GEF IW:LEARN Knowledge Management Experience
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The document discusses the International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN), which was created by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) to address the underutilization of knowledge and experience from GEF projects. IW:LEARN facilitates portfolio-wide learning through biennial conferences, targeted workshops, project exchanges, and an online repository. Its goals are to establish a GEF identity for international waters projects, move projects from isolated implementation to partnership, and create a global network of practitioners sharing learning.
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GEF IW:LEARN Knowledge Management Experience
- 1. The GEF International Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN) Knowledge Management in the Global Environment Facility: The GEF IW:LEARN Experience Barbados October 2013 1
- 2. Why IW:LEARN? “The GEF’s project portfolio encompasses a vast but egregiously underutilized wealth of institutional and human experience. Virtually every major International Waters policy theme and every area of cutting-edge scientific inquiry is reflected in the GEF’s portfolio. Despite the overall wealth of experience and expertise, GEF projects are not normally able to extend and recycle the knowledge that they produce. In effect, the fruit is grown, but rarely harvested .” – IW:LEARN Pilot Phase Project Document 2
- 3. What is IW:LEARN? • Portfolio-Wide Learning: (Biennial IW Conferences & Science • • • • • • • • Conferences) Targeted Training Workshops Project-to-Project Twinning Exchanges Support to Regional and Global Dialogue Processes IW:LEARN.NET (document repository, events, news, contacts, project database) Project Technical Support (website Toolkit/Hosting & Training) Portfolio Programmatic Support (manuals and methodologies) Outreach: (Information Dissemination, E-bulletin, IW Experience Notes) Portfolio Visualization & Results Archive (website Toolkit/Hosting & Training) 3
- 4. Broad Outcomes • A GEF corporate identity for the IW focal area • GEF projects moved from acting in silos to being • partners in implementation A global network of practitioners and a culture of learning and experience-exchange in the focal area 4
Editor's Notes
- -Good morning Dr. Ishii, distinguished colleagues, thank you so much for providing me an opportunity to explain a bit of the story behind this unique approach to facilitating training and information management across the international waters portfolio. -GEF IW:LEARN has been a success for the IW focal area that offers a number of suggestions that you might consider replicating across the entire GEF system. -Now into the third phase of the project, we have a mature set of knowledge management services which can be replicated across all GEF focal areas to support more efficient replication of results and to harmonize approaches.
- -I just like to show this quote because I think it still offers a great justification still for knowledge management in general -Unlike the other GEF focal areas, international waters did not have regular mechanisms to promote exchange of experience and the sharing of results, let alone systematic strategic planning such as one finds thru a regular Meetings of the Parties and a Convention Secretariat. -Visionaries here in the GEF Secretariat and in the agencies, especially UNDP and UNEP and World Bank realized this soon after the GEF’s beginnings in the 1990’s. -They realized a mechanism was needed to convene GEF project managers, as well as policymakers and other key stakeholders to learn good practice and better coordinate future programming (across ecosystem types and between agencies) -GEF IW:LEARN began in 1997 as an experimental portfolio-wide knowledge management and capacity building initiative, which encouraged networking, launched a Distance Master’s program and organized the first GEF IW Conference (IWC).
- -These are some broad conclusions one can say about IW:LEARN’s impact over the years -First, a quote from the last terminal evaluation. -On a system level, I do (the belief is) believe that we have achieved transformational change. <The change is >(delete) fundamentally, that we have built a GEF corporate identity for the international waters focal area, from what was a series of projects operating in distinct silos taking it away from a series of projects operating in silos (by ecosystem or implementation structure). Moreover, IW:LEARN has fostered a culture of learning and experience-exchange among projects, as manifested thru both face-to-face and offline sharing of information. -Perhaps the final quote from a GEC Council Representative says it all. We have become the GEF IW’s Convention Secretariat.