This is the half-yearly electronic news bulletin of SDC’s Mobility desk. We are sending this message to people we believe are involved or interested in transport related subjects and initiatives. Feel free to forward this mailing to your colleagues. Subscription issues are handled at http://www.trans-web.ch/news.htm.

This medium lives through interaction. You are invited to send us your articles, requests and information flashes to mailto:transweb[at]skat.ch. The editors are grateful for any contributions received!

Translation assistance / Aide à la traduction / Ayuda de la traducción: http://babelfish.altavista.com

Contents:

Statement of Intent for a SWAp in the Nepali rural transport sector signed

For more than 30 years, Switzerland has helped to improve the lives of a large number of poor marginalised villagers living in rural Nepal by bringing road access to the people and the experiences in road construction have influenced Nepal’s sector policies in many cases. SDC’s road programme has introduced a District Transport Master Planning methodology, worker welfare, maintenance policies, land compensation, conflict-sensitive project management and public hearings and audits, and has been successful in achieving wider acceptance of these policies countrywide. Above all, the ‘green roads concept’ that was developed for Nepal by SDC in association with GTZ adopts mainly labour based, environmentally friendly and participatory approaches, and is being used for the construction of local roads nationwide.

At the Nepal Donor Consultation Meeting 2008 (Feb. 21), led by the Government of Nepal, 7 major donors – Asian Development Bank (ADB), Department for International Development (DFID), German Technical Cooperation (GTZ), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), World Bank (WB) and World Food Programme (WFP) - involved in development of the rural transport sector in Nepal signed a Statement of Intent to adopt a Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) for the Rural Transport Sector. A harmonized and uniform approach is sought by all actors in the sector that would make the process of rural transport development effective and also supplement the Paris Declaration 2004. The joint press release and the Statement of Intent can be read at http://www.dolidar.gov.np/what_new.html.

DfID announces AFCAP launch

The UK Government's Department for International Development (DfID) has launched a major new research investment called the African Community Access Programme (AFCAP). AFCAP will provide support to African governments in their challenge to manage and maintain sustainable access to rural communities through a series of research, dissemination and training activities. AFCAP will be a 5-year long, £7.5 million programme that will initially cover 6 countries (Mozambique, Malawi, South Africa, Ghana, Ethiopia and Kenya). AFCAP will work in partnership with existing initiatives and investments to improve rural access and will feed output directly into national and regional strategies and policies to reduce poverty through improved rural access. AFCAP is being managed for DfID by Crown Agents who also manage the DfID sister programme in South East Asia - SEACAP http://www.seacap-info.org. For further information about AFCAP see http://www.gtkp.com/uploads/public/documents/Knowledge/AFCAP%20leaflet.pdf (140 KB).

New World Bank Group transport business strategy for 2008-2012

On May 21, 2008, the World Bank Group launched its new transport business strategy for 2008-2012 that should help partner countries establish the governance, strategies, policies and services to deliver transport for development in a way that is economically, financially, environmentally and socially sustainable. Called “Safe, Clean, and Affordable… Transport for Development”, the strategy strengthens the alignment of the transport sector approach with the MDGs. At the same time, it widens the directions and deepens the routes to meet the evolving development agenda. It gives more attention to emerging trends, such as trade globalization, urbanization of populations; to rising concerns about climate change, the increase in traffic congestion; and to the recognition of access as a key to both economic opportunity and good governance. The WB consulted widely in preparing its new strategy, seeking contributions from over 75 transport development partners, governments, professional institutions, civil society organizations, multi- and bilateral donors, and putting an early draft on its external website for four months to elicit public comments. Since the Bank’s 1996 transport strategy was endorsed by the World Bank’s Board of Directors, the Bank Group has committed around US$42 billion for more than 530 dedicated transport operations and transport components in over 500 non-transport specific projects in more than 100 client countries. Lending in fiscal year 2007 (July 1, 2006 – June 30, 2007) reached over US$5 billion, amounting to 20% of World Bank Group new annual commitments. View the new transport business strategy at http://go.worldbank.org/RSESS3TIJ0.

