Piloting NARBO’s Performance Benchmarking Tool and Peer Review Process
Meeting Report
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Senior management staff of participating Asian river basin organizations underwent certification training on NARBO’s performance benchmarking system and peer review process developed in 2004. Following the workshop, the system was pilot tested on Indonesia’s Jasa Tirta II Public Corporation.
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EVENT DETAILS
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| Date
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31 October-3 November 2006
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| Venue
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Jatiluhur, Indonesia |
| Contact |
Dennis von Custodio |
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Related Materials
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In June 2006, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Water Management Institute (IWMI) entered into an agreement to implement the NARBO’s performance benchmarking program towards a peer review process, with the following expected outputs
- Assessment and peer review manual and tool for River Basin Organizations (RBOs)
- 4 self-assessment trainings conducted separately for Jasa Tirta II Public Corporation (PJT II) of Indonesia, the Mahaweli Authority of Sri Lanka (MASL), the Red River Basin Organization (RRBO) of Viet Nam, and the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) of the Philippines
- 1 certified training program on peer review
- Certification water professionals from NARBO member RBOs as RBO peer reviewers
- Peer review of 4 RBOs
This two-day workshop pilot-tested NARBO’s performance benchmarking system and peer review process developed in 2004. It covered two related sessions
- Peer reviewer orientation on the benchmarking system and certification
- Peer review of PJT II
The workshop aimed to confirm NARBO’s performance benchmarking tool as a satisfactory RBO performance assessment, and validate the self-assessment of PJT II and recommend initiatives to address present performance gaps.
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After completing the certification workshop, 15 senior management staff from 8 river basin organizations in Asia became the first batch of Certified NARBO Peer Reviewers.
- ADB stressed that the benchmarking tool and peer review can be a process of management change for RBOs to improve performance.
- ADB provided a web-interface orientation of the latest version of the NARBO benchmarking service and an instructional video on the peer review of National Water Sector Apex Bodies (NWSABs) to provide additional insights on the peer review process.
- Elements, actors involved, and phases for an effective peer review and the qualifications and responsibilities of RBO peer reviewers were introduced. Tips for a good peer reviewing were also outlined.
- Group exercises provided the participants with hands-on experience in applying the benchmarking indicators.
- Advice on areas to focus on during peer reviews, the different sources and materials of evidence to validate self-assessment ratings, and questions for management, staff, and stakeholders were also offered.
- The expected outputs from the peer review team (PRT) were also discussed to clarify the contents and structure of the PJT II peer review report, and the next steps. The PRT was composed of several RBOs to represent various views.
- Separate interviews by the PRT with both PJT II management and technical staff provided the opportunity for the PRT to validate initial findings and to gain additional information necessary for the review process.
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OUTPUTS, OUTCOMES, AND PARTICIPANTS’ FEEDBACK
The workshop yielded interesting outputs and outcomes, as well as raised participating RBOs’ concerns.
- Peer review of PJT II
- Certification training of RBO peer reviewers
- 15 senior management staff from 8 RBOs certified as RBO peer reviewers
- Evaluation and sharing of PJT II’s self-assessment of its performance
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Twenty-four (24) senior officials from 10 RBOs participated, while three representatives each from IWMI and ADB attended the workshop.
View the list of participants.
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The PRT’s final report is expected a week or two after the event; and is planned to be shared with PJT II, IWMI and ADB. Follow up activities include
- Peer review of MASL by the second week of December 2006
- Self-assessment of the LLDA in January 2007 followed by a peer review in March 2007
- Self-assessment of the RRBO in April 2007 followed by the peer review in June 2007
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Dennis Von Custodio
Asian Development Bank
E-mail: dvcustodio@adb.org
Arlene Inocencio
IWMI-Southeast Asia, Penang, Malaysia
E-mail: a.inocencio@cgiar.org
Jinapala Kiribandage
IWMI-HQ, Battaramulla, Sri Lanka
E-mail: k.jinapala@cgiar.org
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