Key priority ICZM capacity building related issues in Europe

Introduction

A number of common priority issues regarding the weaknesses in the planning and implementation of ICZM in Europe have been voiced at different forums. However, concerns specifically associated to Capacity Building have not been clearly identified nor have they necessarily been singled out for action.

Summaries of key issues particularly associated to Capacity Building are provided here.

The European Action Plan on Capacity Building for ICZM in Europe

Table 1 presents a list of Capacity Building related key issues, which have been identified in different reports, and summarized for the European Action Plan on Capacity Building for ICZM in Europe.

Table 1: List of ICZM issues in Europe related to Capacity Building

Some issues such as the fragmentation of the existing training and educational effort relate most strongly to capacity building itself. Others such as, for example, the lack of engagement and open communication with stakeholders, including political representatives and the general public, relate more to policy planning, but nevertheless they may have close linkages to Capacity Building.

In fact, the concept and the practice of Capacity Building may be understood differently by different individuals/organizations. The importance attributed to Capacity Builiding varies between public organizations, the academia and the private sector. Moreover, the understanding of which problem/concern or need merits a Capacity Building solution may differ between individuals and institutions.

Though the above list portrays an unorganized array of Capacity Building problems, it provides extremely valuable hints regarding the problems, the actors and the institutional/organizational issues involved. The above list is also representative of today’s reality in which what prevails is a segmented, compartmentalized knowledge and understanding of Capacity Building needs.

The Green Paper Towards the future Maritime Policy for the Union: a European vision for the oceans and seas

See also Consultation on Maritime Policy: the issue of Capacity Building

Table 2 presents a summary of the most important issues (or limitations) in the present capacity development arrangements in Europe. Each of the bullet points includes a short explanation to facilitate the understanding of the relevance of each issue and its interrelationship with other issues, if pertinent.

Table 2 Key issues in capacity development

Key issues	Short explanation
Lack of integrated and strategic consideration of Capacity Building as an essential component of any action, both at the planning and management level; Lack or limited funding, specifically earmarked for Capacity Building.	The lack of strategic consideration given to capacity building is a concern. An integrated strategy to incorporate CB is a vital part of the process for achieving sustainable human development. This means having a commitment to methodically build human and institutional capacity. Today, when examining the public information/documentation provided on ICZM projects, it is quite difficult to find information on their capacity component, which still appears more as an ad-hoc element rather than part and parcel of a project or an ICZM initiative. If this situation is accompanied with limited funding or the available resources are not specifically earmarked for human or institutional development, the capacity component remains weak or is not clearly defined, instead of being an integral part of a project or initiative. The capacity component should go hand-in-hand with the overall planning and management aims of a project, otherwise its effectiveness will suffer.
Need to develop wider recognition of the role of training and education in ICZM, particularly in view of the forthcoming implementation of major European marine and coastal related strategies and plans as well as the EU's encouragement for the development of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).	There is an urgent need to develop wider recognition of the role of training and education in ICZM. This should be accompanied with a broad range of Capacity Building products to meet the needs of forthcoming projects and programmes. The training and education strategy should include technical training, developing curriculum at all levels of education (primary, secondary and tertiary) and building awareness among all interested stakeholders including elected officials and the general public, in an effort to create a wide public-based constituency of support regarding the importance of ICZM. Technical training should be task-oriented with the outputs feeding into the management process.
Difficulties for gathering dispersed information and knowledge regarding existing resources for Capacity Building.	Despite the richness of European Capacity Building resources available, at the moment, there are many difficulties for gathering dispersed information and knowledge regarding existing resources for capacity building. Initiatives such as ENCORA in surveying existing resources and developing a European database comparative analysis of education and training programmes and corresponding materials will greatly assist in this matter. It would be excellent to also gather information on skill development opportunities (training courses) at the project level and existing public awareness initiatives.
Lack of effective mechanisms for capacity needs assessment, both for addressing human as well as institutional capacity priorities and enable an effective and realistic planning and management of Capacity Building programmes at the regional and local levels; Need to adhere to more rigorously capacity assessment techniques and prevent duplication of efforts while at the same time make more effective use of existing resources	Capacity needs assessment is a prerequisite before any successful action is undertaken. There is a need to know both what is available and what is lacking, in order to have a realistic view of capacity needs. Without the knowledge of existing capabilities and gaps as well as needs at the institutional and individual levels, no realistic Capacity Building strategy (and associated plan of action) can be formulated. The benefits of this approach are multiple. By knowing what resources are available, all beneficiaries can make an effective use of them; by identifying what is needed, duplication of efforts is avoided and more cost effective, interventions can be made, thus avoiding ‘fragmentation’ and ‘isolated’ approaches that lack sustainability. This approach promotes an efficient use of available funding by centring the efforts only on priority needs (for more information see Capacity Assessment in ICZM).
In many cases, the Capacity Building framework in use seem to be unfit for the purpose of implementing ICZM and remote from the needs of local ICZM planners and managers.	In the majority of countries the traditional framework for Capacity Building is used. This framework consists in using short-term approaches –generally one time events and ad-hoc endeavors - mainly focusing on gathering technical knowledge about specific issues. It uses training and education as their main vehicles for action. Sometimes, however, they are unfit for the specific needs of ICZM or do not address planning and management requirements at the local level. The new Capacity Building framework involves a system perspective, that addresses various levels of capacities (i.e. capacities of institutions, and individual capacities, at various levels) and the use of a diversity of CB products simultaneously, as shown in the example of the Thames Estuary. This approach puts greater emphasis on the capacity development process itself, on local ownership of its process and on equal partnership in its support. This new approach uses a much longer perspective and relies upon gains previously obtained via e.g. prior early training and awareness building activities. At the individual level, Capacity Building also refers to the process of changing attitudes and behaviours e.g. as exemplified in the case of the Thames Estuary initiative, while also imparting knowledge and developing skills and maximizing the benefits of participation, knowledge exchange and ownership.