The President of Hydroaid, Ambassador Cavalchini, and  Hydroaid's External Relations Manager, took part to the Cairo Water Week (CWW),  a one week international conference on “Water conservation for sustainable development”, organized in Cairo by the Egyptian Ministry of Water and Irrigation  from 14 to 18 October.
This very first edition of the CWW was an important international gathering for promoting water awareness, fostering new thinking about the most pressing water-related challenges and envisaging actions towards integrated water resources management and conservation for sustainable development. 
The CWW gathered together all the actors and stakeholders, including governments and international organisations, operating in the water sector at the international and regional levels to discuss the most burning water-related issues such as desertification, water scarcity, upstream countries development and significant impact of climate change on water resources.
During the CWW the Hydroaid's delegation, thanks to the support of the Italian Embassy in Cairo, had the opportunity to meet H.E. Mohamed Abdel Ati, Minister of Water Resources and Irrigation (MWI) and Chairman of Cairo Water Week  and Dr. Khaled Abdelhay, President of the National Water Research Centre (NWRC) - the research and development centre of the Egyptian MWI - to discuss several possible initiatives concerning the development of training and Master programmes in the field of sustainable management of water resources.

Hydroaid took part to the meeting organized by the Regione Piemonte in the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding "The Regione Piemonte  for Green Education". The meeting, addressed to the 33 signatories of the Protocol, focused on a work proposal  by IRES Piemonte aimed at enhancing the subscribers' experiences with respect to the objectives of the Memorandum and with the aim of building a regional strategy on sustainability, consistent with the objectives of the Agenda 2030 and the National Strategy for Sustainable Development.

Last December, the Water Authority No. 3 "Torinese" approved the second edition of the project "CLIC - The school changes the climate." 
The project - realized by Hydroaid in collaboration with CinemAmbiente TV Film for Environmental Education, MAcA ( Museo A come Ambiente), Polytechnic of Turin, Volonwrite Association, an association, active in the field of multimedia social communication, under the patronage of the Metropolitan City of Turin and the City of Turin - put again the school system of the Turin area as the center of several recreational-educational and training activities on issues related to the management of water resources and the phenomenon of climate change.

The Compagnia di San Paolo, in collaboration with IAI (Istituto Affari Internazionali) and CESPI (Centro per gli Studi di Politica Internazionale) has organized a conference regarding the agenda of the 2018 OSCE Italian Presidency. The aim of this event is to discuss the role of the OSCE in the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms together with the advancement of security in the Balkans and the Mediterranean. Such regions have great potential, but continue to be characterized by institutional fragility, inter-ethnic tensions and interstate antagonisms. Particular attention will be given to the tasks and challenges that OSCE will have to face next year when Italy takes over the Presidency of the organization. The conference will offer the opportunity for an exchange of opinions and evaluations concerning the agenda of the Italian Presidency to be announced in the coming weeks.​

On December 5  the conference on "Digital Water - Applied research for water services" took place at SMAT HQ in Turin. The event was the occasion to present the most significant research activities carried out by utilities, universities, research centers and industries in the field of applied research on water services.. Download the programme (Italian). 
During the event the "Water Academy", the high level training school of UTILITALIA and the newly created Water Research Award were also officially presented. 
The conference discussed the issues of research, innovation and development with a view on business opportunities and potential environmental benefits.
The SMAT Research Center along with leading companies of this specific sector, including Hera,Iren, Olivetti and Thales Alenia Space, took part to the conference. More information at www.smatorino.it.

​Last Tuesday, November 14, a delegation of experts and technicians from the Ethiopian Water Resources Development Fund (WRDF) participated in the workshop on “Industrial application of the SOFC system: the DEMOSOFC project", within the framework of the capacity development program currently conducted by Hydraoid with the WRDF. 
The workshop, organized at the Polytechnic of Turin, presented DEMOSOFC project, an initiative funded by the European Union in the framework of the Horizon 2020  program  aimed at producing high efficiency energy with solid oxide fuel cells (SOFC) by using biogas from waste water. The project is supported by a technical partnership  which includes the Polytechnic of Turin, the Imperial College of London,  SMAT (the Turin water utility which will implement  the prototype in Collegno's wastewater treatment plant in Turin), the Finnish start-up Convion and the Research Center of the same Scandinavian country VTT. 
The project has enabled the installation of the first European industrial-size fuel cell system in the SMAT plant of Collegno that can convert the sludge from the wastewater into clean and valuable energy, thanks to the high efficiency conversion of solid oxide fuel powered by biogas produced by the anaerobic digestion of sludge from the urban waste water. The project represents an important example of “circular economy”, which meets about 30% of the demand for electricity and more than 50% of the demand for heating of the plant.
 The workshop included a visit in the afternoon to the SMAT plant in Collegno where this innovative system is currently being implemented.

