News
28th AGUASAN Workshop 2012 03.02.2012Financial sustainability of WASH services - about mindset change and an eye for the future
Date: Location: Download: |
6th Rural Water Supply Network Forum, Kampala, Uganda 02.11.2011Rural Water Supply in the 21st Century: Myths of the Past, Visions for the Future
9th November to 1st December 2011 (Optional Field Visit on 2nd December) For more information: http://rwsnforum.wordpress.com |
Skat News – August 2011 18.08.2011Newsletter of Skat - Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development
The electronic newsletter of Skat is sent to you approximately three times each year. Skat News provides you with brief summaries of recent and ongoing projects, links you to further information and documents, and provides you with relevant contact addresses. If you wish to subscribe to this service, please send an email with "subscribe" in the subject line to |
Outcomes of the AGUASAN Workshop 26 (2010) 21.12.2010From “Haute Cuisine” to “Good Fast Food” - Taking Advantage of the Momentum for Large Scaling Up in the Water Supply and Sanitation Sector
On 21 - 25 June 2010, the 26th AGUASAN Workshop took place in Gwatt (Switzerland). The presentations, discussions, learnings, and results are summarised in a workshop report. Based on inputs from five resource persons, four case study presenters and own experiences, the 43 participants of the AGUASAN Workshop 2010 discussed the potential of “Large Scaling Up” as approach to speed up efforts to increase coverage in water supply and sanitation. The key question addressed throughout the week was how to effectively influence large sector investments so that they contribute to the scaling up of successful piloted service delivery models and established good practices. In a participatory process six key elements to be crucial for successful planning and implementation of large scaling up initiatives for water supply and environmental sanitation services delivery have been determined and elaborated more in detail: 1) Coordination and partnership; 2) Long term sector strategy; 3) Good governance and enabling environment; 4) Sustainable service delivery models; 5) Implementation capacity; an 6) Marketing and communication strategy. For a successful large scaling up it is recommend to implement all six key elements comprehensively. As common understanding there is one pivot requirement: in the process of large scaling up the government has to be in the driver’s seat. The results of that think tank event are available as online/downloadable PPT presentation with linked background documents at www.aguasan.ch, describing in a practical way the crucial elements for successful planning and implementation of large scaling up endeavours. The reports of all AGUASAN workshops are available for download in the publications section of the Skat website. |
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SDC and Moldovan Ministry of Environment Sign Memorandum of Understanding 22.02.2010A Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Moldova-Swiss Water and Sanitation (ApaSan) Project was signed, on February 4, by the Minister of Environment representing the Government of Moldova and by the Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office, SCO, in Moldova representing the Government of Switzerland. The document sets up the framework of the first project phase which is aimed at improving the quality of life and health of the rural population in Moldova by increasing sustainable access to safe drinking water and environmental sanitation.
For the implementation of the ApaSan project, the Swiss Government’s contribution to Moldova, provided through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, SDC, encompasses both the provision of international expertise and a financial support of CHF 4 million, or 47,877 million converted into local currency. The Austrian Development Agency is co-funding the project with an amount of Euro 1.2 million (MDL 21,060 million) . The ApaSan project implementation in Moldova is managed by the SKAT foundation, an offshoot of the Swiss Resource Center and Consultancies for Development. Opening the meeting, the Minister of Environment, Georghe Salaru, expressed thanks for the Swiss contribution in meeting the environmental challenges of Moldova. “The first stage of cooperation, which started in 2009, has already brought concrete results in villages. We gladly join up the project’s noble goal to secure access to drinking water in a sustainable way, and to create environmental sanitation facilities of European standards for rural residents”, the Minister Salaru said. “Moldova is a warm country, yet with numerous problems linked to water and sanitation,” he added. According to the latest official statistics, out of the 2 million people living in rural areas of Moldova, 80% have no access to safe drinking water and to adequate sanitation. Referring to the entered engagements, the Minister of Environment pledged to contribute with timely release of the legal and regulatory acts, to promote national dialogue between the central authorities and the civil society, and, as important, to facilitate cooperation between the development partners through the practical functioning of the Coordination Council. In response to the Minister’s statement, Georgette Bruchez, SCO Country Director, pointed out that the Water and Health domains are the two main pillars of the Swiss Cooperation Strategy with Moldova for 2010-2013. “We really appreciate all the encouraging words extended to us. We’ve seen great motivation from those who work here, in the Ministry of Environment,” Mrs. Bruchez noted. As representative of the SDC Headquarters in Bern, Veronique Hulmann, Head of the CIS Division, shared her thoughts on her first visit to Moldova. “I had the opportunity to see the project results in villages and I saw the needs and the difficult lives of people. I’m happy that many of them have got better conditions and standards of quality. For the time being, the project covers a limited zone and we hope that, in cooperation with the Government of Moldova, it will be possible to expand activities to include a greater number of localities. I am positive that the potential and the energy of the Moldovan people will push the country forward. You may regard me as an Ambassador of your country’s needs in Switzerland,” Mrs. Hulmann said. From 2001 till 2009, the SDC Water and Sanitation Programme in Moldova focused its activities in the rural area of four raions located in the central part of the country (Hincesti, Straseni, Nisporeni and Ialoveni) building 19 water supply systems for 25 thousand citizens, 23 septic tank toilets and eight EcoSan sanitation facilities, and four constructed wetlands (ecological waste water treatment plants) for social institutions. |
