INSTITUTIONAL CAPACITY

Institutional Capacity Building is considered here as one of the main types of Capacity Building efforts, along with the Human Capacity Building. Both are closely interrelated and complement each other.

Institutional Capacity Building addresses Capacity Building beyond the provision of education and training of professionals. It aims to enhance the capacity of governments, businesses, non-governmental groups, and communities to plan and manage the coast efficiently and effectively. It also aims to improve institutional arrangements for coastal management. This implies addressing Capacity Building on a long-term, strategic level. Concepts such as leadership, awareness, and constituency building are part and parcel of institution building.

Networking and partnership arrangements

Complementarities and integration of Capacity Building initiatives themselves are of crucial importance. Since Capacity Building will be required at various administrative levels (transnational, national, sub-national) and for different target populations (senior level, planning, and implementation level and the public at large), the use of a variety of means (i.e. partnerships and networking arrangements) to support Capacity Development will be necessary. This may result in a large number of cost-effective interventions that will avoid ‘fragmentation’ and ‘isolated’ approaches that lack sustainability.

Networking

Networking is aimed at reinforcing capacity and avoiding fragmentation of efforts by fostering collaboration, sharing of resources (human, technical, institutional), as well as the creation of a culture of discussion and communication among all affected parties. Networking requires cooperative mechanisms among education and training institutions, the public, and the private sector, as required.

Partnership arrangements

Partnership arrangements aim at complementing efforts while matching the strengths and weaknesses of the partners. It is expected that major actors in these partnerships could involve universities, the private sector, government, and local communities.