The internal funds that we receive for natural science projects in our region are very limited.  Although this can be frustrating when we are trying to assist our member states, it does provide us with a very natural quality control mechanism which ensures that the projects we engage in are in fact going to be sustainable in the long term, because local partners must be convinced enough of the need and benefit of a programme before they are willing to invest into them.

Put another way, when we work with partners, we are always working towards not being needed in the future, neither financially nor technically.  Until then, the kind of assistance UNESCO brings to projects include:

• Networks - UNESCO is one of the oldest UN organisations in the UN system and as a result we have been able to build up a near inexhaustible network of expertise.  If we do not have the specialist knolwedge required in our office, we regularly suggest lists of globally renowned experts and consultants to governments and the private sector when they are having difficulty finding it themselves.  Our own projects benefit from our networks, which is part of our commitment to engaging all stakeholders
• Project Management - Due to our vast network, we are able to host projects for partners and member states in a variety of fields, as well as draw on a wide range of in-house and external expertise.  Furthermore, our unique status and governance mean that we can engage in multi-lateral projects involving many partners in a fair, transparent and facilitative process that can deal with multi-sectoral issues.  This allows for a holistic approach towards solving problems, giving us the ablility to identify and deal with causes and symptoms simultaneously.
• Business facilitation- We are frequently the first port of call for many companies curious about working in the region.  Our interest and and access to the environmental communities in our region means that we are frequently aware of potential projects which could benefit from special products or services, otherwise we can offer guidance on who else would be best to speak to. 
• Legitmacy - The work we do in our member states is always at the discretion of their national commissions, with whom we have close working relationships with.  This means that any member state can bring up objections to any of our activities in their territory.  This, however, rarely happens because of the time taken and the discussions had to understand the needs and wishes of our member states.  Through our dynamic relationship with our national commissions, we are also able to draw upon their intimate knowledge of their countries, and we frequently ask for them to recommend experts and focal points to us so that we can make a complete and detailed analysis of any particular challenges.
• Seed funding - In some cases baseline data and research needs to be gathered to develop a case for any particular action.  This is a primary driver of our centralised resource allocation.