Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
ANNEX VI FINAL NARRATIVE REPORT This report must be completed and signed by the Contact person of the Coordinator. The information provided below must correspond to the financial information that appears in the financial report. Please complete the report using a typewriter or computer (you can find this form at the following address <Specify>). Please expand the paragraphs as necessary. Please refer to the Special Conditions of your grant contract and send one copy of the report to each address mentioned. The Contracting Authority will reject any incomplete or badly completed reports. Unless otherwise specified, the answer to all questions must cover the reporting period as specified in point 1.6. Please do not forget to attach to this report the proof of the transfers of ownership referred to in Article 7.5 of the General Conditions.
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 1 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 May 2017
Table of Contents
List of acronyms used in the report ........................................................................................ 3 1.
Description ........................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.
Assessment of implementation of Action activities .......Error! Bookmark not defined. 2.1.
Executive summary of the Action ...........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2.2.
Results and Activities ...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
3.
Beneficiaries/affiliated entities and other Cooperation Error! Bookmark not defined.
4.
Visibility ............................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 2 of 13
01 Oct 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186 List of acronyms used in the report C&WG EaPTC EU ICU KKPIC MTAES RA Urban Foundation
Commission and Working Group Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation European Union Ijevan Communities Union Kvemo Kartli Public Information Center Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations Republic of Armenia The Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 3 of 13
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186 1. Description 1.1.
Name of Coordinator of the grant contract: Ijevan Municipality, Armenia
1.2.
Name and title of the Contact person: Arthur Tchagharyan, Project Director
1.3.
Name of Beneficiary(ies) and affiliated entity(ies) in the Action: Applicant: Ijevan Municipality (Armenia) Co-Applicants: Bolnisi Municipality (Georgia), Safe Childhood NGO (Armenia), ICU (Armenia), KKPIC (Georgia), the Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development (Armenia)
1.4.
Title of the Action: “Common Solutions to Shared Concerns: Improvement of Solid Waste Management Services in Ijevan and Bolnisi”
1.5.
Contract number: <Nr. 83211186>
1.6.
Start date and end date of the reporting period: 25 September 2015 – 25 May 2017
1.7.
Target country(ies) or region(s): Armenia, Georgia
1.8.
Final beneficiaries &/or target groups1 (if different) (including numbers of women and men):
Final beneficiaries: Residents and local governments of Ijevan and Bolnisi Target groups: 2 local governments of Ijevan and Bolnisi, 6 municipal staff of Ijevan and Bolnisi, 284 schoolchildren Ijevan 143 schoolchildren Bolnisi; 395 residents (274 women and 121 men) of Bolnisi and 376 residents of Ijevan (286 women and 90 men) participated in town- hall meetings. Estimated 70% of residents of Ijevan and Bolnisi were aware of the project and it activities from TV. 1.9.
1
Country(ies) in which the activities take place (if different from 1.7): Armenia, Georgia
“Target groups” are the groups/entities who will be directly positively affected by the project at the Project Purpose level, and “final beneficiaries” are those who will benefit from the project in the long term at the level of the society or sector at large.
