Outlook: some challenges ahead

Overcoming cultural, language andfinancial barriers

One of the CWG’s key factors of success has been that it always could rely on the high (personal) motivation, initiative and dedication of its members, particularly of those who formed the "core group". The main promoters of the network were, however, mostly those whose personal and professional position provided for the necessary time or financial resources, and most of these are still based in Western Europe and North America. In order to achieve the envisaged "fundamental improvements in SWM", network activity and ownership will have to shift more and more towards the South, and the necessary resources directed accordingly.

It will be of particular importance to overcome the present limitation of CWG’s work to the English language. Publications will have to be translated and adapted to at least French and Spanish.

Institutional ownership of the solid waste management sector

Another challenge which faces the solid waste management sector as a whole is that, in many countries, SWM is a local issue with no clear responsibility or representative at national level. As a result it is more difficult to tap into a national network of SWM experts. Outside capital cities, SWM specialists are often at a relatively low level and without convenient access to the Internet or other types of network. As a result it is more difficult to disseminate information and develop effective two-way networking. This lack of central institutional ownership may also impact on sponsor support.

Developing grass-roots networking mechanisms

Most of the CWG "partners" in the South have been linked to NGOs and capital cities. There is a need to find effective ways of strengthening and extending links with municipal / local government SWM specialists. To effectively participate in a knowledge network like the CWG, many of them are limited by language barriers, severe financial constraints (making it difficult for them to buy books, take out subscriptions and travel to meetings), and little access to the internet. Possible means of reaching out to these people include lightweight, low-cost publications and national focal points who can correspond and translate relevant information, and also feed back to workshops and the Secretariat information about the needs and interests in the provincial cities.

Membership policy

Whether membership of the CWG is to remain completely open and informal or whether other, more exclusive modalities of commitment should be sought, is a topic of ongoing discussion within the CWG. The probable development is towards a combined approach: on one side, extension to a much broader number and range (geographical and institutional) of members with a low entry barrier (e.g. electronic registration for mailing list and discussion forums). On the other side, the commitment of financial resources for the modules of the CWG joint working programme will require more formal arrangements for those members who participate directly in their implementation.

Community of practice or structuredworking group, or both?

In this connection, perhaps the biggest challenge for the CWG will be to maintain the balance between the informality, openness and flexibility that characterize a vital community of practice (free flow of knowledge), and the more organized, structured, action-oriented approach (managed programme consortium type) that is presently being discussed by the core group and secretariat. The CWG will best "achieve fundamental improvements in the approach to solid waste management in low-and middle-income countries" if it succeeds in combining both energies: the energy of a learning community that shares freely and the energy of a task group committed to attaining tangible results.