The World Bank in 1992 estimates that, on the basis of current demands, the amount of people without adequate water and sanitation will double within the next forty years. It is now ten years later and we are still facing the same situation. Other natural resources are also being overwhelmed and our present knowledge and experience must be combined in coping with the challenge of establishing proper environmental infrastructure. New proposals and methods are now required to replace outdated and inapplicable procedures and secure sustainable resources and financial structures. These new methods contrive of establishing a stewardship program within the targeted communities which gain current as well as prearrange usable data and techniques. The stewardship program will assist governmental agencies by installing locally organized affiliates which provide feedback to STEP thereby relieving specific bureaucratic management duties.
The Stewardship Program (STEP) will then establish a networking system which will then monitor all aspects pertaining to environmental developments including:
The research procedure is divided into six levels:
Research procedures usually involve repetitive actions. The Stewardship Program throughout the processes of proposal submissions, e.g. reviewing, funding, implementations, frequent modifications and resubmission either to the original funding source or another, will instill in the local and governmental bodies confidence of bio-remediation by constant communication through established networking which the Stewardship Procedure has implemented and maintains.
Funding Sources for STEP are allotted through private sources, and any lawful research groups from the global community. Industrialized countries (IC) and developing countries (DC) associate differently with this process due to the availability of financial resources, funding and schedules. Also included are members of the affect communities who implement water and sanitation programs and facilities.
The community viewpoint is important not only for the design and completion of applied research, but also for the capability and future of the project and its ability to continue unassisted. STEP is not designed for long term implementation but simply as a tool to assist in the coalition of information and to deliver the data accurately and comprehensively. The capacity of the community in resolve its own problems and examine its own questions are of high priority.
Initiation of STEP is implemented at the ground level. All concerned parties are informed as to what the situations are, what the action statement entails and its duration. Encouragement and support of international and regional initiatives are promoted. Areas of community based programs and act as liaison to assist, in a supporting role regarding:
STEP is designed to be used for the improvement of resources and to assist in enabling an equal opportunity and implementation of environmental research directives. This allows the involvement of researchers to access applicable solutions and accomplish community needs and agendas.
Research priorities and establishing an agenda are determined by the governing body in place (i.e. engineers, health and social management). STEP initiate a common ground scenario where all who are taking part in the program gain equal access. Researcher are allowed for setting their own priorities under which:
DOCTRINE #A: ADHERENCE TO LAWS AND EMDC PRINCIPLES
Respect to all applicable laws of the country in which they occur, and international treaties and agreements to which the country is a signatory, and comply with all EMonument Doctrine and Criteria.
A.1 Respect all administrative requirements, international and local laws.
A.2 All appropriate and legally appointed fees, taxes, royalties, and other expense shall be paid.
A.3 Conflicts between regulations and laws, and the STEP Doctrine and Criteria shall be evaluated by the involved parties.
A.4 Managers shall demonstrate a professional commitment to the STEP Doctrine and Criteria. Respect to all binding prerequisite international agreements such as ITTA, CITES, ILO Conventions and Convention on Biological Diversity.
DOCTRINE #B: COMMUNITY RELATIONS
Operations shall maintain or strengthen the long-term social and economic prosperity of workers and local communities.
B.1 The communities working with STEP should be given opportunities for employment, training including workshops and seminars as well as other services.
B.2 The workers' rights to organize and negotiate with their employers shall be endorsed as summarized in Conventions 87 and 98 of the International Labor Organization (ILO).
B.3 Results of evaluations from impact of management planning and operations shall be included with consultations maintained with people and groups directly influenced by administration functions.
B.4 Measures shall be taken to avoid loss or damage to traditional rights, resources, property, and/or livelihoods of local communities. Fair compensation shall be provided in these cases.
If water supply and sanitation research is funded in part by another agenda (i.e. urban management, child health, rural development) new regulations should be implemented prior to the start of the research project. This eliminates uncertainty between researchers and coordination donors thus reducing wasted resources in the development of proposals and management processing.
The submission of proposals, funding and there plans reside in the individual requirements for each project and are mainly the responsibility of researchers. Each agency has different requirements (i.e. data processing, duration of project, funding and financial time scales) therefore each agenda demands individual proposals and adjusted resources to meet these conditions. Academic training for the planning of research and the development of proposals should lie with the responsibility of the governing research organization. STEP will assists in effective cooperation between all participants. In the course of the implementation of projects rapid, reliable and comprehensive communication is crucial as well as monitoring and quality control. Review and approval for funding is clearly the responsibility of the funding agencies themselves.
Reaching those who use the research results is a high priority. Workshops, pilot projects and hands-on experience are a few avenues for conveying research results including current projects. Publications are essential as not everyone has access to on-line communications. Users involved in applications for distributing research information (i.e. monitoring, reviewing, distribution, sending/receiving) must be aware of the need for support and improvements that are required in maintaining and correct implementation of a networking system.