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 4 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
2. Assessment of implementation of action activities 2.1. Executive summary of the Action Please give a global overview of the Action‟s implementation for the whole duration of the project The project “Common Solutions to Shared Concerns: Improvement of Solid Waste Management Services in Ijevan and Bolnisi” was implemented by the Consortium led by Ijevan Municipality (Ijevan Municipality, Armenia; Bolnisi Municipality, Georgia; Safe Childhood NGO, Armenia; Ijevan Union of Communities, Armenia; Kvemo Kartly Public Information Center, Georgia and Urban Foundation for Sustainable Development, Armenia) under the European Union Eastern Partnership Territorial Cooperation Programmes: Armenia-Georgia. The project was unique in its type in a sense that it was a cross-border initiative, where two bordering municipalities from neighbouring countries agreed on addressing together common waste management issues existing in their communities as well as for the first time practicing plastic waste separation in their communities. It is worth also noting that, project management-wise, the specifics of the project was that it was lead by Ijevan Municipality, which acquired valuable experience in international projects management. The project achieved and in some areas superseded the anticipated results: R1: Under this result Ijevan and Bolnisi municipalities already developed and approved policy documents contributing to the improvement of SWM services in the cities. It was implemented based on active participation of residents from two communities and due to close cooperation among project partners. Based on joint methodology developed by partners, over 600 residents of Ijevan and Bolnisi with majority of them being women participated in series of 12 town hall meeting and identified the key problems in the field of SWM. The experts helped municipalities to develop waste management plans (including a comprehensive legal analysis in the field of SWM in both countries). Draft SWM strategies discussed and approved by the community councils of Ijevan and Bolnisi. R2: Residents and other stakeholders of Ijevan and Bolnisi have improved knowledge about environmental protection and are aware of efficient management of solid waste. Based on joint methodology developed by the project partners, an intensive public education and awareness campaign was implemented in the both communities to improve knowledge and change the behaviour of the residents in solid waste management. The campaign included all stakeholders: local governments CSOs, residents including youth and women. 16 educational seminars were conducted in all schools of Ijevan and Bolnisi on environmental protection and adverse effects of waste, particularly plastic, on environment and human health. Around 500 schoolchildren and around 150 adults from Ijevan and Bolnisi improved their knowledge: 30 schoolchildren received advanced knowledge and participated in the environmental knowledge contest. Exchange visit to Akhurian and Yerevan increased Ijevan and Bolnisi stakeholders practical knowledge in plastic separation and recycling. R3: Waste separation is being practiced in Ijevan and Bolnisi Public awareness and education campaign largely contributed also to the achievement of objectives set under the R3. Throughout the implementation 16 educational seminars on plastic waste management were conducted. A PSA, 2 TV programs and educational film were prepared and aired, 63 special bins for plastics were installed in Ijevan and 53 in Bolnisi. In addition, numbers of cross-cutting activities were implemented which contributed to the achievement of the results under all Result areas, as well as to the successful management of the project: 2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 5 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Baseline survey identified gaps in solid waste management, awareness and education which helped the project to channel its efforts to address them. The findings of the Follow-up survey in the end of the project should most of the residents positively changed their behaviours as to waste management in their communities. The project visibility was ensured during the entire implementation period: booklets and banner were produced; information about the project implementation was disseminated to media and general public through websites, Facebook pages and media mailing lists. The Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation in Armenia, GIZ Armenia Country Director the RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Development have participated in the key project events. The results of the project were widely disseminated through to the Armenian and Georgian peer local authorities through dissemination conference and through electronic and broadcast media. Capacities of the lead partner, the Ijevan municipality have been improved in international projects management and reporting. Technical assistance and consultancy was provided for Ijevan and Bolnisi municipalities as well as for ICU and KKPIC in day to day project operations and in preparing technical and financial reports Please list the indicators of the Specific Objective, and provide level of achievement if available at this stage: The main Specific Objective of the project was to improve SWM services for the residents of Ijevan (Tavush region, Armenia) and Bolnisi (Kvemo Kartli region, Georgia) through jointly developing polices and introducing practices in the field.
