News from the Secretariat

INPIM has undergone many changes during the last nine months. At this same time last year, we were comfortably ensconced in the World Bank. INPIM has begun making the transition toward becoming an autonomous, financially independent non-governmental organization (NGO). From September 1999, INPIM has employed its own staff directly, rather than through the World Bank, and the INPIM secretariat office moved from the World Bank into private office space in the Capitol Hill area of Washington. The transition of INPIM from dependency on the World Bank to full financial and logistical independence was envisioned from its establishment in 1995, and it is gratifying to see the organization take on a new shape as an independent entity. 

INPIM's first and thus far the only staff member is the Coordinator, Mathew Heberger who took over from Kelly Briscoe in September after she resigned to spend more time with her young daughter. Mathew was previously serving as a Water and Sanitation Extension Agent in the United States Peace Corps in Mali, West Africa from 1996-1998. He has a BSc in Agricultural and Biological Engineering from Cornell University.

The second staff position to be filled is that of the Executive Secretary. We are pleased to announce that this position will be filled by Mr. J. Raymond Peter from Hyderabad, India. Mr. Peter will be assuming the leadership role at INPIM in Washington, DC during the month of April 2000. His impressive track record makes him ideally suited to lead INPIM during this crucial time. He holds a Masters' Degree in Geology from Osmania University and has been a member of the Indian Administrative Service for the past 15 years. During this time he has held several senior and critical positions in state government, most recently as the Commissioner of the Irrigation & Command Area Development Department in Andhra Pradesh, India.

In this capacity he has been instrumental in conceptualizing and evolving the framework for Participatory Irrigation Management in that state. As a member of the Indian National Chapter of INPIM, Mr. Peter was instrumental in organizing the Fifth International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management in Hyderabad, India, December 14-21, 1999. Mr. Peter will take up his new assignment from April 2000 and may be contacted by fax or phone at the INPIM Secretariat, or by emailing rpeter@inpim.org.

Board Meeting

INPIM's Board of Directors met on December 14, 1999 in Hyderabad. Seven out of the 12 Board Members were in attendance. In addition, some board members elected proxies to vote and make decisions in their place, and a number of observers participated in the meeting at the invitation of the Board.

Mr. L.K. Joshi, until recently Joint Secretary for Water Resources in the Government of India, resigned his post as founding Board Member of INPIM, due to his departure from the capitol city of New Delhi to his home state of Madhya Pradesh. Mr. Joshi was instrumental in creating the INPIM organization at its genesis in 1995 and provided invaluable guidance in founding an organization that could meet the needs of a diverse set of stakeholders in many countries. Mr. Joshi then helped established a national chapter of INPIM in India, known as IndiaNPIM, and provided leadership to that organization until his resignation this year. INPIM owes a tremendous debt of gratitude for Mr. Joshi's key role in both the international and national organizations and we hope that he will continue to be involved with INPIM in the future. 

We are pleased to welcome Mr. Rakesh Hooja of India to the Board of Directors. Mr. Hooja has been a member of the Indian Administrative Service since 1973, and has authored several works on rural development, administration, and water resources.

We wish to thank Board Member Mr. Hiroshi Suzuki of Japan for his years of service to INPIM. In 1999, Mr. Suzuki retired from his post at the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. Please join me in welcoming our new Board Member for Japan, Mr. Kazuo Shimazaki, of the Japanese Institute of Irrigation and Drainage.

Support to National Chapters

The INPIM Secretariat acts as the coordinating arm of INPIM, offering assistance in the planning and execution of local chapter activities. The Secretariat office can assist national chapters as they become established as legal entities, and offers assistance during national seminars, and assist in finding funding sources to support their operations. 

During 1999, INPIM helped to broker a Ford Foundation grant of $160,000 to the national chapters in India and Nepal. This grant has allowed the Nepal chapter to organize a national seminar, and has provided funds to IndiaNPIM to staff a small secretariat office which undertakes a variety of activities, some of which are reported in the Country Updates section of this newsletter.

National Chapters Guidelines

At the INPIM Secretariat, we have created a document titled, ``Draft Guidelines for Establishment of INPIM National Chapters." National Chapters play a key role in the policy dialogue that has led to the adoption of PIM Programs in several countries. The purpose of the Guidelines is to help INPIM members organize themselves into a legally and financially viable organization in their countries. The Guidelines undergo periodic revision and we invite your comments and suggestions for making them more useful. The latest version is available on request from the Secretariat, or can be downloaded.