TIGER INITIATIVE
Cap-Net UNDP, the European Space Agency (ESA) http://www.esa.int/ESA and Faculty of Geo-information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente (ITC) http://www.itc.nl/) have agreed to form a partnership to up-scale capacity development on the use of space technology for water resource management in Africa within the TIGER Initiative. http://www.tiger.esa.int/ The partnership is devoted to support African scientists and water managers in developing and improving their scientific skills and technical capacity to make the best use of earth observation technology for sustainable water resources management. TIGER focus on the use of space technology for water resource management in Africa and provide concrete actions to match resolutions.

The partnership is anchored on synergies in activities and capacity of the 6 Cap-Net affiliated networks in Africa (WaterNet, WaterCap, AGW-Net, NBCBN, WA-Net, and Nile IWRM-Net) and also the 4 TIGER Regional Centres (Regional Centre for Mapping of Resources for Development (RCMRD) in Kenya, the AGRHYMET Regional Centre (ARC) in Niger, the Water Research Commission (WRC) in South Africa and the Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel (OSS) in Tunisia. The partnership activities are expected to expand to other regions globally where Cap-Net is active, in the near future.
For further information contact
Themba Gumbo at Cap-Net (themba.gumbo@cap-net.org)
Benjamin Koetz at ESA (Benjamin.Koetz@esa.int) 
Zoltán Verkedy at ITC (z.vekerdy@utwente.nl)

WATERCAP INITIATIVE
In partnership with Cap-Net, NETWAS and Kenya Water Institute, WaterCap launched a course designed to facilitate acquiring of hands-on skills in application of Geographical Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) in water resources management interventions, in Nairobi , Kenya from the 22nd – 30th of April. The objective is to learn to work with spatial data, satellite images and GIS tools, as way improving assessment, monitoring and enforcement functions of water resources management. The main aims are to: Develop a sound fundamental understanding of the GIS and remote sensing technologies, understand the basic principles underlying the GIS/model-based management of water resources and environment and to become familiar with the GIS-based analytical and problem-solving techniques for sustainable planning and management of water resources and environmental problems

This course targets Water Managers, Practitioners, and Trainers in Water Training Institutions, Water Research Institutions, Water Resources Management Authority, National Environmental Management Authority and the Meteorological Department.
For more information, please contact Wangai Ndirangu at WaterCap at: wangai@beassociates.co.ke

The objective of the workshop was to address alternatives around the strong need of water for human consumption and the need for ecological flow transiting through the river to support aquatic life. Stimulating capacity development actions and training activities on IWRM and the basin level been conscious of the impact at the Climate Change were also on the agenda.

The target audience for the workshop, which took place from 22nd to 24th April, was lecturers and researchers at the Technological University of Panama, officials of the Authority for Public Services, National Environmental Authority, Transmission Company of Electricity, Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Health, Institute water and Sewage Systems, national networks involved in water management and power generation companies. There is an increasing use of water in order to generate electricity for economic development, where the requirement for water use has increased up to 90% in some basins of the country. The conflict arises during the dry season when the rivers levels are reduced due to the lack of rain, and irrigation water requirements in agricultural areas become much more critical.

For more information, please contact: Lilliana Arrieta, REDICA at: liliarrieta@hotmail.com

The ToT is organized by the REMERH-CapNet-Mex and the support of Cap-Net UNDP will be held at the Faculty of Civil Engineer- University of Nuevo León, Monterrey, México on 24-28 June 2013.
The training is aimed at strengthening of the capacity to reduce the impact of drought disasters through enhancing of IWRM knowledge and skills necessary for promoting and adoption of disaster reduction practices as an integrated part water resources management. The target group is a mixed group of trainers willing to disseminate training, water resources and disaster risk managers able to share cases form their work. However, the level of training is reasonably high it’s expected the participants will good experiences managing in water resources and disaster risk management issues, an addition skilled in basic use of computers.

The training is supported with training material set on IWRM in drought risk management and practical exercises and case studies, structured so as to incorporate participants’ relevant experience and lessons application to their local context.

For registration, please complete application: www.remerh.mx/registro
For further information please contact:  Víctor Hugo Guerra Cobián cobian64@hotmail.com and Díaz Delgado cdiazd@uaemex.mx

Cap-Net in partnership with its member networks developed a training course on Ecosystem functions and IWRM in order to provide new knowledge on the subject, due to take place from 8th to 12th July. Additionally WaterNet and WaterCap have in turn developed a training programme on Ecosystem functions and IWRM drawing on material from the Ecosystem Management: Concept to Local Scale Implementation training manual and the learning materials from the Ecosystems and IWRM training of trainers.

