Euwi - European Water Initiative

The EUWI Component for Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA) targets the 12 EECCA countries of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

 

EUWI- EECCA Working Group

 

The EECCA Working Group is responsible for overseeing the implementation of the EECCA Component. The EECCA Working Group meets one to two times a year. Since 2005 the EUWI EECCA Working Group has been holding joint meetings with the EAP Task Force Group of Senior Officials for Water Sector Reform and both groups have been overseeing a joint work programme. The Group consists of representatives of all partner countries, including from NGOs, private sector and international organisations. It promotes cooperation among the partners, monitors progress made and approves the annual work programme.

 

Much attention is paid to the exchange of lessons learned with regard to water sector reforms in the EECCA countries, aimed at improving coverage and quality of water sector services. Until the end of 2009, Romania acts as Chair of the EECCA Working Group.

 

National Policy Dialogues(NPD) are the main operational instrument of the EECCA Component. The objective of the National Policy Dialogues is to initiate country-specific activities regarding WSS and IWRM aimed at improving coverage and quality of water sector services.

The 8 objectives of the EECCA Component

• Improve institutional and regulatory framework.
• Ensure financial viability of utilities.
• Investment in water supply, sanitation and rehabilitation.
• Ensure access of the poor to water services as a basic human right.
• Safeguard public health.
• Protect the environment.
• Establish and implement national policies for IWRM.
• Develop the inter-state cooperative structures for river/lake basin management.

It has two focus areas, namely water supply and sanitation (WSS), including financing of water infrastructure (with the OECD/EAP Task Force as strategic partner), and integrated water resources management (IWRM, with UNECE as strategic partner), including transboundary river basin management and regional seas issues. Financing constitute a most important link between these two focus areas.