World Bank convened Transport for Health Access Workshop

In the context of the multisector aspects of the World Bank new Health Strategy and the Transport Business Strategy, the World Bank's Transport and Social Responsibility Thematic Group organised a workshop on June 18, 2008 to create a platform for reviewing current knowledge on the main transport-related barriers to maternal health and child care as well as some of the transport interventions to improve access. Attended by participants from private sector, civil society and multilateral organisations the discussions focused on the role of transport within the broader context of health referral systems, reviewing experiences with community transport interventions; the role of non-motorised transport such as bicycles as convenient and cost efficient means of transport; and other experiences that can lead to an improvement in the quality and efficiency of transport systems to improve health, while reducing maternal and child mortality in particular. The workshop also discussed key recommendations for the WB and invited partners on what should be concrete short and longer-term steps for creating effective linkages between the health and the transport sectors of the WB and organisations concerned with health services provision. The presentations and full workshop agenda are available at http://go.worldbank.org/3BK0ZFIGA0.

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Post Bridge Building Assessment of Trail Bridges in Nepal (Ansu Tumbahangfe, Jürg Christen)

Trail bridges are considered as the backbone of rural transport in Nepal. Built to provide safer river crossings throughout the country, they provide vital access to economic and social centres for rural populations who depend upon them for their mobility needs. The Trail Bridge Support Unit, which has been playing a key role in the construction, facilitation and monitoring of trail bridge construction in Nepal carried out a Post Bridge Building Assessment of trail bridges for Outcome Monitoring purposes from March to July 2008. The study focused upon two main areas: Access and Capacity Building. It chiefly sought to (i) analyze the changes in the behaviour and actions of the target beneficiaries after trail bridge construction; (ii) assess the environment at the local level to influence decision making by socially marginalized groups; and (iii) calculate the Rate of Return of Trail Bridges. The main benefits / outcomes of bridge building are summarised below.

Access to Education centres:

• Increase in attendance of students from across the river
• Students reach schools on time
• Parents no longer have to accompany their children to school
• Students no longer suffer any accidents while trying to cross the river

Access to Health Facilities:

• Increase in number of patients from across the river
• Increase in out reach services provided by health workers to communities that lie across the river
• Vaccination programs no longer disrupted by the rains
• Easier for pregnant women, elders and physically disabled to reach centers
• No delays in receiving treatment and medicine

Access to Markets:

• Transport of agricultural products and livestock has increased
• New shops have opened up near the bridges
• Perishable items (milk, vegetables) can be sold at local and regional markets throughout the year

Attending social/religious activities:

• Social ties have been reinforced
• Easier to visit religious and cultural sites

Performing household chores:

• Physical hardships is reduced
• Family members have more free time to spend with each other

Taking into consideration that the lack of access has strongly been correlated to poverty in Nepal one can conclude that trail bridges, through the improved and enhanced access that they provide to economic and social services, have acted as catalysts, to contribute towards the elimination of poverty in rural parts of the country. Furthermore, trainings provided to bridge craftspersons on bridge building skills was found to open up employment opportunities after bridge construction; with the former trainees benefiting from employment in the construction of school buildings, water tanks and irrigation canals.

Recommendations derived from the findings of the assessment chiefly underline that marginalised groups should be increasingly included in the decision-making process. In addition labour force should be insured properly and payments to labourers should be done in a timely manner. Long span bridges of strategic importance should be planned and built only after ascertaining the potential economic and transport growth that my occur in the area in future. Routine maintenance is a core issue that needs to be undertaken on a regular basis. A flexible system of routine maintenance has to be established involving various actors in the vicinity of the bridges. The full report can be obtained from mailto:tbssp[at]helvetas.org.np.

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Le PrEst au Burkina Faso est entré dans sa 3ème phase d’intervention (S. Yameogo / R. Schmid)

En 2002 la DDC au Burkina Faso à mise en place le "Programme Pistes Rurales – Désenclavement à l’Est" (PrEst) avec la finalité, dans une perspective décennale, l’existence dans la région d’un réseau de pistes de proximité carrossables, géré localement de façon durable. L’approche se base sur la recherche-action, le rôle du Programme étant celui d’un innovateur en méthodes et de facilitateur. La phase 1 (2002-03) a mis en place le dispositif et a testé l’approche, tandis que la phase 2 (2004-07) s’est focalisée sur le transfert des compétences, tout en considérant la réalisation et l’entretien des pistes comme outils d’apprentissage pour les acteurs à tous les niveaux.

