SWIM-SM concretely assisted countries with the design and implementation of sustainable water management policies and the strengthening of institutional structures, through policy dialogue, targeted knowledge transfer, capacity building and awareness raising. Operating within four thematic pillars - governance, financing, non-conventional water resources, climate change adaptation - and six work packages, the project successfully completed a set of 88 multi-component activities (assessments, policy briefs, consultations, trainings, study tours, etc.) with the involvement of more than 2,000 participants, 1/3 of whom were women. It was evaluated with 4.4 out of 5 by the beneficiary countries, which manifested a strong commitment and direct involvement in the project.
The final SC meeting overviewed the 4th implementation year of the project (December 2014 - November 2015) and discussed more thoroughly selected activities, including a) the monitoring and evaluation system for irrigation developed and applied in Tunisia and Jordan, with a view to replication within the same or further project countries; b) the technical support offered by SWIM-SM to Horizon2020 and UNEP/MAP; and c) communication and visibility efforts for all SWIM-SM activities in order to ensure wide dissemination of outcomes, as well as outreach for potential replication elsewhere in the South Mediterranean Region. The meeting included a dedicated session on the five SWIM Demo projects, implemented within the programme framework, with emphasis on their objectives, achieved results, lessons learnt and replication potential followed by an open discussion on the topic based on a set of guiding questions.
The final SC concluded with some reflections on the programme’s overall trajectory, concerning its dynamic character, operation and management modalities, impact and legacy and the way towards a SWIM phase II. Experiences and lessons learnt from the programme’s 5-year-work that could guide the design and implementation of future regional water programmes, include, among others:
- the importance to persist in working in the identified areas, instead of re-inventing the scope and delving again into the political elements and the lack of political anchorage vs. the importance to be flexible and allow for considering new themes and emerging sensitive priority issues of high relevance;
- the added value of consistently applying a methodologically structured approach, such as the SWIM-SM triptych methodology (conducting assessments, followed by Experts Group Meetings and Capacity Building) that offers tangible tools for informed decision making;
- the need to consider alternative modalities for engaging local people from the partner institutions and receiving in kind contributions from the beneficiary countries, to maintain the project’s demand-led character;
- the significant gender representation in all activities, lying at a significant 26% despite the particularities of the region;
- the need to further reach out to non-conventional partners, as well as to the private sector in view of the significant financial implications from implementing water reform programs as well as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs);
- the need to keep in mind the difficulties in assessing the impact of soft interventions within the timeframe of the project (the qualitative element);
- the limited margin to directly involve all major national stakeholders and intervene in policy issues within different national contexts;
- the importance to secure ownership from beneficiary countries and turn them into project ambassadors;
- the creation of a solid networking platform bringing stakeholders together and allowing the exchange of experiences and lessons learnt;
- the possibility of linking with regional political processes/initiatives to assist with making a lasting impact and ensuring sustainability of results.
The added value of SWIM-SM was clearly acknowledged through EC’s decision to financially support a phase II, expected to kick-off in January-February 2016, with a budget of 7 Million Euros and a duration of three years. Following the structure of SWIM I, a number of Demo projects are also envisaged with a budget of 12 Million Euros and with the objective to identify and test innovative solutions towards sustainable water resources management.
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[1] Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya (added as beneficiary country on 27 March 2012), Morocco, Palestine, Tunisia. Syria was part of the partner countries until May 2011, when the EU suspended bilateral cooperation programmes between the EU and the Syrian government under the MEDA/European Neighbourhood Policy Instrument (ENPI). The European Commission has also suspended the participation of Syrian authorities in its regional programmes.