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There has been a
significant and profound interest in Integrated Water Resources
Management (IWRM) concepts in ESCWA countries over the last
decade. This is evident by the formulation of national water
strategies and action plans and the enactment of numerous
regulations in support of IWRM policies and directives. However,
in most countries a significant gap remains with respect to the
ability of present institutional frameworks to effectively
implement IWRM. This is fundamentally because the existing water
resources management culture and its associated institutional
arrangements, legislation and instruments - which take a
sector-based approach - are inadequate to achieve integrated and
participatory IWRM that is multi-sectoral oriented by its very
nature. Governance systems for IWRM thus require integrated
approaches to social, economic and environmental policy
planning, natural resource preservation, as well as appropriate
modalities for public participation. These proposed reforms
should be culturally and politically sensitive to the
specificities of countries of the region.
New institutional settings and reforms should be carried out for
the successful implementation of the IWRM plans. These reforms
include: re-structuring the role of water institutions,
decentralization and providing more water management authority
to water users, stimulate co-ordination among water sector
stakeholders through joint activities and shared investments,
co-ordination of financial resources on the de-central and
central levels, enhancing the role of Water User Associations,
Water Boards, NGOs, Civil Society, etc. In order to ensure the
effectiveness and viability of IWRM plans in the ESCWA region,
there is an urgent need for policy-makers to mobilize all water
stakeholders to adopt a common and realistic vision on how
reforms are to be implemented, including a clear description of
roles and functions of the organizations involved in the
implementation process, time schedule, level of responsibilities
and relation to other stakeholders, communication channels and
investment and monitoring plans.
This also requires establishment of effective and appropriate
coordination mechanisms among different agencies and the
development of financial structures that enable these agencies
to perform their tasks effectively and in a sustainable manner.
At the operational level, the stakeholders should also be
responsible for the monitoring, progress reporting and
evaluation of the implementation of the various measures and
actions and to provide feedback on the impacts of the
implementation of specific activities on water resources to a
leading agency. This process calls for the establishment of a
reformed institutional structure, that involves decision makers,
at the highest political level, from ministries, agencies, local
administrations in addition to representatives from civil
society, NGOs, private sector, and other actors concerned with
management of water resources. The nature, structure and
organization of reformed institutions should allow for
involvement of all sectors at all levels to guarantee a
nation-wide consultation, to promote bottom-up approach in
planning and implementation of IWRM combined with the more
common top-down approach, and to enhance the ‘ownership’ feeling
by citizens and end users towards water resources development
activities. The reformed institutional structure should be able
to warrant the political support and commitment and provide the
enabling environment needed to implement multi-sectoral water
policies and strategies in the ESCWA Member States.
In addition, water laws and legislative instruments are
essential and powerful tools for formulation and implementation
of IWRM plans. The legislation and regulation systems (e.g.
laws, by-laws, rules, decrees, agreements, etc.) should deal
with all water uses, monitoring of water quantity and quality,
water allocation for various functions and sectors, water
rights, etc.). In many countries in the ESCWA region,
water-related laws are insufficient, ineffective and/or
outdated. There is a need to create modern water legislative
instruments to support the implementation of IWRM plans, capable
of addressing complex and challenging issues such as water
charging and cost recovery, participatory approaches in water
management and decentralization processes, empowerment of local
authorities to engage in multi-stakeholders dialogue, conflict
resolution and consensus building among all interested parties,
and ensure effective enforcement and compliance with water
legislation and the proper functioning of water institutions.
Within its on-going initiative to strengthen the capacity of
member states in developing and implementing IWRM plans, ESCWA
and its partner organizations have focused during the 2006 –
2007 programmed activities on issues, policies, tools and
mechanisms for undertaking institutional and legal reforms
within the national IWRM planning process. In this context,
ESCWA prepared a study on “Guidelines for Legislative and
Institutional Reforms Needed for the Implementation of IWRM at
National Level in ESCWA Region” (forthcoming). The guidelines
are based on a regional overview of existing institutional and
legislative set-ups governing the management of the water sector
in ESCWA member countries, with in-depth case studies of
selected countries that have initiated institutional and legal
reforms to learn from their experiences and understand what has
or hasn’t been implemented and why. The guidelines also propose
the most feasible and realistic institutional arrangements and
legislative reforms needed to achieve the implementation of IWRM
in the ESCWA region, taking into account the socio-economic,
cultural, political, and environmental specificities of the
region.
The case studies in the report, along with other experiences of
IWRM-related institutional and legal reforms from within and
outside the ESCWA region as well as the recommended guidelines
will provide the basis for discussions and in-depth reviews by
leading international and regional experts in institutional and
legal reforms for IWRM, through a proposed Expert Group Meeting
due to be held in Muscat from 18 to 20 March 2007, as detailed
below.
