Dr. M.A. Chitale, Chairperson, welcomed the participants. He thanked the host institution, LGED, for arranging the meeting at relatively short notice. The past activities of SASTAC were summarized and Mr. Khalid Mohtadullah a member of SASTAC was congratulated on being designated as the Executive Secretary of the Global Water Partnership.

Mr. Khalid Mohtadullah thanked the participants for the good wishes extended to him and expressed that he will do everything possible in the furtherance of the objectives of the GWP.

Mr. Quamrul Islam Siddique welcomed the delegates to Bangladesh for the meeting and expressed his pleasure at being able to host this first meeting of SASTAC.

1. Administrative Agenda

1. The Regional Secretariat

The establishment and operation of the secretariat was reiterated as described in the meeting notes. It was highlighted that the operational philosophy of the working of GWP was to decentralize activities and in this context the Secretariat was not to grow in institutional terms but rather to be a lean but efficient setup. It was also pointed out that the Secretariat required a legal base to operate and that WALMI provided this legal base. An issue raised was what would happen to the Regional Secretariat when the Chairman of SASTAC was changed. Comments were also solicited on the designated roles and responsibilities of the Regional Coordinator.

The meeting placed on record their appreciation for the work and the associated achievements of the current Chairman. Yet it was recognized that changes in leadership were inevitable and that the GWP, if it was to be sustainable, was not to be built on the work and reputations of individuals but rather on a network of institutions. It was also recognized that the philosophy of the Regional Groups was that the Regional Secretariat needed to be close to the Chairperson. Concern was expressed, however, as to whether it was practicable to move facilities, files, and personnel around the region in accordance with the concept of a mobile secretariat.

It was again emphasized that the GWP is a network and not an institution. It was further noted that the current arrangement with WALMI extends for two years and that the proposed contract with the Regional Coordinator will be for one year.

The following was agreed:

1. The issue of the long-term location of the Secretariat should be left open and could be resolved over a period of time.
2. Prof. V.S. Sahni’s engagement as the Coordinator - Regional Office to provide support to the Regional Secretariat was recommended.
3. The Regional Office Coordinators job description would be modified as follows:

Add: The Regional Office Coordinator is responsible for building an institutional memory such that if the Regional Secretariat is moved, the move is efficient. The Regional office coordinator will also be the repository of all program and technical information.

Modify: To liaise with the GWP Secretariat and all other GWP bodies for all SASTAC work.

2. Secretariats for Country Water Partnerships

Each country presented a status report. These are summarized below.

Nepal
Nepal is in the process of registering an NGO as a GWP partner institution since they were unable to identify an appropriate host institution. Registration of the NGO is expected to be completed within the next month or so and will probably be called the "Nepal Water Partnership". The core group is quite small in Nepal, expansion has not been fast and because of limited access to funds, preparatory work has been lagging. Following the Colombo meetings, much discussion took place with potential host institutions. Based on these discussions, it was considered that the most viable approach was to go the route of registering an NGO or an informal arrangement. The Government is exercising strict controls on NGOs and there will be a strong need to maintain transparency. So it is not yet clear if establishing an NGO for purposes of the country water partnership will turn out to have been the best alternative. Further discussions will be held amongst the potential members of the water partnership to determine if an informal arrangement will be desirable in the interim.

India
In Dec 97 a meeting of key stakeholders in the water sector was organized under the chairmanship of Prof. S.R.Hashim, Member Secretary, Planning Commission. The meeting was attended by Mr Johan Holmberg, Executive Secretary, Global Water Partnership (GWP); Professor Ramesh Bhatia, Member, Technical Advisory Committee of GWP and Dr. Jacques Rey from GWP Secretariat. The meeting was attended by about 50 people from water and related sectors and hosted by National Institute of Public Finance and Policy. On the recommendation of this meeting, a Steering Committee of the India Water Partnership was set up under the Chairmanship of Professor S.R. Hashim, Member-Secretary, Planning Commission, Government of India. The current Chairperson is Professor Yogendra Alagh, Member of Parliament. Six meetings of the Steering Committee have been held during the last fifteen months. They are moving towards registration of India Water Partnership as a society (non-profit) under the Societies Registration Act. The process of registration will probably take about two months. The Institute for Human Development was taken as the host because this institution has clearance to handle foreign currency. The Steering Committee is a think tank comprising of specialists, key stakeholders, donors, and international organizations. The first meeting for the Vision exercise is planned for March 10^th and 11^th . Preliminary papers have been prepared. The outputs should be available for Dr. Chitale to carry to the Cairo meeting.

