February 2017

Dedicated to inform
newsletter

Peshawar, the capital of the Pakistani province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CDLD Project Launches Newsletter

The Human Dynamics supported Community-led Local to access nearby

Development project in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region of villages, and was
Pakistan has launched a monthly newsletter. The newsletter washed away in
is called The Voice of Malakand and it will document the monsoon floods in
diverse range of actions and intiatives which the project 2010. These floods
is supporting. The CDLD project operates on the basis of left the crossing
transparency, participation, empowerment, responsiveness perilous and unsafe,
and accountability - providing citizens of this underdeveloped causing many fatal
region with the opportunity to identify their own priorities and accidents. Under
local problems; to work in partnership with local governments the the principles
and other supportive institutions. of the CDLD, the
villagers of Salool and
representatives of
the project, planned The Voice of Malakand magazine

and elected to build

Planned Suspension Bridge in Upper Dir
Recently, these actions have included the construction of a
bridge in Upper Dir. The previous bridge, a vital piece of much
needed infrastructure used by the local people of Salool
a suspension bridge which can be used by light transport
vehicles. It will take around six months to complete. In rural
Chakesar, a historic town where the armies of Alexander the
Great once marched through, the project has also facilitated
the construction of a dedicated maternity unit. The lack of
a maternity unity for such a densely populated town, had
previously led to patients being compelled to travel great
distances to Swat and Peshawar - often at great financial cost.
The new dedicated maternity unit will serve around 50-60
new patients a day and is also operated by a female doctor
and healthcare workers, whilst also having the facility to treat
emergency cases.

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 Interview
Drazenka Fakles
Project Management Support Services, Vienna
Before working here what was
the most interesting job youve
ever had?
Before joining Human Dynamics I worked
in quite a number of companies and had
various positions such as office manager,
translator/project manager, business
assistant, marketing coordinator, and
head of a project implementation unit. I
would say that working for the Croatian
Accreditation Agency in Zagreb somehow
left the greatest impact on me prior to
joining Human Dynamics in Vienna. I was
a representative for Croatia, attending
semi-annual meetings all over Europe for
4 years. It was quite a challenging and
interesting job. I actively participated in
making decisions, voted on a number of
directives and regulations and exchanged
experiences with other accreditation
companies. I am a communicative and
open-minded person, so it was a pleasure
to participate in such important issues and
to be in an international environment.
How long have you worked at
Human Dynamics and what
attracted you to working for the
company?
I joined Human Dynamics in summer
2014. I was working in project
implementation in Zagreb, Croatia so I
knew all the procedures and rules. I liked
what I was doing and wanted to
continue my career in the same core
business. Since I have spent the majority
of my career working in an international
environment, joining Human Dynamics,
the market leader in project
implementation was a logical path and at
the same time quite a big challenge. I am
so thrilled I got an opportunity to work
here and collaborate with colleagues,
sharing knowledge and experiences.
What is your favourite memory of
working at Human Dynamics?
My favourite memories are all related
to christmas retreats. That time of year
has always been the most magical for
me, and it is so nice that company
policy allows a few days dedicated to
team development. I think that its very
important to meet people in person
and exchange experiences, since it
definitely improves cooperation and
brings mutual understanding among
employees. Besides that, a favourite
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part of my work is preparing and
sending invoices to clients. I cannot
explain why, but these tasks give me the
satisfaction of contributing to successful
implementation.
What do you do on the
weekends?
My weekends have always been reserved
for my family and friends. Now that my
family joined me in Vienna and were all
together, we really enjoy it very much.
Vienna is a marvellous city - and provides a
variety of options for all kinds of interests
and activities. Both of my daughters and
me like rollerblading and skating, and
therefore I spend most of my time on the
Danube Island which is very close to our
apartment. But now, when it is so cold I
like to go ice skating with my friends. I also
like walking or cycling along the Danube.
If the weather conditions are really bad,
I enjoy reading a good book and listening
to music, which is the best way to relax.
 SECiM Project in Mongolia Making Significant
Progress

The SECiM TAT, with various stakeholders and representatives of beneficiary institutions, and Project Director Rade Glomazic

