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The GEF Expanded Constituency Workshop (ECW) for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region took place in Marrakech, Morocco on December 16-17, 2013. This ECW marked the end of the three-year cycle of GEF-5 ECWs, which have taken this workshop to 39 countries since 2011.
The ECWs bring together GEF focal points, focal points from the main Conventions (CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC and Stockholm) and representatives from civil society together with representatives from the GEF Secretariat, the GEF Evaluation Office, Convention Secretariats and GEF Agencies to keep countries abreast of GEF strategies, policies and procedures, to build capacity at the country and regional level and encourage coordination and synergies.
These workshops are an opportunity for focal points to meet with their counterparts from other countries in the region and other GEF partners to discuss and review policies and procedures, share lessons and experiences from the development and implementation of GEF projects and their integration within national policy frameworks, and identify more effective and coordinated strategies going forward.
2013 ECWs presented a renewed agenda, with hands-on practical exercises on cross-cutting capacity development, results-based management, monitoring and evaluation, and synergies in project design presented by Convention Secretariats (CBD, UNCCD, UNFCCC).
In Marrakech, participants included delegations from Afghanistan, Algeria, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Pakistan, Tunisia, Turkey and Yemen.