The Working group for environmental sector decentralization met today in a working session to get acquainted with draft decentralization strategies in the field of waste management and water supply and sanitation. The two projects were developed at the request of the Working Group, by joint teams of international and national consultants, employed with the support of the Joint Integrated Local Development Programme (JILDP – UNDP/UN Women). A third draft strategy dedicated to natural resources is under development, also with the support JILDP.
The Minister of Environment, Gheorghe ŞALARU, who chaired the meeting of the Working Group stressed the importance of developing these policy documents, which will clarify the powers of LPAs level 1 and 2 in the respective areas, and ensure that waste management and supply water and sanitation services will become more functional, economically viable and accessible to all people.
According to the two teams of consultants, the projects developed by them are based on the vision and principles described in the National Development Strategy, and the provisions of the main policy documents in the reference area. The team led by Peter Gabori, international consultant in waste management, was led by the Strategy for Waste Management, approved by the Government in 2013. Water and sanitation team, led by the international consultant Lilit Melikyan, was guided by the vision exposed in the Law on Public service of water supply and sanitation, which entered into force in March this year.
The draft of Sector Strategy for decentralization in the management of municipal solid waste establishes to create the institutional framework for the efficient provision of those services locally, ensuring a balanced relation between LPAs, service providing companies and final users. The document also proposes restructuring municipal enterprises responsible for managing municipal waste by type of intervention: collecting, sorting, managing, recycling or disposal. At the same time, an important objective of the Strategy is to support regional cooperation in providing waste management services, including using the inter-municipal cooperation mechanism (IMC).
The draft of Sector Strategy for decentralization in water supply and sanitation (WSS) focuses on the regionalization of water supply and sanitation by IMC mechanism. The document proposes a clarification of competencies in WSS between the central and local public authorities of level 1 and 2, and the creation of tax mechanisms to achieve financial support for the realization of those skills. The document also proposes attraction of the private sector in WSS services and encourages subscribing to these services with measures to support socially vulnerable groups.
The sector working group for environmental decentralization agreed to continue the work on proposed projects in the territory, involving wider local public authorities.
‘Development of sector strategies for decentralization is part of the Action Plan on the implementation of the National Decentralization Strategy. JILDP continues to support the Government of the Republic of Moldova in implementing the decentralization strategy, and will support the completion of major sector strategies in this area’ said Mihail ROSCOVAN, manager of joint integrated local development programme.