Sri Lanka
The Water Resources Council of Sri Lanka which is responsible for policies and institutions in the water sector has been a part of the process of establishing a Sri Lankan National Water Partnership. The Water Resources Council and IMI co-sponsored a National Water Research Conference in November 1998 for identifying the needs of the country by involving the various stakeholders in the initial consultation. It has been considered appropriate to set up the National Water Partnership as an NGO; and steps are being taken in that direction.

Bangladesh
BWP was formed after the Stockholm meeting. Considerable guidance was obtained from the GWP. A number of meetings have been held. BWP combines relevant government departments, NGOs, research organizations, universities, and international donor organizations. The executive committee of BWP has 11 members. Special mention was made of the support provided by Sweden (SIDA), Denmark (DANIDA), the Dutch, ADB and the World Bank for the water sector of Bangladesh. LGED as a host agency is unique in that it handles water at the local level and deals with environment, public participation and cost recovery etc. A national consultation on IWRM was held on January 30, inaugurated by the Minister of Water Resources and chaired by the Secretary of MWR. Drs. Chitale and Jaques Rey attended the meeting, which examined water management issues in a holistic sense.

Pakistan
So far it has been somewhat difficult to obtain a firm commitment from the major institutions who were potential hosts. The PWP will soon identify a host agency, which will be communicated to the Chair in about ten days. One of the institutions being considered is implementing a major program called the National Drainage Program, which is also related to irrigated agriculture and has a 25 year life. The first National Partnership meeting is planned for late February or early March. An additional issue has been as to who will replace Mr. Khalid Mohtadullah in SASTAC. PWP is inclined to remain informal for the present and intends to work through one of the potential host institutions until people understand what the PWP stands for. The aim is to integrate water management and it is necessary to create ownership for this process to be effective.

In the discussions that followed the country presentations, the following was noted.

1. The country water partnerships should remain non-governmental and non-political in character. Therefore, it may be appropriate if they remain informal for some time.
2. Government concerns with the activities of NGOs is a fact of life and this needs to be lived with.
3. The perception that some water sector agency through national water partnership is attempting to gain control of all aspects of water related issues is a concern that must be addressed. This is most appropriately addressed by involving all the broad range of water sector interests within the water partnership net work and ensuring that they are comfortable with the agenda, the role and work procedures of the partnership.

It was further agreed that:

1. Host institutions needed to be formal members of the GWP. Relatedly, there needed to be some screening mechanism while granting memberships of GWP and to ensure that the host institutions are those working progressively to achieve the aims of the GWP.
2. It was considered that the format of the Regional meetings of SASTAC may have to occasionally include representation from the action limb of the national water partnerships, though this has financial implications.

Three steps are necessary to proceed with financing. First the host country institutions need to be identified. In some cases formal long-term hosts are in view and in others, short-term arrangements need to be made. The second step is to present a budget for activities through June recognizing that the outputs are a draft vision, mapping, and seed activities for the national water partnership. The budget will include costs related to consultants, meetings, and operating the national secretariat for the initial phase up to June 1999. The third step is that a draft agreement needs to be signed and following this, funds can be transferred.

Bangladesh will provide a copy of their BWP documents (constitution and agreements) to the other member partnerships to use as an example in preparing their own documents.

3. Financial Mechanism for SASTAC Work

There is a $250,000 core budget for various activities related to operating SASTAC. Of this, $236,000 had been earmarked for the budgeted items. It was agreed that some savings from these should be attempted, so that about $50,000 could be set aside for initiating the national secretariats while country mapping and visioning exercises are undertaken up to June 99. Out of the total estimated requirement of $590,000, $200,000 is in hand for the mapping and visioning exercises up to June 99.

It was thus estimated that a total of about $250,000 will be available for the work between now and June 99 for the mapping and visioning exercises including costs of support and national secretariat. Between $50,000 and $60,000 will have to be set aside for the Regional level requirements (meeting and staff). Therefore, there is between $30,000 and $40,000 available for each of the national water partnerships to organize the national secretariat support and the mapping and vision exercises up to June 99..

