Cap-Net UNDP Annual Managers and Partners Meeting – 10 to 14 November 2013, Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe.

The 12th Cap-Net UNDP Annual Managers and Partners Meeting took place from 10 to 14 November 2014 in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe. Hosted and organised WaterNet, an affiliated Cap-Net partner network, the theme for this year’s meeting was “Sustainable Networks, Financing, Activities and Managing Risks”. The objectives of the 5-day meeting were to discuss on matters pertaining to ‘sustainable partnerships’ and ‘sustainable financing’ for capacity development in sustainable water management” as well as exchanging experiences and lessons learned in 2014, and exploring ways to incorporate the Sustainable Development Goals and post 2015 agenda into upcoming workplans.

Network managers, coordinators and representatives respectively have managed to attend the meeting to provide input in shaping Cap-Net UNDP’s agenda and upcoming Strategic Plan 2014 – 2017, and also in the work plan and new financing strategies for the upcoming years. Five international partner organizations from SIWI, UNEP-DHI, GWP, IWA and SMHI attended this meeting.Network managers and international partners have also discussed and discovered new opportunities for collaboration. The external review report demonstrated that Cap-Net’s overall goals and objectives, project management, financial management, relevance, efficiency and effectiveness have been performed above expectation, along with several recommendations, such as improvement on MELP.

In line with the theme of the meeting, five working groups were established to address the challenges in financing related matters, sustainable partnership and risk management: Financing, finance issues and support; Programme identification and development, working with partners; Network management issues and tools; Delivery of capacity development and MELP; and Managing Risks, fund raising and engaging new donors.

Due to low attendance among network managers and coordinators, the elections took place through online voting process to establish the representative board members representatives of Cap-Net: Dr. Jean-Marie Klieshye-Onema from WaterNet was elected with the highest number of votes, followed by Dato’ Ir. Lim Chow Hock and Ms. Liliana Arrieta from REDICA as the alternate representatives respectively.

The tagline for Cap-Net was also decided through online voting by network managers/coordinators and international partners, which is: ‘Empowering individuals, Enabling environments’.

Priorities for 2015 are improving the MELP and addressing new themes such as Leadership and Water Diplomacy and Coastal zone management. Cap-Net will also be working towards a fully operationalized Virtual Campus.

 

 

«We can conduct a meeting through skype, or email exchange but nothing can replace the ‘face to face’ interaction in a meeting. If we can afford, we should continue on conducting this kind of meeting annually», Dr. Joakim Harlin, Chairperson of Cap-Net UNDP.

  ')}