"Indicator”: Adopted policies and introduced practices contributed to the improvement of SWM in Ijevan and Bolnisi. Level of Achievement: – Achieved Adopted policies and introduced practices contributed to the improvement of SWM in Ijevan and Bolnisi. Change in mindset and behaviours is observed as compared with the situation before the start of the project. 2.2. Results and Activities What is your assessment of the results of the Action so far? Include observations on the performance and the achievement of outputs, outcomes and impact in relation to specific and overall objectives, and whether the Action has had any unforeseen positive or negative results. Following Annex 1, please list all the results with progress of the related indicators and all the related activities implemented during the reporting period R1: Policy documents are adopted contributing to the improvement of SWM services in Ijevan and Bolnisi. Indicators for (R1) – Target Value 1.1 2 survey reports on the state of SWM in Ijevan and Bolnisi 1.2 Joint methodology for SWM strategic plans 1.3 1 Strategic planning orientation session 1.4 5 town hall meetings in Ijevan 1.5 5 town hall meetings in Bolnisi 1.6 2 representative meeting in Ijevan for prioratization of SWM problems 1.7 2 representative meeting in Bolnisi for prioratization of SWM problems 1.8 Availability of SWM strategic plans in Ijevan and Bolnisi (2 plans) 1.9 Analyses of legal framework of Georgia and Armenia in SWM (1 document) 2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 6 of 13
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186
Current Value: 1.1 2 survey reports on the state of SWM in Ijevan and Bolnisi (R1) - achieved 1.2 Joint methodology for SWM strategic plans (R1) - achieved 1.3 1 Strategic planning orientation session (R1) - achieved 1.4 6 town hall meetings in Ijevan (R1) - achieved 1.5 6 town hall meetings in Bolnisi (R1) - achieved 1.6 2 representative meeting in Ijevan for prioratization of SWM problems (R1) – achieved 1.7 2 representative meeting in Bolnisi for prioratization of SWM problems (R1) – achieved 1.8 2 SWM strategic plans in Ijevan and Bolnisi (R1) – achieved 1.9 2 Individual analyses of legal framework of Georgia and Armenia in SWM (R1) – achieved 1.10 1 comparative analyses of legal framework of Georgia and Armenia in SWM (R1) – achieved (additional output)
Level of achievement of this result–Achieved The project team completely achieved all targets under the Result 1: conducted household survey on situation of SWM in Ijevan and Bolnisi and understood the existing gaps, organized the SWM strategic planning process based on jointly adopted methodology; intensively involved residents of two partner cities in strategic planning process, where they identified problems in the field of solid waste management. Then they prioritized the identified problems through C&WGs, finalized the strategic plans. Ijevan and Bolisi SWM plans have been approved by the city councils. Legislation in the field of SWM have been studied for Armenia and Georgia and in addition, a comparative analysis between legislations of two countries in the field of SWM was conducted and incorporated in the respective SWM plans of two cities. In total 314 residents (197 women and 117 men) in Bolnisi and 304 residents in Ijevan (225 women and 79 men) participated in town- hall meetings. The draft strategic plans were presented to the of both cities population (in the meetings with 97 people in Ijevan and 76 people in Bolnisi). R2: Residents and other stakeholders have knowledge about environmental protection and are aware of efficient management of solid waste. Indicators (R2) – Target Value:
2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7
Existence of joint methodology for public education and awareness campaigns (1 document) 1 training session for NGOs on proposal writing. 2 seminars in Ijevan with youth and adults 2 seminars in Bolnisi with youth and adults 1 training for youth for environmental knowledge contest 1 environmental knowledge contest 1 exchange visit to Armenia to get familiar with best practices of plastic separation
Current Value:
2.1 2.2
Existence of joint methodology for public education and awareness campaigns - achieved 1 training session for NGOs on Proposal writing - achieved
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 7 of 13
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186
2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7
8 seminars in Ijevan with youth and adults - achieved 8 seminars in Bolnisi with youth and adults – achieved 2 training for youth for environmental knowledge contest - achieved 1 environmental knowledge contest – achieved 1 exchange visit – achieved