The overall goal of the programme is to make participants aware of the services that water ecosystems provide and to show the ecological processes that result in the provision of the services, and how they are affected by current water management practices.

The target audience is Government officials from Water and Environment line ministries mandated with water and environmental management; Water managers of River Basin Organizations or national Catchment Management Agencies; Universities and Non-Governmental Organizations involved in water and environmental management.

Interested candidates should submit their application form together with their Curriculum Vitae (maximum 2 pages) to the Water-Net Secretariat:  rchioreso@waternetonline.org and copy waternet@waternetonline.org before the 10th of June 2013.

WaterNet is leading the rollout of the Regional Capacity Building Programme on promoting integrity and accountability in the Sub-Saharan Africa water sector, in Southern Africa together with Cap-Net and the Global Water Partnership Southern Africa with strategic guidance from the SADC Secretariat.
The SADC water community recommended a course targeting River Basin Organisations (RBOs). This is in view of the increased appreciation that as River Basin Organisations develop into autonomous organizations, they require high standards of corporate governance enabling trust by water users, and national water authorities who have to fund RBOs. As a result, this training workshop which took place from the 8th to 12th of April 2013, equipped senior management of River Basin Organisations with the requisite knowhow to appreciate and respect the rule of law, fostered openness, maintained transparency and accountability in all operations, and above all aimed to achieve better corporate governance practices. It was structured around seven basic modules that explained how corruption plays out in the water sector, what drives it and what can be done about it. 

For more information, contact Jean-Marie Kileshye Onema at WaterNet at:  jmkileshye-onema@waternetonline.org

We are pleased to announce the upcoming events to take place in Delft, The Netherlands: The Expert Consultation meeting and 5th Delft symposium on water sector capacity development is being organised by UNESCO-IHE in collaboration with Cap-Net, UNDP, the Asian Development Bank, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of The Netherlands and Vitens-Evides International.

Building on a tradition which started in 1991, the Symposium will be the international forum for water users, development practitioners, researchers, policy makers, water professionals and capacity development specialists to discuss the challenges, current realities and new opportunities for knowledge and capacity development in the water sector.  Following the Symposium, a Network Management Tools Training and Water integrity forum will also take place. These events will be held at UNESCO-IHE, Institute for Water Education, from 27th May to 7th June 2013.
For more information, regarding the events, please visit the UNESCO-IHE website: http://www.unesco-ihe.org/CD-Symposium/Organizers

You may also contact Kees Leendertse at: kees.leendertse@cap-net.org

IRC International Water and Sanitation Centre and partners organised the Monitoring Sustainable WASH Service Delivery symposium in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from the 9th to 12th April. (http://www.irc.nl/home/irc_symposium_2013). The symposium provided a global platform for sharing the latest initiatives, tools, indicators and experiences and consisted of parallel sessions, with plenary debates.
In collaboration with Cap-Net the International Water Association (IWA) facilitated a session on Strengthening Monitoring of Human Resources in WASH.  The session focused on reflecting on the IWA global methodology to collect data on human resource gaps (skills) and shortages (number of workers) at the national level and on building coherence in these national monitoring of human resources versus global monitoring i.e. Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP) and the Global Assessment and Analysis System (GLAAS). 
For more information contact Themba Gumbo (themba.gumbo@cap-net.org) at Cap-Net or Kirsten de Vette (Kirsten.deVette@iwahq.org) at IWA.

In Addition, Cap-Net participated in the African Monitoring and Evaluation process for tracking country progress in implementing commitment to the African Water Vision 2025 and the MDGs for Water and Sanitation.  The meeting was organised under the auspices of the African Ministers Council on Water (AMCOW) and Africa Union Commission (AUC).  Cap-Net made an input on the working group tasked with developing indicators for capacity development and knowledge management for sustainable water management. For more information contact Themba Gumbo (themba.gumbo@cap-net.org) at Cap-Net or Anselme Vodounhessi at GIZ at: (anselme.vodounhessi@giz.de)

Steering Committee members along with Cap-Net representatives attended the meetings of Regional Steering Committee of the Nile IWRM Network and the Africa Ground Water Network, which were held back-to-back in Bujumbura, Burundi from 08 to 12 April 2012. The meetings were organized by the Nile IWRM-Net, in collaboration with Cap-Net and hosted by Burundi Chapter. The meeting brought together the Steering Committees and reviewed the networks progress, as well as operational challenges and the future programmes in Water Resources Management. Discussions ranged from diversifying Capacity Building Activities to various network strategies (Strategic Plan, resource mobilization and marketing).

