Dear colleagues,

This is the electronic news bulletin of the Mobility desk within the Social Development Division of SDC. We are sending this message to people we believe are involved or interested in transport related subjects and initiatives. Subscription issues for this half-yearly mailing 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@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:

TransNet at the SDC internal “CoP Dare To Share” event

Swiss Development Cooperation (SDC), in its attempts to be a learning organisation, fosters knowledge management and learning processes at individual, team and organisational level. Communities of Practice (CoP) are considered as a particularly interesting and convincing way of knowledge sharing and learning. The CoP Dare to Share event held on 17th January 2007 at the SDC headquarters provided time and space for all CoPs existing within SDC’s sphere of collaboration to present themselves in a big market. SDC collaborators were invited to stroll around the market stands to discover the large variety of the CoPs and their “story”, goals, organisational features, achieved results and challenges.

TransNet presented itself at the event as a Swiss-based informal CoP with the aim to promote the dialogue and to coordinate and exchange information, know-how and experiences as a basis for mutual learning with other public and private, national and international actors in order to improve mobility and transport in middle and low-income countries. The event allowed also SDC’s thematic service for knowledge and research to launch tools and publications regarding CoPs and to gather information for establishing a “CoP Manifest”. More about CoPs within and around SDC can be found at http://www.communityofpractice.ch and further information about the TransNet is available at http://www.trans-web.ch/transnet/transnet.htm

New Regional Coordinator of IFRTD for Western and Central Africa (from Guy Kemtsop, IFRTD)

The International Forum for Rural Transport and Development (IFRTD) is a global network of individuals and organisations working together towards improved access, mobility and economic opportunity for poor communities in developing countries. The Western and Central African (WCA) region of the IFRTD encompasses 10 predominantly francophone countries including Niger, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Chad, Benin, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Members in these countries range from recipients of IFRTD’s regular publications, through active individuals or organisations engaged in the Forum activities, to affiliated national networks known as National Forum Groups (NFGs).

End of 2006 IFRTD appointed a new WCA Regional Coordinator: Guy Kemtsop is based in Douala and works as a member of IFRTD’s decentralised secretariat to lead and facilitate networking, knowledge sharing, and policy advocacy activities in the region. IFRTD recently adopted a new strategy for 2007–11 developed in consultation with its members throughout the world. In the coming years IFRTD WCA faces the challenge of operationalising this strategy at national and regional level, which will demand: i) increased visibility of the Forum at both national and regional level; ii) improved mechanisms for information and experiences sharing in the region; and iii) capitalisation of existing information and knowledge in the region. For further information about IFRTD’s WCA region and NFGs, please visit http://www.ifrtd.org, or contact the Regional Coordinator mailto:guy.kemtsop@ifrtd.org.

World Bank Transport Forum and Learning Week 2007

The Transport Forum and Learning Week is the WB’s yearly marquee event when staff working in the sector from around the world, come together to review transport’s contribution to the development agenda of fighting global poverty and to sharpen their skills for greater impact when working with clients. This year’s Forum, held March 26 – 30, centred on the priority themes of the updated Transport Sector Business Strategy - “safe, clean and affordable… Transport for Development”. It consisted of 3 days of cross cutting thematic sessions addressing safe, clean and affordable transport for development as well as transport’s impacts on poverty reduction. The remaining 2 days offered a series of Learning Events. Presentations and background papers of the Forum can be found at http://go.worldbank.org/V5ICSNZHV0.

IFRTD Opinions Fair 2007

Each month, the IFRTD posts a new rural transport and development theme and invites you submit a short opinion piece (1’000 words) examining the issue from the perspective of your own working experience or studies. The monthly winner of this writing competition wins a prize and gets his/her opinion piece published on the IFRTD website. June’s theme is e.g. “Transport and Governance” and the IFRTD Secretariat must receive the entries by the last day of the month. Go to http://www.ifrtd.org/new/issues/op_fair07.php for more information and joining the competition.