​ A delegation from the Ethiopian Water Resources Development Fund (WRDF) is visiting Turin from 16th to 26t​h October, in the framework of the training programme realized by Hydroaid in support of the staff of the WRDF.
The delegation include Director General, Dr. Wanna Wake Gelesu, and those responsible for planning, finances and public relations. They are involved in a training programme and technical visits with the objective of exchanging experiences and know-how about water resources management by focusing on the model adopted in the Piedmont region (Northern Italy). Activities will take place in different locations in collaboration with members and partners of Hydroaid (ATO3, SMAT, Hydrodata, Regione Piemonte, ACDA).
The Ethiopian Water Resources Development Fund, established by the Ethiopian Government in January 2002, is the governmental agency which promotes the development of viable water and sanitation services in Ethiopian urban areas and evaluates the projects presented by local suppliers with regards to the water infrastructure of the entire area of Ethiopia.
For the past five years, Hydroaid has realized as series of training initiatives and capacity development in Ethiopia: the WATSAM Project, financed by the European Union and the platform A Focus on Ethiopia, together with distant learning projects financed by the ATO3 (Turin), have paved the way to the establishment and following consolidation of relationships with Ethiopian institutions 
The WRDF and Hydroaid signed an agreement on 4th April 2017 aiming at the organization of a training programme set out in several phases: the first “on the job” step, geared towards technical and economic aspects of the project, took place last July at the WRDF offices in Addis Abeba.
The second phase of the training take place in Turin as from Monday 16th October with an in-depth session on theory, together with technical visits to plants and focus on aspects concerning regulatory frameworks and financial evaluation. For a period of ten days the first group of high level officials from the WRDF will have the possibility to observe and discuss about the model of water governance adopted by the Piedmont region and debate ideas with administrators, technicians and regulators concerning best practices and solutions aimed at the improvement of water supplies in Ethiopia. 
A planned visit of a second group of technicians from the WRDF in November will wrap up this intense period of training and exchange which benefit the support of the Government of Ethiopia and Italian Agency for Development Cooperation in Addis Abeba.

On September 11, the new e-Learning course on "Gouvernance territoriale: fondements, enjeux et pratiques en Afrique de l’Ouest et au Sénégal" began. The course, orgarnized by Hydroaid in collaboration with the Institut de la Gouvernance Territorial of the Dakar’s University Cheikh Anta Diop, presents the fundamental elements and most crucial challenges concerning the governance of local administration. It provides an in-depth analysis of the key concepts (governance, good governance, decentralization, local development, etc.) and governance issues in West Africa, focusing on actors, mechanisms and programmes.​ ​
150 people from 14 French-speaking countries applied. The selection of candidates, based on their skills, competencies and motivations, gave a final number of 80 participants from 10 countries (Burkina Faso, Gambia, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Congo, Senegal, Tchad, Togo); 19 of the 80 candidates selected are women. 
​​During the first week of the course, the participants learned about the methodology and subjects of the course and familiarized themselves with the e-learning platform, exploring its tools and ways of using it. This week, training activities and exercises began. 49% of the participants come from the public sector, 27% from the private sector, and the remaining 24% are unemployed.

The showdown of the four-year GoBenin Project took place last July in Abomey-Calavi, Benin.
he GoBenin Project was a development programme sponsored by the EU which brought together several institutions, such as ENAS (Water Utility of the Sardinia Region), CRENoS (Center for North-South Economic Research of the University of Cagliari), NRD (Research Centre on Desertification of the University of Sassari), the University of Abomey-Calavi, the General Directorate for water of the ministry for Energy and Water, ​Actions Integrees pour le Developpement (AID) and Hydroaid as implementing partner.
The project consisted in carrying out a research assessment concerning the water resources in the Municipality of Abomey-Calavi as well as providing training for local technicians and public managers. The project also envisaged the drafting of a technical handbook for the management of water resources in accordance with national water legislations, where the ultimate goal was the transfer of models of local governance. 
Throughout the 150 hours of training, run first in Benin and later in Italy, the 23 beneficiaries further strengthened their technical skills and expertise concerning the management and planning of water infrastructures. Moreover, they were able to carry out an analysis of the criticalities and solutions envisaged for the Municipality of Abomey-Calavi. In addition to in-class work the participants engaged in water quality lab testing, specific software education and on-field visits to facilities in Benin as well as in Italy. Experts from both Italy and Benin jointly delivered the training, highlighting the skills and synergies of the project partners and thus conveying an added value to the participants’ learning. This successful approach led to the comparison of the water planning and management systems in Benin and Italy and subsequently stimulated a productive debate among participants and experts. Finally, the copious didactic material produced during the training represented a valuable source for the development of the expected technical manual on the management of water resources. 

​Hydroaid, partner of the Integrated Project for the Right to Water, Health and Nutrition in Central Tanzania, carried out a technical mission with the target of contribute to define the training model for technicians who work in the field of water supplying in some rural areas of the country.
The project, promoted by LVIA (Lay Volunteers International Association) and co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) and UNICEF,intends to contribute in a sustainable way to the improvement of life conditions, to the decrease of child mortality and the quality and governance of water, hygiene and nutritional services in a long lasting way and through an integrated approach in the Dodoma, Iringa and Central Tanzania regions. In particular, the project aims to improve the skills and the knowledge of the local actors in the field of the management of integrated water services and at local community and district levels (regions of Dodoma, Iringa, Ruvuma and Simiyu). It also aim to improve considerably the access to water as well as the functionality of healthcare facilities and water resource monitoring activities in the local community of the districts: Kongwa, Chamwino, Iringa and Mufindi.
During the mission, which took place from 4th to 15th July in the region of Dodoma and Moshi, the training model was developed according to the VETA (Vocational Education and Training Authority) standards and procedures, with the view of supporting the partners of the project and the local stakeholders (community representatives, private operators and rural water systems manager). During a second phase of the project a distance learning module for VETA staff member on the management of water resources in a rural areas, will be implemented with the objective of being integrated eventually into the overall national VETA training programme.
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