Forming and Strengthening the Steering Committee

Transcription

1 Keysheet 1_03 Forming and Strengthening the Steering Committee Municipal Waste Management Planning Introduction Traditionally Municipal Solid Waste Planning has only involved those with direct responsibility for service implementation. This may represent the first time that decision makers have tried to involve other stakeholders in the planning process. This key sheet is related to Step 1 of the Strategic Planning Guide Mobilising the Planning Process. The methodology described in this key sheet was used in La Ceiba, Honduras to begin to involve stakeholders by establishing and strengthening the Steering Committee. A Steering Committee, as it is called in the Strategic Planning Guide, is necessary to direct and guide the Strategic MSWM Planning Initiative. The committee has to be willing to commit to the ISWM approach and the strategic planning methodology before any substantial work can be done. Ensuring that this approach is fully understood is a key start up activity and helps strengthen the Steering Committee s sense of purpose and ability for joint working (See KS1_04). When forming the Steering Committee it is important to establish its legitimacy as a decision-making body in the eyes of key stakeholders and to work to strengthen its authority as the planning process proceeds. Official recognition of the Steering Committee is important to ensure the permanency of the body and the implementation of the Strategic Plan. The selection of committee members is crucial to achieving this recognition. In some countries where participatory planning is already well established it may well be possible to include representatives from civil society on the Steering Committee. However, in countries where civil society has yet to develop effective mechanisms to voice their interests it may be more appropriate to look for other ways to incorporate community opinions and concerns into the overall Strategic Plan e.g. community level meetings and surveys/hot spot mapping (See KS2_03). Objective The objective of this key sheet is to assist planners in establishing and strengthening a Steering Committee with the authority and legitimacy to direct and drive the planning process through all its stages from preparation to implementation. The main steps to establishing the Steering Committee are as follows: 1. Identification of the main stakeholders involved in or affected by MSWM. This is achieved by undertaking an initial stakeholder identification exercise as laid out in Annex 1.1 of the Strategic Planning Guide. This analysis helps to determine the appropriate level and mechanisms for individual stakeholder participation. Steering Committee WASTE, Peter Rosema

2 2. Representatives of key stakeholder groups are invited to participate in a Preliminary Planning Workshop at which: a. project aims and objectives and methodology are presented and discussed; b. Terms of Reference outlining the roles and responsibilities of the Steering Committee are (See Illustrative Information) agreed; and c. participation of a representative from each of these stakeholder groups is confirmed. 3. Official recognition of the Steering Committee. The planning team presents the results of the Preliminary Planning Workshop including the structure of the proposed Steering Committee to the decision-making body of the Lead Agency for official approval and recognition. 4. Steering Committee meetings are then held at each stage of the planning process. Each meeting includes: a. Reminder of the strategic planning methodology being used; b. Summary of the results of the planning process to date; and c. Presentation of the Aims and Objectives of the current workshop. d. Workshop facilitators then divide committee members into different working groups to discuss specific topics or proposals e.g. options for improving waste collection; and e. Finally these groups return for a plenary session in which the results of their discussion are presented, discussed and adopted after incorporating any comments and suggestions from other working groups. N.B. It may be necessary to introduce a further stage to the above programme after the formation of the Steering Committee to ensure that all stakeholders are fully familiar with the ISWM and strategic planning concepts and feel able to contribute fully to that process. This stage is discussed in KS1_04. Stakeholders involved The initial analysis to identify key stakeholders is carried out by the core planning team i.e. municipal staff and/ or facilitators tasked with undertaking the planning process. This team also organises and delivers the Steering Steering Committee meeting. la Ceiba, Honduras Jane Olley Committee Workshop Programme. The stakeholders participating in the La Ceiba Steering Committee are shown in Box 1. Tools used The main tools used to establish and strengthen the Steering Committee were: Stakeholder Identification Exercise (Strategic Planning Guide, Annex 1.1) Presentation of the ISWM concept and Strategic Planning Methodology Participatory Planning Workshop Methodology Clearly defined Work Programme (Terms of Reference) Resource Documents as main stimulus for workshop discussions e.g. Planning Framework, Discussion of Options, Draft Strategy etc. Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03 Not all of these stakeholders participated in all the stages of the planning process and hence alternative methods of incorporating their opinions and concerns had to be developed and used Local Authorities Municipal Corporation Department of Works & Municipal Services Representatives from the Ministry of Health, Education & Governance Private Sector Waste Collection Contractors Recyclers Service Users Representative of Federation of Local Communities NGOs Environmental NGOs Civil Society Groups Box 1: ISWM Stakeholders invited to participate in Steering Committee in La Ceiba, Honduras