For more information please contact: Tamiru Abiye for AGW-NET at Tamiru.Abiye@wits.ac.za
Callist Tindimugaya for Nile_IWRM callist.tindimugaya@mwe.go.ug

A Training of Trainers workshop was held in Costa Rica from March 18th - 22nd, 2013, organized by Cap-Net and partner network REDICA, CIEDES-UCR, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC), and hosted by the Faculty of Engineering of the University of Costa Rica.

The first course was held in Enschede, The Netherlands, in December 2012 and the second ToT that just took place in San José, Costa Rica, targeted participants from Latin America and the Caribbean. Nominated participants are network members who are active in water management capacity building and have a position within the network's member organization that allows them to take this subject further within the network at the regional or national level.
For more information, please contact Laura Valenciano, REDICA (redicamerica@gmail.com) and Themba Gumbo from the Cap-Net secretariat (themba.gumbo@cap-net.org)
For further information about the ToT visit REDICA's blog: http://redicatalleres.blogspot.com/

Cap-Net/UNDP organised a workshop with its Brazilian and other Portuguese speaking partners in Brasília, from 25 to 27 March, 2013.  The partners are members of Cap-Net Brasil, WaterNet and RELUSA. The objective of the workshop was to develop a three-year collaborative programme on capacity development in sustainable water management for Lusophone countries. The meeting was hosted by ANA and co-organised by Cap-Net Brasil. The three year collaborative programme developed builds on strengths of the partners on specific subjects.

The programme includes the following thematic areas:
- IWRM as a tool for adaptation to climate change
- Water security plans
- Social mobilisation for IWRM
- Technologies and management
- Coastal zone management

Rich group discussions resulted in advanced plans of activities and products for each of the five themes. Next steps include the development of a comprehensive proposal and seek support with the assistance of the UNDP Country Office in Brasilia.
For further information on the workshop and joint programme, please contact Kees Leendertse at Cap-Net kees.leendertse@cap-net.org or Jaime Bastos, coordinator of Cap-Net Brasil jaime@institutoipanema.net

2013 is the International Year of Water Cooperation. The objective is to raise awareness, both on the potential for increased cooperation, and on the challenges facing water management in light of the increase in demand for water access, allocation and services. There are a number of global events marking this, starting with the launch of the year last month in Paris. A number of simultaneous events will take place on this year’s World Water Day, capped by a UN High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda (i.e. post Millennium Development Goals) taking place in the Hague (22 March incidentally). Other milestones include World Water Week in Stockholm (September), a High-Level Conference in Dushanbe (September) and a Water Summit in Budapest (October). In this context, Cap-Net and partners organise a seminar at the World Water Week on Collaboration in Networks for Water Capacity Development (more later). Speaking of the Post-2015 Agenda, you should all consider taking part in UN-Water’s online discussion of priorities for the water sector: http://www.worldwewant2015.org/water.
World Water Day is held annually on 22 March as a means of focusing attention on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. An international day to celebrate freshwater was recommended at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). The United Nations General Assembly responded by designating 22 March 1993 as the first World Water Day. Each year, World Water Day highlights a specific aspect of freshwater. In 2013, in reflection of the International Year of Water Cooperation, World Water Day is also dedicated to the theme of cooperation around water.
For further information or any questions please contact:  Water2015@worldwewant2015.org

The African Ministers’ Council on Water in conjunction with the African Union Commission and the African Development Bank hosted the Africa-wide Stakeholders process on the Post 2015 Water Agenda in Tunis on March 1st – 2nd 2013. This was held against the background of the Africa Water Vision 2025 of ‘An Africa where there is an equitable and sustainable use and management of water resources for poverty alleviation, socio economic development, regional cooperation and environment’.

The main objectives were to consult and reach consensus on targets and indicators for the three thematic sub-consultations on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH), Water Resources Management (WRM) and Wastewater Management and Water Quality (WMWQ). 74 representatives of governments in Africa, development partners, NGOs and civil society, along with Regional Economic Communities and River and Lakes Basin Organisations and Intergovernmental Organisations attended the consultative meeting. 

Highlighting the pivotal role of water resources management and development to the initiation of green economy in Africa, the meeting emphasised the need for urgent attention from all stakeholders to address unfinished business of the water and sanitation MDGs targets.

