Building a global knowledge-sharing community “…. an innovative inter-institutional partnership to build a Web- based ‘knowledge community’ among transboundary waters projects. The purpose is to expand knowledge-sharing so that people who live in and manage transboundary water systems can better learn from and teach each other.” -- Project Document, GEF Council, February

By 2003, GEF and its partners will have mobilized nearly a billion dollars to bring 50+ International Waters projects to life. IW:LEARN is a new kind of GEF project – a project strengthens other projects by brokering their knowledge sharing. IW:LEARN provides training, building of relationships and technological infrastructure, and promoting of synergies between IW projects. The Global Environment Facility is the major source of global financing in the area of International Waters.

The Vision.... An evolving Knowledge Community of International Waters projects Protection of the Rio dela Plata Reducing Caribbean Pesticide Runoff Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem SAP for the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem SAP for the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Senegal River Basin Initiative SAP for the Bermejo River Global International Waters Assessment Baltic Sea Regional Project Baltic Sea Regional Project Maluku Conservation and Natural Resources Management Maluku Conservation and Natural Resources Management Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Yellow Sea Large Marine Ecosystem Conservation of Mediterranean Wetlands and Coasts TDA and SAP for the South Sea Black Sea Agricultural Pollution Control Project Black Sea Agricultural Pollution Control Project SAP and TDA for Tumen River and Environs Lake Victoria Environmental Management SAP for the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem SAP for the Guinea Current Large Marine Ecosystem Nutrient Reduction Program in the Danube River Basin Nutrient Reduction Program in the Danube River Basin

With $1.9 million in operational funding and the spread of Web technology, IW:LEARN’s objectives are now to translate the vision into reality, specifically: : Train individuals in the GEF IW community to use Web-based learning technologies to promote their common interests Help IW projects produce and share knowledge products over the Web, reflecting day-by-day learning at the project level Provide tangible and virtual “spaces” for the hands-on work of knowledge-sharing and community-building Articulate and demonstrate new methodologies for building sustainable Web-based knowledge communities See UNDP/GEF Project Document

Built upon the objectives, IW:LEARN is implementing the following Workplan Activities :  Develop waters-related knowledge products – such as e-seminars, distance learning courses, twinning projects and virtual technical forums – to be tested, adapted and adopted by the Implementation Team  Create globally accessible Web spaces – IW virtual offices, portable classrooms, and knowledge centers – for community-wide coordination, learning and knowledge sharing  Train and mobilize a Web-based Implementation Team of GEF IW community members to catalyze knowledge-sharing activities within and among IW projects  Expand knowledge-sharing capacity by engaging International Waters Conference participants in works-in-progress and fostering knowledge partnerships among their projects

Next Steps :  Develop and deploy additional distance learning materials and portable classrooms with content which addresses needs expressed by IW Project Managers and the community-at-large  Expand MyIWL virtual office space and knowledge centers to include more GEF IW project managers, their projects and knowledge-sharing partners.  Complete and evaluate 5-week “River Basin Implementation Team” training workshop (November 2000), prepare and implement “Coastal/Marine Implementation Team” and web developers’ workshops (spring 2001).  Invite you to participate in testing, evaluating, developing our “stuff!”