Netherlands-Mongolia Trust Fund for Environmental Reform (NEMO)
http://www.worldbank.org/nemo
Overview
The Netherlands-Mongolia Trust Fund for Environmental Reform (NEMO I) was established in April 2005 with the objective of strengthening and advancing the environment and natural resources agenda in Mongolia. The initial grant of US$6 million from the Netherlands Government was allocated among three categories: (i) World Bank-executed technical assistance; (ii) Government of Mongolia-executed support for ongoing World Bank projects; and (iii) Government-executed preparation of new World Bank-financed projects.
Building on the successful results and lessons learned during the implementation of NEMO I, a second phase (NEMO II) was initiated in 2007 with a total endowment of €3.9 million. The Government of Mongolia (MNE), the Netherlands (Royal Netherlands Embassy in Beijing and Ministry of Development Cooperation), and the World Bank agreed that activities under NEMO II (2007-2010) would focus on :(i) Natural Resources Management; (ii) Pollution Management; and (iii) Environmental Governance.
Results (Nemo I) & Expected Outcomes (NEMO II)
NEMO I
NEMO I closed on September 30, 2006. It marked a major scaling up in the scope and type of both the Bank’s and Netherlands’ programs, and an attempt to move from a project-based approach to a programmatic one, with a stronger focus on environment and natural resources management sustainability in the context of poverty reduction and economic development. Almost all parts of the environmental agenda, almost all environmental agencies and NGOs, and almost all parts of the country have been touched by NEMO. Its elements related to existing activities and many have reinforced others. It has:
Established sound baselines of knowledge for environmental natural resource management that can be used as benchmarks for measuring progress (or regress);
Raised the visibility of environmental affairs, particularly at the national level thanks to the large coverage of the program;
Broadened the pool of environmental practitioners accessing resources to fund small and medium-size activities at the local level with the participation of local communities; and
Helped MNE to start prioritize responses among the many environment and NRM problems that the country faces, with particular attention to how their responses can be supported by the government's development policies, and specific donors' program.
The overall expected outcome of NEMO II is the strengthening of environmental governance and advancing the environment and natural resources agenda in Mongolia. Proposed key performance indicators are:
At least three searchable, web-accessible databases relating to environment and natural resources management, in Mongolian and English, established by the end of NEMO II;
An increase over the four years in the coverage of NEMO-related stories in national and local media;
An active small grants program providing the means and the supervision for national and local-level environmental activities for at least 10 central, aimag and soum-level groups in each year of NEMO II; and
Government environmental priorities based in part on NEMO outputs and processes as judged in the annual tripartite reviews.
Below are some of NEMO II activities during Year 1:
Strengthen the involvement of Buddhist communities in environmental management through the production of education and awareness materials, the maintenance of the 'eco-ger' at Gandan monastery, and the contribution towards environmental management of the sacred landscape;
Establish a natural resources strategy for the Gobi Region;
Establish country-wide water quality monitoring protocols as well as air quality monitoring protocols for Ulaanbaatar and some other cities;
Undertake a review of Mongolia ’s environmental expenditures and revenue management;
Continue funding grants through the small grants program established under NEMO I to improve environment and natural resources management; and
Valuation studies for the environmental services for the Tuul watershed and some protected areas.
Established sound baselines of knowledge for environmental natural resource management that can be used as benchmarks for measuring progress (or regress);