The overall goal was established as: ‘Ensure a water secure world for all’.
For more information, please visit the AMCOW website http://www.amcow-online.org or contact Elizabeth Touomguo at: etouomguo@amcow-online.org

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) organized the Asia Water Week 2013 under the overarching theme ‘Securing Water for All’ at its headquarters in Manila, Philippines. The main aim was to address crosscutting topics such as climate change, water-food-energy nexus, and disaster management. Sub-sector sessions provided the framework for exchanging knowledge on technologies, innovations and new sector initiatives. Thematic sessions were divided into: Basin Management, Urban Water Services and Rural Water Services. The main event was complemented by various side-events organized by different international and regional sector organizations. It was well attended with 600 registered participants. In an interesting session chaired by UESCO-IHE, special attention was dedicated to capacity development and professional certification. For more information, please download the Asia Water Week Programme 2013 and visit the ADB website or contact Wouter Lincklaen Arriens of ADB (wouter.lincklaen.arriens@gmail.com)

CEO Water Mandate 11th Working Conference was held in Mumbai India from 4-7 March 2013.  The Conference was attended by more than 150 participants from endorsing companies and prospective endorsers, United Nations and government agencies, and civil society. The multi-stakeholder conference focused on exploring the relevance of the emerging corporate water stewardship paradigm in the “Post-2015 world.” It canvassed the range of water-related challenges facing India, as well as the spectrum of actions companies are taking in India and elsewhere to mitigate water risk and support more sustainable water management. http://ceowatermandate.org/
The Cap-Net director participated in the conference together with Neena Rao of SCaN and Damian Indij of LA-WETnet as part of the Cap-Net agenda to engage with the private sector.
For further information contact Themba Gumbo at Cap-Net themba.gumbo@cap-net.org

The theme of the 5th Delft Symposium is Developing Capacity from Rio to Reality – who is taking the lead? It will be addressed from different perspectives on challenges, experiences and innovation in water sector capacity development. The Symposium will be held in Delft, The Netherlands, from 29 to 31 May and is now open for registration. Please visit http://www.unesco-ihe.org/CD-Symposium.

IW: LEARN continues to work on various services, with the most recent development concerning the release of the GEF International Waters Public-Private Partnerships Guidebook. The manual represents GEF IW: LEARN’s effort to support greater project engagement with the private sector through public-private partnerships. The guidebook has been launched on the manuals platform (manuals.iwlearn.net), where it joins the Project Management Manual and the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis/Strategic Action Programme (TDA/SAP) approach is a highly collaborative process that has proven to be a major Methodology revision. This has been a component of GEF International Waters projects over the last 16 years. This means another living document for the portfolio, which you can peruse in PDF or on the web. IW: Learn is currently are looking for projects that are keen on enhancing their engagement with the private sector. Their partner, the GETF would like to work with you on this. Please do get in touch if this is of interest. 
For more information, visit the website: http://iwlearn.net/ or please contact Mish Hamid GEF IW: LEARN Project Manager at mish@iwlearn.org

Indika Gunawardana joined the Cap-Net as a Capacity Development Analyst as of 20th March, 2013. She is a Cap-Net member from Sri Lanka, who has experience in research and development works on water and sanitation. Indika holds a PhD and MSc in Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) from Postgraduate Institute of Agriculture (PGIA), Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. She graduated in Agriculture specializing in Agricultural Engineering from University of Peradeniya, Sri Lanka. Indika was offered a scholarship by Crossing Boundaries Project of the SaciWATERS for her doctorate degree to focus more on an interdisciplinary research related to water and sanitation where she could work interactively with people and institutions to solve ground level issues related to sanitation.
Indika has contributed much in developing new knowledge on water and sanitation through her researches where she has come-up with a new approach to monitor sanitation performances globally. She has worked in Dry Zone Agricultural Development Project in Sri Lanka from 2005 to 2007 and WASPA(Asia) regional project in 2007. She has been involved in water sector by consultancies and researches over last 7 years with Cap-Net Lanka, and Crossing Boundaries Project of the PGIA. She has worked on Cap-Net outcome and impact monitoring as an attachment to the Cap-Net Secretariat from August to November 2012. She is compassionate, loves traveling, exploring new things, and gathering with friends. Indika can be contacted at indika.gunawardana@cap-net.org

In cooperation with the Volta Basin Authority (VBA) and the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), a consultative workshop on Groundwater management in African River Basin Organizations (RBOs) was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso from 12 - 14 February 2013, as the first of its kind, demonstrating a breakthrough in this field. This should encourage all parties involved that there is a need to move from catalytic to transformative action at an urgent pace, with the objective of integrating groundwater management into the core mandate of L/RBOs.  Main discussions focussed around the critical need to address this ‘invisible’ resource, aiming to transform the approach ‘out of sight, out of mind’ into fully incorporating groundwater into all major surface water-related discussions, and harmonise rather than treating them as two separate topics. The outcome of the discussions is a training manual should be developed aiming to address decision makers as well as water users and professionals, in cooperation with the groundwater expert team of the World Bank, IGRAC and Cap-Net, building on the training package on groundwater in IWRM developed earlier by the partners (http://www.cap-net.org/node/2076 ).