< back to top >

From evaluation to action: results of transport project evaluations and their implications

The Independent Evaluation Groups of the World Bank and the KfW Entwicklungsbank have published recently the results of evaluations of their organisations’ assistance to the transport sector over the past ten years. These point out many achievements of completed transport projects. At the same time they highlight the enormous future challenges developing countries face in their transport sectors. On the one hand, transport infrastructure plays a key role in fostering economic development and fighting poverty, but on the other the rapidly growing transport sector also has a darker side that includes the negative impacts of pollution, noise, accidents and security issues – especially in the expanding urban agglomerations.

Over the past decade, well over 15% of World Bank lending has been allocated to 642 transport or transport-related projects, exceeding US$30 billion in total lending, with a distinctive focus on road rehabilitation and construction (80% of the transport business). These commitments rank third in importance after the law, justice and public administration sector and the social sector. Also for the KfW the financial commitments for transport in the past 10 years – about 17 billion EUR – represent with 16% an important part of KfW’s total engagement. Sub-sector allocation shows a high focus on rail (52%) and roads (28%) without dominance of long-distance roads. Generally there has been a scaling up of transport investment in the past 5 years, as the link between poverty reduction and transport has become better understood. The confidence for private investment in transport returned and is recovering strongly. Also experience shows that in some conditions greater use of the private sector can achieve considerable efficiencies, private sector involvement remains a complex and sensitive area where client commitment to such changes is crucial. Capacity building of the partner institution and the quality of sector policy are seen as key factor for complex transport systems’ success. Management and accountability are improving in countries where road funds, agencies and boards are functioning properly. Further both urban and rural poverty can be reduced when transport improves accessibility and affordability for the poor, but the distributional impact of transport projects is still under-researched and often underestimated. The sector’s monitoring & evaluation capacity needs to be improved.

The World Bank evaluation concludes that past performance has been well managed and effective, especially for intercity highway construction and rehabilitation, that its approach to transport contributed to private sector development particularly through private contracting of maintenance, that project outcome ratings have shown a steady improvement since the early 1900s and that key elements of the current strategy – sustainability, private sector involvement and urban strategy – remain relevant today. However, the evaluation also concludes that transport must now focus more on confronting cross-cutting issues such as traffic congestion, environmental damages, safety, efficiency and affordability. This will necessitate more innovative, multi-sectoral approaches to resolve these complex and urgent country and global concerns. The WB may have to reconsider its priorities to fully address these challenging social, political and environmental issues and shift resources to ensuring efficient multimodal transport, improved rural linkages and better urban transport.

More detailed information about the WB evaluation can be found at http://go.worldbank.org/A75E29WWE0

The KfW evaluation in turn concludes that almost all evaluated projects have substantial developmental and poverty reducing impact, but that there is scope for enhancing the effectiveness. In projects with a direct impact on the target group and a strong regional orientation, the recommendation is that an in-depth analysis of the local causes of poverty and development potential, close coordination with other development initiatives in the same region and a project design that is specifically geared to poverty reduction are part of the process. In the case of projects, which promote economic growth and therefore tend to have an indirect impact on the target group, the key to success usually lies in creating appropriate sectoral incentives structures for the transport infrastructure to operate efficiently. Efforts to bring about the sectoral and executing agency reforms needed to resolve efficiency and effectiveness problems should provide clear evidence of the will to reform. However, these reforms should have already been adopted and activated as policy measures. The impact and efficiency of the assistance will be heavily dependent on the extent to which the international donor community is able to adopt a unified stance vis-à-vis the partners and to make joint offers of support or at least ones that have been closely coordinated.

More detailed information about the KfW evaluation is contained in their “Ninth Evaluation Report (2004/05)” downloadable at http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/EN_Home/Service/Online_Library/Evaluation.jsp

< back to top >

Consolidation des acquis du programme Routes Rurales Gaya - DDC au Niger (par Ibrahim Bâ, DDC)

Depuis 1997, la Direction du Développement et de la Coopération (DDC) au Niger, à travers son programme "Routes Rurales Gaya ", a contribué au désenclavement des zones de hautes potentialités agro-pastorales par la construction et l'entretien de routes rurales dont la maîtrise d'ouvrage est assurée successivement par les communautés villageoises et les communes. Aujourd'hui, le département de Gaya dispose d'un réseau routier adéquat et praticable: 232 des 237 villages sont à moins de 10km d'une route traficable toute l'année; tous les chefs lieux de communes et les principaux marchés sont accessibles. Les services sociaux de base (case de santé, centres administratifs) sont à moins de 9km pour 54% des villages. Le coût de l'entretien courant est de 150’000 FCFA/km/an (moyenne nationale est 250’000 FCFA/km/an).

