Lessons Learned

The project has greatly benefited from having the secretariat based in a strong institution. There has been some anxiety over a perceived lack of transparency that could possibly have detracted from the networking objective. Future projects could consider ensuring that all secretariat posts are advertised regionally and that a representative of the SSC is present at interviews, either as an observer or participant.

A regional project needs to pay particular attention to language limitations among participants. Additional allocation of resources (for example, for language training) may be necessary to overcome this problem.

In order to make maximum use of acquired data, any database program used should be compatible with similar databases elsewhere. This can be achieved through the use of international data standards/exchange formats. This also includes transfer to GIS formats. Another facet of data transfer is to ensure that agreements between collaborating institutions are in place.

Dependence on information technology (IT) for project outputs requires that IT is adequately resourced from the beginning of the project and that full technical support is readily available. There is a danger that the tool can become more important than the use and products derived from the data and can take up a disproportionate amount of the human resources available.

In some cases, countries have not been using proper reporting systems, including requests for available funds. There will be a need for more proactive project management. Short-term attachments to the secretariat may help.

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