Second Workshop on "Challenges in the Water Sector"

National water sector reform and poverty reduction were considered two main topics by East African water policy makers on which the Finnish Development Co-operation should focus.

As a follow-up of the e-conference held last year, participants from Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique and Tanzania were invited to a workshop on the revision of the Finnish development co-operation policy, in the light of achieving the water and sanitation Millennium Development Goals. The basis for the discussion was the outcome report of the e-conference. From 10-11 June 2004 they met face-to-face at IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre in Delft, the Netherlands.

Objectives

The workshop opened with reformulating the four objectives:

• To identify and propose the most effective and efficient intervention tools and processes for the Finnish development policy
• To identify the roles of all the relevant stakeholders in the development co-operation sector
• To contribute to the achievement of the MDGs
• To foster bilateral development co-operation by making the Finnish Development Co-operation more aware of the social, cultural and economic difference in the partner countries.

Outcomes

Outcomes of the two-day meeting can be summarized in four major topics:

- Water Sector Reform

Management and decision making in this sector should be handled by the lowest possible level in order to enhance ownership. All actors outside the public sector should be encouraged to play an active role in the implementation of the development activities. The authorities should guide and facilitate private sector work.

- Poverty Reduction

Irrigation is seen as an important tool to create income, from very small scale activities such as kitchen gardens to large scale commercial cultivation schemes. In addition to the direct income creation impact, there are also secondary benefits which contribute to the poverty reduction, such as positive effect on health and a reduction in the time required for water supply activities.

- Fostering of IWRM

IWRM should be the lead principle. However, it was noted that this concept is very difficult to implement in practice as it involves several ministries in each country. Interrelations between ministries are acknowledged in principle, but co-ordination frequently faces problems which are hard to overcome. The basin-wide approach to water issues is more helpful in the application of IWRM. The administrative structures can be arranged more easily within a natural entity of a water course.

- Legal Framework

A clear, unambiguous, transparent and enforced legislative framework was seen as a prerequisite for successful development co-operation between two sovereign countries. Actions which are based on acknowledged principles, not on ad-hoc decisions, create continuity and a sustainable atmosphere, and this is a major requirement for a fruitful co-operation.