Designing the Capacity-Designing the Capacity-Building Framework for Building Framework for LVWATSANLVWATSAN

Nairobi 16-18 October 2006Nairobi 16-18 October 2006

Dr. Graham Alabaster, Programme Manager,

Water, Sanitation & Infrastructure Branch,

UN-HABITAT

Project ObjectivesProject ObjectivesSupport pro-poor water and sanitation

investments in the secondary urban centres in the Lake Victoria Region.

 Build institutional and human resource

capacities at local and regional levels for the sustainability of improved water and sanitation services

 Facilitate the benefits of upstream water

sector reforms to reach the local level in the participating urban centres

 Reduce the environmental impact of

urbanisation in the Lake Victoria Basin

What challenges did we need to address in What challenges did we need to address in programme design?programme design?

• Ensuring a focus is maintained on serving the poorest and fully engaging them

in the process

• Maximising the benefits from a true regional programme

• A rapid delivery mechanisms to meet the MDGs and go beyond

• Designing country level implementation arrangements that dovetail into

regional/national structures (EAC) and existing initiatives

• Ensuring sustainability: Technical; institutional; environmental, particularly at

the local level

• Recognizing that WATSAN needs to be linked to wider development issues

• Designing a capacity-building programme that is responsive and demand

driven and supports/sustains physical interventions effectively

ResponseResponse• Poverty mapping & stakeholder engagement

• Customized MOU’s with sustainability clauses

• “Modern mixes” approach to sustainable technology

• Multi-faceted region-wide capacity-building interventions

• Local economic development• Pro-poor governance approaches• Gender and marginalised groups (HIV/AIDS)• Utility management • Urban catchment management

• Advocacy and communication

LVWATSAN Programme of LVWATSAN Programme of Implementation (15 towns) Implementation (15 towns)

• Assessment & Project design: baseline survey

undertaken and MDG monitoring framework developed

• Immediate interventions (rehabilitate existing

infrastructure and extend coverage to the poor)

• Capacity-building interventions (region-wide)

• Long-term interventions

• Implementation programme in 3-4 years

Some key issues in designing LVWATSAN Some key issues in designing LVWATSAN capacity-building componentcapacity-building component

Policy Approaches• Lack of integrated approaches (water sanitation, solid waste,

drainage, housing & other infrastructure, urban planning)• National policies (sector reforms) don’t cater for urban centres of all

sizes• The target population: do we know where the poor are and how they

are best served?• How do we integrate WATSAN planning with urban planning and

environmental concerns?

Financing Mechanisms• Larger cities get more ODA, smaller towns have to rely on market-

based approaches• Low income (MDG target group) populations: how do we ensure

livelihood opportunities are realised ?

Some key issues in designing LVWATSAN Some key issues in designing LVWATSAN capacity-building componentcapacity-building component

Technical Options• How do we manage so called “modern mixes” of technology• Opportunities for “ecological approaches” to water and sanitation

are different and reuse needs to be considered

Capacity to Implement & Sustain Investments• Available capacity varies: usually available in large cities, not so

much on smaller urban centres• Conflicts between WATSAN utilities and local authorities

Project/Programme Design• Time-frame too long, does not fit in the “political window”• New delivery approaches needed (rehabilitate and extend)• Avoid duplication and focus on local structures (Paris Declaration)

Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative

What we want to achieveWhat we want to achieve

• An improved livelihood for the MDG target group

• A well-balanced capacity-building component that supports and sustains the physical investments

• Refined institutional and governance structures

• An agreed position, as stakeholders in the programme, on the way ahead