On June 28, CAREC held a meeting with an expert and a Senior Researcher in Water and Green Economic Growth at Wageningen Environmental Research (Netherlands) Dr Jochen Froebrich in the Innovations and Scientific Research Cluster in Tashkent. The participants discussed the goals, current results, plans and expectations of the UzWaterAware project, which is the third component of European Union funded Programme “Sustainable Water Management in Rural Areas of Uzbekistan”.
The main aim of the expert’s visit is to give a mid-term evaluation of component 2 of EU Programme “Technical Capacity Building”, implemented by UNDP in Uzbekistan.
During work process and several meetings, Dr Froebrich evaluates several aspects of component 2, including relevance, quality of project design, the efficiency of implementation, effectiveness to date, partnership strategy with two other components and national partners, and potential sustainability of project interventions.
After a brief presentation of the UzWaterAware project on raising the awareness and partnership strengthening, CAREC specialists together with the expert and representatives of Component 2 discussed their cooperation, its effectiveness and ways for improvements. Also, participants of the meeting paid attention to cooperation with Component 1 of EU Programme “National Policy Framework for Water Governance and Integrated Water Resources Management”, implemented by GIZ.
Then, participants shared their ideas on future partnership. It is planned to organize media tours to pilot sites of components 1 and 2 for learning about works, carried out in basin irrigation system authorities, demonstration and other territories. Moreover, specialists of two components will share their technical and practical knowledge with the UzWaterAware project for publishing and sharing materials available and understandable to the wide audience.
At the end of the meeting, Dr Froebrich wished UzWaterAware project success in plans implementation, without stopping at the current results and continue reaching the goals.