april2009
April 2009
Regional High-level Meeting on Rainwater Harvesting Kathmandu, May 27-29, 2009
Background
The Government of Nepal has demonstrated the importance of harvesting and preserving rain water in rural and urban settings. Its policy highlights the need to collect and use all rainwater productively. Several countries in the South Asia Region have gained experience and all regional countries would benefit from exchanging experiences and expertise on promotion and application of rain water harvesting (RWH) system.
In September 2006, the Government of Sri Lanka invited ministers from SAARC countries to the city of Kandy to consult about the role of RWH in drinking water supply and water resources management across the region. The meeting proved a very worthwhile exchange of ideas and experiences.
The Fifteenth SAARC Summit held in Colombo through 2-3 August 2008 in its Declaration “Partnership for Growth for Our People” re-emphasized the need to harness rainwater for development and sustainability and urged countries to take appropriate action.
To support the initiatives, the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works plans to hold a Regional High-level Meeting on Rain Water Harvesting, and invite Ministers / Secretaries, senior policy makers and officials of SAARC countries to lead appropriate delegations of national experts for a Meeting to take place from May 27-29, 2009 in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Objective
The overall objective of the Meeting is to benefit from sharing knowledge, expertise and experiences among each country in the region. Field experiences and research results on technical, social, ecological and economic aspects of RWH will be shared the potential of using rain water for drinking, ground water recharge and for other domestic applications will further explored. Current policies and guidelines adopted in the regional countries will also be reviewed for their effectiveness
Resource persons
Experts shall be identified and invited for technical paper presentation from Nepal, the Region and beyond as well. They will be selected to cover policy, research and practical experiences as per objective of the meeting. It isexpected that half of the experts shall be from the SAARC Region. National and international experts involved in policy making, research, field work, entrepreneurs and beneficiaries will participate in the panel discussions
Participants
This is a high-level meeting inviting Ministers or high-level officials of SAARC countries along with the subject experts. Some key participants will also be invited through both government and non-government channels.
National participants will be invited through stakeholder partners that are active in the sector. Experts and practitioners involved in water and sanitation and rain water harvesting will be encouraged to participate. Some participants will also be invited from private and academic institutions. The total number of participants is estimated to be around 150 including around 20% foreign delegates.
Registration
Participants will be invited through sectoral partners. The nominations done by the partners should be confirmed by the nominee with contact person through appropriate channels. Final conformation will be intimated by organizing committee. Other interested agencies, experts and individuals are also welcome for participation by confirmation from the organizing committee. There is no fee for registration.
Financial arrangements
The local cost of hosting this activity will be borne by the Government of Nepal, with support from FINNIDA Helvetas, Rain Foundation/BSP RWSSFDB, UN-Habitat, Water Aid, WHO and other sector partners. The local organizing committee will host the Chief de’ mission of the national delegation.
Other participants will be required to arrange their own travel and accommodation, through their own funds or through national support agencies.