Le PrEst a montré depuis l’importance capitale des pistes rurales dans la lutte contre la pauvreté au Burkina, du fait qu’elles sont un vecteur de mobilité des personnes et des biens. Une évaluation en fin 2007 a révélé que le PrEst s’est investi à la capitalisation de l’approche HIMO, bien assimilée par les acteurs. Les pistes sont très bien appréciées des usagers et concourent efficacement au développement socioéconomique de la région. Le PrEst a participé à la réduction de la pauvreté à travers la rémunération de la main-d’œuvre et les effets produits sur l’économie de la région. Il a contribué au désenclavement en réalisant des pistes, à la sensibilisation des acteurs à travers la communication de thèmes transversaux et au renforcement des capacités des bénéficiaires, et il a doté les collectivités de compétences techniques. Le PrEst a renforcé la décentralisation dans sa zone d’intervention et a nourri les réflexions nationales sur les pistes rurales. De par son actualité et sa pertinence, l’expérience mérite d’être capitalisée en vue d’une recherche d’envergue.

La planification participative de la phase 3 s’est alors inspirée de la vision selon laquelle le Programme, en fin de phase, aura su mettre en place les éléments fédérateurs et la capacité d’action pour un passage à l’échelle des interventions de désenclavement à l’Est et au niveau national, et qu’il aura transférer l’expertise de la cellule d’appui du PrEst aux intervenants locaux, ceci dans une stratégie de retrait progressif de l’appui direct aux acteurs. Pour ce faire, la phase 3 (avril 2008 - mars 2011, dotée de ~4'000'000 CHF) vise:

• La mise en place d’un mécanisme de financement des pistes rurales au niveau régional;
• Le renforcement des capacités de des collectivités territoriales, la professionnalisation du secteur privé et la consolidation du cadre institutionnel à travers des interventions pistes en apprentissage;
• La promotion de la bonne gouvernance locale et de la citoyenneté;
• La continuation de la recherche-action et la documentation en matière de pistes HIMO;
• L’ancrage des compétences et du savoir de la cellule d’appui dans le marché régional / national.

Le Programme est placé sous la tutelle technique du Ministère des Infrastructures et du Désenclavement et la tutelle financière du Ministère de l’Economie et des Finances. La DDC mandate Helvetas pour l’exécution du Programme, assurée par la cellule d’appui à Fada et ses 3 antennes provinciales. Un comité de pilotage constitue le cadre de décision, d’orientation et d’échanges sur les opérations, les études et réflexions menées et les résultats atteints par le programme. Vu la situation socioéconomique et du transport dans la région de l’Est, l’action de désenclavement à travers la réhabilitation de pistes rurales selon l’approche HIMO recèle un potentiel formidable pour accroître les moyens d’existence, la mobilité et l’accès aux services, ressources et opportunités des populations, pour dynamiser l’économie locale, pour réduire l’émigration et pour lutter contre la pauvreté. Les interventions programmées s’inscrivent dans le Cadre Stratégique de Lutte Contre la Pauvreté, la Stratégie Nationale de Transport Rural et le processus de la décentralisation/déconcentration. L’appui au désenclavement et au développement de pistes rurales répond à la finalité stratégique de la DDC au Burkina en intégrant le domaine "Etat local".

Pour plus d’information, consultez http://www.helvetas.ch/Burkina_Faso/wFrancais/programme/prest.asp et http://www.trans-web.ch/mobility/countries/burkina.htm ou écrivez à mailto:helvetas-fada[at]fasonet.bf.

