4. What is Sustainability?
The continuation of benefits after major assistance from
a donor has been completed.
Key points to note;
Focus is on sustaining the flow of benefits into the future
rather than sustainable projects.
Projects by definition are not sustainable they are a
defined investment with a start and finish date.
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5. The Main Issues;
Country Strategies; sustainability of benefits needs to be
individually assessed.
Projects and the sector approach; maintenance of
benefits after project completed, sector approach
provides home government funding to the particular
sector i.e. Fire Service.
Donor coordination; donors should promote the same
agenda.
Mechanisms that promote donor coordination will assist
in sustainability.
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6. Key Factors;
Partner Governments can have a significant impact on
the sustainability of project benefits.
Policy Environment, should be implemented within wider
policy environment , policy framework should be
supportive of project objectives.
Projects that fit with Partner Government Policies have
much better prospects for sustainability having
institutional support both during and into the future.
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7. Donor Policies;
Planning Horizon, 3 to five years, open ended
commitments not appropriate, phased implementation
supportive.
Design process should include the partners.
Team Selection both donor and partner skills used.
Monitoring and reporting should include the movement
toward sustainable outcomes.
Operation and maintenance costs should include local
capacity to meet the costs.
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8. Participation;
Critical factor is the role of the stakeholders, those
directly concerned with the project; Partner
Government , implementing agency and those who
stand to benefit.
Stakeholders both men and women should actively
participate in influencing duration.
Donor led and top down projects generally fail to bring
sustainable benefits because they do not lead to
stakeholder ownership and commitment.
Ensure that ideas for projects are demand led, clearly
define who/which groups are expected to participate.
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9. Management and Organisation;
Projects which integrate with and build on local
management structures have a better chance of
sustainability.
Expatriate assistance in projects have a great influence
on project sustainability.
Project design must be phased and allow for some
flexibility in implementation.
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10. Finance;
In some countries financial sustainability is unlikely in
the medium term.
Recipient contributions in cash or kind (personnel) are a
sign of commitment.
User pays, people are willing to pay for a good service,
this should be encouraged to sustain the service once
the project has finished.
Private sector involvement is of great benefit.
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11. Awareness and Training;
Appropriate Training for identified target groups is a key
strategy for achieving sustainable benefits.
Effective Training should educate and also motivate.
Training should always support new technology to
support sustainability.
One off funded training activities will prove inadequate.
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12. Social Gender and Culture;
The delivery of sustainable benefits can fail because of
a lack of attention to social, gender and cultural issues.
If the benefits are to affect behavioural change, then
longer term planning horizons will be needed.
In some areas a greater participation by women is key
to long term sustainability.
Cross cultural awareness is required if we are to deliver
sustainable solutions.
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13. Political and Economic Factors;
Political Stability, projects do not operate in isolation
from the world around them, sustainability is more
difficult to achieve in an unstable political
environment.
Level of development, this will influence the
prospects of sustainability, avoid complicated, over
ambitious and expensive interventions.
Economic shock and natural disasters, these will
frustrate any sustainable strategy, where possible a
contingency strategy should be in place.
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14. Sustainability Activity Cycle;
Sustainability Analysis; the identification and analysis of
the key factors that are likely to impact either positively
or negatively, on the likelihood of delivering sustainable
benefits.
Sustainable Strategy; the sustainable analysis will lead
to a sustainable strategy, this will define the benefits to
be sustained.
Sustainability Risk; sustainability is related to risk
because many of the risks to achieving the objectives
are also risks to achieving sustainable benefits.
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15. Sustainability Tools;
Sustainability Analysis at Identification/Preparation
Risk Analysis.
Strategy Matrix.
Strategy for Asset Maintenance.
Contracts.
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU).
Phase Out Strategies.
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