SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME
Priority 1.1.6.3
Global Change and Ecosystems
& EUROPEAN COMMISSION
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SIXTH FRAMEWORK PROGRAMME Priority 1.1.6.3 Global Change and Ecosystems & EUROPEAN COMMISSION |
TWINBASINxn NEWSLETTER – MARCH 2005Promoting twinning between basins to reinforce practices of Integrated Water Resource Management
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For further information : https://twinbasin.org
TWINBASINxn project Newsletter is dealing with : “Promoting twinning between basins to reinforce practices of Integrated Water Resource Management ».
In order to build the capacity of basin organisations for managing water resources, we are promoting bilateral twinning arrangements. Indeed, direct exchanges seem to be the most reliable way for disseminating good practices and strengthening human resources of Basin Organisations.
TWINBASINxn project aims at facilitating twinning arrangements, by defining a framework for action, by enabling the mobility of staff between twinned Basin Organisations and by capitalizing the knowledge thus acquired.
This initiative of the Basin Organizations will be opened to the other major stakeholders (Administrations, Universities, companies), for working together and facilitating these exchanges.
The tool thus developed will focus on the capitalization of acquired know-how, in order to share it on the widest scale possible. Special attention will be paid to the relations between Basins and Research to increase the dissemination of research results to the users and thus improve management practices.
In order to promote this capitalisation and facilitate exchange, a specific web site has been designed : https://twinbasin.org.
This Newsletter will inform you about the Project, its web site, organisation of conferences, etc …
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IN THIS ISSUE N° 1
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TWINNING AGREEMENTS
PROPOSAL SUBMISSION
STEERING COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
SIGs ACTIVITIES
NEWS
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TWINBASINxn project has now its own web site. You will find elements about twinning agreements, news relating to integrated water river management, documentation…
It proposes two different areas.
PUBLIC AREA
For the public, a welcome page presents the project and different documents such as the Memorandum of understanding (MoU), examples of twinning agreements, partners information… Organisations and individuals can sign the MoU on line and thus integrate the TWINBASINxn community.
MEMBERS AREA
As a member of the TWINBASINxn project (signatory of the Memorandum of Understanding ), you have access to the members area of the web site : you need a login and password. Click here to ask for an access and fill the form on line.
If you wish to participate to a Special Interest Group (SIG), a private area where all SIG members will be able to work together, performing their assigned tasks (co-writing, on line discussions for content-building, sharing information…) is available. To subscribe to one or several SIG, you only have to fill a form.
This web site will become your web site with web conference, forum… It will facilitate exchange between all the members of this project. All members’ contacts are available on line.
Please have a look at this new web site : https://twinbasin.org/ and give us your comments to improve it : .
DOCUMENTS
Several documents are already available on the website such as :
· Memorandum of Understanding
· Rules and Guidelines for Special Interest Groups;
· Quality Manual;
· Leaflet (to be disseminated soon);
· Plan for knowledge use and dissemination
· SIG inception reports
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TWINNING AGREEMENTS
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TWINBASINXN RECOMMENDATIONS :
The twinning promoted within TWINBASINxn focuses on integrated water resources management at the basin level. This twinning means establishing a link between two basin organisations (or similar entities that deal with water management at the basin level), signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding, to foster exchange of knowledge, learning from each other and discussing similar problems.
The main objective of a twinning agreement is to promote capacity building of river basin organisations, to improve their expertise, and to help them, through twinning, to overcome water management problems mainly by :
• Promoting a friendly cooperation between water managers
• Tightening ties among basin organisations
• Improving communication between the basins participating in the twinning
• Encouraging exchange of expertise, knowledge and technical staff
• Strengthening effectiveness of integrated water management within organisations
• Improving, overall, the functioning of these institutions
REQUIREMENTS TO START A TWINBASINxn TWINNING
The requirements to start a twinning within TWINBASINxn consist of :
1. Identifying a good cooperation or interest between two or more river basin organisations (or similar entities)
2. Establishing specific points of interest, and topics to focus on, through the twinning
3. Signing a twinning agreement (contract) between the interested parties
4. Starting the twinning program
5. Presenting a twinning proposal to the Steering Committee of TWINBASINxn
6. Getting the approval from the Steering Committee
It is expected, that through TWINBASINxn, Basin Organisations will find funding and a starting point for improving their capacity and finding solutions to water management problems.
EXAMPLES OF TWINNING AGREEMENTS
Some examples of previous twinning agreements signed before the starting of the TWINBASINxn project are proposed in the web site such as :
q A twinning basin agreement has been signed between the Agence de l’Eau Adour Garonne (France) and the “Organisation pour la Mise en valeur du Fleuve Sénégal”(OMVS). This agreement will include cooperative actions and knowledge exchange during the period 2003 – 2005. For more information, click
q A twinning basin agreement has been signed between the Agence de l’Eau Seine-Normandie (France) and the A.B.H. (water authority of the basin Alger – Hodna –Soumman). This agreement allows technical, scientific and administrative exchanges such as technical visits, exchange of staff… For more information, click
q A cooperation agreement has been signed between the Jucar River Basin Authority (Spain) and the Buzau – Ialomita River Basin Authority (Romania). These two organisations have agreed on starting a closer cooperation that will become a twinning basin program to promote exchange of expertise and technicians between both authorities in order to improve their water management knowledge. For more information, click
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A first Call for Proposals for Twinning was organised in March for Steering Committee Members. Several proposals have been submitted for a TWINBASINxn funding and five (5) of them were found eligible.
