Mid Term Review Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the White Drin and the extended Drin Basin Report Glen Hearns, PhD. Eco-Logical Resolutions Ltd. Mobile: (+1) 604.848.4096 www.eco-logical-resolutions.com 28 April 2019 Prepared for: Elvita Kabashi ([email protected]) UNDP-Albania Shkipe Deda-Gjurgjiali ([email protected]) UNDP-Kosovo Vladimir Mamaev ([email protected]) UNDP Regional Hub for Europe and CIS By: Eco-Logical Resolutions 1066 Dusty Road Denman Island, BC, Canada, V0R1T0 mobile: (+1) 604.848.4096 www.eco-logical-resolutions.com Document Tracking Table Document Version # Date Person Comment v.1 25 March 2019 Glen Hearns v.2 23 April 2019 Elvita Kabashi, See Annex L Dimitris Faloutsos & Skipe Deda- Gjurgjiali Final 28 April 2019 Glen Hearns Map replaced, comments addressed. White and Extended Drin MTR 29 April 2019 Basic Project Information Project Information – Extended Drin Basin Project Title Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources in the extended Drin Basin. UNDP PIMS ID 4482 GEF ID 4483 MTR time frame and report 11 January – 30 April 2019 Country(ies) Albania, North Macedonia1, Montenegro, (Greece, Kosovo*2) GEF Operational Focal Area/Strategic International Waters Program UNDP-GEF Technical Team Water and Oceans Project Implementing Agencies UNDP IRH Project Executing Partners Global Water Partnership (GWP), Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean (GWP-Med) ; UNECE Project Partners Project Type Full Size Start Date – End Date 06 August 2015 – 31 August 2019 Total Resources / GEF Allocated Resources $226,429,721 / $4,500,000 Project Information – White Drin & Extended Drin Basin Project Title Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources in the White Drin and extended Drin Basin. UNDP PIMS ID 5510 GEF ID 9121 MTR time frame and report 11 January – 30 April 2019 Country(ies) Kosovo GEF Operational Focal Area/Strategic International Waters Program UNDP-GEF Technical Team Water and Oceans Project Executing Agencies UNDP IRH Project Implementing Partner GWP, GWP-Med Project Partners Project Type Medium Size Start Date – End Date 06 August 2015 – 31 August 2019 Total Resources / GEF Allocated Resources $8,853,373/ $1,000,0003 1 Note the name North Macedonia become the official name for FYR Macedonia on 25 January, 2019. 2 References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). 3 UNDP (2015) Project Document for Enabling transboundary cooperation and integrated water resources management in the White Drin and the extended Drin River Basin, Pac meeting at 7 May 2015. Page i Eco-Logical Resolutions White and Extended Drin MTR 29 April 2019 Acknowledgements A hearty thank you is extended to all those interviewed who shared their views and thoughts, including the Drin Core Group members, national government staff and municipal officials of Ohrid (North Macedonia), Rahovec (Kosovo), and Shkoder (Albania). A thank you also to UNDP staff in Kosovo and Albania for their continual support and for facilitating the undertaking of the mission travel, and to all the GWP staff, particularly in the country offices for ensuring successful field visits. Disclaimer This report adheres to the UN rules and policies regarding the names and international status of countries and/or other geographical areas etc. The use of characterizations, names, maps or other geographical statements in this document in no way implies any political view or positions of the Parties which are executing and implementing the GEF Drin Project. Any errors of mistakes in this report are the sole responsibility of the author. Page ii Eco-Logical Resolutions White and Extended Drin MTR 29 April 2019 Table of Contents 1 Executive Summary ................................................................................................... 1 1.1 Project Information Table .............................................................................................. 1 1.2 Project Description ........................................................................................................ 2 1.3 Project Progress Summary ............................................................................................. 3 1.4 Conclusions ................................................................................................................... 5 1.5 Recommendation Summary Table ................................................................................. 6 2 Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9 2.1 Purpose of the MTR and objectives ................................................................................ 9 2.2 Scope & Methodology ................................................................................................... 9 2.3 Structure of the Mid-term Review Report ...................................................................... 9 3 Project Description and Background Context ........................................................... 10 3.1 Development Context ................................................................................................. 10 3.2 Problems that the project sought to address ................................................................ 11 3.3 Project Description ...................................................................................................... 14 4 Main Findings .......................................................................................................... 15 4.1 Timing and project duration ........................................................................................ 15 4.2 Implementation Arrangements .................................................................................... 15 4.2.1 Main Stakeholders ........................................................................................................ 16 4.2.2 Country ownership ........................................................................................................ 17 4.2.3 Relation and interaction with other donors (Synergistic and catalytic activities) ........ 18 4.2.4 Gender and Equity ........................................................................................................ 19 4.3 Project Strategy .......................................................................................................... 19 4.3.1 Project Design ............................................................................................................... 19 4.3.2 Results Framework ........................................................................................................ 23 4.4 Progress Towards Result .............................................................................................. 25 4.4.1 Progress towards outcomes analysis ............................................................................ 25 4.5 Remaining Challenges to achieving the project results ................................................. 35 4.5.1 Development of functional IMS .................................................................................... 35 4.5.2 SAP development and implementation ........................................................................ 35 4.5.3 Challenge of working in the region ............................................................................... 35 4.5.4 Establishing inter-ministerial committees .................................................................... 36 4.5.5 Funding for Kosovo to be able to be more parallel to its neighbours. ......................... 36 4.5.6 Involving energy and power producers in the Drin process ......................................... 36 4.6 Project Implementation and Adaptive Management .................................................... 37 4.6.1 Management Arrangements: ........................................................................................ 37 4.6.2 Work Planning: .............................................................................................................. 38 4.6.3 Finance and co-finance: ................................................................................................ 38 4.6.4 Project-level Monitoring and Evaluation Systems: ....................................................... 40 4.6.5 Stakeholder Engagement: ............................................................................................. 41 4.6.6 Reporting:...................................................................................................................... 41 4.6.7 Communications: .......................................................................................................... 42 4.7 Sustainability .............................................................................................................. 42 4.7.1 Financial risks to sustainability: .................................................................................... 42 4.7.2 Socio-economic risks to sustainability: ......................................................................... 42 4.7.3 Institutional Framework and Governance risks to sustainability: ................................ 43 4.7.4 Environmental risks to sustainability: ........................................................................... 43 5 Conclusions & Recommendations ............................................................................ 43 Page