Eighth International Seminar on PIM

SEMINAR ANNOUNCEMENT

EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL SEMINAR

ON PARTICIPATORY IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT

"Emerging Trends in Public-Private Partnerships in the Irrigation Sector”

Sponsored by:

The French Government, The World Bank and INPIM

Organized by the INPIM and Coteaux de Gascogne
Tarbes, France, May 08-13, 2005

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The Eighth International Seminar on Participatory Irrigation Management will be held in Tarbes France from May 8-13, 2005.  The seminar is being sponsored by The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The French Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry; The World Bank Netherlands Partnership Program; the World Bank Institute; and the International Network on Participatory Irrigation Management (INPIM).  The seminar is organized and hosted by INPIM and the Coteaux De Gascogne (CACG), with support by French SARs (Sociétés d’Aménagement regional): BRL, CACG, SCP and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Co-operation, Netherlands.

The theme of the seminar, “Emerging Trends in Public-Private Partnerships in the Irrigation Sector” will highlight the diverse world experiences which have implemented such arrangements.  The seminar offers participants the opportunity to learn about the latest developments in public-private partnerships in the irrigation sector; network with irrigation professionals, policymakers, and donors from around the world; and see first hand the approach by CACG in providing quality irrigation services. The program includes three and a half days of presentations and discussions and a day of field visits and interaction with different stakeholders of the CACG.  Participants are encouraged to register for the seminars immediately in view of limited accommodation.

Background: The challenges for increasing the productivity of irrigation systems to meet the additional demands of food for an increasing population in the face of increasing scarcity and competition of water has forced countries to think of new strategies.  Despite an impressive growth in irrigated agriculture, there has been a growing recognition that the benefits are not always commensurate with the investments.  The last two decades have clearly shown a reduction in investments in the irrigated sector both by the donor community and the countries concerned.  About half of the additional food will have to come undoubtedly from irrigated agriculture.  With limited scope in the horizontal growth of the irrigation sector, the challenges for vertical growth of the sector hold great potential for meeting additional food demands and hence are of paramount importance.  Reforms in the irrigation sector have so far followed two main, not necessarily exclusive, paths, either:

•             Either a management transfer of irrigation systems to farmers and water users, sometimes successfully (like in Mexico or to some extent in Turkey), but not so successfully in other cases either due to a lack of adequate government commitment or due to opposition by public agencies. Or 
•      Reform of public agencies, either by increasing participation of users in governance; turning them into professional service providers to irrigating farmers or the involvement of the private sector through concessions, joint ventures, management contracts etc: France has experimented for long the transfer of irrigation management to private companies, which manage and service its clients, Australia has initiated a set of reforms that corporatizes the irrigation sector, China has piloted the concept through its self financed irrigation and drainage districts, a few  African countries are also moving along the same line, Pakistan and Egypt are in the process of creating area water boards etc..

The private sector is becoming an increasingly powerful actor in the area of international development.  Recently there has been a notable increase in the collaborations between public and private sectors for the development and maintenance of environment and infrastructure projects.  These Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) involve collaborations between governments, the private sector and civil society that may, ideally become mutually beneficial over a sustained period of time by combining the strengths of each partner and optimizing allocation of resources  There are many forms of private sector involvement ranging private provision of some services and supplies (e.g. maintenance of pumping stations), to contracting with a private firm for operation and maintenance (delegation of management) or contracting for design, construction and operation (Gardane, Morocco).  However, these arrangements are still an evolving concept and must be tailored to each individual project accordingly.  The European Commission, in developing “Guidelines for Successful Public-Private Partnerships” has identified four principal roles for the private sector to play in PPP schemes: the private sector may provide additional capital; alternative management and implementation skills; value added to the consumer and the public at large; and better identification of needs and optimal use of resources.

However, while PPPs can present a number of advantages, it must be remembered that these schemes are also complex to design, implement and manage.  Several key factors have been noted as influential in project design and management.  These include ensuring open market access and competition; protecting the public’s interest; ensuring full compatibility between PPP arrangements and state aid rules; and selecting the most suitable PPP arrangement.  Successful collaborations involve specific outcomes; flexible arrangements; appropriate time frames; and realistic expectations.

There is no single model of participatory management or private sector participation which could be appropriate to all cases. There are examples of well-run and poorly-run public and private organizations in the water supply sector.  A wide range of policy options for the irrigation sector competing on the basis of their responsiveness to local requirements should be considered when promoting institutional reforms instead of a one-size-fits-all-model. The seminar would present applications of these different forms of private-public collaboration and their advantages and disadvantages.

As the potential for partnerships in the irrigation sector increases, we feel it is timely to have this issue as the theme of the Eighth International Seminar to not only share recent knowledge and experiences about public-private partnerships relevant to irrigation projects but also to facilitate opportunities for future successful arrangements.

Seminar Program

Besides offering the opportunity to review state-of-the-art thinking on irrigation reform, the international seminar offers the opportunity for networking with irrigation professionals from around the world. The seminar will be conducted in English, with simultaneous English/French/English translation. The seminar program is briefly outlined below.

05/08 Participants Registration (4-00 PM to 6-00 PM)  
05/09 Inaugural Session, Keynote Address & Keynote Presentations on PPP and country case studies.  Welcome Dinner (evening)
05/10 Presentations on Paths to PPP’s, Cases of Empowered WUAs; Cases of Professionalized Irrigation Agencies and emerging trends in PPP
05/11 Field Visit to the Canal de la Neste, Discussions with WUAs, Stakeholder committees and concession network farmers
05/12 Group debriefing field experiences & work group sessions on critical factors for PPP
05/13 Panel Discussions and the likely way forward followed by conclusion of the seminar.  Participants leave in the afternoon

Seminar Fee, Payment, and Travel

VISA to France 

Each participant must arrange to obtain his or her own visa for entry into France. Participants are advised to contact the French Embassy in your country to ascertain procedures for obtaining a visa. A letter of invitation by the French Government will be made available to all participants for securing a visa from their respective country. INPIM will facilitate the issuance of letters of invitation upon receipt of the registration forms. Participants passing though more than one Schengen Country are also required to ascertain from the French Embassy in their respective countries on the requirement of a Schengen visa.

Travel to France

Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements to Tarbes.  Paris, the major hub of France, is connected by most International carriers.  Flights are available from Paris (CDG) to Lourdes/Tarbes (LDF) or Pau (PUF).  Those who would like to travel by train to enjoy the TGV may get more information at the TGV website.  Tarbes is located in the south west of France and is about 20 KM away from Lourdes an important pilgrimage center and 40 Km. from Pau which a large number of flights from Paris.   Please note that there are a relatively limited number of airlines that fly to Tarbes. Participants should make their airline reservations as soon as possible. Participants are advised to intimate their arrival and departure plans to enable reception and send off at the airport or train station.