2nd Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative

Why does water governance matter?

The “water crisis” is mainly a governance crisis

Managed correctly, there is enough water on earth for all, but managing water is a complex issue involving multiple stakeholders from all levels of government with different views and objectives.  A lack of effective management of these interdependent stakeholders can hinder the efficient design and implementation of water policy reform.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to water governance challenges

Water policies need to be tailored to local characteristics and concerns. Whether in developed or developing countries, whether water is scarce or plentiful, common challenges can be identified so that proper responses can be developed. To tackle these challenges, countries need to take stock of lessons learnt, identify good practices and develop tools to create effective, fair and sustainable water policies. These solutions must be developed and implemented by all stakeholders and at all levels of government

Objectives of the OECD programme on water governance

As part of the OECD Horizontal Programme on Water, extensive work is being undertaken to help policymakers deal with critical water governance challenges, make specific water reforms happen, and improve the outcomes of water policies.

The OECD Water Governance Programme is dedicated to analysing multi-level governance and coordination challenges in the water sector, and providing countries with customized policy guidance accordingly.

A Multi-stakeholder platform on water governance

The OECD Initiative on Water Governance is an innovative network of OECD and non-OECD public, private and not-for profit actors gathering twice a year in a Policy Forum to support better governance in the water sector through experience sharing, analytical work and peer-to-peer dialogue.

With a view to contributing to the 7^th WWF (Korea, April 2015), the Initiative will carry out its activities through 4 Thematic Working Groups on stakeholder engagement, performance of water supply and sanitation, basin governance, integrity and transparency, in close collaboration with Regional Partners in the different continents.