STELLA participated in the preparation of a financing proposal for the decentralisation and restructuring of the Aden National Water and Sanitation Authority (NWSA) branch and five sub-branches. A team of three experts went to Aden and the towns covered by the Aden NWSA sub-branches to meet with key stakeholders in Yemen. The formulation team assessed the current situation of the NWSA (management structure, staffing, technical capacity, financial situation), estimated the current and future population's needs for water supply and sanitation, and identified the institutional and technical needs of Aden NWSA branch and sub-branches. The team developed a project proposal describing the objectives and contents of the upcoming project, including its main activities, specific tasks, a preliminary timetable, and a cost estimate.

STELLA staff provided technical support to the World Bank in drafting an urban environmental strategy for the Middle East and North Africa region. STELLA staff reviewed specialised literature (World Bank project documents, national environmental action plans, United Nations Development Programme reports, United Nations Centre for Human Settlements reports, World Health Organisation reports, Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Programme papers, etc.) and analysed trends in urban population growth and poverty. STELLA staff then prepared a regional urban environmental profile highlighting three priority issues: land use and coastal zone management, waste management, and air pollution control. For each priority issue, STELLA staff examined the nature, causes and impacts of environmental degradation, and formulated strategy options for improving the environment. STELLA staff prepared a draft strategy paper with specific recommendations to protect and improve the urban environment in the Middle East and North Africa.

For the World Bank/Mediterranean Environmental Technical Assistance Programme (METAP), STELLA staff coordinated the environmental audits of Tripoli/El-Mina, Lebanon, and Oran, Algeria. STELLA staff also provided solid waste expertise for the environmental audit of Limassol, Cyprus. Finally, STELLA staff reviewed the environmental audit and strategy reports prepared for two other cities (Sousse, Tunisia and Tangiers, Morocco) and synthesised the five municipal environmental audits. In Oran, STELLA staff directed data collection and analysis efforts by one team of 12 local and international experts, and was responsible for preparing the final audit and strategy report. The audit team assessed the existing situation and evaluated the costs of several options to improve the environment, including the ""no-action"" approach. The audits identified priority projects in water supply and sanitation, solid waste management, coastal zone management, and land use.

STELLA staff assisted the Ministry of the Environment in preparing the Lebanon 2001 State of the Environment Report (SOER). The 2001 SOER used a "dual framework" methodology to describe and analyse environment-development linkages in Lebanon. It described the state of different environmental media (water, air, biodiversity, and soil/land) and the key linkages between them and various socio-economic development sectors (population, agriculture, industry, construction, transport, tourism and recreation, and energy). To prepare the 2001 SOER, STELLA staff met with more than 60 professionals and key stakeholders and reviewed about 150 new reports and references to provide the most up-do-date assessment of the state of the environment in Lebanon. STELLA staff prepared the 2001 SOER (240 pages) in English and Arabic, and in HTML format for easy browsing on the Internet.

STELLA staff has led the organisational development and capacity-building efforts in support of a World Bank project to implement regional Solid Waste Management (SWM) collection and disposal services in the districts of Jenin and Al-Khalil (Hebron). STELLA staff assessed organisational development and capacity building needs of local governments and of the planned regional SWM councils in each district. We surveyed local governments and formulated short- and long-term recommendations to build up the capabilities of local governments and each SWM Council. We identified staffing needs, job profiles, and basic functions of the key professional staff of each SWM Council and helped the Jenin Council recruit staff. We also provided technical assistance and training to Council Board members, professional staff of the Council's Executive Unit, mayors and village council presidents, and municipal professionals. Training areas included understanding the roles and responsibilities of the SWM Council and local governments, conducting targeted public awareness campaigns, organising primary and secondary solid waste collection services, and assessing privatisation options and cost recovery issues. STELLA staff also prepared manuals and procedural guidelines on each of those topics.

STELLA staff has assisted UNDP and Syria's Ministry of Irrigation in reducing industrial pollution in the upper Orontes River through the implementation of environmental management practices and systems that comply with international standards. STELLA staff designed pilot projects to reduce water consumption by reusing treated effluents and to prevent pollution from an oil refinery, a fertiliser unit, and a sugar company. The pilot projects had the objective of implementing environmental management systems in each plant and preparing the plants for ISO 14000 certification. These projects also developed local capacity to promote, support, and replicate the implementation of environmental management standards in Syria. STELLA staff conducted two training workshops on environmental management systems and ISO 14000 certification.