There was a common voice highlighting main issues and challenges shared by all RBOs, which proved this workshop was indeed effective in bringing together RBOs from throughout the continent to show the common challenges as well as ideas for improvement. There is a need for increased investment in human resources and expertise to enable capacity development, and introduce GW expertise in each RBO as well as at government level.

Efficient monitoring tools are needed to track progress or regress when dealing with GW and the situations surrounding it. There is a strong need to bridge the gap between monitoring of SW and GW to ensure that GW is also addressed in management. A common overarching database is critically needed in order to be used for the sharing of information and transfer of knowledge where all RBOs can have access. Moreover, a mechanism to ensure standardization of quality control will ultimately lead to streamlining not solely on data collection, but also equipment, practices and standards.

Accountability must be placed on all RBOs, as well as national institutions with regard to claiming responsibility of data collection and knowledge transfer, possibly by establishing regional database. The development of such a tool would be a breakthrough in the level of knowledge sharing and capacity building.

For funding, it is important to approach governments explaining the economic and social benefits that result from addressing GW, and placing it at the top of development agendas.
For further information, please contact Vanessa Vaessen at vanessa.vaessen@bgr.de 

In 2008, the Cap-Net supported training manual entitled Conflict Resolution and Negotiation for IWRM was produced by a team of writer-practitioners who had worked with the unpublished materials for several years previously. The manual has since been translated into Spanish and French by Cap-Net and also into Russian for use in an OSCE-UNDP supported workshop in Tajikistan in 2010. It has been 5 years since and various workshops have revealed that, while the structure is basically sound, there are gaps in its content.

The techniques offered in the Cap-Net manual are generally considered to be standard practice, with the Cap-Net manual’s advantage being that it has a clear focus on water resources. In order to update and keep the manual dynamic and relevant, a workshop will take place in March 2013 in order to address these gaps. Additionally, the manual will be revisited by bringing together a number of trainers and practitioners who have hands-on experience with the manual to reflect on what has worked and what has not, capturing lessons learned through their training experiences, in the aim of improving the current training manual.

The current manual can be viewed here http://www.cap-net.org/node/1300

Around 40% of the global population lives in international river basins (source: GWP). As water security is at risk due to climate change impacts and growing population, water is becoming increasingly scarce and international conflicts over water allocation are bound to emerge.  It is therefore essential to provide tools that will enable shared water resources to be managed efficiently, sustainably and equitably.  This entails an understanding of the shared benefits resulting from sound water management and the establishment of collaborative governance mechanisms between concerned countries.

The main objective of the workshop is to contribute to improved water governance in Latin America through strengthening technical and institutional capacities of governmental entities, academia and NGOs around transboundary water legislation issues in order to support national governments in the development of future legislative frameworks, collaboration is developed between the Universidad Externado de Colombia, LA-WETnet and Cap-Net, Agencia Nacional de Aguas de Brasil, Universidad de Costa Rica, UICN, University of Dundee IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and GWP South America. A workshop is planned in Bogota in April 2013. The partners will engage in the organisation of a Latin American course on international waters legislation, and the development of a manual on this subject as a tool for training and reaching out a wider audience.

For more information on the collaborative programme and workshop please contact: Damián Indij at damian.indij@gmail.com
To visit the GWP website, click here http://www.gwp.org/

Cap-Net Brazil started its activities this year under coordination of Jaime Bastos,taking over from Ninon Machado, who sadly passed away in September, 2012. Cap-Net Brasil is redesigning its website, with new features in an easy to navigate homepage loaded with information and technical articles from Network partners. If you have a technical article or information you wish to contribute, we would appreciate your collaboration. Please send it to capnet@capnet-brasil.org 

To visit the Cap-Net Brasil website, click here www.capnet-brasil.org

A Tutorial entitled ‘Why Gender Matters’ was produced 7 years ago, and although large parts of the text remains relevant and appropriate, increasing new experiences in the sector can enrich the existing texts. There is still a high demand for the tutorial however it is time to revise and renew it. With new developments and processes, it is necessary to address the current themes and breakthroughs in order to make the tutorial dynamic and up-to-date. It is ever more important to address not only WHY gender matters, but also HOW gender matters.

In collaboration with GWA and Cap-Net, a revision of the tutorial and other training material is underway, with considerations of new topics to be included range from climate change, adaptation and mitigation, to food security, land and water ownership, to hygiene and education.  To implement this, a kick-off workshop will be organized from 21 to 27 March 2013 in South Africa. The aim is to launch a global Training of Trainers (ToT) to equip trainers to mainstream gender as well as technical aspects in their training, and to introduce the tutorial to water managers for self-learning.

