Senior Adviser Carola Bjørklund cbb@mfa.no

1. Senior Adviser Carola Bjørklundcbb@mfa.no Protocol on Water and Health. Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism (AHPFM) Ecological Safety in Kyrgyzstan Bishkek 2008 The Protocol on Water and Health: where health, environment, and development policies meet

2. The Protocol on Water and Health, under the auspices of UNECE and WHO, was negotiated in 1999 and entered into force in 2007 represents a new milestone for public health. • The Protocol, as the world’s first legal treaty designed to reduce water-related deaths and diseases, gives countries an effective international mechanism for curbing the harm caused by unsafe water and sanitation. • The aim of the Protocol was adopted specifically to attain an adequate supply of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for everyone, and effectively protect water used as a source of drinking water.

3. Water has been recognized as a basic human right. • Nowhere else in the world is the difference between poor and wealthy countries’ access to safe water and sanitation as great as in the European Region. • WHO reports of shocking figures such as the 13,500 children under 14 years of age who die every year due to poor water conditions, or the 120 millions people in our region who still do not have access to safe drinking-water and adequate sanitation. The countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia and South Eastern Europe are those suffering the most of these problems.

4. 21 countries have ratified the Protocol • Albania, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxemburg, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, • Slovakia, Switzerland and Ukraine. • Countries on their way to ratified • Armenia, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Malta, Sweden, the Netherlands. • Other signatory countries • Cyprus, Denmark, Iceland, Monaco, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, the United Kingdom. • The Protocol is a unique, comprehensive and modern response to water and health problems we therefore urge countries in Central Asia to join this Protocol.

5. To meet the goals of the Protocol on Water and Health the Parties are required to establish national and local targets for the quality of drinking water • They are also required to reduce outbreaks and the incidence of water-related diseases.

6. LACK OF CLEAN WATER • Lack of Clean Water and Adequate Sanitation Facilities Causes an Imminent Problem in our Neighbourhood • The Protocol is a unique, comprehensive and modern response to water and health problems that our region should be proud of. However the Protocol will only achieve its objectives in an effective manner if all its components are working. • Urgent action must be taken, by governments and donors to address these problems.

7. GOVERNMENT AND DONOR ACTION NEEDED • The Member States of the Protocol designed its structure and functioning with the understanding that the true mechanism of the Protocol needs four pillars for its proper functioning: • “road maps” or “action programmes” clear targets and targets dates and measurable indicators of progress; • Secondly, the establishment of surveillance and response Systems • Thirdly, a mechanism to measure and report on progress achieved and a compliance procedure • Finally, a system of mutual assistance and international support between Parties is necessary to help all Parties to comply with the targets set in the Protocol

8. FROM LEGAL LANGUAGE TO CONCRETE ACTIONS • As a respond to the legal obligations set forth in Art 11 and 14 in the Protocol Norway initiated that a Project Facilitation Mechanism should be established • At the First Meeting of Parties in January 2008 the Parties decided to establish an Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism (AHPFM) to help mainstream international support for national action. • The Project Facilitation Mechanism is the key factor for a proper implementation of the Protocol.

9. KEY CHARACTERISTICS • The key Characteristics of the Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism; • Clear, concise, transparent and effective rules regulating international support to Parties under the umbrella of an international agreement. • Active support structure • Administrative and logistic support provided by the joint WHO-UNECE Protocol Secretariat • A clear commitment from all the parties involved

10. STRUCTURE • How does the Project Facilitation Mechanism work? • The AHPFM is composed of two elements: • the Facilitator assisted by the WHO/EURO-UNECE Protocol Secretariat, and • the Ad Hoc Project Clearing House which gathers Parties and non-Parties (both from donor and recipient countries) and from global and regional financial institutions, relevant international organizations, competent international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and international foundations with cooperation programmes of recognized importance for water and health..

11. COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGES • Comparative Advantages to the Donor and Recipient Community • Consistency. Through the built-in consultation process, donors can still pursue their respective national policies and priorities • Possibility to align international commitment established in international agreements with global or regional commitments defined nationally • Sound development policy in line with international commitments / priorities

12. ADVANTAGES TO THE DONORS • Coordination and harmonization of action in the region promotes synergy and help avoiding duplication of effort and opens up for that long term projects may be addressed. • Cooperation allows countries to undertake projects which are beyond the individual funding capacity of a single donor (for example, long-term projects can be funded by several donors). • Mechanism for good budget control and oversight. The donor maintains direct steering and control of project Implementation • Quality of project proposals: the Mechanism guarantees to donors that projects are well-prepared and politically supported and well founded in the recipient country. • Review and assessment. The Meeting of the Parties will assess the effectiveness of the Mechanism to address water and health problems in the region and to support implementation of the Protocol

13. ADVANTAGES FOR RECIPIENTS • Single entry point for water and health assistance. The Mechanism offers one single forum where to find donors willing to offer financial support and thus avoid waste of resources for applying in different venues • Recipient countries have ownership of the projects • Technical and scientific support. Needs perceived at the national level can be examined by of technical experts and scientists from other Parties that will provide a broader evidence base than what is available locally, thereby strengthening the scientific and technical soundness of the proposal. • Projects will utilize local expertise • Recipient countries may receive assistance in the formulation of projects and thus increase their chances of being funded • Supporting national policy. National approval on project proposals and integration in national strategic development plans, as opposed to individual project proposals from individual institutes, in line with country needs and priorities, and with optimal use of national experts and resources.

14. PAST EXPERIENCE • Moldova and Ukraine were the first countries to submit project proposals on target setting under the Protocol. • Both proposals were taken up by donors (namely Israel, Norway and Switzerland) • Several recipient countries have indicated that they will present project proposals at the next meeting of the Ad Hoc Project Facilitation Mechanism in July 2009

15. LESSON LEARNED • The lesson learned that the Project Facilitation Mechanism provides ; • New possibilities • Better cooperation and harmonization • Improved consistency • Improved control, review and assessment.