Meeting+2


 * Minutes (Tuesday 14th September 2010, 8:30-10:30) [By Nadia Manning-Thomas]**

Present: Birhanu, Matthew, Amare, Seleshi, Seife, Katherine, Peter, Tilahun, Bharat, Alan, Lisa, Nadia, Shirley, Tsedey, Askale, Mulugeta, Alamayehu Online: Jemimah, An, Pamela Absent: Debbie, Kebebe, Ranjitha,


 * Tilahun opens the meeting

1. Finalising workshop program for the launch 2. Updates on where we are in terms of project progress 3. Branding the Nile BDC 4. Other?
 * Agenda

-Birhanu Zemadim-from Bahir Dar University, Postdoc hydrologist (Supervised by Matthew McCartney) -Bharat Sharma- working in IWMI new Delhi office, leading the N2 -Katherine Snyder- Anthropologist coming from WorldFish-working on N2 focusing on livelihoods and institutions
 * Introducing new staff:

__**1. Branding**__ -Acknowledge the support of Peter's team (KMIS) -We need to have a brand for communication, writing briefs, etc -Peter's group came up with two suggestions from Apollo (both available on the wiki) -Any comments:
 * 1) Most people prefer-- Nile Basin Development Challenge branding (simpler one; one with just the lines representing the basin-no trees, cattle etc)
 * 2) Discussion on the name of the project; is it Nile Basin Development Challenge (Note: no 's' on the end of challenge) or is it the 'Rainwater management...' title
 * 3) People would like to look at the branding and titles of the other Basins
 * 4) The lines don't show the basin image enough--need more water image included
 * 5) Need to set a deadline for feedback and deciding--**ACTION: Deadline for feedback on Friday 17th September**

__**2. Updating from individual projects**__ -Doug shared the draft with us-and this was forwared to you all -He is expecting feedback by mid-September-- **ACTION: Everyone to send their feedback to Doug** -Cannot integrate all feedback from our end; Doug will have to receive all separately and integrate himself -He will present the key findings in the launch workshop- lessons learnt, discussions etc -Q (Alan):there were two version-any difference; A: Two files- one is just biblio and annexes -Q (Matthew): after workshop is N1 finished?; A (Tilahun):-my plan is to extract information from the N1 document and produce something concrete in terms of publications; also invited some key people from Ethiopia in key areas (e.g water, soils, livestocks, NRM) to help to produce in 2011 a special publication on rainwater management and agriculture. Professor Takale Mamo-advisor to Deputy Prime Minister has agreed to be chief editor; NBDC will cover local publication costs in a local journal (NAME??)
 * **N1 (Tilahun):**

-First aim was to get all staff on board which has been quite successful -Interview for a new Post doc for landscape ecology- to be held on 4th October -Selection of the sites/micro-sites has been going on. Matthew and team have gone to the field. We have selected two watersheds, third one is being finalised. The report on the watersheds is already available. They have larger woredas for the innovation platform work etc. **ACTION: request for all to look at the sites report** - Bring other partners on board; in touch with the three unviersities; drafting MoUs with them; **ACTION: request to all to give work line items for other activities with the unviersities--N2 has focused on biophysical so far but if other work is required we can add it to the MoU.** -Received request from two Masters students working in the project- we are examining their concept notes; taking Capacity Building into account -Birhanu went for small training on measurement of flows -Birhanu (IWMI and Girma from Ethiopian Rainwater Harvesting Association are going to India for ten days to a training at the International Rainwater Harvesting Association -Purchase of instruments are being finalised -Flow of money to our partners is being organised with ILRI Finance- first transfer has been requested for ODI -Interactions with ICRAF still not moving along very well; not received any work plans; do we take this to next level of DDG or DG? We will still give them some time
 * **N2 (Bharat):**

-Jemimah-on CB-do we have a streatgy on CB across the projects in a way that we can idenitfy the research topcis that students can work on-for when we talk to partners? -Tilahun- in N5 CB was written as a separate item--there are two masters students budgeted for gender in N5; -Seleshi-can build upon stratgey in other projects. Need to identify clearly the topics and develop synopsis of what can be researched by students. With partners universities send them the synopsis so that students can develop proposals along those lines. -Bharat-would be an advantage to get students from the 3 universities that we are already working with.
 * DISCUSSION on CAPACITY BUILDING**:
 * - ACTION- project leaders each to write what they have for students; send it around and then to develop the synopsis**

-Alan --we may develop MoUs with regional research institutes and NGOs also; we need to make sure that we ring fence some of the budget for activities we have not worked out yet-we need to get on the ground and see what we need. -Bharat-we won't use all the money but if you want the unviersities to do activities, let's include that in the MoUs being developed -Seleshi-we agreed to develop one MoU across all the projects for particular partners, instead of engaging partners with multiple-has MoU been developed/signed yet? -Bharat-no not yet, in process of developing it. -Shirley-we discussed this last time and decided to make a table of all partners. Tilahun- the tables have been made and can share. Alan; i haven't had input into the partner tables yet-is it on the wiki? Tilahun-No, can add it to the wiki.A**CTION: Tilahun to put partner matrix on the wiki** - Shilrey-how you make the MoUs work so they address the needs of the various projects is very important to think about - Katherine; is there still scope for adding new partners and unviersities-especially for social science? Tilahun-there is still space for some projects. -**ACTION: need to continue discussing roles and expectations from different partners before the launch when we may meet them.**
 * DISCUSSION ON PARTNERS AND MoUs**:

