UNDP | Environment & Energy

Capacity Development

Capacity constraints are a severe limitation to development and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

UNDP plays an operational role in assisting countries to build cross-sectoral capacities and put in place effective and sound policies and institutions to manage and develop water resources in a sustainable way. Through the global strategic project Cap-Net (International Network for Capacity Building in Integrated Water Resources Management), funded by the Dutch government and executed in close collaboration with the Global Water Partnership, UNDP is in a lead position to coordinate and support capacity building for integrated water resources management, transboundary waters, and gender mainstreaming in water resources management.

UNDP serves as the chair of the Cap-Net secretariat, housed in Delft, The Netherlands. It is made up of a partnership of autonomous international, regional and national institutions and networks committed to capacity building in the water sector. Such networks have proven to be effective at promoting the understanding of integrated water resources management.

Further information can be obtained from the official Cap-Net site.

Cap-Net is working with the Global Water Partnership and other partnerships of capacity building institutions across the globe to improve governance of water resources and in particular to provide capacity building support to countries in Africa that are embarking on the production of IWRM plans.

In Johannesburg in 2002 there was a resolution that all countries should have water resource management and water efficiency plans by 2005. The Global Water Partnership has identified funding to assist 11 countries in Africa and Cap-Net is mobilising capacity building efforts through the capacity building networks. The goal is that knowledge and skills to assist the IWRM planning process is available at country level through national and regional resource centres.

Many member institutions in the capacity building networks are contributing their experience and training materials to ensure coordinated support to the IWRM planning. Basic competence in participatory methods and negotiation skills are essential if IWRM plans are to be developed with full input from stakeholders and commitment from government.

In order to gain a better understanding of IWRM principles Cap-Net has produced a simple introductory tutorial on integrated water resources management. It is available in Spanish, French and English.

Cap-Net activities