Another upcoming joint activity is to launch e-courses which are interactive, with regular on-line contact during the course.  We would begin with a trial e-learning coursewith the objective to yield crucial information for more efficient and effective use. GWA is receiving a large number of demands for training, and unfortunately demands cannot always be met.  An e-course helps exyending the outreach at relatively low costs.

The tutorial can be accessed here: http://cap-net.org/node/1517 
To visit the GWA website, click here www.genderandwater.org

Join the E-discussion: on Governing & Managing Water Resources for Sustainable Development for the World We Want

•     The pressures on water resources that more and more countries are experiencing will undoubtedly increase by 2030. 

•     Insufficient access to water resources is often not driven by water scarcity, but by ineffective and fragmented institutions, management systems and investments and insufficient human capacities.

•     The ability of countries to allocate water for domestic, agricultural, industrial and environmental needs, depends upon better management of water resources and more efficient use of water for productive purposes.

Please join this e-discussion and add your voice to the Post-2015 Thematic Consultation on Governing & Managing Water Resources for Sustainable Development

http://www.worldwewant2015.org/water/waterresources

We encourage you to review the framing paper and watch the videos for background information to help in thinking about the following questions that will be discussed:

1. It has been said that the “global water crisis is in fact a crisis of governance,” do you think that this is true?

2. What are the challenges of managing water in your country and what can be done to improve the situation?

3. How can water resources management contribute to sustainable development in your country?

4. Do you think a sustainable development goal that explicitly considers water resources would be useful - how could it be monitored and reported?

The consultation will be moderated by Joakim Harlin (UNDP), Gareth James Lloyd (UNEP-DHI), Alan Hall (GWP), and Håkan Tropp (UNDP Water Governance Facility at SIWI).

This is an excellent opportunity to make your voice heard and share your experiences on this important topic. Please join the discussion!

The Cap-Net Secretariat would like to wish all partners and networks a happy and prosperous 2013! The year has started well in advance for us following our Annual Network Managers meeting in Costa Rica and the subsequent management board meeting in the Netherlands before the end of 2012.  Cap-Net has a challenging year ahead in which it is not only expected to deliver in terms of an ambitious workplan, but also to start the implementation of a revised strategy and meet the expectations of the partner networks with its efforts to strengthen their functionality and operations.

Yasmina Rais El Fenni  joined the Cap-Net secretariat as of 21 January 2013, as Capacity Development Analyst, replacing Nick Tandi temporarily.
Yasmina holds a MPA in Public Administration from the University of Roskilde, Denmark. She specialized in economics, with a strong focus on gender issues. She holds a BA from Kingston University, London where she specialized in international relations and good governance. Previously, Yasmina worked for UNOPS headquarters in Knowledge Management, coordinating training for all personnel and developing toolkits in various sectors ranging from finance to project management. After this, she worked for UNDP for over 2 years, gaining a strong grasp of human resource management, recruitment and career development.

Before joining Cap-Net, Yasmina relocated to South Africa from Denmark, where she was project coordinator for an organization dealing with children with Aids. She put her fundraising and donor relations experience to the test, raising significant amounts of funds throughout the continent.
Yasmina's main passion is gender, seeking to build capacity in programmes to ensure gender equality through knowledge sharing and empowerment. Yasmina can be contacted at yasmina.rais@cap-net.org

The ambitious Annual Work Plan for 2013 reflects in anticipation, the character of the Cap-Net 2014 – 2017 strategy that is now under development. There is a need to focus more effort on strengthening partner networks and prepare them to meet their objectives and implement their programmes. The last year has shown that a number of networks do not comply with their annual work plans and targets due to a lack of capacity management issues. Emphasis will therefore already be placed on improving the delivery of capacity development, strengthening networks and knowledge management practices, in addition to project management and providing assistance in work planning and implentation.

There are a number of activities that Cap-Net will support this year, ranging from peer review of networks to training in network management tools, mobilization of state-of-the-art knowledge and implementation for on the ground capacity development. The work plan aims to increase delivery of activities, events and knowledge products.

The new Cap-Net strategy (2014 -2017) for one, but even more so, the vision beyond this strategy and focussing on the next decade ahead of us, created the overall theme for the meeting. The discussion on the vision of Cap-Net documented some common principles and values which bind the network together, ranging from Accountability, Grassroots interaction, to Teamwork and Transparency. Some time was taken at the meeting to discuss a potential Sustainable Development Goal on Water Resources Management.

