Backstopping Mandate "Support to the Water Task Force Project" Kosovo

The Water Task Force (WTF) in Kosovo is a committee of relevant Government Ministers chaired by the Prime Minister, which is responsible for improving the situation in the water sector through the development of sector policies and action plans based on good practices. The Swiss Government agreed to support the work of the WTF by financing long-term and shortterm consultants assisting the Kosovo Government in integrating water related issues in its development policies through the “Support to the Water Task Force Project”.

The goal of the Project is to develop and establish longterm water sector management structures and the relationships between corporate entities, municipalities and the central government, including the sustainable takeover of water utilities by local institutions to provide costeffective, high quality services to all sectors of the population. Objectives and outputs have been defined for the Project on the level of systematic management of the water resources and on the municipal and water utility level.

Since July 2009, Skat as backstopping consultant assists and supports the Swiss Coordination Office in Kosovo in the steering and monitoring of the project and provides technical support (advice, coaching and training) in relevant global and regional water sector issues and principles to the local permanent advisors. More precisely, the backstopping team:

• Comments on the inception report, quarterly reports and final reports of the local permanent advisors
• Comments on each proposed short term consultant mandate comprising the justification of short term mandate, the TOR, the proposed person and the budget
• Assesses all other reports produced within the project, in particular the reports of the local and international short term experts and provides feedback and suggestions for improvement to the local permanent advisors and the SCO
• Conducts the mid-term review of the project (in November 2010) including a through-out analysis of the project and recommendations
• Monitors on an occasional basis project and programme performance, synergies between programmes and projects as well as institutional and contractual aspects of projects and programmes
• Provides specific information for workshops