In the summer of 2016, implementation work began on the In the second PSC meeting, representatives from the Delegation
Human Dynamics led Support to Employment Policy for of European Union, the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection,
promoting job creation in Mongolia (SECiM). The project aims Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Food, Agriculture and Light
to assist the country in its efforts to establish a well-functioning Industry, the Ministry of education, Culture, Science and Sports
labour market, capable of supporting a dynamic diversified and other state institutions were all in attendance. During the
economy, while ensuring competitiveness and sustained second meeting, an annual work plan for components 1 and 2,
economic and employment growth. The eventual goals are
implementation study on the Impact Assessment of National
to support an employment policy framework for the most
Employment Policy and Regulation in Selected Non-mining
vulnerable in Mongolian society, improving the functioning
Sectors, as well as information on implementation of the
of the labour market and enhancing quality employment -
decisions of previous meetings were all presented. Project
in addition to providing institutional support to the Ministry
Director Mr. Rade Glomazic emphasised that the
of Labour and other related stakeholders. The project will
project will contribute to inclusive and sustainable
also target employment creation in specific value chains in
development in Mongolia through promotion of inclusive
collaboration with the Ministry of Food and Agriculture.
employment, by enabling the private sector to generate
jobs in areas where Mongolia has potential, and by
The beginning of the year saw the second steering committee
strengthening the conditions of sustainable value chain
meeting for SECIM, and was aimed at providing information
creation.
on the implementation progress of the first component of the
project to Support to Employment Policy for promoting job
creation; and on the second, which aims at Piloting quality
private sector work in selected livestock and vegetable value
chains. The meeting was held in the UN house, in the capital
Ulaanbaatar, where the project office of SECiM is located.

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Seventh Steering Committee Meeting for CES-MED

Agadir, Morocco

The Human Dynamics led "Cleaner Energy Saving
Mediterranean Cities" (CES MED) project held its seventh
Steering Committee Meeting between 2122 February
in Agadir, Morocco. The meeting brought together the
National Focal Points of the eight affiliated countries
(Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco,
Tunisia and Palestine), representatives of the European
Commission and other project stakeholders, in order to
present and discuss the latest achievements, the proposed
work plan for the next six months, and the sustainability of
the activities delivered under the project.
A study tour of the city of Agadir, with a visit to its urban
development project sites and a meeting with the mayor
and the municipal team was also organized on 22 February
2017. In Morocco, the project completed the first phase
of trainings and programming with the municipalities
of Agadir, Oujda and Benslimane. The HD-led CES-
MED project was launched in 2013 under the European
Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), which
supports the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) in
coordination with the Covenant of Mayors initiative.

The event was inaugurated by Mr. Salah El Malouki, mayor

of Agadir, Ms. Maya Aherdan - Department Director
for Observation, Cooperation and Communication at
the Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment
(MoEMWE). Mr. Maxime La Tella, representing the
Delegation of the European Union to the Kingdom of
Morocco, addressed the participants and expressed his
satisfaction with the results of the project
CES-MED Study Tour