3 brings the sustainability of the framework plan into question. Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03 Resources Resources required to establish and strengthen the Steering Committee are: Appropriate Venue and Refreshment for Workshops Workshop Materials (workshop programme, resource documents, white boards, flip charts, marker pens, overhead projector, data show) Result: The outcome of the tool used In the case of La Ceiba, Honduras, a Steering Committee was established with the support of the Mayor to accompany the planning process. One of the initial obstacles to overcome was to get the Steering Committee recognised by the Municipal Corporation as the body responsible for carrying forward the planning process. In addition to this initial recognition, the municipal corporation nominated and approved four councillors to participate in the strategic planning process. Unfortunately, these councillors did not actively participate in the workshop programme and hence had only sporadic inputs into the development of the Strategic Plan. Preparing and presenting ideas in La Ceiba Jane Olley Representatives from the Municipal Department of Works and Services, the Ministry of Health and Education and representatives of the private sector operators were the most consistent participants in the planning workshop programme. These stakeholders now have a much firmer understanding of the ISWM and strategic planning concepts and have raised the profile of good MSWM practice within their organisations. However, official recognition of the plan and the body s responsibility for taking it forward to implementation has not been obtained and hence Limitations The Steering Committee for La Ceiba has successfully carried forward the planning process on the basis of voluntary participation in planning workshop and revision of key documents. Nevertheless, the voluntary nature of this involvement has lead to two key problems. First, the overall legitimacy of the committee is reduced and secondly the planning process itself has taken much longer. Since attendance of the committee is not written into official workplans, members may be forced to miss meetings to attend to other more pressing work priorities. Hence as pointed out throughout this key sheet official recognition of the Steering Committee is essential for its longterm effectiveness. Illustrative information Annex A Steering Committee ToR Annex B Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Programme Annex C Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Presentation Annex D Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Minutes. Involving stakeholders by presenting plans

4 Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03 This key-sheet is part of Practical Key-Sheets for Strategic MSWM Planning and was developed as an output of the project Building Municipal Capacity in ISWM Planning between November 2001 and September 2003 with funding from the British Department for International Development under their Knowledge and Research (KaR) Programme. This project was undertaken by ERM and WASTE, together with the partner organisations ACEPESA (Costa Rica), CEK (Mali) and Mythri (India). The key-sheets have been developed as a set of tools designed to assist in the application of the seven step methodology laid out in the Strategic Planning Guide. Ideally, the keysheets will be used in conjunction with this document. Key-sheets can be downloaded from If you wish to be kept informed about future key-sheet developments you can receive updates by subscribing to the update service over the web. Comments on the key sheets and contributions towards new key sheets are very welcome. Please get in touch with: vdevreede@waste.nl

