Water for people.pdf - WHO Thailand Digital Repository

G O V E R N I N G W A T E R W I S E LY F O R S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T / 3 7 1Agenda 21 set a specific target: that by 2000, national actionprogrammes, appropriate institutional structures and legal instrumentswould be implemented, with water use attaining sustainable patterns.This target remains unfulfilled. It was also stated that subsectoraltargets of all freshwater programme areas would be achieved by2025. National reports to the Commission on SustainableDevelopment (CSD) were anticipated in order to report on progresstowards target implementation, but few national reports contain anysuch information: a global or regional overview of the formulation ofnational water policies has therefore yet to emerge. Nevertheless,monitoring progress in relation to water governance is an essentialtool for informed decision-making and development of future watergovernance requirements. Currently, there are very few indicators thatcan be applied and it is essential to develop the appropriate tools andmechanisms for collecting data at the national level.Based on experience since Rio, some contextual aspects areimportant in understanding progress related to more effective watergovernance. One is the preoccupation that many governments haveshown about debt and deficit reduction. During the past decade,these governments have significantly reduced their expenditures onenvironment-related infrastructure and services, which has generallyhad a serious negative impact on agencies responsible for water.Many more governments have been steadily backing away fromconcern for, or commitment to, environmental issues, and insteadhave emphasized strategies for economic growth based on a neoliberalideology and strategy. As a result of a newly emergingpolitical economy in many countries, governments have devolvedresponsibilities for water and other services to lower levels ofgovernment that frequently have not had the human andinstitutional capacities or financial resources to maintain levels ofservices. Additionally, governments have been commercializing orprivatizing such services. Increasingly, modified managementprocesses should reflect a ‘business model’ in which efficiency,results-based management and tangible products have beenemphasized, and less interest has been shown in providingsystematic and transparent consultation processes with the publicregarding policy development and implementation.Since Rio, significant international water goals relating togovernance have been set. The Second World Water Forum in TheHague in 2000 identified water governance as one of the highestpriorities for action and expressed the need to govern water wiselythrough the involvement of the public and in the interests of allstakeholders. At the United Nations (UN) Millennium Assembly in2000, heads of state emphasized conservation and stewardship inprotecting our common environment and focused in particular onpreventing unsustainable exploitation of water resources throughthe development of water management strategies at all levels,promoting equitable access and adequate supplies.Although water-related objectives in Agenda 21 remainunfulfilled, progress has been made in the areas of watergovernance and management. There now exists a much better globalawareness and understanding of the role water plays in ecosystemconservation and the overall cultural, social and economic value ofwater. The increasing focus on water governance, IWRM anddemand-driven approaches marks an important shift in how water isbeing governed in terms of equitable distribution and efficiency. Ingeneral, progress has been made in the following three areas.■ The increasing recognition of water governance and requiredreforms of policies and institutions as the key to sustainable waterdevelopment, of which the adoption of appropriate legislation,policies and institutions is only a part of the governance issue: it isthe way in which enhanced institutions and policies are beingestablished and implemented that matters. The existence ofsufficient rules and regulations means little if they cannot beeffectively enforced, due to power politics, vested interests and lackof funds, or the public’s absence from the decision-making process.■ Reform of water institutions and policies is now taking place inmany countries to address incoherent water property rights,fragmented institutional structures, inadequate policies, lack ofincentives for increased partnerships and participation andvarious other aspects of water governance. However, progresshas so far been too slow and too limited.■ Integrated approaches are widely accepted as the main vehicle orinstrument to manage water in more effective ways, and theinternational community has made considerable efforts andprogress in increasing awareness of water resources and theirmanagement. However, their implementation remains incompletein both developed and developing countries.What Is Water Governance?Governance refers to relationships that can be manifested in varioustypes of partnerships and networks. A number of different actors withdifferent objectives are involved, such as government and civil societyinstitutions and transnational and national private sector interests. Animportant shift in governance thinking is that development is nowincreasingly seen as a task that involves society as a whole and notthe exclusive domain of governments (Pierre, 2000).The notion of water governance and its meanings are stillevolving and there is no agreed definition. Its ethical implicationsand political dimensions are all under discussion. Different peopleuse the notion differently, relating it to different cultural contexts.