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 Sustainable Development Project in Turkmenistan
Concludes
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
The Human Dynamics led sustainable development project
in Turkmenistan is concluding. The project was launched
in 2013, and was conceived to support the rational use of
natural resources in the energy and environment sectors.
The consortium was engagaed to provide technical advice
to assist in the management of energy resources to aid
sustainable development in Turkmenistan, in line with the
countrys long-term economic growth objectives.
Throughout the course of implementation, the project
delivered 17 seminars, workshops and events, drafted a law
on air protection which was enacted by the Government,
drafted several decrees on waste management and
improved Environmental Impact Assessment standards
which are currently under consideration by the state
committee. In addition, our technical assistance team
conducted preliminary energy audits, research overviews
and specific studies on a variety of issues. The project
5
also drafted a proposal for the tranformation of existing
gas turbines to increase efficiency, and managed three
working groups into this action and monitored the
implementation of a pilot project.
As a result of the work of the project, stakeholders such
as Turkmengaz will coordinate with the Ministry of Energy
in the preperation of a national programme for the
effcient use of energy work which will be coordinated by
the Ministry of Economy and Development. Overall, the
project has made an overwhelmingly positive contribution
to Turkmenistans ability to elaborate policies, strategies
and plans which will address the real needs of the country
as its economy continues to grow and develop. It has also
laid the groundwork for projects which will be able to
target the development of industry- and for the potential
exchange of knowledge, expertise and experience with
other Central Asian countries in the region.
 Programme to Support Pro-Poor Policy Development
The Human Dynamics led PSPPD project provided a
number of Low Value Grants (LVG) with the primary
objective of building on and expanding the quantitative
analysis skills of researchers in South Africa; enabling
them to analyse data and write research papers. The
objective of this grant is to encourage research using the
National Income Dynamics Study (NIDS) data Waves 1, 2
and 3, as well as the South African Social Attitudes Survey
(SASAS).
The Health Systems Trust (HST) used its grant to analyse
the current trends in obesity in the adult population of
South Africa, and contributes to a better understanding
of socioeconomic and behavioral determinants. They
found that overall there has been an increase in body
mass index (BMI) for both men and women. However,
these trends are not homogeneous across the population
and are influenced not only by biological factors such
as age and gender, but also by factors such as physical
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exercise, smoking and socio-economic status. They found
that people in rural areas are at higher risk of gaining
weight than urban dwellers, and that the BMI of women is
increasing more rapidly than men.
Stoyan Georgiev gave his perspective on the
importance of the research: In addition to suggesting
ongoing surveillance and analysis of obesity trends,
recommendations were made about the comprehensive
implementation of multiple interventions if the 2020
objective of a 10% reduction in the number of people
who are obese or overweight is to be reached. Given
the extent and increasing severity of the epidemic, these
interventions need to be extended to the majority of
the population. In addition, technical assistance will be
delivered to specific sub-populations to target rural areas,
including young women, people who have quit smoking,
and people with central obesity.
 SHARE Education Programme - Bangladesh
Annual Review & Planning Workshop ARPW 2017 of UNIQUE II project under the
SHARE Education Programme
The four-day Annual Review and Planning Workshop
(APRW for 2017) for the UNIQUE II project, Dhaka Ahsania
Mission (DAM) was held in Sreemongal, Molvibazar in
Bangladesh. Dr. Ehsanur Rahman, executive director of
DAM, inaugurated the event which saw the participation
of 110 practitioners from the education sector, including
representatives of the SHARE programme, six regions,
44 schools and members of partner organisations in
Bangladesh. Six regional teams presented their progress
and performed their best practices through role play. Our
team of experts for Human Dynamics were presented at
the event by Mr. Alam Chowdhury, team Leader and Mr.
Mohammad Golam Nabi - Communications Expert.
SHARE (Supporting the Hardest to Reach through
Basic Education) is one of the largest non-formal
primary education programs in Bangladesh. Funded
7
by the European Union and implemented by Human
Dynamics, the purpose of the programme is to enable
an environment for decision makers and implementers
to take new initiatives for the hardest to reach children
in Bangladesh. The Programme website provides schools
with an Education Management Information System (EMIS)
developed with the assistance of the Bureau of Non-
Formal Education (BNFE) under the Ministry of Primary
and Mass Education (MoPME). The mapping tool shows
all schools in Bangladesh delivering non-formal education
under the project. In the library section guidelines and
training books are also available for download. Four
technical assistance projects in the domain of non-formal
education are funded under the programme: Aloghar,
SHIKHON-II, SUSTAIN and UNIQUE-II. The UNIQUE II
project is funded by the European Union through the
SHARE Education Programme.
MESA holds IGAD Regional Policy Meeting

Attendees of the IGAD Policy Workshop

The MESA project held a meeting on Earth Observation WMO. In his opening remarks, he stated that, "As policy and
Policy for the Inter-governmental Authority on decision makers, it is our responsibility to work in synergy
Development (IGAD) region. The region is a trade block through harmonized strategies, sound and informed
which includes Djibouti, Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea, decision making in order for our countries and ultimately our
Sudan, South Sudan, Kenya and Uganda. Policy and continent to achieve sustainable development."
decision makers from the various governmental bodies, During the official opening of the two day meeting, Dr.
environmental institutions and experts of the IGAD Debalkew Behre, representative of the IGAD Secretariat said,
region and beyond were gathered at the Villa Portofino IGAD will continue to be at the forefront of bringing together
Hotel in Kigali, Rwanda between the 20 - 21 February. partners at the global, national, and local levels, from all actors
The meeting was convened to examine a draft Earth governments, NGOs, the private sector, civil society and
Observation Policy and assessment report for IGAD that community groups, and ordinary citizens in collaborative
arose from the lack of a harmonised and coherent policy efforts towards sustainable development and environmental
framework for Earth Observation (EO) data in the region. improvement. The African Union was represented in the
The MESA project is active across the entire continent, and is meeting by Mr. Jolly Wasambo who emphasised the need for
focused on the use of EO data for Africa as a whole; while in African decision and policy makers to work together in the
the IGAD region the concentration is on products and services spirit of Pan-Africanism, in order to achieve the common goal
derived from the same in the three thematic areas namely; of the creation of safe environments and inclusive growth.
Land Degradation Assessment, Natural Habit Conservation
and Forest Monitoring Services. Mr. John Ntaganda was
the guest of honour and director of the Rwanda National
Meteorological Agency and Permanent Representative to