The New Chairman of INPIM Takes Office

Mr. Salah Darghouth of the World Bank assumed the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors of the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management (INPIM) on January 1, 2002. He was unanimously elected by the Board. He has succeeded Mr. Francois-Marie Patorni who left office in December 2001.

Mr. Darghouth is currently serving as Sector Manager Water and Environment for the Middle East and Northern Africa region of the World Bank. Since Mr. Darghouth joined the World Bank in 1979, he has held a large number of professional, leadership, and managerial positions in the fields of Rural Development, Water and Natural Resource Management, and Environment. As Sector Manager, he currently leads the Bank's efforts in promoting the water and environment agenda in the MENA region. In addition, Mr. Darghouth had been an active member of several World Bank sector boards and thematic groups focusing on rural development, water, and environment.

Mr. Darghouth is a Tunisian national. He holds a Master's Degree equivalent in Agricultural Sciences and Economics from the Institut National Agronomique (INA) in Paris, France and a Ph.D. equivalent in Rural Engineering and Water Resources Management from the Ecole Nationale du Génie Rural, des Eaux et Forêts (ENGREF), also in Paris, France. INPIM will grow into a stronger organization under the dynamic leadership and guidance of Mr. Darghouth.

New Coordinator

Josiane Georges has been appointed to the position of Coordinator of INPIM. She officially joined the INPIM Secretariat staff in March 2002. She replaces Matthew Heberger who left INPIM to pursue a graduate degree in August 2001.

Ms. Georges is an experienced project administrator with over 5 years of experience. She is a graduate of Cornell University and is pursuing a dual Masters degree in International Development and Economics on a part-time basis at American University.

We Need You...
INPIM members and newsletter readers - to keep INPIM's library up to date with the latest information from every corner of the world. If you do not have a formal paper, consider sending us your thoughts as a "Letter to the Editor," a newsletter article, or photographs of PIM activities in your country. We always appreciate receiving documents electronically, and can accept almost any format. We also accept materials sent by post or fax.
Please send all materials to INPIM's Coordinator, Josiane Georges, at coordinator@inpim.org or at the INPIM Secretariat address found on page 6 of this newsletter.

INPIM Activities

Website Update: Theme pages are being added to the INPIM website. The first page on Irrigation and Poverty has been posted and can be viewed by visiting http://www.inpim.org/Topic_Page/topic_page.html. A page on Gender and PIM is currently under publication and will be posted on the web shortly.

Rosenberg International Forum on Water Policy: Mr. J. Raymond Peter, Exec. Dir. of INPIM will be attending and presenting the case of Andhra Pradesh's experience with irrigation reform at this forum. Held every other year and attended by the world's senior water scholars and senior water managers, this year's Rosenberg Forum will be held in Canberra, Australia from 7 to 11 October 2002. The theme of the forum this year is "Innovation in the Management of Water Resources: Perspectives from the Developed and Developing World."

SAPS Study on Irrigation Sectors of JBIC-funded Countries: INPIM is currently working with Hatsuya Azumi on a study of the irrigation sectors and specific Japanese Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) funded irrigation projects in 7 countries for Sanyu Consultants Inc. As part of this study, INPIM has prepared an overview of the irrigation sectors of India, Indonesia, Jordan, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. J. Raymond Peter will be attending workshops in Indonesia and Thailand where the findings of the study will be discussed with project staff of the JBIC-funded irrigation projects.

INPIM Receives a Grant from the Government of the Netherlands

INPIM has been awarded a grant from the government of the Netherlands. The grant will cover most of the operating expenses of INPIM for the next 4 years (2002 to 2006). It will also provide support for strengthening country chapters enabling activities to promote PIM in countries in which INPIM believes PIM could be the basis for initiating reforms in the irrigation sector. The total amount of the grant is $934,000.

Annual Review of INPIM's Financial Records

The INPIM secretariat's financial accounting records are reviewed by independent accountants each year. The audit for the 2002 fiscal year is currently underway. It will be completed in September 2002.

Results of E-mail Conference on IMT

In collaboration with the FAO, INPIM held an e-conference during September to November 2001 on the topic of Irrigation Management Transfer. Despite the constraints posed by technology and language, over 340 people actively participated in this conference which was held over e-mail.

The outcomes of this event were summarized in a paper and presentation made at the Sixth International Seminar. Both the paper and presentation will soon be posted to e-Library section of the INPIM website where they will be available for review and download.

The FAO has also place the conference documents on a CD-ROM. It contains the conference proceedings, the list of participants, the conference overview paper titled "Irrigation Management Transfer: Sharing Lessons from the Global Experience", IMT Country Profiles, IMT Case Studies, Legislative Case Studies, and a list of suggested readings. A limited number of CDs are available through the INPIM Secretariat. For a copy please send a request to Josiane Georges at coordinator@inpim.org.

The CD-ROM can also be ordered from the FAO. If you are interested in ordering it, please visit http://www.fao.org./landandwater/lwdms.htm and request CD-ROM #17 of the Land and Water Digital Media Series.