5 Keysheet 1_03 Annex A: Steering Committee Terms of Reference Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03 Development of an Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy for La Ceiba, Honduras ( ) Introduction The present document provides Terms of Reference for the development of an Integrated Waste Management Strategy for the city of La Ceiba, Honduras for the period The municipality of La Ceiba covers 639,45km 2 with an urban area of km 2 (11.5% of the total area.) The population for the municipality of La Ceiba was estimated as 148,000 inhabitants in This population is growing rapidly which implies a significant increase in the generation of waste in the municipality. The strategy will consider domestic waste and all those wastes generated by commercial, industrial and institutional sources which due to their composition are similar to domestic waste. Background The UWEP Programme worked in La Ceiba, Honduras during the period 1997 to 2000 on the subject of solid waste management. The focus of this programme was principally in the areas of public education, in capacity building for municipal officials and in the organization of the 1 Información Estadística de la ciudad de La Ceiba, Atlántida, Honduras CA Departamento de Investigación y Estadística Municipal (DIEM-LC) Municipalidad de La Ceiba waste collection and transportation contractors. In addition, the project produced an analysis of the existing waste management situation. This experience revealed the need for a wider project focusing on strategic planning for the city. For this reason, WASTE in Holland and ERM in the UK established a cooperation alliance and the project of UWEP Plus/KaR began in November The NGO ACEPESA from Costa Rica was selected to undertake the project. This organisation had previously undertaken a variety of projects on waste management in the Central American region and had participated in the investigation process initiated by the UWEP Programme. On 25 April 2002, the mayor of La Ceiba signed an agreement with the technical assistance organisations ACEPESA and ERM to undertake the project UWEP Plus/KaR. The objetive of the project is to develop a participative strategic plan for solid waste management for the period The project objectives also include the training of decision-makers and other actors involved in solid waste management in the process of strategic waste management planning. The project will be undertaken using the methodology described in the Strategic Planning Guide for Municipal Solid Waste Management published by the World Bank. This methodology was designed to ensure the active participation of all the stakeholders involved in or affected by the solid waste management system in the design and implementation of the strategic plan. A preliminary study of the key areas of solid waste management in La Ceiba was undertaken between November 2001 and February 2002 under the project UWEP Plus/KaR and was distributed to all of the key actors for their comments in August In addition, two workshops were carried out, the first in June 2002 with stakeholders from civil society. The second with political representatives of the municipality in August The first objective of the workshops was to form the Steering Committee to accompany and validate the planning process and to develop the Integrated Solid Waste Management strategy in La Ceiba. The principal functions of the Steering Committee are: Meet regularly to monitor progress in the planning process. Provide direction and support to the working group (made up of the municipal team and the two UWEP Plus/KaR facilitators and other actors when it is perceived as being necessary e.g. Working Groups on Waste Collection would involve a representative of ESAM. Review and approve the Terms of Reference for the planning process Review and comment on the reports and proposals prepared by the working group Help the Working Group to obtain primary information and other information required for the planning process Some members of the committee

6 could be made responsible for the coordination and monitoring of the implementation of activities within their organisation or community Participate in the Planning Workshop and Specialised Working Groups when it is necessary. Other objectives of the workshops were to identify the key solid waste management subjects for the La Ceiba and start to develop a visition of where we want to be at the end of the implementation period. Using this information a preliminary planning framework has been developed which will be presented to the Steering Committee in August Objectives Develop a Planning Framework for the waste management strategy for the city of La Ceiba for the period 2003 to (KaR and UWEP Plus). Develop a Solid Waste Management Strategy for the city (UWEP Plus). Develop and Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy (UWEP Plus). Ensure that the process is undertaken in a participative manner and involving all of the actors affected by the changes in the solid waste management system. Methodology The methodological framework for the process is presented below. Steps 1 and 2 (Organise the Study and Define the Problem) have already been finalised. At this moment, we are in Step 3 of the process (Establish the Planning Framework) The objective of the KaR project is to reach this point. Nevertheless the UWEP Plus project includes additional steps: Step 4 Identification and Evaluation of Options Step 5 Develop the Strategy Step 6 Develop the Action Plan Given that the process seeked to promote the participation of different stakeholder in solid waste managment planning in the city, workshops have been and will continue to be the main tools used. In the same way the production of reports and documents which report the process and will serve as base information to participants for the discussion and analysis of the situation. Finally a supplementary objective is to evaluate the usefulness of the methodology and content of the Strategic Planning Guide for Solid Waste Management in the planning process. This evaluation will be undertaken through interviews with members of the Steering Committee and other participants in the process to identify recomendations for its future development, improvement and dissemination. Project Products The project began in November 2001 and will be undertaken in a period of 23 months until October A series of documents will mark the different steps in the process. Final Version of the Baseline Document (August 2002). Finalisation of Step 2 of the Methodology Final Version of the Planning Framework (December 2002). Finalisation of Step 3. Progress Report (February 2003) Presentation of Step 4 Identification and Evaluation of Options Draft Strategy (April 2003) Draft Action Plan for Implementation (June 2003) Final Version of Strategy and Action Plan (August 2003) Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03

7 Keysheet 1_03 Annex B: Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Programme KaR Planning Workshop for Solid Waste Management Constructing a Shared Vision for Integrated Solid Waste Mangement in La Ceiba pm, 18 de June 2002 Time Activity Welcome and Presentation of the Participants Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_ Reiteration of Project Aims and Objectives Methodological Framework and Functions of the Committee Identification and Prioritisation of the problems of solid waste (rubbish) in La Ceiba Break Constructing a vision for Solid Waste Management in La Ceiba for 2012 Identification of the needs, obstacles and opportunities to achieve the vision Questions and General Comments Dates of Future Meetings Closure of the Meeting

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9 Keysheet 1_03 Annex C: Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Presentation Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03