Pour pérenniser cet acquis, un dispositif de planification pluri acteurs et de gestion durable des routes a été mis en place à Gaya. Ce dispositif est constitué de cantonniers regroupés dans 6 Brigades Communales d'Entretien Routier (BCER) responsables de l'entretien préventif et de la Caisse de Financement de l'Entretien Routier Autonome (CFERA), maître d'ouvrage déléguée qui assure le financement et la gestion des travaux d'entretien routier courant. Consciente que les routes rurales de Gaya sont en terre et nécessitent un entretien considérable afin de garantir leur viabilité, la DDC monté un "Programme de Consolidation du Système d'Entretien Routier de Gaya (PCSER/G)". Son objectif est de renforcer les acquis du programme à travers le développement d'un entretien durable du réseau minimal cohérent assuré par les acteurs locaux et d'essayer d'influencer la politique nationale et les approches dans le secteur des routes.

Après 9 ans (1997-2006), les acquis du programme Routes Rurales Gaya placent les expériences de la DDC Niger dans le secteur des routes rurales parmi les références de la sous-région. Cette approche sociale appliquée aux infrastructures routières cadre avec les préoccupations de gestion locale que le processus de la décentralisation place au centre des préoccupations des politiques et stratégies nationales de développement. Les principaux enjeux pour ce nouveau programme sont la consolidation institutionnelle des organes locaux d’entretien routier (BCER, conseils communaux, CFERA, services techniques, PME locales) et la consolidation des investissements réalisés. Planifié sur 6 ans, le programme se déroulera en deux phases de 3 ans dont la 1ère a débuté en janvier 2007 avec un budget de CHF 1'100'000. Il comprend un volet de "développement institutionnel" des organes du dispositif d’entretien et un volet "financement de l’entretien" avec une contribution dégressive. Pour assurer un retrait avec succès, le PCSER/G va veiller à une mobilisation croissante et interne des fonds dédiés à l’entretien routier et va élaborer et mettre en place un plan de transfert de ses fonctions actuelles d'appui conseil aux acteurs/actrices locaux.

Pour plus d’information, mailto:ibrahim.ba@sdc.net ou visitez http://www.ddc-niger.ch/fr/Accueil

Update on the International Networked Research on Mobility & Health (from Roger Schmid, Skat)

The IFRTD, the SDC, the Swiss Resource Centre and Consultancies for Development (Skat) and the Swiss Centre for International Health (SCIH) are carrying out a two-year research program on the links between mobility and health, which started in 2006. The program aims to increase the understanding of the impacts of mobility constraints on the health, well-being and issues of poor people in different developing country contexts, to develop tools enabling transport professionals to include holistic health impact assessments and mitigation measures in transport interventions and to elaborate an advocacy programme to sensitise the health sector to mobility issues. The program uses the “networked research methodology’” to bring people from different contexts together to build a common analytical framework for their research, encouraging ownership not just of the research, but also of the process itself.

23 case studies (8 in Africa and Asia each, 7 in Latin America) are ongoing, looking at the theme from a variety of angles and aimed at demonstrating the existing and potential links between mobility and health, especially in rural areas. After completion of the studies, an International Symposium will be organised to gather all the researches and the program’s core team together. Here the research findings will be shared and synthesized, whilst starting to develop an advocacy strategy that will ensure that the research leverages change. The symposium is expected to be aligned with the forthcoming annual event of the “Global Forum for Health Research” (29th October to 2nd November, Beijing) and to organize a half-day panel session within the Forum’s programme. This will be a unique opportunity to stimulate dialogue between the health and transport sectors on the research results and to encourage cross-sectoral debate and future collaboration between health and transport professionals from Africa, Asia and Latin America. Further information and recent news about the research program can be found at http://www.mobilityandhealth.org.

