1. Building Environmental Citizenship to Support Transboundary Pollution Reduction in the Danube: A Pilot Project in Hungary and Slovenia

2. Brief introduction to our experience Key lessons Positive experiences/good practices Recommendations for improvements NGO Executing Agency Experience

3. Key Lessons Considerable resources necessary to prepare a proposal –Time –Human resources –Implications for small and medium-sized NGOs Evolving experience with NGO execution by NGOs and by GEF/UNDP

4. Positive Experiences Good Practices Reduced GEF process time for project approval UNDP/GEF staff generous with time/support NGOs now provided training –proposal development –understanding GEF procedures Establishment of NGO contact person Multi-stakeholder involvement in proposal development

5. Challenges/Needs Raised by Our Experience Paperwork Simplification Need to integrate GEF & UNDP paperwork requirements & budget formats Need for further simplification, especially for small and medium-sized NGOs Realistic financial support for preparation & writing

6. Suggestions for the Future More up-front training for potential NGO executing agencies Network NGOs for experience (consider compensation) Simplify/Expedite Procedures for NGO co- executing agencies where appropriate –Supports multiple stakeholder approach –Increases NGO visibility & experience