10 Preliminary workshop presentation of Steering Committee Annex C of KS 1_03 CONSTRUCTING A SHARED VISION FOR INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT FOR LA CEIBA, HONDURAS Preliminary workshop presentation of Steering Committee 1

11 The Conceptual Framework for Integrated Solid Waste Management Actors Identify actors and their participation in MSWM Elements What parts of the waste management system should be improved? Aspects How can these changes be achieved through regulations, education, new infrastructure etc.? Who are the main stakeholders in La Ceiba? Municipal Corporation Ministry of Health, Education and Governance Environmental Control Body Universities Organized Groups e.g. Rotary Club, ODECO, FECOPALA, Chamber of Commerce Environmental NGOs e.g. REDES Representatives of Communities affected by Solid waste management infrastructure e.g. Patronato of Los Laureles Waste Collection Contractors 2

12 Elements of a solid waste management system Storage Collection Transport Recycling Materials Recovery Treatment Disposal Strategic Aspects of an Integrated System Political/Legal Social Financial/ Economic Technical Environmental Institutional 3

13 The benefits of planning Ensure that services: Respond to demand Are appropriate for the city Are cost effective Improve long term sustainability Allow improvements and extension of services Bring about public health and safety, occupational health and environmental benefits The Seven Steps to Integrated MSWM Planning ACTORS BUILD CONSENSUS 1. ORGANIZE THE STUDY 2.DEFINE THE PROBLEM 3. ESTABLISH THE PLANNING FRAMEWORK Integrate Strategic Aspects 4. IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE ALTERNATIVES Integrate Functional Elements 5. FORMULATE THE STRATEGY 6. FORMULATE THE ACTION PLAN Update 7. IMPLEMENT AND MONITOR 4

14 The Strategic Plan for MSWM (city level) Strategy Define the Vision and Global Objectives Action Plan Implementation Agreements Decision-making stakeholders Together form the Strategic Plan for MSWM The long term goal is Integrated MSWM planning Objetives of the Workshop General Objective Construct a Shared Vision for Integrated MSWM in La Ceiba Specific Objectives Identify and prioritise the principle MSWM problems Establish where we want to be in terms of MSWM in the next ten years ( ) Form a Steering Committee to accompany and validate the planning process and develop the Integrated Solid Waste Management Strategy for La Ceiba 5

15 Functions of the Steering Committee Meet at regular intervals to monitor progress in the planning process Provide direction and support to the working group Review and approve the Terms of Reference for the planning process Review and provide comments on reports and proposals prepared by the working groups Help the working group obtain primary date and other information required for the planning process Member of the committee are responsible for coordinating and monitoring the implementation of activities inside their agency, organisation or community Participate in the Planning Workshop Programme and in Specialised Working Groups when necessary. The Strategic Planning Process Mobilise the Planning Process Define the Baseline Establish the Strategic Planning Framework Identify and Evaluate Options Institutional Framework Preliminary Workshop Specialist Workshops Financial Sustainability Treatment and Disposal Collection & Recycling Public Education and Participation Develop the Strategy Prepare the Action Plan Strategy Workshop Action Plan Workshop Implement the Strategic Plan 6

