Environment and Energy

Water Governance Facility

The United Nations Development Programme and the Swedish Agency for International Development Cooperation (SIDA) have launched a new initiative, hosted by the Stockholm International Water Institute, to support developing country efforts to strengthen water governance.

The Water Governance Facility has been established to support integrated water management and development solutions for poverty reduction. It will promote South-South collaboration, and exchange of experiences and best practices in water governance. The Facility will provide policy support and advisory services in multiple thematic areas, ranging from IWRM, shared river basins, water supply, sanitation and climate change, to gender mainstreaming and capacity building.

What is the purpose?
Water governance is fundamental to the achievement of all the MDGs. Prudent water management is crucial for reaching national development objectives and for improving the livelihoods of poor people. It is also a vital component of actions to improve environmental sustainability, by maintaining the integrity of ecosystems, and by bringing together stakeholders around a key resource that could either unite or divide societies.

The Water Governance Facility will provide strategic support to achieve:

1. Improved water governance to advance socially equitable, environmentally sustainable and economically efficient management of water resources, including water and sanitation services
2. Implementation of IWRM at local, national, and regional levels
3. MDG and WSSD targets for water supply and sanitation

Who will benefit from this initiative?

The Facility will benefit water governance-related work of governments, civil society and other stakeholders in developing countries.

What are the main services to be provided by the Facility?

1. Providing policy support and advice on water governance to developing countries, to meet demands at local, national and river basin levels.
2. Applying and disseminating good practices from local to country and river basin levels to enhance water governance work.
3. Advocating effective water governance as a requirement to reach the water related MDGs and WSSD water and sanitation targets.
4. Participating in the work of the World Water Assessment Programme and contributing on water governance issues to the World Water Development Report.

How will the Facility work?

The Facility will provide services on the basis of requests from developing countries for policy and institutional support to address the array of water governance issues. It will work through existing UNDP organizational networks, whereby developing country demand will be expressed to UNDP and SIWI. The Facility will also seek to be complementary to ongoing interventions, and to facilitate leverage of additional in-country funding.

Visit the Water Governance Facility's website: http://www.watergovernance.org/