Transfer of Portuguese experience in implementing water sector reform in the focus of study visit

November 8, 2018

From 29 to 31 of October 2018, UNDP's project "Technology Transfer for Climate Resilient Flood Management in the Vrbas River Basin", funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), organized a study visit  to Portugal for representatives of the key Project partner ministries in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The aim of the study visit was to share Portuguese institutional and technical experience and know-how in water sector with the BiH representatives. Over the recent decades Portugal has gained valuable expertise related to flood protection, drought management, monitoring of hydro-meteorological networks, hydrological and hydraulic modelling and applied solutions, as well as inter institutional cooperation and trans-boundary cooperation. Portuguese approach to transforming water sector and lessons learned can be applied in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The visit was hosted by Portuguese Water Partnership (PWP), a network of organizations formed at the initiative of the Portuguese ministry in charge of environment and water management. The aim of PWP is to develop synergies and maximize potential for the development of the water sector in the world while promoting consolidation of alliances and partnerships between national institutions and all nations engaged in sustainable water use and enhancement of water resources.

The BiH delegation was welcomed by Carlos Martins, State Secretary for the Environment, who shared the experience of the Portuguese water reform, which started in 1993 and is often called “Portuguese water miracle”. To make significant improvements in the water sector the government tackled several areas – overall approach to investment, management, regulation, ownership, technology and water sources.

The BiH delegation also met with representatives of various departments within the Ministry of Environment and Energetics Transition in charge of water management as well as ERSAR (the Portuguese urban water service regulator), National Laboratory of Civil Engineering, the Portuguese Environment Agency, Institute of Agriculture and Águas de Portugal Group dealing with water supply and wastewater sanitation.

The Portuguese Environment Agency shared their experience in the field of water management, flood management, climate change adaptation and how they interact with hydro-energy and agricultural sector. On October 30, 2018 Bosko Kenjic, Head of Water Resources Department at Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH presented to the members of PWP an overview of the water sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

BiH representatives also discussed potential cooperation with several institutions - Portuguese Water Partnership, Lis-Water, new center of excellence for water and Portuguese National Laboratory of Civil Engineering. “Using PWP as a hub, future steps in cooperation between two countries and bringing Portuguese expertise to BiH will be further explored” said Raduska Cupac, UNDP Project Manager.

BiH delegation consisted of the following representatives Bosko Kenjic, Head of Water Resources Department at Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Suad Skejovic, Senior Associate for Protection from Adverse Water Impact at Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Water Management and Forestry, Marinko Vranic, Senior Associate for ЕU Integration in Water Sector at Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska, Svjetlana Radusin, Assistant Minister for Ecology at Ministry for Civil Engineering, Spatial Planning and Ecology of Republika Srpska and Raduska Cupac, Project Manager at UNDP.

UNDP's project "Technology Transfer for Climate Resilient Flood Management in the Vrbas River Basin", funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), is being implemented in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Economic Relations of BiH, the Ministry of Spatial Planning, Construction and Ecology of the RS, entity ministries responsible for water management and civil protection, and municipalities in the Vrbas River Basin.

The Project aims to enable BiH authorities at all levels to adapt to flood risks with technologies that will enable climate-resilient economic activities.