europeaid internal e.c. session : reflection on aidco e/7 – delegations relations rené bosman...
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Internal E.C. Session :
reflection on AIDCO E/7 – DELEGATIONS RELATIONS
René BOSMAN (E7)
Water seminar Nairobi - October 2010
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In the domain of Operational Guidance, past and current
support from E7 :
- concept note « Complementarities and synergies
between SWAP and IWRM»
- support to program formulation
- regional seminars on SWAP/IWRM
- national seminars on demand
(initializing SWAP process – national dialog)
- horizontal studies ongoing :
CoC/MoU Water : best practices
SWAP experiences capitalization
EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidCapacity4Dev Platform : (AIDCO E)
first step - trial : starts with the T.C. reform, also used by the
Public Finance Management experts,
open to outside public (worldwide or restricted groups)
1500 users but not many actives
Too complex !
Has been fully redesigned and simplified
NEW VERSION LAUNCHED on 15 October 2010 !
Functionalities (within groups) :
X document library (doc management)
X blog for discussions and info exchanges
X event/news announcement
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Introduction to the new Capacity4dev
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Capacity4Dev : orientations proposed for our
Water sector
2 groups :
- one open to external members
(free consultation but membership required to contribute)
- one restricted to internal staff (Del + HQ)
Focus on :
- library : recover and improve the current WaterNet content
- discussions / forum (to avoid multiples exchanges and chat
under Outlook as today)
EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidCollaboration between HQ (E7) / Delegations
Continue with W&S regional seminars: Fr/EN separately ?
Frequency ? Which thematics ?
(importance of the countries contributions)
Thematic studies ?
How to network you ? Headquarter role ?
What do you need ?
What are you ready to pay ?
EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidPoints mentioned in discussion
• Q Why so many water web sites – what is the comparative advantage – incomplete (aquaknow / euwinet/cap4 dev)?• Q it can easily remain unused – can it become a working tool? But
how? Is easily outdated. • Q -We are meant to upload project information in CRIS (only
internal) with the project number we can look at more detailed information on CRIS• Q -How to find best practice in CRIS? Perhaps C4D is the tool for
best practice? Newsflash etc• R – they each have a different role• R – there must be an incentive e.g. information will only be
available on the capcity4 dev ? • R – model TOR are potentially very useful
EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidMore points,2
• Q time is limited – will be get a message when documents are there (like WSP) – just a short message• R – yes that feature will be there, you can define what mails you
get or don’t get – we will check it
• Q – we attend such seminars to hear about success stories that we can learn from – can you have frequently made mistakes or stories of success? – that would be useful e.g. in Burundi we are rehabilitating/reforming after the war, we want to avoid the classic mistakes. How to filter ? To get what you are interested in? • R – we have to avoid too much information – we can organise sub-
topics
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• Q – we are project focussed – ex post independent evaluations are talked about but rarely done or accessible. We need more such analysis – it helps to learn. Tendency to always declare projects successful. • Q – is Brussels thinking of a thematic evaluation of water and
sanitation sector (beyond the project)• Q – could ex-post ROM be used as a source of information for
such deeper analysis• Q - the thematic studies could focus on evaluation of successes• Q – sharing of good practice will reduce the mistakes and costs
of other countries• R – there is a thematic ROM evaluation already done !!
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• Q – it is people that initiate processes – appreciate the seminars like this one – it is motivating and avoids the overload of information problem. It increases our productivity.• Q – innovative approaches can be used to exchange
information between delegations e.g. • Q – find a way to wake us up – makes us belong to the water
group (and not just the seminars, build on them) – a picture and person is worth a 1000 words. • Q – we should publish more, like the example of Chad – we
need to make links with universities and others
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• Q -Seminars are good – but HQ based seminar allows connection with HQs, that is very useful (might lose the field trip but other advantages)• R- we already do that, we have seminars in Brussels each
year – june/july. We invite others e.g. OECD, EIB, AFD etc This year we had a 3 days Finance (EIB)/ Sanitation (aidco) / x cutting topics e.g. human rights (DGDev).• R -The regional ones have the value of the field trip and
practionaires from the region.• R – both are good, we should not replace one with the other
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• Q - We get huge text reports, we cannot absorb the material / we need to do like Benin did with Google Earth – why do we not have the capacity to do this in delegations? E.g. we cannot print A3 in colour. Our (IT) tools are pathetic.• Q – good communication can help – remote assistance is
possible• Q – Water facility project template does not have an
executive summary – ask them for this + readable graphs and summary. Lets be more specific on the template and encourage quality rather than volume.• Q – report dumping from Brussels …. Please give us a
summary not 100+ pages.
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More points: Q say it in one page – lets campaign for that
• Q – the seminars should be supported by the HQ not just delegations, in case they do not have enough budget – this year we had cancellations due to budget • Q – this seminar in Kenya was very useful • Q – Organise more joint seminars at delegation level – we are
bombarded by slogans on alignment, harmonisation, gender etc it is lip service… we need to get in touch with reality • Q – there is also a yearly regional infrastructure seminar
(only delegation) good but a bit road focussed. Should we keep the water and wider infrastructure separate• R – we organised a joint water and infrastructure in Liberville
– it did not work
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• R – big value in having external participants – we cannot have that in a joint seminar with infrastructure. • R – our water programs are very policy and institutional
development related – water is also related to rural development• Q – in Namibia we found keeping roads and water separate was
best• Q – for small delegations, the separtion of water and roads is not
an issue, it is for larger delegations• R – could organise one after the other• Q – one after the other has merit• Q – hoD< HOA, all have conference – perhaps we need an
operations conference?
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• Q – do we an francophone example of successful reforms?• R – yes at a recent seminar in Burkina Faso, a series of
reforms was outlined• Q – we had two sub-sectors here: water and sanitation. We
discussed SBS and pooled and projects. For me the modalities as well as the sector was important – aid effectiveness was an important topic• Q – why are the road people boring? They are not they are
very nice!
EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidMore points
• Q/R -What thematic studies?o Technologies in sanitationo Information management by water ministries, role of
information in the sector (data management, indicators)o Innovative projects and initiatives (WSTF, CLTS, Ecotac)
• R – what frequency for this type of seminaro Q Each year (we already agreed this in Pretoria)
• R – what topic would you suggest for next year?o Q - Low cost – urban sanitation…innovationso R - Water framework directive of EU – compare with
water policy… WRMo Q -Mobile to web application for water systemso Q - One day on dry sanitation (vs water borne)