Réhabilitation et entretien de pistes et d’ouvrages anti-érosifs au Tchad (par Roger Schmid, Skat)

Financé depuis 1996 par la DDC dans les régions de Biltine et de l'Ennedi, le programme de "Réhabilitation de pistes et lutte anti-érosive" a permis en 10 ans de réhabiliter plus de 840km de pistes et de désenclaver la majeure partie des 2 régions. Avant l’action, la circulation entre centres de production et de consommation était presque inexistante. Depuis, la mobilité des biens et des personnes s’est grandement améliorée illustrée par la forte augmentation du trafic routier, des marchés hebdomadaires ayant doublé leur capacité, des échanges avec les pays voisins faisant baisser de plus de 30% le prix de produits manufacturés importés et l’apparition de nouvelles activités commerciales, exercées surtout par les femmes. Et même si ce n'était pas l'objectif initial, les pistes réhabilitées ont aussi facilité l’accès aux camps de réfugiés provenant du Darfour et à la frontière est du Tchad, extrêmement difficile d'accès en saison pluvieuse. L’approche HIMO a permis de lutter efficacement contre la pauvreté et l’exode rural par la création d’emplois et l’opportunité pour les communautés locales d’apprendre un métier chez elles. Les mesures mécaniques (diguettes, digues filtrantes, seuils d’épandages) réalisées le long des pistes et dans les ouadis ont limité, voire éradiqué les dégradations de l'érosion hydrique et ont contribué au rétablissement du couvert végétal, au rehaussement de la nappe phréatique et à la restauration et la conservation des eaux et du sol ainsi que la reprise des activités de production sur des terres délaissées.

L’action de désenclavement pérenne appuyée par la DDC au Tchad se poursuit aujourd’hui d’une part dans la région du Ouaddaï par la réhabilitation de l’axe Abéché – Goz-Beïda. En ouvrant cet axe à une circulation en toute saison, elle vise à désenclaver une région à fortes potentialités (considérée le grenier de la région orientale du Tchad) ainsi qu’à permettre l’approvisionnement urgent en nourritures par les organismes humanitaires des réfugies du Darfour installés dans la région. D’autre part l’action vise le renforcement des capacités des acteurs de la gestion et de l’entretien des pistes et ouvrages anti-érosifs. L’objectif est que les régions installent des institutions compétentes et dynamiques sur le plan technique, organisationnel et de gestion pour participer à l'organisation, au financement et à l'exécution des travaux d'entretien réalisés principalement par une main d'œuvre locale (groupements d'intérêt économique ou tacherons) compétente et disponible formée auparavant sur les différents chantiers de réhabilitation. Forte des expériences acquises dans le passé, l’action fournie également un appui au Ministère des Travaux Publics et des Transports dans la formulation d’une politique d’entretien des pistes rurales - basée largement sur les expériences de la méthodologie d’intervention de l’action de la DDC - adaptée aux différents contextes socio-économiques et écologiques du pays afin d’assurer une durabilité aux pistes réhabilitées.

Pour plus d’information, mailto:mahamat.guihini@sdc.net ou visitez http://www.cooperationsuisse.td/

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

< back to top >

“Trail Bridges in Nepal: Partnership Results” (SDC Asian Brief, 2006)

The Asia Brief Series aims at informing development practitioners and the public about new developments, results and impacts of Swiss development cooperation in Asia. It particularly highlights past and present efforts to achieve aid effectiveness through partnerships among Swiss agencies and with local partners. With the construction of trail bridges, Switzerland contributes to the saving of millions of walking hours in Nepal; people gain easier access to their fields, public services, medical centres, schools, temples, and markets. Read more in http://162.23.39.120/dezaweb/ressources/resource_en_154735.pdf (pdf, 2.7MB).