The DRILP is breaking new ground with the ADB-SDC collaboration in Nepal (R. Workman)

The Decentralized Rural Infrastructure and Livelihoods Project (DRILP) in Nepal is funded by a loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), with Technical Assistance being provided by SDC, through consultants FRISA-ITECO and Skat. Over the period 2005-2011 it supports road construction and maintenance in 18 remote and mountainous districts, whilst also implementing supplementary investments to enhance the livelihoods of local people. The main aim is to reduce poverty, especially that of disadvantaged groups, and provide appropriate and environmentally friendly access to previously unconnected and remote areas.

All participating districts have completed a detailed planning phase, which includes ensuring environmental regulations are complied with and that people who provide land for the road are fairly compensated. Roads are selected through an inclusive process which identifies and priorities the most important roads in the district. Most districts have already embarked on the construction, which will be carried out following labour-based principles, employing the poorest and most needy local people to work on the road. Supplementary investments include small projects such as water supply, mini-hydro power, etc. and are also implemented with the help of local people. The Government of Nepal is integrally involved in the project: the Department of Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads (DoLIDAR) is the coordinating agency and has technical and social staff in all districts, as well as a core team in Kathmandu. Government staff work with the consultants and local NGOs at the district level to implement the project. The results will make a significant difference to rural communities, some of whom have to walk for 6 or 7 days to the nearest road head. By targeting the poorest and most disadvantaged, the project will contribute towards addressing inequalities that exist in Nepali society.

This project is breaking new ground with the collaboration between the ADB and SDC. An external review of this collaboration was carried out in October 2007, which had the aim of summarising the characteristics and results of this experience with a view towards identifying and disseminating best practice of bilateral – multilateral harmonisation. This example of collaboration proved to be effective with good relations between the partners, leading to higher efficiency and savings in transition costs. Another positive output is the establishment of a single Joint Steering Committee for all rural roads projects. Possibly the most significant long-term benefit of the DRILP collaboration is the consolidation of best practice. The project has produced a Project Procedures Manual, which will be used as a basis for other similar projects. This contains guidelines on all aspects of the project, including the groundbreaking areas of resettlement, environmental protection, equitable & inclusive planning and rural road technical training.

To download the Project Procedures Manual and other DRILP documents, such as the DRILP Overview Report, visit the DRILP website at http://www.drilpnepal.org/drilp/dl_others.htm. In addition, the “Asia Brief – Roads to Prosperity” (see recommended reading section) shows how SDC is supporting Nepal in all areas of the rural roads sector.

Visit http://www.trans-web.ch/mobility/countries.htm for further information about SDC’s in-country activities.

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Asia Brief: “Nepal – Roads to Prosperity, Partnership Results” (SDC, 2008)

For more than 30 years, Switzerland has helped to improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor marginalised villagers living in rural Nepal by bringing road access to the people. Through the District Roads Support Programme (DRSP), it has generated employment and income through labour-based road-construction work and development of livelihood-enhancement skills. Apart from the construction of about 100 kms of rural roads, road construction has generated more than 2 million person-days of labour. See http://www.deza.admin.ch/ressources/resource_en_166739.pdf (304KB).

IFRTD Update 7: “From Mountain to Market” (IFRTD, 2007)

In the mountainous regions of Nepal physical isolation can mean that communities face an exhausting, time-consuming and often dangerous journey to get their crops to market, particularly during the rainy season. In this issue of the IFRTD Update Series a recent programme by Practical Action Nepal to demonstrate the gravity ropeway technology as a viable means of goods transportation in hilly and mountainous regions is profiled. The lessons highlighted are based upon the findings of an external evaluation carried out by the IFRTD in 2006. Download the Update from http://www.ifrtd.org/new/updates/list.htm.

“Lessons Learned from Mainstreaming HIV/AIDS in Transport Sector Projects in Sub-Saharan Africa” (WB, 2008)

The paper reviews the process, results and challenges of mainstreaming HIV/AIDS prevention activities into the transport sector in Sub-Saharan Africa based upon the working definition provided by UNAIDS: "a process that enables development actors to address the causes and effects of AIDS in an effective and sustainable manner, both through their usual work and within their workplace". Download the report from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTAFRSUBSAHTRA/Resources/HIV-Mainstreaming-Transport.pdf (264KB).