It was agreed that the financial proposals would be submitted to SASTAC Regional office as soon as possible but before March 15^th. The proposals will include identification and information about the host institution, a project document clarifying the objectives, activity, schedule, and outputs.

The estimates should be frugal and simple. Further requirements will be considered in June by which time the availability of funds for the subsequent activities will be clear.

Where the March 15^th schedule is not attainable, country partnerships could consider utilizing funds from another source and seeking reimbursement later from SASTAC. Flexibility is important in the financing mechanism because each of the member countries face various constraints.

4. Membership Drive

The central concept of the GWP is one of bringing institutions together and therefore the membership is directed towards institutions, and not individuals.

It was noted that all SASTAC member countries were registering individual members and all considered there was a need to include these individuals since in many cases these were not affiliated with any institutions.

Individuals will be encouraged to participate in the many facets of the GWP. But the question is, whether it is necessary to have individual memberships. Given that water management is undertaken by institutions and not by individuals, the very nature of the GWP dictates that the membership be essentially of institutions. If only individuals dominate the composition of the water partnerships, there was a risk that the partnership will not be effective.

It was concluded that while individual memberships could be included in the national water partnerships in accordance with national preference, the concept of GWP as a net work of water sector institutions should not be lost.

It was also decided that the national water partnerships be encouraged to conduct membership drives and, if necessary, include associated costs as a line item in the budget proposals for the period up to June 99.

5. Hiring Consultants and Staff
In principle, any recognized public body rules can be applied for hiring local consultants. GWP recommends that UN rules be applied if there are no other rules. If the host organization has specific rules for employing consultants, those may also be applied.

6. Establishing a Permanent SASTAC
The Interim SASTAC was constituted to initiate the partnership process. With the undertaking of the visioning process, the issue now is whether the legitimacy of the final vision document would be improved if it was prepared under the auspices of properly constituted regular SASTAC rather than an interim one.

The Chairman proposed that at least 3 water resources professionals from different disciplines and professional and organizational background, and gender be suggested from each country to serve on the SASTAC. The chairperson of the national water partnership need not necessarily be one of the people suggested to SASTAC. In fact, it might be desirable if membership in SASTAC be separate from the office bearers of the National water partnerships. For SASTAC, nominees will be appropriate experts from various disciplines and need not represent any institution as such. There is also a desire that women experts be nominated for these posts.

It was decided that the Chairman SASTAC would write a letter to the national partnerships requesting suggestions for SASTAC membership. The transition date from interim to permanent committee will, however, be decided in the June meeting.

The criteria for selecting the candidates will evolve. In the meanwhile, it was expected that of the ten members of SASTAC, at least one will come from each country and the remaining four will be selected on the basis of disciplines and gender balance, but the maximum could be only two from one country. The role of the Global TAC is being redefined and it is expected that they will have some role in selecting candidates for the Regional TAC.

The TACs role will be conceptually in the area of programming as well as quality control. Because the national partnerships are not yet operational, they will also, in the near term, be associated with programming matters. The long-term sustainability of the water partnership is dependent on the capability of SASTAC to inspire confidence in the financing organizations.

This item was deferred to the June meeting though it was noted that there was a need for the SASTAC members and the national partnerships to improve their communication within themselves and with the GWP at large. There was agreement that national web sites linked to the GWP web site would also serve to explain to all stakeholders what was happening within the respective national partnerships. For establishing a monthly "SASTAC – News" letter also, it was necessary that SASTAC members and national water partnerships report developments regularly and frequently to the regional office but no specific format was contemplated at this stage.

1. Programme Agenda

1. IWRM and Mapping
Section 1.3 of the meeting notes erroneously reported that the SASTAC core budget provides for financial support for organizing IWRM consultations. As stated above, the IWRM activities are to be financed from programme related funds such as for the mapping and vision exercise.

It was emphasized that, as planned and agreed to in Stockholm, the mapping exercise should be completed in June 99. The experience of Bangladesh was highlighted in terms of the mapping exercise and the resulting document circulated as a reference for other water partnerships to use.

It was noted that the GWP is unique in that it is a network of institutions. Arrangements in vogue such as TAC and Regional TAC are expected to lead to a marriage of individual expertise and the institutional strengths. The underlying theme is how to bring this about so they operate in an efficient and effective manner. The GWP should not revolve around individuals since they are transitory and thus the key is to bring the institutions forward since they represent the long-term sustainability.

