The project’s Inception Phase ran from the end of December 2010 to August 2011.

It involved a range of assessments, fact-finding missions, synergy building, awareness raising and prioritising activities in the Partner Countries (PCs) and the Mediterranean.

The technical work concretised the project’s context and led to the identification of four Thematic Pillars around which the envisaged activities will be structured and implemented. At the same time, the management and operational structure of the project was established.

The four Thematic Pillars and 1st Year Work Plan of SWIM-SM

Four Thematic Pillars have emerged as regional priorities for the water sector upon which SWIM-SM can build and establish the ground for regional cooperation by structuring and implementing its activities accordingly.

The context and objectives of these four Thematic Pillars are as follows:

A. Non Conventional Water Resources
The objective is to assist the SWIM Partners Countries with (a) enhancing the policy, institutional and legal framework for the management of non-conventional water resources, within the IWRM context, and (b) strengthening the institutional capacity and public participation for the planning and management of these resources. The main non-conventional water resources are: re-use of treated wastewater, including its use in the recharge of groundwater aquifers and, as a last resort, desalination, using renewable energy where technically and economically feasible, and minimising environmental impacts.
The components of this Pillar are five-fold: (a) Strategy formulation for the use of non conventional resources, (b) Improving the legal framework in order to anchor the use of non-conventional water resources in the national water and environmental laws and regulations; (c) Developing the institutional framework for managing non-conventional water resources with stakeholders' participation, (d) Enhancing the environmental and social safeguards for the use of non-conventional water resources, and mitigating their adverse environmental and social effects and (e) Building capacity and awareness to increase knowledge on technologies and promote social acceptance.

B. Economic Valuation of Water Pollution Abatement Interventions
The specific objective of this Pillar is to: (a) update the estimates on the annual costs of water degradation in selected basins or water sheds in the PCs; (b) identify in specific basins in three PCs two priority remedial actions of highly polluted water; (c) build capacity in PCs on environmental valuation and (d) involve stakeholders in the particular basins through consultation to build consensus and dissemination of results at the watershed /basin level.
The components of this Pillar are four-fold: (a) Calculate the Cost of environmental degradation at the basin level, due to water pollution with the aim to place a monetary value on the consequences of the degradation; (b) Cost Benefit or Cost Effectiveness Analyses of Remedial Actions and Preparation of Investment Plans for 1-2 basins in 3 PCs including estimates in monetary terms for the overall social, economic and environmental benefits linked to remedial alternatives. (c) Building the capacity of the decision makers at the subnational/basin level and the Universities to transfer knowledge, especially with regards to the methodologies used for the preparation of investment plans and (d) Validation and dissemination of the Investment Plans at the Watershed/Basin Level to build consensus on the investment plans, seek the Government support to implement and replicate the investment plans.

C. No Regret Actions for the Adaptation of the Water Sector to Climate Change
The overarching objective of this Pillar is to: (a) support selected PCs in their climate change adaptation efforts for developing no regret actions through technical assistance, policy guidance, capacity development and awareness, (b) strengthen the institutional and technical capacity for designing and implementing concrete no regret adaptation actions; and (c) improve governance in water planning, allocation and service delivery, increasing awareness and disseminating climate change information.
The components of this Pillar are four-fold: (a) Compilation of all available information and assessment of the adequacy of the institutional and technical capacities to undertake proposed no-regret actions for CC adaptation at the national level; (b) Development of no-regret actions in the water sector for addressing the water scarcity at the local or basin level; (c) Improving water governance to ensure the public acceptance and compliance with suggested no-regret actions for CC adaptation; and (d) Increasing awareness on the immediate need of the water sector for no regret actions to adapt to CC and improving resilience of communities.

D. Water Governance at the Local Level: Sharing Experiences from Water Users’ Associations
The proposed Pillar aims to (a) Identify concrete actions for improving local water management and reinforcing users’ participation; (b) Assess the adequacy of water legislations for the establishment and effective operation of WUAs and identify opportunities for updating and/or amending water legislation; (c) Provide WUAs with tools that would enable them to be actively involved in decision-making in the water sector on selected areas and at the local level, and (d) create partnerships among policy makers, civil society and local communities in ways that enhance mutual trust and collaboration.
The components of this Pillar are five-fold: (a) Preparation of a regional report on the status of water users’ participation; (b) Organisation of a regional workshop to promote the exchange of experiences among the countries in the region; (c) Legal framework assessment and identification of opportunities for updating and/or amending water legislation; (d) Training activities to assist the establishment of pilot WUAs and (e) Pilot activities to strengthen WAUs in accordance with national regulations.

For more information on the four Thematic Pillars click here

The activities and outcomes of this first period of the project as well as the Work Plan for the first year of implementation are summarised in the SWIM-SM Inception Report: a Brief Version.