Browsing by Author "Global Water Partnership"

Now showing 1 - 13 of 13

Better Water Resources Management: Greater Resilience Today, More Effective Adaptation Tomorrow
(2007) Sadoff, Claudia; Global Water Partnership; Muller, Mike
"Water is a primary medium through which climate change will have an impact on people, ecosystems and economies. Water resources management should therefore be an early focus for adaptation to climate change. Water resources management does not hold all of the answers to adaptation, a broad range of responses will be needed. But water is both a key part of the problem, and an important part of the solution. It is a good place to start."
Catalyzing Change: A Handbook for Developing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Water Efficiency Strategies
(2004) Global Water Partnership
"To meet national sustainable development goals and tackle specific water challenges, countries need to make investments in water infrastructure—pipelines, boreholes, treatment plants, irrigation systems, hydropower plants, and storage facilities. They also need to invest in improving management of their existing water resources. Creation of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) and water efficiency strategy ensures that countries get the most from these investments, that benefits are equitably distributed, and that gains are sustainable and not bought at the price of ecosystem health. In an effort to encourage a move towards more sustainable approaches to water development and management, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in 2002 called for all countries to craft IWRM and water efficiency strategies1 by the end of 2005. Such strategies are intended to support countries in their efforts to: Meet development goals, such as reducing poverty, increasing food security, fostering economic growth, protecting ecosystems. Tackle specific water challenges, such as controlling flooding, mitigating the effects of drought, expanding access to water and sanitation, and addressing increasing competition for water and water scarcity. This document does not provide strict guidelines for crafting a strategy, rather, it seeks to provide countries with the knowledge they need to act on the WSSD action target in the way that is most useful for them. Strategies should catalyze action, not retard it. Each country must decide the scope and timeline for change based on its goals and its resources. The important thing is to take the first steps."
Checklists for Change: Defining Areas for Action in an IWRM Strategy or Plan
(2005) Carriger, Sarah; Global Water Partnership
"The core of an IWRM strategy or plan1 should be the definition of the areas for action necessary to address a country’s water challenges in ways that are economically efficient, socially equitable and environmentally sustainable. This brief focuses on those areas for action that relate to the political, social, economic and administrative systems needed to develop and manage water resources and the delivery of water services. It builds on the chapter 'Steps towards more integrated development and management' in the Content section of Catalyzing Change: A handbook for developing integrated water resources management (IWRM) and water efficiency strategies and on the GWP-TEC Background Paper 7, Effective Water Governance."
Informal Stakeholder Baseline Survey: Current Status of National Efforts to Move Towards Sustainable Water Management Using an IWRM Approach
(2004) Global Water Partnership
"As a complement to its efforts to support countries to prepare national IWRM and Water efficiency plans by 2005, called for at the World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment commissioned the Global Water Partnership to conduct a baseline survey in order to assess the extent to which countries around the world are moving towards more integrated approaches to water resources development and management. GWP conducted the survey with a dual purpose in mind, (i) help countries learn from each other’s experiences and (ii), at the same time, provide a baseline for monitoring progress towards more sustainable water management, which is expected to be accelerated through the development of the above mentioned plans by 2005."
Lessons from Integrated Water Resources Management in Practice
(2009) Global Water Partnership
"There is growing recognition that unless we manage our water better, we will not achieve our societies’ broader development goals. In response to this challenge, over the last several decades numerous practitioners and policy makers around the world have been evolving practices for water resources management that have aimed to achieve a balance among economic efficiency, social equity and environmental sustainability. These practices have collectively come to be known as the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) approach. While IWRM is widely acknowledged as the way forward – particularly in the face of emerging challenges such as climate change – there are still questions about how to translate policy commitments to IWRM into practice. This brief highlights lessons from GWP’s book Integrated Water Resources Management in Practice (Earthscan, 2009). The book uses case studies at local, basin, national and trans-national levels to present in practical terms how better water management, embodying key principles of IWRM, has made a positive contribution in areas as diverse as agriculture, urban water supply, transport, energy, industry, job creation, and environmental protection. The lessons learned from these cases confirm the experiences of GWP and partners in facilitating and implementing an IWRM approach, for example in the Partnership for Africa’s Water Development (PAWD)."
Managing the Other Side of the Water Cycle: Making Wastewater an Asset
(2009) Global Water Partnership
"It can save public funds, conserve water and nutrients, and protect human and environmental health. Managing the other side of the water cycle – municipal and industrial wastewater and storm drainage – offers many opportunities. And in a world in which cities are growing and climate change threatens to increase water scarcity in many areas, it should be an integral part of water resources management and water supply and sanitation strategies. Traditionally, water supply, sanitation and water resources management investments are planned, designed and managed separately. To make wastewater an asset requires taking an integrated approach that encompasses the whole water cycle – the water resources available and water supply, treatment, and reuse options. This brief outlines some of the institutional, economic and policy aspects of such an approach – topics that are covered in more detail in GWP-TEC Background Paper 13, Managing the Other Side of the Water Cycle: Making Wastewater an Asset."
Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators for IWRM Strategies and Plans
(2005) Global Water Partnership; Carriger, Sarah
"A good monitoring and evaluation (M&E) system can make the difference between an IWRM strategy or plan that has an impact on the ground and one that remains merely an expression of good intentions. It is a crucial part of laying the foundation for better decision-making on an on-going basis and creating a strategy that can adapt to changing needs and conditions. The following brief focuses on defining indicators as a part of a coherent M&E system. It builds directly on the discussion of M&E in Catalyzing Change: A Handbook for Developing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Water Efficiency Strategies (pp. 31-33), and on the basic information about indicators provided in GWP Technical Brief 2: Tools for keeping IWRM strategic planning on track. The information and recommendations presented here are based on experiences in monitoring sustainable development initiatives3 as well as IWRM plans and strategies."
Poverty Reduction and IWRM
(2003) Global Water Partnership
"Traditionally, poverty reduction has focused on increasing economic growth at the national level. Whilst this may be necessary it is not sufficient since it neglects the distribution of assets and income. Poverty reduction is a complex issue and specific targeted actions are needed to ensure support to weak and marginal communities. Many factors need to be taken into account for poverty reduction, such as employment generation, income and food security. Water is also a component of a poverty reduction strategy but hitherto this has not been well articulated. Many aspects of water provision and management are relevant to poverty reduction; this paper however, focuses on the role of integrated water resources management."
Roadmapping for Advancing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) Processes
(2004) Global Water Partnership; UN-Water
"The goods and services provided by water play a central role in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) adopted at the Millennium Summit in New York in 2000. Good water governance – in an Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) framework – is a critically important contribution to the achievement of the MDGs. IWRM improves cross-sectoral efficiency and cooperation at all levels on sustainable water resources development and management, including specific sector interventions. The importance of water management has been further highlighted by the recent reports of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and others that have warned that climate change will have extensive impacts on water resources. The IWRM approach facilitates mainstreaming water issues in the political economy of a country, and as such in all societal sectors. It focuses on better allocation of water to different water user groups and in so doing stresses the importance of involving all stakeholders in the decision-making process. It also calls for gender mainstreaming in land and water management decision making. And it supports the integration of water supply and use with the management of waste, sewage and groundwater protection, while recognizing that the protection and quality improvements of water are preconditions for sustaining both human livelihoods and natural ecosystems. This approach is also recognized as a framework for the adaptation of water management to climate change and the management of floods and droughts."
Setting the Stage for Change: Second Informal Survey by the GWP Network giving the Status of the 2005 WSSD Target on National Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Efficiency Plans
(2006) Global Water Partnership
"The survey shows that the need for better water management is now better understood and prominent in national thinking. While it shows a growing degree of seriousness about setting national strategies and plans, there are only occasional comments related to progress in actually implementing the elements of an IWRM approach. In this sense, the survey provides a stepping stone for more thorough assessment of the implementation of improved water resource management in the future."
Taking an Integrated Approach to Improving Water Efficiency
(2005) Global Water Partnership
"Do you see a pressing need for a realistic evaluation of water-use efficiency options in your country? Are you wondering exactly how your country can fulfill the 'water efficiency' part of the WSSD target on the preparation of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Water Efficiency Plans and use these to catalyze further improvements? This brief approaches the question of efficiency from an IWRM perspective, aiming to help policy makers and practitioners develop a strategic and integrated approach to improving efficiency. It builds on the discussion of water efficiency in Catalyzing Change, the GWP’s handbook for developing IWRM and water efficiency strategies, and emphasizes that efforts to improve efficiency should be directly linked to a country’s overall development goals."
Tools for Keeping IWRM Strategic Planning on Track
(2006) Carriger, Sarah; Global Water Partnership
"How do you ensure that the process of formulating your Integrated Water Resources Management plan or strategy moves forward smoothly and includes all the steps needed to pave the way for successful implementation and, ultimately, to catalyze positive change? The following brief describes how two project management tools—indicators and checklists— can help. The brief builds on the basic steps introduced in the Process section of Catalyzing Change: A Handbook for Developing Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and Water Efficiency Strategies."
Unlocking the Door to Social Development and Economic Growth: How a More Integrated Approach to Water can Help
(2004) Global Water Partnership
"Are water problems such as floods, droughts, and increasing competition for limited supplies hindering your country’s ability to meet social and economic development goals? Is your country struggling to provide costeffective water and sanitation services? Are current approaches to rural poverty, food security, childhood mortality, and environmental degradation failing to deliver? Adopting a more integrated approach to water resources development and management through an IWRM and water efficiency strategy can help. An IWRM strategy can be a useful tool for addressing specific development challenges and optimizing water’s contribution to achieving social, economic and environmental goals. It is not just about water. Other sectors have a stake too, and as competition for water increases along with population, climate change and pollution of useable supplies, policymakers in other sectors should be taking an active interest in how water decisions are made, as well as how their own decision-making impacts their country’s water resources."