"Eco-Accord" Projects on EU Water Initiative

Moscow High-Level Meeting on EU-EECCA Water Initiative

Summary of Discussion on Non-State Actors

Working Group on Participation of Non-State Actors in Water Initiative
6 March 2003

What are the opportunities for stakeholder partnership in EU-EECCA Water Initiative?

The participants agreed that EU-EECCA Water Initiative is useful for our countries. Both governments and non-state actors (non-governmental organizations, local authorities, business, scientific community, educators, etc.) will have a chance to raise the efficiency of their activities by improving exchange of information and coordination in order to avoid duplication, to expand experience sharing, to identify areas where additional efforts are needed and, possibly, to mobilize additional resources for implementation of activities in missing areas.

What might be the role of non-state sector in the framework of EU-EECCA Water Initiative? How the non-state sector can participate?

The non-state sector can implement concrete projects at national, local (in particular, in rural areas) and regional levels;
Participate in development and implementation of building blocks, submitted by governments and other structures (following the example of the World Bank where public involvement exists in every project);
Develop and submit its own building blocks;
Participate in international programmes on water and water resources;
Widely inform non-state organizations and the public about the Water Initiative;
Monitor the implementation on ongoing projects and, in particular, suggest alternative ways to reach their goals;
Make use of professional, including scientific and technical potential of non-governmental organizations in different projects.

The following conditions should be created to ensure meaningful and effective participation of non-state sector:

Dissemination of information on the projects which are implemented by governments and international organizations with provision of details about performers;
Support to coalitions of non-governmental organizations formed according to basin approach, especially to coalitions with participation of actors from different countries;
Creating a database of existing and potential projects of non-state actors;
Inventory of existing projects in order to identify stakeholders and parties that do not have enough information on Water Initiative (for example, business and local authorities);
Establishing clear mechanisms for participation of non-state actors in the Water Initiative;
Developing capacity building programmes for governmental authorities in area of water management and public involvement in water issues;
It is important to support by grants the initiatives of non-state actors in addressing water problems, including the dissemination of the programmes of Ukrainian NGO Mama-86 on drinking water. Many NGOs spoke on inadequate public awareness and youth awareness in water issues. They made suggestions to increase capacity of NGOs in implementing specific projects in this area.

Suggested coordination mechanisms for participation of non-state actors in Water Initiative.

The success of Initiative depends on the efficiency of coordination system. The key point is mandatory participation of representatives of non-state organizations in the working groups of the Initiative and coordination mechanisms of the Initiative;
It is important to establish a Multi-Stakeholder Forum on EECCA component (with participation of non-governmental organizations, private sector, scientific community and educators, local authorities, etc.) It is important to provide this Forum with Consultative Status in the coordination mechanisms of EU-EECCA Water Initiative and to strengthen its cooperation with Multi-Stakeholder Forum of EU Water Initiative;
Rely on regional networks (coalitions), support their joint projects;
Take into account regional specifics;
Support projects and programmes implemented by different sectors;
Widely inform all stakeholders on Water Initiative and opportunities to participate in the Water Initiative. The participants stressed the potential of Eco-Accord Center and European ECO-Forum in disseminating information and public involvement in Water Initiative. It is important to involve other networks and stakeholders in these activities.

Other business.

It is important to add in the documents on Water Initiative the information about role and mechanisms of public participation in Water Initiative.

The activities in the framework of the Initiative should be guided by the principles of sustainable development, i.e. simultaneous consideration of environmental, economic and social factors;
National Councils on Sustainable Development and other similar structures in EECCA countries should be involved in activities on Water Initiative.
The participants supported the initiative by Vladimir Garaba (Environmental Movement of Moldova) to hold a meeting to initiate the programme on rural water supply.
It is crucial to strengthen activities to increase transparency of governmental authorities, including anti-corruption measures and efficient use of funds. This should be a topic of a separate building block. As underlined by the World Summit on Sustainable Development, good governance is a prerequisite to sustainable development, including the settlement of water problems.