Main activities

Main activities of EMPOWERS Thematic Group

Focusing on achieving improved local governance for water and sanitation (WATSAN) and IWRM, and with an emphasis on scaling up existing expertise and good practices; the ETG initiative will carry out three broad groups of activity. These are:

A - Experience sharing between members:

Operating in a think tank mode and adopting an action research approach, the ETG will provide a platform and systems for members to share experiences and develop the concepts underlying the EMPOWERS approach and philosophy. The sharing of experiences will be based on and supported by the outputs and learning gained from the implementation of activities (Main activity B).

Specific activities that will take place under experience sharing include:

• Regular meetings (Learning seminars, training workshops, exchange visits, etc...)
• Regular regional newsletter
• Maintenance of a web-site/portal and management of a shared information system that could develop into a Resource Centre in the future. Resource centres can play an important role in ETG activities, particularly in ensuring the sustainability of new capacities, and in the up-scaling of experiences and lessons learned. For this, member’s capacities will also need to be strengthened and will require activities including human resource development, organisational development and institutional strengthening.

B - Enabling learning and implementation activities:

Focusing on a number of priority themes, identified regionally and in focus countries, the Group will identify opportunities to carry out further learning and implementation activities.

 

It will aim to develop and have funded a programme to undertake further work regionally, in countries where the EMPOWERS project currently works, and in new countries within the region. To do this the Group will:

• Support its members in securing funds to carry out implementation and learning projects;
• Support knowledge and information management and exchange through supporting its members in documenting best practices, developing case studies, disseminating experiences learned and other information products designed to meet the different stakeholders at the different institutional levels.
• Produce training materials and support the development of training
• Support the organization of regional training workshops to exchange experiences and lessons learned between countries and sub-regions

C - Networking and Advocacy:

The ETG will also seek to provide a platform and tools to its members to carry out advocacy for the EMPOWERS philosophy and approaches; increase resources for capacity building of intermediate level actors; and to effect institutional/policy reform and development within the water (and related) sectors in the region.

Specific activities include:

• Developing and implementing an advocacy strategy
• Developing and producing advocacy products
• Networking and lobbying through members
• Encouraging and facilitating institutional/policy reform and development
• Creating and strengthening partnerships / alliances with other networks