Watsan CM Minutes 26 May, 2006

Agenda

Representatives from:
ACT Central Asia, Aral Sea Saving Committee, CARE International, COOPI, ECHO, GAA, Mercy Corps, Ministry of Emergency, Mission East, Oxfam GB, Save the Children Unified Programme, UN DRMP, UN WFP, UNCU, UNDP, UNICEF, USAID Peaks, WHO

Ruth Leano, UNICEF Programme Coordinator, welcomed all the participants of the WES Coordination meeting and opened the meeting.

I. Current WES project updates
The participants of the meeting introduced themselves and provided brief updates of the current WES/ Education project activities:

• Luca Morganti, COOPI ? WES project activities are ongoing in 2 districts of Khatlon region (namely VOSE and JOMI). Currently rehabilitation of 6 water supply systems is ongoing, as well as education campaigns among women.
• Saidmumin Kamolov, Oxfam GB ? water is the main component of ongoing Oxfam projects. Currently different water supply projects are ongoing in Khatlon region under TACIS funding.
• Kurt Bover, Mission East ? different water supply projects are ongoing, as well as Health / Hygiene education in Khatlon region.
• Karl Nillson, UNDP ? currently 10 water supply related projects are ongoing in Khatlon (5 w/s) and Sughd (5 w/s) regions under ECHO funding.
• Sarah Bernhard, WHO ? WHO is not working specifically on water projects, but in cases of disease outbreaks, will address the issue within the REACT partnership.
• Rauf Yusupov, UN WFP ? no updates.
• Zainab Boboeva, SC UP ? SC US and UK recently completed the process of merging into one; now the joint organization is officially named as Save the Children Unified Programme. Currently WES projects related to support teachers through in-service training. Regarding REACT partnership, the organization has its own emergency plan.
• Fozil Abdurashidov, Mercy Corps ? Fozil Abdurashidov, Mercy Corps ? ongoing water supply rehabilitation projects in Khatlon, namely in Kumsangir, Panj, Shaartuz. Jilikul, Kubodiyon and N-Husrav districts in 12 communities.
• Shahlo Shakarova, Care Int. ?  Started the repair of community water and construction of sanitation facilities through low cost technologies and interventions in pilot communities of Yovon and Varzob districts. On-going education campaigns among women and schoolchildren in 23 target communities 
• Azamat Khasanov, ECHO ? the core of ECHO funded projects is in the health sector. The few water and sanitation projects we have are indirectly related to health as well. ECHO is expecting a watsan expert from the Regional office and will inform the WES group accordingly. The visit might take place in late July-early August. A proposition would be to have Elisabeth, the watsan expert, presenting the Water and Sanitation guidelines developed by ECHO through an external evaluation.
• Parviz Bazarov, GAA ? German Agro Action has been implementing its WES projects in Tajikistan since 1998. Currently, drinking water supply projects are ongoing in Sugdh, Khatlon (Baljuvan) and Rasht valley.
• Tojidin Mahmadov, Ministry of Emergency ? The chemical laboratory under the Ministry of Emergency implements regular and emergency response water quality monitoring activities.
• Kholmatov Anatoliy, Aral Sea saving Committee ? implements related to water supply, environmental protection, monitoring and management of water resources in the framework of the Aral Sea saving mandate, in addition to the committee developing legislation documents/agreement among the five Central Aral countries of the Aral Sea. The specific mandate is saving the gene pool of the population residing near the Aral Sea. The committee currently has ongoing programmes on improving the social conditions of the Aral Sea population which will continue till 2010. The funds of the Aral Sea committee are generated from the funds of the five countries; Tajikistan contributes 10% of the revenue funds from the public budget. Additional funding comes from international organizations, and donors.
• Akhmad Kayumov, USAID Peaks ? no updates.
• Maia Kuparadze, UNICEF ? WES project ?Sanitation and Hygiene Promotion in and Through Schools Project? is ongoing in Khatlon and Sughd regions. Additional funding is expected to continue the project in schools for academic years 2006-07. RADWQ study conducted by Republican SES jointly with UNICEF produced the National Report on the water quality status and may be obtained from UNICEF by interested organizations.

Ruth summarized the updates and highlighted four main areas for joint cooperation and coordination:

• Construction and rehabilitation of water supply/irrigation;
• Legislative documents on the norms and standards of the water resource management;
• Public and social mobilization, like teachers? training;
• Emergency preparedness.

II. Donor coordination web site
UNCU recently opened a new web site related to donor coordination (www.untj.org/donors ) which contains news on recent donor events in the country, reports and studies, donor profiles and data on financial aids. The majority of the information provided on the web site is sector and sub-sector oriented.
Please see (Presentation of the Donor Coordination web site).
For more information please contact Madina Rakhmanova (madina.rakhmanova@undp.org) or Farroukh Nazarmavloev (farroukh.nazarmavloev@undp.rog).
 
III. REACT partnership news

• CARE is going to organize an emergency preparedness and response seminar at the end of June.
• Oxfam GB in collaboration with the Ministry of Emergency Situations (MoEs) is going to organize International Conference on Reduction of Natural Disasters on June 28-30.
• UNICEF, as a part of the REACT coordination team, is planning to organize a workshop to develop ?Rapid Assessment Tool in Emergencies?. The REACT partners are encouraged to share their existing assessment tools to develop a standardized one. The invitation will be sent to the REACT partners once it has been confirmed.
• With the purpose of the IACP (Inter-agency Contingency Plan) update, UNICEF developed a matrix and shared among REACT partners with the request to provide their data. Just a few REACT sectoral partners in WES and Education didn?t provide their feedback and were kindly asked to provide the information ASAP. As soon as the Matrix is finalized, the narrative IACP will be updated accordingly to the information provided in the matrix, and will be shared among all the REACT partners (Latest version of the IACP matrix).

?How to improve WES Coordination? - a participatory session was organized among the participants of the meeting, and the major suggestions were as follow:

• Be more results-oriented
• Ensure timely upgrade of the database
• Provide more clarifications from experts on the issues/concerns raised
• Earlier notice on the next meeting
• Involvement of decision makers
• Practical sharing of lessons
• Lessons leant in WatSan
• Action plan / calendar

IV. News / Announcements

• Mission East is looking for cooperation with the local Healthy Life Style Centers in the regions, and asked support from the WES group to establish the cooperation. UNDP Khatlon area office works closely with the HLSC.
• Ole Ramsing, UN DRMP thanked the REACT sectoral partners in WES and Education for cooperation and involvement in REACT partnership and called the WES/Education Group for putting together mutual efforts in strengthening the cooperation in the REACT sectoral partnership.

V. Conclusions / Plans for the next meeting

• The next meeting is currently planned for 23rd June ?06.
• The next meeting agenda will include updates from the WES group on ongoing projects. Any news in ongoing project activities should be presented for the WES group update.
• Possible presentation of the ECHO watsan delegate?s mission to Tajikistan at the next WES meeting.  

List of participants