Five main criteria must be filled in, in order to be eligible under the TWINBASINxn framework:
1- Duration of the missions : more than 7 days and less than 2 months
2- Signature of the Memorandum of Understanding by both basin organisations
3- Topic of the twinning : Integrated Water Resources Management
4- Existence of a twinning agreement between both Basin Organisations
5- Coherency of twinning agreement with SIG1 recommendations
Moreover, Mobility rules have been defined and must be respected.
TWINBASINxn Steering Committee will give its final decision before March 20th.
We will present supported TWINBASINxn agreements in the next Newsletter. You can also have access to them on the website.
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STEERING COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
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MEETINGS
The TWINBASINXN project was officially launched in January 2004, in La Martinique on the occasion of the general assembly of the International Network of Basin Organisations,. It was the opportunity to present the goals and means of TWINBASINXN .
Project Management took advantage of various international events in order to organise meetings and communication around TWINBASINXN :
q World Water Week in Stockholm (Sweden) in August 2004 was the opportunity to organise a joint meeting of TWINBASINXN Support Service members (IOW, GWP and Techware) with SIG chairs;
q communications around TWINBASINXN Project were presented during the "EURO INBO" Conference in Krakow (Poland) in September 2004;
q Joint Assemblies of the African Network of Basin Organizations and of the Network of International Commissions and Transboundary Basin Organizations in Dakar (Senegal) in November 2004 allowed half of the members of the Steering Committee to gather together, exchange views on the project, and elaborate clear proposals to the Steering Committee.
ANNOUCEMENT OF NEXT MEETING
Next Steering committee meeting will take place on May 23rd and 24th 2005 in Marrakech, Morocco in the framework of INBO, ANBO and MENBO meetings. Members of the Steering Committee are invited to participate. The agenda will deal with :
Ä State of play of the project
· SIG operations,
· Website,
· Project dissemination
· 1st call for proposals
· expectations for on-going twinnings
Ä Perspectives
· 2nd call for proposals
· confirmation of SIG members
· capitalisation – dissemination
· New SIG
· Webconferences
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SIGs ACTIVITIES
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Three Special Interest Groups were created in August 2004 with definition of composition, chair, scope of work. :
SIG 1 Twinning : this SIG will work on the setting of operating rules for strengthening the profitability of the exchanges and on the promotion of twinning agreements between BO
SIG 2 Mobility: In close co-operation with SIG Twinning, this SIG will define the list of criteria needed for Basin Organisations exchanges of staff, in order to benefit from financial support of the project. This SIG will organise this concrete financial support to mobility, by delivering allowances when all criteria are fulfilled.
SIG 3 Dissemination : Dissemination covers both knowledge management from research and from twinning activities, and the identification / implementation of ways for dissemination (including e-learning) ; the SIG will organise web conferences with ad hoc experts, and work with existing training bodies to develop new lectures on appropriate issues.
You will find all their activities reports and documentation on the website, in the corresponding rooms.
For SIG members : you will be able to communicate on the activities of your SIG in the next newsletter. Please, feel free to send us articles, preferably by e-mail, and we will integrate them.
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SPECIFIC TWINBASINXN EVENTS
First TWINBASINXN Web conference will take place in April :
It will deal with “Paper of River Basin Organisations in order to reach IWRM”. It will be opened to MoU signatories (limited number of participants). This 1st web conference will be followed by interactive discussions on the website in order to allow members of TWINBASINXN community to react and complete the debate.
More information will be available on the web site.
OTHER EVENTS
4th Water World Forum
Congress Centre BANAMEX, Mexico 16 to 22 March 2006 - Comision nacional del agua
More information : http://www.worldwaterforum4.org.mx/home/default.asp
2005 to 2015 the International Decade for Action, “Water for Life”, beginning on World Water Day, 22 March 2005 For more information
please visit: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/gaef3068.doc.htm
Buenos Aires el 6, 7 y 8 de abril de 2005 – CYTED
For more : www.cyted.org
11 - 13 April 2005 Algarve, Portugal WESSEX INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
More information : http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2005/waterresources05/index.html
Training Workshop on River Basin Management and Organizations for mid career water professionals from South Asia
Sri Lanka, April 25-29 2005
The Network of Asian River Basin Organizations, in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank Institute, the International Water Management Institute, SASNET-RBO ; Lanka Jalani and the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka
For more NARBO
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