Water resources could also be a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), sometime was taken to discuss a potential SDG that could be used.

Another major topic was the consideration of the private sector as a major water user, and thus essential target group, as well as potential partner for capacity development. The private sector also has vital access to funds, networking capabilities, a strong knowldge of water issues including potential solutions. It would however significantly benefit from an improved understanding of its impacts as companies and sectors on water systems at large. Such interaction would create a possitive basis for improving exisiting training tools to be adapted and tailored for the private sector.

Two new working groups of network managers were established: Private Sector Engagement and Cap-Net Support, adding to the existing ones of Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Plan (MELP) and Strategy Development, making the total number of active working groups, four.

Network managers elected a new board member, Dr. Neena Roa of SCaN, and also re-elected Damian Indji of LA-WETnet for another two-year term at the management board.

A larger number of training of trainers courses have been planned, kick-starting the virtual campus programme, improving implementation of the monitoring evaluation and learning plan (MELP), and peer review of network management and delivery.  The latter is very important for two reasons namely; preparing ourselves for the next strategy and evaluation of Cap-Net Phase 3 which will start in 2014.  The focus on most of these activities is to strengthen partner networks to take up new challenges and be prepared for increased delivery.

Here is a breakdown of training of trainers subjects proposed for 2013:
1.    Integrated drought management
2.    Agriculture
3.    Sustainable sanitation in IWRM
4.    GIS and earth observations in water management
5.    Water loss and demand management
6.    Coastal zone management
7.    Water footprint
8.    Network management

The objective of this Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in Costa Rica, scheduled from 11 - 15 March 2013, is to enhance the capacity of trainers to offer and deliver training workshops to water practitioners on the use of earth observation satellites data and products in support of IWRM. The workshop will address the following:
-    Technical skills required to access and select appropriate satellite imageries and products relevant to IWRM projects.
-    Approaches to satellite imagery processing and feature extraction.
-    Design of IWRM-related applications using Earth Observation (EO) tools.
-    Review the use of EO in the following thematic areas: Watershed characterization, flood mapping, rainfall monitoring, drought assessment, groundwater assessment, water quality management.

This will be the second edition of the ToT course on earth observation tools in support of Integrated Water Resources Management, following the first edition in the University of Twente, The Netherlands. The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Costa Rica will host this course and supply the physical infrastructure and hardware required for its proper development, also making available one of its IT laboratories for this purpose.

The target group for this course is trainers across the world linked to the Cap-Net global capacity building network. The trainers should have some working knowledge of remote sensing and/or Geographic Information Systems and be involved in IWRM capacity building in their region. Preferably the participants should be professionals involved in the fields of Geography, Engineering, Geology, GIS, and other akin areas.

The Cap-Net Secretariat would like to wish all partners and networks a happy and prosperous 2013! The year has started well in advance for us following our Annual Network Managers meeting in Costa Rica and the subsequent management board meeting in the Netherlands before the end of 2012.  Cap-Net has a challenging year ahead in which it is not only expected to deliver in terms of an ambitious workplan, but also to start the implementation of a revised strategy and meet the expectations of the partner networks with its efforts to strengthen their functionality and operations.

Yasmina Rais El Fenni  joined the Cap-Net secretariat as of 21 January 2013, as Capacity Development Analyst, replacing Nick Tandi temporarily.
Yasmina holds a MPA in Public Administration from the University of Roskilde, Denmark. She specialized in economics, with a strong focus on gender issues. She holds a BA from Kingston University, London where she specialized in international relations and good governance. Previously, Yasmina worked for UNOPS headquarters in Knowledge Management, coordinating training for all personnel and developing toolkits in various sectors ranging from finance to project management. After this, she worked for UNDP for over 2 years, gaining a strong grasp of human resource management, recruitment and career development. Before joining Cap-Net, Yasmina relocated to South Africa from Denmark, where she was project coordinator for an organization dealing with children with Aids. She put her fundraising and donor relations experience to the test, raising significant amounts of funds throughout the continent.
Yasmina's main passion is gender, seeking to build capacity in programmes to ensure gender equality through knowledge sharing and empowerment. Yasmina can be contacted at yasmina.rais@cap-net.org

The ambitious Annual Work Plan for 2013 reflects in anticipation, the character of the Cap-Net 2014 – 2017 strategy that is now under development. There is a need to focus more effort on strengthening partner networks and prepare them to meet their objectives and implement their programmes. The last year has shown that a number of networks do not comply with their annual work plans and targets due to a lack of capacity management issues. Emphasis will therefore already be put this year on improving network management practices and providing assistance in work planning and realisation.

