es Salaam 20-24 May 2011

(All organised by UNEP in collaboration with national
environmental authorities, InWEnt/GIZ, NOLNet and KeLC)

Geographic scope of training
 programme (2008-2010)

B. Networking and Partnerships

    2008: MOU signed with InWEnt (Capacity Building International, Bonn)
     to support Africa eLearning training programme
    2008: Start of UNEP support to the Kenya.
   4 April 2009, the Executive Director of
    UNEP signed a framework agreement with
    the Director-General of UNESCO. One area
    of collaboration is education, awareness-
    raising, training & eLearning.
   2008: Cooperation started with International Conferences, Workshops
    and Exhibitions (ICWE, Berlin).
 2009-11: Specialized track entitled Mainstreaming eLearning for the
    Environment and Sustainable Development included in eLearning Africa.
    (eLA-6 – environment track 1430 Friday 27th May 2011)
 2009: Backbone of Pan-Africa eLearning for Environment network formally
    established in 2009 (Dakar) with 1st meeting in Nairobi (Dec 2009)
    and 2nd in Lusaka (2011)
 2011: 3rd Pan-Africa eLearning for Environment Network meeting (25 May)

B. Backbone of the Pan-Africa
                 eLearning for the Environment
                            Network

CEDARE - Center for
Environment and Development for
the Arab Region and Europe

CSE - Centre Suivi Ecologique
(Senegal)

EPA - Environmental Protection
Agency (Ghana)

CBSD - Centre for Biodiversity
and Sustainable Development

NEMA - National Environment
Management Authority (Kenya)

MoE - Ministry of Environment
(Seychelles)

NOLNet - Namibia Open
Learning Network Trust

B. Outcome of 2nd Open-ended Network
               Steering Committee meeting
                 (26 May, Lusaka, Zambia)

 Endorsement of interim report to AMCEN-13 on implementation of
Decision 6 of AMCEN-12 [working paper submitted: Report on
implementation of Decision-6 (AMCEN-12)]

 Set of action-oriented recommendations to further develop the
African Environmental eLearning Network (elements of a draft
decision for consideration by AMCEN-13 to augment Decision 6)

 Agreement on text of a Chair’s Summary as an information paper
to AMCEN-13 (21-25 June 2010)

 Elements of a draft decision for consideration by AMCEN-13

 Inputs to draft AMCEN Bamako Declaration

C. Awareness-raising and outreach

 Pan Africa Survey – 550 responses but 2340 individuals
viewed the questionnaire.

 Environmental Conferences, Meetings and Seminars (eLA,
Online Educa, UNEP GC/GMEF, AMCEN, etc)

 Press Releases / Articles

 MENTOR/Africa Website presents overview of implementation
of Decision 6 with links to all relevant documents

                              www.unep.org/mentor/africa

www.unep.org/mentor/africa
           Network website

D. National implementation of
          Decision 12/6 – Kenya case study

 National Environment Management
  Authority (NEMA) is the principal
  environmental agency under the
  Ministry of Environment.

 NEMA leads environmental pillar of
  the Kenya eLearning Centre (KeLC).

 NEMA leads the implementation of Decision 6
  across the environment sector in Kenya

 Gov of Kenya has estabished inter-ministerial
  committee on eLearning development (MeLDC).

D. Implementation of
            Decision 6 in Kenya

    UNEP provided seed funding and technical
    support to NEMA to start implementation of
    Decision 6 (a component of UNEP’s country
    programme in Kenya).

Actions undertaken by NEMA:

   Awareness raising workshops and e-Readiness
    assessments conducted across environmental sector (11
    institutions) to determine the status of eLearning.

   Ministerial eLearning Development Committee (MeLDC)
    established to guide and provide policy incentives to e-
    Learning across all institutions in the environment sector.

D. Implementation of
             Decision 6 in Kenya
   e-Learning strategy for the Environment Sector developed
    through a multi-stakeholder consultative process.

   National e-Learning Task Force: Plans are underway to
    form a national eLearning task force to guide the
    development of a national e-Learning Strategy and policy
    for the country.

   mLearning pilot application (on waste management)

   Environment sector represented in the four working
    groups of KeLC:
    - Content Development
    - Capacity Building
    - Infrastructure & Connectivity
    - Quality Assurance (Monitoring and Evaluation).

E. AMCEN-13 outcome

 AMCEN-13 (Bamako Mali; 21-25 June 2010)
  - Interim report presented on Decision 6
  - Draft decision presented

 Bamako Declaration cited the Network
  and called for further actions (paras 43-45)

 Decision 13/5 adopted
 - actions by AMCEN member states
 - actions by network hubs
 - actions by international organisations

Bamako Declaration (extract)
• Preamble:
Noting the progress made in the implementation of decision 6,
on environmental education and technology-supported learning,
of the African Ministerial Conference on the Environment at its
twelfth session;

•   Operative Paras:
43. To urge all countries to participate in the development of the Pan-
Africa e-Learning for the Environment Network by designating national
environmental education e-learning centres and by developing e-
learning strategies for the environment sector;

44. To request the United Nations Environment Programme to ramp up
its technology support and capacity-building interventions to support
the development of the Network and to request all relevant
stakeholders to mobilize resources for its future development;

45. To develop comprehensive information, education and
communication strategies emphasizing the Rio conventions;

AMCEN Decision 13/5
Actions by member states:

•   Requests African countries to participate actively in the
    Pan-Africa e-Learning for the Environment Network and
    also to foster collaboration between the environment and
    education sectors by establishing a national committee on
    e-learning programmes for the environment comprising all
    relevant stakeholders.

•   Requests African countries to assist in mobilizing resources
    for the future development of the Pan-Africa e-Learning for
    the Environment Network.

•   Requests African countries to develop national e-learning
    strategies for the environment through a consultative
    process engaging all relevant sectors.

AMCEN Decision 13/5

Actions by network hubs:

• Requests the sub-regional network hubs to carry
  out agreed activities, such as developing the sub-
  regional   components      of   the  network    in
  accordance with the agreed terms of reference
  for the hubs, assisting the national centres with
  the development of e-learning strategies and
  action plans and encouraging partnerships with
  existing networks in the region.

AMCEN Decision 13/5

Actions by international organisations:

• Requests the African Union, the Planning and
  Coordinating Agency of the New Partnership for
  Africa’s Development, the African Development
  Bank,    the    United  Nations   Environment
  Programme and other partners to support
  measures to carry out programmes and projects
  under the Pan-Africa e-Learning for the
  Environment Network.

Summary: Reflections on
         progress made 2008-2010
 Good deal of progress made since AMCEN-12 in
implementing Decision 6. Backbone of network operational
with some national activities under implementation.

 Main challenge faced with the implementation process was
that it was not factored into UNEP’s programme of work for
2008-9 and therefore no budget was earmarked to support
its implementation.

 Decision 12/6 had to be implemented through partial
diversion of funds allocated to other areas of UNEP’s 2008-9
POW, otherwise very little would have been accomplished
and the AMCEN constituency would not have been well
served.

 Decision 13/5 shows high-level political support.

3. Looking forward 2011-2013

Looking forward 2011-2013

 Decision 12/6 still relevant
 Decision 13/5 to be implemented

 Funding exhausted

 Need to formulate MENTOR Africa project
 concept and present to potential donors

 AMCEN-14 (2012, Dar es Salaam)
  - Report on Decision 12/6 and 13/5
  - Must show further progress

Thank you
Asante Sana

         Gerard.Cunningham@unep.org
        Capacity Development Branch (CDB)
 Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA)
  United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)