EuropeAid Internal E.C. Session : reflection on AIDCO E/7 – DELEGATIONS RELATIONS René BOSMAN...

EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAid

Internal E.C. Session :

reflection on AIDCO E/7 – DELEGATIONS RELATIONS

René BOSMAN (E7)

Water seminar Nairobi - October 2010


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


Introduction to the new Capacity4dev


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 Is easily outdated.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

EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidMore points, 3

• 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 !!

EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidMore points, 4

• 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

EuropeAidEuropeAidEuropeAidMore points,

• 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


• 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.


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


• 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?


• 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)

EuropeAid Internal E.C. Session : reflection on AIDCO E/7 – DELEGATIONS RELATIONS René BOSMAN...

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