The Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council approved the Project Brief for the Strategic Action Programme for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden in November 1997. UNDP signed two Preparatory Assistance (PA) documents to facilitate the formulation of the agency-specific Project documents. In order to discuss and agree on a detailed implementation arrangement and a work plan for the full-scale Project, two consultative meetings were held with PERSGA and within the three GEF implementing agencies.