2. The South Asian Vision on Water and Framework for Action

The following timetable was agreed to:

Pakistan
After March 24^th , carry out the mapping exercise
May 10^th and 11^th, carry out the vision exercise

India
March 10^th and 11^th, carry out vision 1
April 26^th and 27^th, carry out mapping
May 13^th or 14^th, carry out vision 2 (if needed).

Sri Lanka
May 5^th, 6^th, and 7^th carry out a combined mapping and vision exercise

Nepal
May 28^th, 29^th, and 30^th combined mapping and vision exercise

Bangladesh
May 26^th and 27^th conduct the vision exercise.
A Regional meeting and 2^nd SASTAC Meeting is scheduled for June 28^th, 29^th and 30^th in Sri Lanka. Two days are allocated for the Regional Meeting and one day for SASTAC.

Consultants to assist each country with their visioning exercise should be identified by March 15^th. Bangladesh nominated Mr. Q.K. Ahmed for this role in the Bangladesh exercise.

In addition to the National Coordinator who will be contracted to assist with the visioning exercise, 6 short-term consultants have been provided for. The budget proposal should include a line item for the costs associated with these personnel.

 3. Regional Activities Related with GWP Associated Programmes

Water Utilities
Following a presentation (prepared notes were circulated) on the importance of and issues associated with water utilities, it was agreed that:

1. Water utilities are well organized and should be encouraged to become members and active participants in the GWP.
2. One water utility should take the initiative to prepare a proposal for an associated programme. It was suggested that this be Dhaka WASA under the leadership of Dr. Haq. Examples of proposals in this sector from the Africa Region could be helpful.
3. A concept paper will be drafted by March and be submitted at the Cairo meeting on March 19^th.

 

Conservation of Water in Agriculture
ICID plans to produce a global document with an emphasis on food security. They will leave it to the national committees to determine what part of the food security issues the national committees want to emphasize. This is expected to be in consultation with the national water partnerships. ICID guidelines for the study had been circulated. The study is seen in two parts. First how to save water, and second, what to do with the water that is saved. ICID is likely to rely on the Water Partnership to address the issue of further allocation of the additional water resources available from conservation measures.

It was observed that the issue of food security vs food self sufficiency may need far more thought than to simply accept this as a trade-off. This needs further study and could be examined as an associated study since this is very important to Asia. It was concluded that during the visioning exercise, the GWP should have agriculture and fisheries people within it. It was noted that the ICID study alone may not fulfill the GWP agenda.

As a further course of action, the SASTAC will write a note to ICID advising them of the visioning process and requesting them to pursue the issue of allocation and use of saved water through their national committees in collaboration with the national water partnerships.

Associated Programmes on Floods
The WMO proposal needs to be more broad-based to be acceptable in the South Asian context. It also needs to include Pakistan as one of the countries involved and needs to address structural as well as non-structural measures, coping measures, management of flood prone areas and basin development as part of flood management.

A revised proposal will be required. By the June SASTAC meeting, a revised proposal will be available for approval. The concept paper for the revised proposal will be drafted and circulated within April by the BWP under the leadership of Q.K. Ahmed. The document will need to address the question of what agency is appropriate to undertake a study such as this since it encompasses most aspects of surface water management and extends beyond the purview of WMO. This document will then also be considered in the visioning exercises by the respective national water partnerships.

The issue of Ground water and Basin Management are already on the approved calendar and will be addressed accordingly.

4. South Asian Directories in the Water Sector

As an initial step, it was planned to develop a template to be completed by the national water partnerships in which the institutions were identified, their mandates, their manpower, and their source of funding were detailed. So far no template has been developed.

Pakistan is to develop the template for the Directory of Water Related Institutions while Sri Lanka is to prepare the templates for a Directory of Water Related Data Sources and a Directory of Women and Women’s Organizations. It was proposed that the Regional Secretariat will assist these countries in designing the required templates.

5. Regional Studies to be Sponsored by GWP

The 3-member study advisory team was accepted as proposed in the Agenda notes for the meeting. It was emphasized that particularly during the initial phase of the GWP, trust must be established among the potential partners. The message is to promote a mission and as such there needs to be transparency and integrity in all the activities of the GWP/SASTAC and national water partnerships.

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