(WLRC, July 9, 2025) – Controllers from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands visited the Water and Land Resource Centre (WLRC) and reviewed the progress with the Basin Management Support for Resilient, Inclusive Growth and Harmonized Transformation (BRIGHT) Project. The review was done at WLRC Meeting Hall in the form of a process monitoring, focusing on design and management, implementation progress, challenges faced, and exchanging insights drawn from previous collaborative initiatives, particularly the Kunzila Integrated Landscape Management and WaSH (ILMWA) Project, also supported by the Netherlands. The review brought together officials from the Inclusive Green Growth (IGG) Directorate General for International Cooperation at MoFA, policy officers from the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (EKN) in Addis Ababa and the WLRC Management and BRIGHT project managers.
Welcoming the delegates, WLRC Director General Dr. Gete Zeleke highlighted the Centre’s longstanding effective relationship with the Netherlands as the best partnership model. He noted that EKN has been more than just a funding agency, playing an active and constructive role from the early stages of the Kunzila project. Dr. Gete provided an overview of WLRC’s progress with KILMWA and other projects and emphasized the strategic engagements to lay solid foundations for the successful implementation of the BRIGHT project. He reflected on the commitment and adaptive resilience demonstrated throughout the implementation of the Kunzila ILMWA project, which maintained momentum despite significant challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the insecurity in the project area and the entire Amhara region. He also underlined WLRC’s strong commitment to gender inclusivity, particularly by increasing the number of women in leadership and technical positions. Advances made in improving the institutional face of WLRC using the institutional strengthening fund from EKN were noted.
Dr. Gete reported that the BRIGHT Project had successfully completed its inception phase and was now entering full implementation. He noted that essential activities were undertaken, including the selection of key hotspot watersheds, MSc – level training of 25 experts of MoWE and Basin Offices as part of capacity building , outsourcing of critical tasks such as the wetland management, and signing of Memorandums of Understanding with partners such as Addis Ababa Water and Sewerage Authority on Water-sensitive Urban Planning and Tirunesh Beijing Hospital on sewage treatment and water quality. He also affirmed that human resources were mobilized with a gender-inclusive approach, and that real-time data collection and on-the-ground implementation activities were actively underway.
The Head and Controller at IGG, Mr. Peter Richtering Blenken commended WLRC for the successful pursuit of the Kunzila ILMWA project and acknowledged the progress made under the BRIGHT project. He explained that part of the purpose of the visit was to clarify certain challenges related to implementation and reporting, with a view to ensuring improved coordination and transparency moving forward, also in alignment with the EU requirements. He said he was happy to learn WLRC has grown in many ways since he last saw it back in 2022 and expressed his hope to see WLRC grow with care in its moves to realise its vision of going regional as a recognised voice and knowledge hub. Ms. Karin Nicholash from EKN Addis Ababa on her part emphasized the importance of clear reporting, noting that while the European Union’s reporting standards can initially be demanding, they become easier to navigate after the first time.
The meeting concluded with a round of productive discussions, during which the BRIGHT team shared insights on the ongoing groundwork and future plans. Finally, Dr. Gete expressed his gratitude to the visiting team for their continued support and engagement, and suggested organizing a dedicated meeting with EU stakeholders to present the BRIGHT project’s design, engagements, progress, and partners in adequate detail.