The United Nations Development Programme of Trinidad and Tobago Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) is launching the first Caribbean Knowledge Fair in April, 2013. Within the Latin American and Caribbean regions, local UNDP offices are repositioning to respond more effectively to local grantees network demands for capacity building and institutional strengthening and for the promotion of evidenced-based practices and for the creation of mechanisms for sharing information and knowledge to promote learning, improve organizational practices and achieve successful outcomes. In the Caribbean region, as throughout the UNDP global community, Knowledge Fairs (KF) have been identified as a creative knowledge sharing mechanism and is understood as part of a continuum of knowledge management strategies, communities of practice and systemization of knowledge transfer. A Knowledge Fair supports the Trinidad and Tobago Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) role and function which is to increase the Network’s accountability and effectiveness; to strengthen the network’s management; to expand outreach to NGOs; and to establish an active partnership between the Network, the Secretariat and the Council.
The Knowledge Fair will concretize the work of (GEF) Small Grants Programme (SGP) and will achieve four UNDP articulated objectives:
1)exchange experiences of GEF SGP among NGO’s/CBO’s and other stakeholders working to address global environment issues to facilitate exchange of knowledge and replication of best practices; 2) improve awareness and understanding about the GEF SGP country programmes missions, strategies and results and to raise awareness of community-based perspectives on environmental protection; 3) promote knowledge sharing and transfer and its value within the context of knowledge management among all GEF SGP programs, other NGO’s/CB0’s and stakeholders and encourage partnerships among all concerned stakeholders, such as NGO’s/CBO’s, international funding agencies, government and local authorizes, the business community and local communities; 4) encourage and create a public policy agenda to support GEF SGP environmental programming and identify community-based responses to support a public policy agenda.
Bridge Foundation project activities will be synergistic and interactive among implementing partners, UNDP staff and (SGP) grantees and understands that the success of the Knowledge Fair is contingent upon the support and buy-in of conference participants and those who are identified to sustain KF efforts. Bridge Foundation will work in three (3) phases and will use as a guide the UNDP Knowledge Fair manual entitled, Knowledge Fairs-Mechanism for horizontal transfer and knowledge exchange.
Activity Phase l - includes start-up, mobilization and recruitment activities and the concretization of KF dynamics, formats, experiences and agenda;
Activity Phase 2-includes preparatory work for the Knowledge Fair and supporting events such as Green on the Avenue, the Launch and Site Visit and the development of basic KF components, formulation of budget, marketing strategy and plan, partner identification, creation of KF working team identified by UNDP staff;
Activity Phase 3-includes execution on Green on the Avenue, Launch, Site Visit and Knowledge Fair which includes the execution of promotion, logistics, invitations, confirmations and set up.;
Activity Phase 4 includes follow-up, monitoring and evaluation post Knowledge Fair and the creation of a mechanism to share Knowledge Fair results and evaluation and the identification of an existing vehicle for knowledge transfer among SGP networks.
UNDP post activity phase 4 will continue to support the development of SGP networks and the community of practice identified at the Knowledge Fair.
Total project cost of $635,974.99 reflects all aforementioned activities and components of the Knowledge Fair including Bridge Foundation staff and implementation partners and shared in-kind expenses for Knowledge Fair activities. Total fund request from GEF Small Grants Programme is $320,000.00 for the planning and execution activities which includes implementation of associated expenses and costs. Community contributions are an estimated dollar value and are included in the total project costs. Sources of funding include a public and private sector resources.