Transboundary ecosystems such as the Danube, Lake Victoria, and the Baltic Sea highlight both the promise and complexity of multicountry environmental cooperation.

This thematic review, completed in 1998, assessed GEF’s experience with multicountry projects, focusing on international waters and selected biodiversity initiatives addressing transboundary issues. Covering 36 projects, the review drew on document reviews, project reports, interviews, questionnaires, and field visits to sites along the Danube, Mediterranean, Lake Malawi, Lake Victoria, and the Baltic Sea.

It finds that multicountry projects can provide important opportunities for addressing shared environmental challenges, but are inherently more complex, requiring longer preparation times, greater resources, and strong collaboration among implementing agencies and participating governments. Emerging lessons emphasize the value of the TDA-SAP process (transboundary diagnostic analyses leading to strategic action programs), the need for political commitment and broad stakeholder participation, the benefits of applying an ecosystem approach, and the importance of interministerial and regional coordination.

The review concludes that while GEF has demonstrated a valuable role in facilitating cooperation on transboundary environmental issues, sustainability will depend on long-term political commitment, harmonized policies, adequate financing, and robust monitoring and evaluation systems.