“Partnering to combat corruption in infrastructure services” (WEDC, 2007)

This toolkit brings together, in a systematic way, a variety of individual tools, which support the process of combating corruption in infrastructure services. The tools are synthesized from real world experience; derived from a review of literature, desk-based case surveys and country case studies. The toolkit is cross-sectoral in its approach, making it of relevance to those working on water supply, sanitation, drainage, roads and paving, transport, solid waste management, street lighting and housing sectors. Order the guide at http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/publications/details.php?book=978-1-84380-125-2&keyword=&subject=0&sort=TITLE

Further selected links to online publications are provided at http://www.trans-web.ch/links/links.htm

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CONFERENCE: ADB Transport Forum, Manila, Philippines, 9-12 Sept., 2008

“Asia on the Move: Energy Efficient and Inclusive Transport” – An exchange platform Government officials, policymakers, private sector, donor agencies, academics, civil society groups and business leaders on holistic approaches and solutions for sustainable transport development (with focus on climate change, governance, road safety, PPP). http://www.adb.org/Documents/Events/2008/ADB-Transport-Forum-2008/.

WORKSHOP: gTKP Africa Region Governance Workshop, Yaoundé, Cameroon, 23-25 Sept., 2008

“Mobilising civil society to improve governance in transport” – capturing practical governance case studies and developing straightforward road sector benchmarks appropriate for use by road sector stakeholders. http://www.gtkp.com/sectors.asp?step=4&typeOfPage=0&contentID=1473.

TRAINING: Engineers Course on Labour-based Roadworks, Kisii, Kenya, Oct. 6 – Nov. 14 2008

Training targeted at engineers and managers of labour-based roadworks, covering choice of technology, all aspects of planning, implementation and management of labour-based construction and maintenance of roadworks. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/recon/eiip/events/training.htm

TRAINING: Road Safety in Asian Countries, Diepenbeek, Belgium, Oct. 12-24, 2008

The Transportation Research Institute (Hasselt University) runs a two week training programme on “Road Safety in Asian Countries: Principles and Approaches” where participants will be taught how to assess, measure and address in practice, road (un)safety and other road related issues specific to their own countries. http://www.imob.uhasselt.be/index.php?page=115&action=language&language=3.

CONFERENCE: CODATU XIII, Hô Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 12-14 Nov., 2008

“Sustainable Development Challenges of Transport in Cities of the Developing World: Doing what works” - new ways to approach urban mobility in order to face the challenges of sustainable development and competitiveness of cities, based on the presentation of theoretical and practical case studies and analyses. http://www.codatu.org/english/conferences/vietnam08.htm

For further events or event agendas you may visit http://www.trans-web.ch/links/events.htm

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Global Transport Atlas: http://www.globaltransportatlas.de

The aim of this website under construction is to encourage people around the world to share their own knowledge on transport problems, and to present this in the form of very brief pdf documents.

EIIP-ILO: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/recon/eiip

The website of the Employment Intensive Investment Programme (EIIP) of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) provides access to a wide range of documents on local resource based road works.

Global Infrastructure Anti Corruption Centre (GIACC): http://www.giaccentre.com

The GIACC Resource Centre is a web-resource which provides free access to information, advice and tools designed to help stakeholders understand, prevent and identify corruption.

Further selected links are available at http://www.trans-web.ch/links/links.htm

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-- DISCLAIMER --

The content of “FOCUS ON MOBILITY” does not necessarily reflect the official policies of SDC. Information contained may be freely used for non-commercial purposes, as long as SDC is duly acknowledged. For further information, please visit http://www.trans-web.ch/news.htm

The “FOCUS ON MOBILITY” team are:
- Thomas Zeller (SDC), +41 31 322 34 42, mailto:thomas.zeller[at]deza.admin.ch
- Roger Schmid / Juerg Christen (Skat), +41 71 228 54 54, mailto:roger.schmid[at]skat.ch / mailto:juerg.christen[at]skat.ch

“FOCUS ON MOBILITY” is a service provided by Skat within the “SDC Support Mandate in Mobility”. More information at http://www.trans-web.ch

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