“Le Financement de l’Entretien Routier en Afrique Subsaharienne” (M. Benmaamar, SSATP, 2006)

Il existe aujourd’hui au moins 27 fonds routiers en Afrique subsaharienne, chiffre qui devrait croître dans les années à venir compte tenu des réformes en cours. Avec le sous-titre “réformes et progrès vers les fonds de seconde génération”, le document examine les critères d’évaluation des fonds routiers de deuxième génération et présente un aperçu de leur performance. Il fait également état des difficultés rencontrées dans la mise en place de ce type de fonds routiers. L’objectif ici est de mieux comprendre ce qui définit une pratique optimale dont les pays pourraient s’inspirer à la création ou lors d’une restructuration d’un fonds routier: http://www4.worldbank.org/afr/ssatp/Resources/SSATP-DiscussionPapers/dp06_fr.pdf (pdf, 260KB).

“A Decade of Action in Transport” (IEG/WB, 2007)

This evaluation assesses the World Bank’s activities in transport during the period 1995–2005 as well as its preparedness to meet emerging challenges. It concludes that past performance has been well managed and effective, especially for intercity highway construction and rehabilitation, that the Bank’s approach to transport contributed to private sector development particularly though private contracting of maintenance, that project outcome ratings have shown a steady improvement since the early 1990s, and that key elements of the current strategy - sustainability, private sector involvement, and urban strategy - remain relevant today. http://go.worldbank.org/8KZ2W5PEE0

“Paving ways. – Developing potential.” (KfW, 2006)

The focus of this evaluation report (2004/05) on KfW projects / programmes in developing countries is on transport; a special chapter analyses the risks and opportunities of financial cooperation projects in that sector. The evaluation has found that the poverty reducing effects of transport projects are usually underestimated rather than overestimated. This underlines the importance of the recent international donor initiatives to expand infrastructure support. The basis for this decision is the vital realisation that in many countries a vast improvement in the transport infrastructure is an essential precondition for achieving the MDGs. http://www.kfw-entwicklungsbank.de/EN_Home/Service/Online_Library/Evaluation.jsp

< back to top >

CONFERENCE: 11th World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR Society)

The conference will bring together transportation managers, policy analysts, advisers, operators and academics, all with a common interest in promoting state of the art and state of the practice in all areas of transport. University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA, 24-28 June 2007. http://www.uctc.net/wctrs

CONGRESS: XXIIIrd World Road Congress (PIARC)

The congress will feature technical sessions (governance and management of the road system, sustainable mobility, safety and road operations, quality of road infrastructures), exhibition, special sessions and technical visits. Palais des Congrès, Paris, France, 17-21 September 2007. http://www.paris2007-road.org

SEMINAR: 12th Regional Seminar for Labour-Based Practitioners (ILO)

“Prioritizing Employment in Government Policies and Investments in Infrastructure Programmes” with focus on key development issues that increase the impact on employment creation. Durban, South Africa, 8-12 October. http://www.ilo.org/public/english/employment/recon/eiip/news/workshop.htm

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

< back to top >

Online SDC / IFRTD Toolkit on Rural Transport Infrastructure: http://www.ifrtd.org/toolkit/index.htm

The tri-lingual (En/Fr/Sp) SDC / IFRTD toolkit for “Promoting Sustainability of Rural Transport Infrastructure – Rehabilitation and Maintenance” is now also accessible online.

New gTKP website: http://www.gtkp.com

The new portal of the global Transport Knowledge Partnership (gTKP) enables you to search and browse for knowledge across a large range of themes, engage with 3 focus areas and build your own on-line portal.

Gender and Transport Resource Guide (World Bank): http://go.worldbank.org/8UM0JINC50

The materials in the online guide provide practitioners in the transport sector with guidance and background materials directed at answering the questions of "Why?" and "How to?" support gender mainstreaming.

Worldmapper – The world as you’ve never seen it before: http://www.worldmapper.org

Worldmapper is a collection of world maps, where territories are re-sized on each map according to the subject of interest. Maps are categorized and contain also a series of information regarding transport issues.

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

< back to top >

-- 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), mailto:thomas.zeller@deza.admin.ch, ++41 31 322 34 42
- Roger Schmid / Juerg Christen (Skat), mailto:transweb@skat.ch, ++41 71 228 54 54

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

< back to top >