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17 Keysheet 1_03 Annex D: Steering Committee Preliminary Workshop Minutes Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03 Objectives of the workshop Organize the Steering Committee who will accompany and validate the planning process and development of an integrated solid waste management plan. Identify and prioritise the principal problems in solid waste management in La Ceiba, Honduras. Begin the definition of the Strategic Vision for the years ( ). Methodology All of those invited to the original project presentation meeting, which was held on 25 April 2002 and who showed interest in continuing their participation in the different project activities were invited to the current meeting. In addition, the local coordinator visited various people working with institutions with waste management responsibilities, who were invited to the original meeting but didn t attend e.g. health department and the university, and invited them to this meeting. According to established procedure, the Municipal Council was invited by giving an invitation to the Municipal Secretary so that the topic could be discussed on the agenda of the next council session. Finally a number of new actors were included such as the Environmental Prosecutor s Office, the Movimiento Visitación Padilla (women s group), three members of the Environment Committee and the mayor s advisor on community development. These were identified since the first meeting in April as having key roles and opinions related to MSWM. A total of 30 people were invited to the session. Fifteen people attended the meeting. Invitations were sent 2 weeks prior to the meeting and a reminder telephone call was made on the day before the meeting Organisation of the workshop Before the main work session, the facilitators defined each of the points of the agenda of the meeting and of the planning process as a whole including responsibilities, materials required amongst other things. In each of the activities the participants first had time for personal reflection on the questions raised followed by a group discussion with the aim of establishing a common perception of the problem, i.e. organise individual ideas in a group framework which allows identification of the common points, which would facilitate joining working. The workshop had three main phases: 1. Where are we coming from? This phase follows on from the process begun in the first contact with the actors reiterating the main objectives of the UWEP Plus/KaR project, the conceptual framework. This allowed new actors to understand the reference framework that will be used in the planning process. The new actors were also provided with the documents used in the first presentation workshop. 2. Which problem are we talking about? This part of the workshop permitted each of the participants to list 5 problems, which they considered the most important in terms of rubbish in the city. Afterwards these 5 problems were discussed in small groups. Each group was asked to prioritise the 5 most important problems for the members. These five problems were then written on small pieces of paper. Finally, a member of each group presented their conclusions and each of the problems were classified according to the 6 elements of the Integrated Solid Waste Management model. Thus the group classified each of the problems together. 3. Where do we want to be in 10 years time with respect to this problem? The starting point for this part of the workshop was the La Ceiba which everybody dreams of. Small groups developed their joint dream (providing a framework in which to define the future vision) The session ended with information about up and coming activities and their suggested dates. Problems identified Legal/Political Lack of regulations for the temporary storage of solid waste in restaurants; Lack of national and local government policy on SWM; Scarce regulations about the mechanisms of SWM (laws, regulations and by-laws);

18 There is no clear vision of the problem or clearly defined SWM policies; Lack of policies suitable for the SWM problem in La Ceiba; and Policies and environmental regulations to control SWM and sanitary landfilling. Institutional Weak political will to maintain, steer and solve the problem of SWM; Weak participative structure for civil society; In the UMA ( Environment Unit of the Municipality), there is no interest, technical capacity for decision making and implementation of tasks; and The project will not be successful when the interest of different groups and people are in conflict. Environmental Lots of dumping points, and no commitment by the municipal corporation or the community to reduce them; Lack of control of toxic and dangerous wastes; Solid Waste is mixed; The burning of synthetic waste around the city; and Absence of a strategic plan for short, medium and long term for SWM. Technical No separation of solid waste; There is no set timetable for waste collection; The dumpsite is not located in an area which allows for the protection of the environment; The lack of a well planned sanitary landfill; Inadequate final disposal; Lack of recycling programmes; Inadequate temporary storage, collection and transportation; and Lack of cleansing and poor collection frequency in some sectors of the city. Financial/Economic Lack of corporation support for collection companies; Scarce financial and economic resources for solid waste management (equipment, safety); and Lack of municipal vision such that financial resources spent on other no priority project or sumptuary expenses. Social Rubbish dumped in the street; Rubbish bins (containers) damaged and full of rubbish; Lack of public education in the handling of waste; Lack of education in integrated SWM; Practice of throwing rubbish beside the rivers and in non-authorised areas; There is no educative programme directed at the general population for SWM; Lack of campaigns to change public culture; Limited action in education and communication with the people of La Ceiba in terms of SWM; and The need for education of the population in SWM. Shared Dream (Outline for the vision) Group 1 Have a city open to tourism and a society educated and organised in integrated solid waste management services; Clean City/ Ceibita la bella; Ordered and educated public; and Strategy for the sustainable use of solid waste, which promotes innovative actions with the public and related institutions. Group 2 A green, clean and ordered city; Population educated in the use and classification of waste; Recovery of 80% of solid waste for use in the production of subproducts; A safe working sanitary landfill with technical and environmental conditions which guarantee quality of life; Application of law for offenders; That this project is a reality in 2012 and that La Ceiba is an example at world level; To dream costs nothing! General comments 1. The meeting took place in a atmosphere of cooperation with most of the people participating actively in the discussion. 2. There is an attitude of distrust with respect to participation in the project. There is a real fear of being used, as this has happened in La Ceiba on other occasions according to some of people who attended the meeting. 3. There is a critical attitude with respect to the task of the municipality and specifically the Municipal Unit of the Environment, which is considered deficient. 4. There exists a certain lack of hope that important changes can be achieved by the process and that there is sufficient commitment on the part of the municipal authorities. 5. Nevertheless there is a vote of confidence in the project UWEP Plus / KaR. Municipal Waste Management Planning Keysheet 1_03