There are a number of activities that Cap-Net will support this year, ranging from peer review of networks to training in network management tools.
The work plan aims to increase delivery of activities, events and knowledge products.

The new Cap-Net strategy (2014 -2017) but even more so, the vision beyond that strategy and focussing on the next decade ahead of us, created the overall theme for the meeting. The discussion on the vision of Cap-Net documented some common principles and values which bind the network together, ranging from Accountability, Grassroots interaction, to Teamwork and Transparency. Some time was taken at the meeting to discuss a potential Sustainable Development Goal on Water Resources Management.

Water resources could also be a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG), sometime was taken to discuss a potential SDG that could be used.

The private sector is considered a major, if not the major water user, and thus a critical target group for capacity development. The private also has access to funds for CSR budgets as well as partnering. The private sector has the knowledge of water issues and potential solutions, but would benefit from an improved understanding of their impacts as companies and as sectors on the wider water systems. This would create the basis of improving existing training packages to be adapted for the private sector.

Two new working groups of network managers were established: Private Sector Engagement and Cap-Net Support, adding to the existing ones of Monitoring and Evaluation Learning Plan (MELP) and Strategy Development, making the total number of active working groups, four.
Network managers elected a new board member, Dr. Neena Roa of SCaN, and also re-elected Damian Indji of LA-WETnet for another two-year term at the management board.

A larger number of training of trainers courses have been planned, kick starting the virtual campus programme, improving implementation of the monitoring evaluation and learning plan (MELP), and peer review of network management and delivery.  The latter is very important for two reasons namely; preparing ourselves for the next strategy and evaluation of Cap-Net Phase 3 which will start in 2014.  The focus on most of these activities is to strengthen partner networks to take up new challenges and be prepared for increased delivery.

Here is a breakdown of training of trainers subjects proposed for 2013:
1.    Integrated drought management
2.    Agriculture
3.    Sustainable sanitation in IWRM
4.    GIS and earth observations in water management
5.    Water loss and demand management
6.    Coastal zone management
7.    Water footprint
8.    Network management

The objective of this Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop in Costa Rica, scheduled from 11 - 15 March 2013, is to enhance the capacity of trainers to offer and deliver training workshops to water practitioners on the use of earth observation satellites data and products in support of IWRM. The workshop will address the following:
-    Technical skills required to access and select appropriate satellite imageries and products relevant to IWRM projects.
-    Approaches to satellite imagery processing and feature extraction.
-    Design of IWRM-related applications using Earth Observation (EO) tools.
-    Review the use of EO in the following thematic areas: Watershed characterization, flood mapping, rainfall monitoring, drought assessment, groundwater assessment, water quality management.

This will be the second edition of the ToT course on earth observation tools in support of Integrated Water Resources Management, following the first edition in the University of Twente, The Netherlands. The Faculty of Engineering of the University of Costa Rica will host this course and supply the physical infrastructure and hardware required for its proper development, also making available one of its IT laboratories for this purpose.
The target group for this course is trainers across the world linked to the Cap-Net global capacity building network. The trainers should have some working knowledge of remote sensing and/or Geographic Information Systems and be involved in IWRM capacity building in their region. Preferably the participants should be professionals involved in the fields of Geography, Engineering, Geology, GIS, and other akin areas.

Click here for the announcement in pdf

AN INTERACTIVE POLICY DIALOGUE:

“ACCESS TO WATER & SANITATION.
IS IT ONLY GOVERNMENTS’ RESPONSIBILITY?”

Date: March 14th, 2012
Time: 13:15 - 14:15
Room: Europa 5 (PEU5)

Programme including Q&A

Opening Remarks

Mr. Romesh Muttukumaru,
Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Bureau Director,
Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP

Mr. Greg Koch,
Director of Global Water Stewardship, The Coca-Cola Company

Facilitated by

Mr. Joakim Harlin,
Senior Water Resources Advisor, UNDP

Key Note

Mr. Bogachan Benli, EDM Global Programme Manager,UNDP
The Every Drop Matters Programme: A strategic UNDP-TCCC
initiative for improving access to water and sanitation.

Panellists

Ms. Tatiana Kudina, Project Coordinator, UNDP Ukraine
Mr. Moses Massah, Environment Programme Specialist, UNDP Liberia
Mr. Themba Gumbo, Director, UNDP Cap-Net Programme.
Ms. Jihan Seoud, Environment Programme Analyst, UNDP Lebanon
Mr. Kadri Ozen, Group Public Affairs Director, Coca-Cola Eurasia and Africa Group

Concluding Remarks

A light lunch and beverages will be served