Kazakhstan

UNDP has been supporting the Government with a water resources management project aimed at strengthening the water management organizations within the country and by instituting the practice of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM | IWRM Planning). The government’s aim is to balance supply and demand for water in the country to ensure that future development needs (economic, social, environmental) can be addressed by a national water management programme. The government, represented by the Committee for Water Resources, with support from [www.undp.kz UNDP] and the Global Water Partnership (GWP), drafted the IWRM plan, which proposed an integrated approach to water management, in which river basins would be managed holistically, through the establishment of River Basin Councils (RBCs), with the participation of water user stakeholders and ensuring environmental sustainability. 

This project is the first in Kazakhstan to address specifically the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for Water Supply and Sanitation and to develop National IWRM and Water Efficiency Plans. The objectives of the Project are: 

* Support to the development of (i) the National IWRM and Water Efficiency Plan and (ii) Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Plans for all river basins in Kazakhstan
* Establishment of River Basin Councils in all eight river basins to represent the water user stakeholder in water management decision making
* Preparation of a Strategy for Achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for Water Supply and Sanitation
* Improving cooperation and development of partnerships at regional and country levels

Lessons Learned

-The IWRM & Water Efficiency Project was designed in a very ambitious manner. The budget was too limited for the projected objectives. When planning a project such as this, try to be realistic and not too ambitious in what you want to achieve.

-The government's limited skills and experience in the area of water governance, made working together with the government challenging. For example, promoting the concept of IWRM did not only imply explanation of the concept but a wider shift in way of thinking was necessary. Always invest extensively in capacity building, training, strategic planning and advise before beginning the project, especially in countries which are less experienced in water governance. It is not enough to simply provide the government with money for a plan.

-Always consider the government's own commitment to the plan in terms of money set aside for its implementation.

The goal of this pilot project was to overcome clean drinking water problem in a remote village of the Aral Sea basin, and at the same time piloting and advancing renewable energy use for such purposes in rural areas in Kazakhstan.

Lessons Learned

1) Co-funding scope should be reflected only during the project implementation, after the formal confirmation from the parties, not during the project design.

2) Some available practical examples and documents about experiences of implementation of projects on renewable energy sources use (GEF/SGP wind energy project in Aralsk, demonstration project on rural electrification in Mongolia) indicate quite high extent of possible risks in the process of designing of hybrid systems and correct selection of equipment, its’ installation, maintenance and reliability. Both projects say about examples of insufficiently tested, particularly, wind energy generating units, which do not fully comply with local needs, climatic and other conditions. This is valid both, for western types of equipment and for the ones produced in NIS. Indication of such potential risk is to be indicated in the Project Document. Scenarios for overcoming possible risks (with resources) need to be indicated in future projects.

3) Future projects should have at least 4 separate phases – (1) preparatory phase for fulfilling comprehensive collecting and evaluation of start-up data, definition of parameters and preliminary design, collecting information about potential suppliers of equipment, prices, feasibility study; (2) designing phase; (3) implementation phase (construction/installation, probation and testing works), and (4) monitoring phase for documentation and generalization of gained experience and working out recommendations. Work plan (activities and timing) and funding of next phases to be defined/adjusted after completion of an earlier stage.

4) Professional specialized organizations and companies to be involved at all project stages – preparatory, design and construction/installation.

5) Projects on renewable energy use at current stage could be designed/implemented only with support of donors and/or Government’s interventions and policy support.

The programme aims to demonstrate improved and sustainable use of scarce water resources in targeted villages and rural regions most affected by the Aral Sea crisis. Its main goal is to develop, test, replicate effective, low-cost and sustainable models for participatory water management, and utilisation for effective policy review with the participation of decision-makers at local, national and regional levels. To this effect, the project will provide clear demonstrations for local villagers, farmers, NGOs, local leaders and officials, and support extended service providers, so that replication and dissemination will accelerate at the lowest possible cost beginning by the 3rd year of the project. The pilot sub-projects have been selected to address one root cause issue of the Aral Sea crisis. The sub-projects are expected to mobilise the community to resolve critical issues to their survival: access to quantity and quality of water for drinking and sustainable livelihood, employment, health, sanitation, environment and living conditions.

Lessons Learned

1) A combination of a strategic vision of the Program and development of concrete small scale pilots which correspond to the available resources and local capacity led to positive and visible results.

2) Establishment of a system of permanent monitoring of the pilots and communication within the Program is crucial.

3) Creation of the NGOs of water users is just the first step on the way to the establishment of the full scale WUAs. NGOs are not-for-profit organizations and couldn’t do business. It is not the problem now, when NGOs get land and water for free, but when they would like to use some profit received as the result of their activities, they will need registration as business organizations

4) Local authorities still see the pilots as not (yet) their but UNDP projects and PSCs as not yet their “tools" – RCs should become useful for local authorities in their daily activities.

The proposed project will establish the basis for the development and testing of an integrated and participatory approach to the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity in three priority wetland sites. The three sites lie along two globally significant migratory flyways and each enables the project to demonstrate solutions to different issues affecting Kazakhstan’s wetland biodiversity resources. In doing so, it will assist the government to meet its commitments under the Ramsar Convention, due to be signed in 2004.

Lessons Learned

TYPE LESSONS HERE

The CEP aims at Sustainable development of the Caspian environment, including living resources and water quality, protecting human health and ecological integrity for the sake of future generations.

The CEP's mission is to assist the Caspian littoral states to achieve the goal of environmentally sustainable development and management of the Caspian environment for the sake of long-term benefit for the Caspian inhabitants.

Lessons Learned

See also attached files below (Action Reflection Notes)

The Upper Syr Darya basin is threatened by the lack of a coordinated water management strategy that integrates land and water use in a sustainable manner. This project, in coordination with the UNDP Energy and Environment Practice and the UNDP, UNEP, OSCE and NATO Environmental and Security (ENVSEC) initiative will address transboundary integrated land and water management through a dual prong approach. The first part is preparation of a transboundary diagnostic analysis complemented by a stakeholder analysis and causal chain analysis that will assist in development of a set of eco-system quality objectives (EQOs) that will serve as the basis for the regional strategic action programme and the national action plans. The second part of this approach is the testing of these EQOs as instruments for sustainable use of land and water resources in the region. These EQOs will be scaleable for the whole region to down to small villages. Once these EQOs are established, two community level demonstration projects that emphasize issues of sustainable development in transboundary cooperation in water resource utilization and economic development will be implemented to test their practicality. The projects will be monitored and evaluated for their application throughout the basin.

Lessons Learned

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