4.5.6 Capacity Building: Current issues
The centrality and significance of the 'capacity-building' agenda has become
recognised by the G77 and China group within the UNFCCC, which sponsored a decision
for consideration at CoP5 (FCCC/SB/1999/CRP.9), which related to all the CoP4
decisions and was agreed with some modifications. If action follows at CoP6,
and there is now a parallel text covering the countries with economies in transition
(CEITs), it will provide an integrated framework on capacity building covering
all dimensions of the Convention, not just technology transfer. The focus of
required action is within the developing countries suggesting: the strengthening
of national (and regional) focal points to cover training and human resources
development; research activities; expertise on specialised aspects such as information
technology; and a networking system between these components. The concept effectively
is to develop National Systems of Innovation identified in Section
4.3.
The need to place emphasis on strengthening capacity within developing countries
to their agenda has been recognised by the OECD (1995).
... Capacity issues in all states including those in the Southern countries
are embedded in political, cultural, and social dynamics of enormous complexity,
a good number of which are likely to be beyond the understanding of the donor
community. Raising the environmental performance of organisations and institutions
in any society is a daunting task even for its own citizens. Assuming this
can be done easily by outside interveners may be the first mistake in any
capacity development programme (OECD, 1995, p.10).
Capacity-building is required at all stages in the process of technology transfer.
It is a slow and complex process to which long-term commitments must be made
for resources and to which the host country must also be committed if results
are to bear fruit. Fundamental change requires an autonomous capacity to innovate,
acquire and adapt technologies. For the mitigation agenda, there are specific
needs for additional resources at the assessment and repetition stages: (a)
to ensure there is a broad national commitment to ESTs and that those most appropriate
for national circumstances are selected; and (b) to ensure that indigenous capacity
for ongoing innovation is developed to encourage North-north, South-North and
South-South flows. For adaptation there is a need a) to strengthen scientific
expertise and institutions capable of undertaking the relevant assessments and
to promote linkages with this infrastructure with other parts of the public
and private sectors; and b) to identify relevant tools and techniques to produce
outputs for nationally determined priorities.
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