Level of achievement of this result – Achieved The project team completely achieved all targets under the Result 2: through the interlinked public education and awareness strategies, residents and other stakeholders are knowledgeable about environmental protection and aware of efficient management of solid waste. It was particularly contributed by informative TV programs with participation of local authorities, NGO‟s and experts, series of environmental seminars with all schools in Ijevan and Bolnisi, with adult population, knowledge contest among schoolchildren on environmental issues and exchange visit for experience sharing. 7-12 grade schoolchildren from eight schools of Ijevan (for 284 schoolchildren) and eight schools of Bolnisi (for 143 schoolchildren) participated in the educational seminars. 72 residents (61 women and 11 men) in Ijevan and 81 (57 women and 24 men) in Bolnsi participated in the educational seminars for adults. 30 (15+15) upper-grade students of Ijevan and Bolnisi schools received advanced training and participated in the Knowledge Contest were upper-grade students of Ijevan and Bolnisi schools. 10 stakeholders from Ijevan and Bolnisi participated in the exchange visit to Akhurian and Yerevan and learned about best practices in plastic separation and recycling. More than 200 in both cities residents participated in clean-up activities. R3: Waste separation is being practiced in Ijevan and Bolnisi
Indicators (R3) – Target Value:
1 PSA for Ijevan and Bolnisi 2 joint TV programs on solid waste issues, including plastic waste separation aired in Ijevan and Bolnisi seminars in Ijevan with youth and adults seminars in Bolnisi with youth and adults About 30 special bins for plastics installed in Ijevan About 30 special bins for plastics installed in Ijevan
Indicators (R3) – Current Value:
1 PSA for Ijevan and Bolnisi - achieved 2 TV programs on solid waste issues, including plastic waste separation aired in Ijevan and Bolnisi - achieved 8 seminars in Ijevan with youth and adults - achieved 8 seminars in Bolnisi with youth and adults- achieved 63 special bins for plastics installed in Ijevan - achieved 53 special bins for plastics installed in Bolnisi- achieved
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 8 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Level of achievement of this result – Achieved The project team completely achieved the targets under the Result area 3: Public awareness and education campaign largely contributed to it. Two TV programs in each partner city kept the population updated about the progress of the project as well as aware public on advantages and disadvantages of plastic waste. A film on solid waste management and recycling was prepared and aired to inform and educate population of two cities about the current situation of solid waste management in their cities and propose solutions to address them. Ongoing public service announcements in both cities aimed at targeting and channel different perceptions the residents to the efficient waste management practices. Special bins were installed for separation plastic in Ijevan and Bolnisi. Educational seminars for youth and adults were inalienable part of behavioural change regarding the separation of plastic. Throughout the implementation period of the project, 16 educational seminars on plastic waste management were conducted. 2 PSAs, 2 TV programs and educational film were prepared and aired, 63 special bins for plastics were installed in Ijevan and 53 in Bolnisi. R 1, R2, R3: Crosscutting activities Indicators (R 1, R2, R3) – Target Values 3 project banners 830 project booklets 1 The baseline survey report 1 Follow-up survey report 1 The progress report 1 The financial report Current Value: # of The project banner – 3 (Ijevan, Bolnisi Municipality, Urban Foundation) - achieved # of The project booklet – 830 (Armenian, Georgian, English) ) - achieved 1 baseline survey report ) - achieved 1 Follow-up survey report- achieved 1 progress report - ) - achieved 1 financial report ) - achieved Level of achievement of this result – Achieved In addition, numbers of cross-cutting activities were implemented which contributed to the achievement of the results under all Result areas, as well as to the successful management of the project: Baseline survey identified gaps in solid waste management, awareness and education which helped the project to channel its efforts to address them. The findings of the Follow-up survey in the end of the project showed that more than half of the respondents were separating the plastic from the mixed household waste, while they didn‟t do it before the prject. They mentioned that the positive change in their behaviours occurred due to public education and awareness campaigns in their communities. The project visibility was ensured during the entire implementation period: booklets and banner were produced; information about the project implementation was disseminated to media and general public through websites, Facebook pages and media mailing lists. The Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation in Armenia, GIZ Armenia Country Director the RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Development have participated in the key project events. The results of the project were widely disseminated through to the Armenian and Georgian peer local authorities through dissemination conference and through electronic and broadcast media.