-Matthew - Birhanu is identifying which equipment is needed. We need the MoUs since the equipment will belong to the Universities, but we will do purchasing to make it easier due to problems and time it takes for Universities to do the purchasing. We would like to sign MoUs very soon after launch so we can purchase equipment. -Seleshi: can Birhanu follow up with NAMSA regulations on equipment? Matthew-first we will identify what we want to purchase and the specifications and then go talk to MoWR and Meteorological people. Installing equipment on bridges-- we need to check on the regulations
 * DISCUSSION on EQUIPMENT**:

- Post doc Katherine Pfeifer is on board--will start in December 2010, but will be in Addis with us from next week -to have initial discussions before the launch and attending the launch -Putting data together to make some baseline maps -An will be in Addis from next week Tuesday evening(21st September) to have meetings with Lisa, partners etc -Tilahun will help arrange meetings with the partners before the launch workshop **ACTION: Tilahun to follow-up** -Lisa and Katherine and An will attend the livelihood mapping workshop of the AgWater Solutions project to get a good idea of the data, methods etc
 * **N3-(An):**

-N4 has not not yet really started implementing the project yet -General preparations are underway- talking to the partners, going to the field, developing MoUs -Trying to develop MoUs with key institutions by the workshop period -Seleshi swill be on leave until 16th September
 * **N4-(Seleshi):**

-Organising the launch workshop: sending out invitations, developing the agenda (draft program is on the wiki) -Draft program has been shared with the CPWF management team -Working with Peter and KMIS on two things: (1) a communication strategy and (2) developing frameworks for briefs for communciation in the future -Peter: we have to work out a communication strategy draft by the launch workshop, not much more done on this since the last meeting. We focused more on the communication tools. Wiki-introducation training was done by Nadia and Tsehay. We are using the wiki to capture the information and share it; We also set up Yammer community, which is not yet fully operational, for sharing the updates and having a conversation with Nairobi and other partners elsewhere. Working on the briefs--a short two page brief from African Highlands Initiative was used as a model. The first one will be produced as an introduction to the project for the launch workshop. A series of policy and practice briefs will follow over the course of the project.
 * **N5-(Tilahun):**
 * ACTION- Tilahun to put List of partners on the wiki**
 * ACTION- Nadia and Tsehay to organise another training session on the wiki for people who missed the first one, new staff and people coming from Nairobi (need to get arrival dates in order to plan this--ask people to send them to Tsedey to input into the Google Calendar)**

-M&E- Tilahun has been communciating with Pamela; Pamela- will begin working on M&E framwork to be sent by end of this week or beginning of next week. Then can dsicuss it when they arrive in Addis.Tilahun has asked people from CPWF to give real examples of the OLM and how it works, how to use it, how to implement it. Shirley-are all the travel details for everyone available? Nadia-they should be sent to Tsedey so that she can add them to the Google Calendar so they appear on the wiki on the calendar page. **ACTION: everyone to send travel details, especially for upcoming launch workshop, to Tsedey to input into the Google Calendar**

-Seife- I am here until end of September to work on the actor mapping, the inventory on the landscape side, and on the platform development. Idea is that we update our database of actors involved in the main challenge areas, also for development of platforms. Tilahun-we plan to develop a 4 pager to share at the launch -Negotiating and modifying MoUs. Now signed MoU from ILRI side to send to partners. Askale has the signed MoUs -Amare-reminder- need to share the shape file of the sites with ICRAF. **ACTION: share the shape files of the sites with project team and partners**

__**3. Launch workshop**__ -Will there be interactions or workshop in each of the sites--should this be discussed? Tilahun; at this stage no. At the next stage perhaps. This one is higher level. -Alan: we need to be careful we don't just interact with senior/high level people as it sends a message to the sites that they are less important. We need to not come across as too top down. -Tilahun: we have another workshop in 2011 for the technical people -So who has been invited? We invited the Directors, the Bureau heads, people like this. -Jemimah- who is at the Tuesday meeting? who does it include? Tilahun: National partners together with the project team
 * Day 1-Tuesday 28th September- Project planning day--was presented by Nadia and comments were given:
 * ACTION-CHANGES TO BE MADE TO AGENDA(Nadia): Start with plenary; delete the admin discussions; projects can meet at 8; 9 with National Partners to introduce broadly the project; then can move on with the rest of the original program. Seleshi suggested to keep an admin session in order to discuss MoUs and other partnering modalities.**

-Two speakers: SLM coordinator Daniel Denano; Dejene Abesha- Bureau MoARD small scale irrigation expert to present on what has been done to date in Ethiopia- where they see us contributing to their initiatives. Jemimah/Bharat-can we have from MoWR also? Seleshi: Ato Sileshi Getahun would have been best choice. Alot of discussion on this. -What do we want to achieve from this? -Katherine- It is important that we give guidance on how the process will work for participants to know how it all fits together -Give cards and cluster them into categories of issues -Gaps not just biophysical - Topic session slot: Tilahun-each project to present. Seleshi-wants to introduce N4 and get feedback. -Short project presentations- where? or Tilahun to give an introduction to projects in his overview projects? -Katherine-what do we want to get from the participants? buy-in? modification of the strategy? How they would like to participate -Implication for topic sessions- how they would like to engage with this topic
 * Day 2-Wednesday 29th September-launch workshop with stakeholders--was presented by Nadia and comments were given:
 * -ACTION- CHANGE TO BE MADE TO AGENDA: After lunch 30 min of project presentations and then move into topic groups**

-Any comments?
 * Day 3- Thursday 30th September- Project review day--this was presented by Nadia and comments given:

-Tilahun: Note to all--Each project will be charged for participants coming that are affiliated with those particular projects.

~Meeting was adjourned at about 10:40 a.m~