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Thematic Areas: Water and Sanitation

 

Water and sanitation are vital to socio-economic development and eco-system integrity.  Most of the Millennium Development Goals depend on water: the MDGs aim at halving the proportion of people living without sustainable access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015. However progress towards attainment of the MDGs on water and sanitation leaves much to be desired.

The Nottawasaga Institute has engaged in activities related to water since its establishment.  Issues addressed include:

• IWRM
• Water and sanitation
• Water policy
• Knowledge development and capacity building for effective water service delivery, among CSOs, private sector and national and inter-governmental agencies.
  
  
  

Current Activities

• Local Capacity Development Facility (LCDF) - SNV Netherlands Development Organization: NI undertook research in Kenya to contribute to the launch of SNV’s LCDF initiative. The overall objective was to explore options for the LCDF within the Kenya Water and Sanitation Sector taking into account 3 components: brokering the market place, re-orienting funding streams and stimulating quality of supply. The study also sought to determine the status of capacity development services delivery in the water sector (both on the demand and supply side) and the status of funding opportunities available for the said capacity development services;
• Facilitating and drafting a five year Strategic Plan for the African Civil Society Network on Water and Sanitation (ANEW), AMCOW-ANEW MoU strategy, follow-up on joint projects with UN-Habitat, SNV, ADB, UNEP and GTZ;
• Concept paper on the African CSO role in dialogue to build consensus between civil society and other stakeholders on strategies and modalities for meeting the water infrastructure needs of the continent while ensuring equitable social, environmental and economic benefits accrue.  The paper outlines some of the key issues to be addressed and proposes an action plan for meeting AMCOW’s request
• Advisory and institutional support to the African Ministers’ Council on Water   (AMCOW) through communication and governance processes, policy formulation and strategic planning. Initially engaged to support the 2003 Pan-African Implementation and Partnership Conference on Water and Sanitation, continuous support has included facilitation of Executive Committee meetings, and the 2006 Conference of African River and Lake Basin Organizations; 2007 support to the 6^th Ordinary Session, Brazzaville, RC; development of the African Groundwater Commission, Nov. 2007; 2008 – 1^st African Water Week, Nov’08 Executive Committee; 2009 – launch of Africa Groundwater Commission, 2^nd Africa Water Week and the 7^th ordinary Session of AMCOW (UNEP, UNESCO, UN-Habitat, GTZ, GWP 2003-present).

Past Projects

• Facilitation support to development of the Kenya Water Sector Strategic Plan 2010-2013 financed by SNV.  
• In conjunction with the Global Water Partnership Eastern Africa- support to joint meetings AMCOW, ADB, UN Water/Africa Partners drafting meeting concept, conducting preparatory activities, facilitation and reporting on the outcomes;
• Supporting development of the Kenya Water Sector Strategic Plan 2010-2013 financed by SNV Netherlands Development Organization; 
• Undertaking a study titled “Analysis of Water and Sanitation Policies and Status of IWRM in Africa, and Advocacy Capacity Assessment of African Civil Society on Water Supply and Sanitation for ANEW. The Study enabled the development of a data base of existing policy instruments governing water at the national and regional levels across Africa;
• Pan-African Scoping study focusing specifically on sector knowledge and capacity building institutions, to better understand their role in having a bearing on practice influencing, sector capacity development and knowledge promotion, as well as outlining appropriate mechanisms to address capacity building which can then feed into WaterAid’s pan African strategy. (June-August 2009 WaterAid) and
• Development of strategic plan for University of Nairobi Meteorological Department.