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 9 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Capacities of the lead partner, the Ijevan municipality have been improved in international projects management and reporting. Technical assistance and consultancy was provided for Ijevan and Bolnisi municipalities as well as for ICU and KKPIC in day to day project operations and in preparing technical and financial reports All activities within the framework of this Action will be implemented through unified methodology developed by partners of the Action: they will meet to discuss and design a common participatory approach for development and approval of solid waste strategic plans, discuss and develop common modules for seminars on environmental protection, design public awareness campaign, a message for PSA, and a scenario for environmental knowledge contest. 2.3. Describe if the Action will continue after the support from the European Union has ended. Are there any follow up activities envisaged? What will ensure the sustainability of the Action? The implementation period of the action in both countries perfectly corresponded with the developments in Armenia and Georgia in the field of SWM. In both countries national solid waste management strategies were developed, which among other things, require form local authorities to have their waste management plans including waste separation. So, Ijevan and Bolnisi already have their plans and state can use them as a good practice for other communities in the country. After the Action, the waste management services in both cities will be sustained and further improved under the national waste management strategies action plans. 2.4. Explain how the Action has mainstreamed cross-cutting issues such as promotion of human rights,2 gender equality,3 democracy, good governance, children‟s rights and indigenous peoples, environmental sustainability4 and combating HIV/AIDS (if there is a strong 5 prevalence in the target country/region). Women and children were important target groups of the action: 284 schoolchildren Ijevan 143 schoolchildren Bolnisi; 395 residents (274 women and 121 men) of Bolnisi and 376 residents of Ijevan (286 women and 90 men) participated in town- hall meetings. Environmental protection and raising the environmental consciousness was in the core of this action. All educational and awareness campaign under the Action aimed to inform, educate, and explain people about adverse environmental and health effects of inefficient solid waste, and particularly, plastic waste management. Good governance also was a priority for the project: the solid waste management strategies were developed with intensive participation of community residents and community active groups. The municipalities involved, worked in transparent manner by informing all residents about the project activities, progress, meetings, and results through Facebook pages and TV programs. 2.5. How and by whom have the activities been monitored/evaluated? Please summarise the results of the feedback received from the beneficiaries and others. During the project implementation, main tools for monitoring were Skype meetings, visiting different project events, e-mail communication and reporting. The final monitoring and evaluation of the project was carried out through follow-up survey in the end of the project. 2.6. What has your organisation or any actor involved in the Action learned from the Action and how has this learning been utilised and disseminated?
2
3 4
5
Including those of people with disabilities. For more information, see „Guidance note on disability and development‟ at http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/infopoint/publications/development/19b_en.htm http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/sp/gender-toolkit/index.htm Guidelines for environmental integration are available at: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/integration/integration.htm Please refer to EC Guidelines on gender equality, disabilities, etc.
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 10 of 13
Nr. 83211186
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Cross-border Actions are very important to jointly address trans-boundary issues and setting good relations between neighbouring countries. However, this Action showed that the administration of such projects are very tough and often bureaucratic, which supersedes the very implementation process and may have negative influence on overall outcomes. The consortium team informed EaPTC Team about this concern in its progress reports. 2.7. Please list all materials (and number of copies) produced during the Action on whatever format (please enclose a copy of each item, except if you have already done so in the past). The project team enclosed all materials produced under this Action in the past. Please state how the items produced are being distributed and to whom. Booklets of the Action in Armenian, Georgian and English have been disseminated to the participants of launching and closing events, town hall meetings in both cities, educational seminars in both cities. TV programs, film, PSAs were aired by local TVs and are accessible on the Urban Foundation website: http://urbanfoundation.am/archives/1506 . Same relates to the publications: strategic plans, legal analysis, baseline and follow-up surveys: http://urbanfoundation.am/archives/1506 2.8. Please list all contracts (works, supplies, services) above € 60 000 awarded for the implementation of the Action since the last interim report if any or during the reporting period, giving for each contract the amount, the award procedure followed and the name of the contractor.
