Lessons learned from pilot projects on monitoring and assessment of transboundary rivers

1. Lessons learned from pilot projects on monitoring and assessment of transboundary rivers Martin Adriaanse

2. Objectives of Pilot projects • To demonstrate recommended practices • To support with implementation • To learn for guidelines review • To increase transboundary co-operation

3. INCEPTION PHASE agreement countries (MOU) financing project organisation PILOT PROJECT ACTIVITIES PREPARATORY PHASE water management analysis inventories evaluation of legislation surveys information needs strategies recommendations for improvement IMPLEMENTATION PHASE

4. REPORTS Inception report Identification and review of water management issues Recommendations for improvement and cost estimates

6. PROJECT RESULTS • M&A approaches brought on a higher level • in several countries a first opportunity for a river basin approach in international contacts – pioneer projects • projects pushed ministries to start new approaches to M&A • strong examples of implementation of the convention; advertisement of a logic and cost effective approach to monitoring and assessment

7. PROJECT ORGANISATION •  Projects take much more time than expected •  Make good and flexible working teams amended with relevant experts •  Create opportunities for work sessions of the projectteams. •  Political and legislative changes in countries are interrupting the progress •  The structure of project activities was very useful. •  The TORs were not enough clear. •  Start with TORs, but keep them a bit flexible • Set limits to the flexibility of the TORs • Cooperation between two countries is much easier than with three. • In neighbouring countries the responsibilities for taking decisions can be on different levels. • Keep in touch with the international river basin commissions

8. PERSONAL SKILLS • strengthening of the cooperation between countries. •   experience obtained how to organise cooperation on river basin scale •   experience obtained to be applied in other working groups in transboundary cooperation •   how to prepare reports and how to communicate results. •   opportunities to learn English as a common language for cooperation. •   how to approach collaboration between experts of different states.

9. PERSONAL ASPECTS • Important to know people from neighbouring countries and their mentality. •    Making friends in other countries is a good basis for cooperation. •    The WFD came in later; it would have been easier if the pilot projects had started at the same time; the situation will be easier for groundwater pilots that start these days. •    In many cases a joint project was only possible because a good and friendly group of experts was created.  

10. MENTALITY CHANGES •    Positive changes in preparedness for exchange of data. •    Traditional way of thinking can be an obstacle for communication: dare to raise and to answer questions. 

11. Additional: 1. Country project leaders/authors – from national budget * Available time, priority * Management support * Available budget 2. English language is a major problem * discussions, reading documents, writing reports 3. Recommended approach – more than a monitoring programme * Much more time needed * Practice of following standards