The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), in cooperation with the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), is holding a regional seminar on sustainable municipal services management and sector development. The event will take place at the Tiflis Palace Hotel in Tbilisi on 2nd and 3rd December 2015.
The Deputy Mayor of Tbilisi, Lasha Abashidze, will open the conference at 10.00am on Wednesday, 2 December, welcoming and addressing the workshop participants. He will be followed by opening remarks by Eva Smedberg, Regional Director for Sida.
During the two-day seminar representatives of ministries, city administrations, utilities companies and sector experts from Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, Moldova, Mongolia, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan will meet to share their experiences and knowledge acquired in the implementation of projects ranging from water and wastewater, solid waste, public transport, traffic management and street lighting.
The Building on this the seminar will focus on creating operationally and financially sustainable municipal services. Participants will also discuss factors affecting the success of projects such as the experience with sector reforms in the region.
The seminar is a unique opportunity for industry experts across the region, donors and the EBRD to discuss projects under implementation and preparation. The event will facilitate networking and help to enhance operational capacity among existing and future clients of the EBRD.
“The EBRD has hosted a number of municipal infrastructure sector seminars for existing and potential municipal clients over the past three years. These seminars proved to be very popular and productive amongst our clients and stakeholders. We have an active relationship with city administrations, ministries and regulators to build operational and financially sustainable municipal services throughout the region,” said Catarina Bjorlin Hansen, EBRD Senior Banker, Municipal and Environmental Infrastructure.
“There is always scope for further improvement in the implementation of EBRD-financed projects. We are grateful to Sida, who are very active in the region, for supporting this opportunity to share the Bank’s experience in this vital sector,” she continued.
The EBRD remains a committed partner in Georgia. The initiative is part of the Bank’s commitment to ensuring enhanced municipal infrastructure around the country.