II. THEMES OF THE MEETING AND EXPECTED OUTCOMES
The aim of the meeting is to review the above mentioned ESCWA
report and related resource material on legal and institutional
instruments for IWRM, propose revisions and updates on the
recommended scenarios, or propose additional ones, prioritize
actions to be taken and means for implementation of plans and
enforcement of legislation. The meeting also aims to address
mechanisms for activating inter-ministerial, inter-sectoral and
multi-stakeholder coordination within a participatory approach
framework; and link the proposed changes with a capacity
building strategy for IWRM that involves training, information
sharing, benchmarking and monitoring and evaluation of the
capacity building delivered.
The EGM will involve selected key presentations, with extensive
discussions and debates and working group sessions, which
revolve around the following themes:
1. Status of IWRM plans in the ESCWA region, and prospects for
meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation (JPOI) and improving water governance
(brief review).
2. Status of institutional set-up: roles, responsibilities,
functions and capacity of current and newly-established
water-related institutions, existing coordination practices and
management “culture”.
3. Status of legal and regulatory instruments: challenges,
constraints and gaps that hinder the implementation of IWRM
plans in the region and assessment of opportunities for
strengthening legislative, regulatory and enforcement
capacities.
4. Stakeholders’ analysis and mode of cooperation among them:
integrated policies, data sharing and exchange, shared
investments, central vs. de-centralized responsibilities,
current communication and consultation channels, etc.).
5. Capacity for coordination and cooperation to achieve the
“Integrated” in the IWRM process and opportunities for improved
coordination
6. Guidelines (and scenarios) on the required institutional and
legislative arrangements to support the implementation,
compliance and enforcement of IWRM policies within given
socio-political and economic specific contexts: prioritising
action, political commitment and enabling environment, resource
mobilization (internal/ cost recovery, international) and
investment plans and opportunities,
7. Capacity building needs for IWRM (how to assess needs, plan
and design relevant and demand-driven capacity building
programs, monitor and evaluate progress and achievements towards
IWRM process?)
Expected outcomes
A set of recommendations will be elaborated for revising and
updating the guidelines that include proposals for developing
action plans for their future adaptation at national and basin
levels within specific ESCWA countries upon request and the
optimal approaches for ensuring that end-users make best use of
these guidelines.
III. ORGANIZATION OF THE MEETING
The Water and Environment Team of the Sustainable Development
and Productivity Division at ESCWA, in collaboration with the
German Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR),
the German Technical Cooperation Agency (GTZ), the Ministry of
Regional Municipalities, Environment & Water Resources in Oman
are organizing this Expert Group Meeting (18-20 March, Muscat)
with the support of the Global Water Partnership – Mediterranean
(GWP-Med) and the United Nations Environment Programme Regional
Office for West Asia (UNEP – ROWA). This meeting comes within
the context of Oman Water Week 18-22 March and it targets
experts on the legislative and the institutional dimensions of
water sector in the ESCWA region and other regions of the world,
in addition to selected socio-economic experts working in areas
of water economics, stakeholders’ participation and gender
mainstreaming in IWRM.
The official language of the meeting is English with
simultaneous translation to Arabic.
IV. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
The meeting will be held from 18-20 March 2007, in Muscat, Oman.
The venue will be Holiday Inn located near the diplomatic area
at 14 km from airport (the complete address is below).
The host ministry has made block reservation for participants in
this meeting at the Holiday Inn Hotel, therefore your early
confirmation for participation is highly appreciated.
Participants sponsored by the organizers will be provided with
information on hotel reservation, travel details, and airport
pick-up will be available. Participants coming at their own cost
have to inform the organizers of the time of arrival in order to
provide them with airport pick-up.
For those
participants who would need entry visa to Oman, kindly indicate
if you need assistance for the issuance of visa.
Muscat Holiday
Formerly Muscat Holiday Inn
P.O.Box 1185 SEEB MUSCAT, 111Oman
Telephone at front desk: 968-24487123, 99033473 (Mobile)
Fax:
Website:
http://www.southtravels.com/middleeast/oman/muscatholidayinn/index.html
V. CORRESPONDENCE
All correspondence should be sent to:
Ms. Anhar Hegazi, Director
Sustainable Development and Productivity Division
UN-ESCWA
P.O. Box 11-8575
Riad El-Solh Square
Beirut, Lebanon
Tel: 961-1-981301
Fax: 961- 1- 981510
cc: Mr. Hosny Khordagui (Leader of Water & Environment Team)
and/or Roula Majdalani
UN-ESCWA
Beirut, Lebanon
P.O. Box: 11-8575
Tel: 961-1-981301
Fax: 961- 1- 981510
e-mail: khordagui@un.org
majdalani@un.org
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