N/A 3. Beneficiaries/affiliated entities and other Cooperation 3.1. How do you assess the relationship between the Beneficiaries/affiliated entities of this grant contract (i.e. those having signed the mandate for the Coordinator or the affiliated entity statement)? Please provide specific information for each Beneficiary/affiliated entity. The fruitful collaboration among Consortium members has been continued in the course of entire project implementation. They were in frequent communication through project events, Skype, e-mail and telephone. Ijevan municipality continued to ensure multi-way communication among all project partners through Skype meetings, circulated invitations and media announcements, kept all project partners informed about schedules and deadlines. The Urban Foundation continued to provide mentorship and technical assistance to all project partners both in project and financial management. Learning by doing remained the key motto in relations among partners. 3.2. Is the above agreement between the signatories to the grant contract to continue? If so, how? If not, why? Consortium partners keep good relations and may cooperate if there is another opportunity. 3.3. How would you assess the relationship between your organisation and State authorities in the Action countries? How has this relationship affected the Action? The project team updated the RA ministry of territorial administration and development about the project implementation and provided a brief written report. The RoA minister of territorial administration and development participated on the project closing event. 3.4. Where applicable, describe your relationship with any other organisations involved in implementing the Action: Associate(s) (if any) N/A Contractor(s) (if any) N/A Final Beneficiaries and Target groups 2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Page 11 of 13
01 Oct 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186
Relations with final beneficiaries and target groups have been continued successfully during the entire project implementation period. Youth and adult residents were reached through TV programs. Schoolchildren participated in the knowledge contest with their Armenian and Georgian peers. ď&#x201A;ˇ Other third parties involved (including other donors, other government agencies or local government units, NGOs, etc.) N/A 3.5. Where applicable, outline any links and synergies you have developed with other actions. N/A 3.6. If your organisation has received previous EU grants in view of strengthening the same target group, in how far has this Action been able to build upon/complement the previous one(s)? (List all previous relevant EU grants). N/A 3.7. How do you evaluate cooperation with the services of the Contracting Authority?
4. Visibility How is the visibility of the EU contribution being ensured in the Action? The project visibility was ensured during the entire implementation period: booklets and banner were produced; information about the project implementation was disseminated to media and general public through websites, Facebook pages and media mailing lists. The Ambassador, Head of EU Delegation in Armenia, GIZ Armenia Country Director, the RA Minister of Territorial Administration and Development have participated in the key project events. The results of the project were widely disseminated through to the Armenian and Georgian peer local authorities through dissemination conference and through electronic and broadcast media. The European Commission may wish to publicise the results of Actions. Do you have any objection to this report being published on the EuropeAid website? If so, please state your objections here. No objection.
5. Location of records, accounting and supporting documents Please indicate in a table the location of records, accounting and supporting documents for each Beneficiary and affiliated entity entitled to incur costs. #/#
Organisation
Record
Accounting documents
1.
Ijevan Municipality
At Ijevan Municipality
2.
The Urban Foundation
At Yerevan Office
3.
Bolnisi Municipality
At Bolnisi Municipality
All project accounting documents including originals for Ijevan and copies for other partners: at Ijevan Municipality UFSD original project accounting documents: at Yerevan Office Bolnisi municipalty original project accounting documents: at Bolnisi Municipality
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Supporting documents At Ijevan Municipality
At Yerevan Office At Bolnisi Municipality Page 12 of 13
01 Oct 2015 – 25 May 2017
Nr. 83211186 4.
Kvemo Kartli Public Information Centre
At the office in Bolnisi
5.
Ijevan Union of Communities
At the office in Ijevan
6.
Safe Childhood NGO At the office in Ijevan
KKPIC original project accounting documents: at the office in Bolnisi IUCs\ original project accounting documents: at the office in Ijevan SC NGO original project accounting documents: at the office in Ijevan
At the office in Bolnisi At the office in Ijevan At the office in Ijevan
Name of the contact person for the Action: Arthur Tchagharyan, Project Director Signature: ……………………………………… Location: Ijevan, Armenia Date report due: ……01.10.2015……….
2014 Annex VI _Final Narrative Report
Date report sent: ………25.05.2017……
Page 13 of 13