Multi-level water governance: gaps and guidelines

1. Multi-level water governance: gaps and guidelines Aziza Akhmouch, PhD OECD Water Governance Programme Water and Oceans Law in Times of Climate Change Utrecht, 31October 2013

2. What we think The “water crisis” is largely … a governance crisis • Enough water for human and nature needs … if managed wisely! • Coping with future water challenges requires more than financing & hydrology • How to manage water-related risks & trade-offs ? Through better governance Interdependencies across multiple stakeholders are poorly managed • Water is a local & global issue with multiple actors at different levels • All countries experience institutional & territorial fragmentation of water policy • Many countries struggle to really understand (and map) who does what No optimal level of “good water governance” nor a one-size-fits-all • Need for place-based policies & national framework, strategy and set of rules • Technical, financial & institutional solutions exist, but implementation fails • Pragmatic diagnosis & implementation tools / methodologies are needed • Taking stock of what works well and what does not work is important

3. What we have learned 17 OECD (2011) 13 LAC (2012) • Australia • Belgium • Canada • Chile • France • Greece • Israel • Italy • Japan • Korea, • Mexico • Netherlands, • New Zealand • Portugal • Spain • United Kingdom (England & Wales) • US (Colorado) • Argentina, • Brazil • Chile • Costa Rica • Cuba • Dominican • Republic • El Salvador • Guatemala • Honduras • Mexico • Nicaragua • Panama • Peru

4. Water : a fragmented sector with multi-level interactions Beyond the question of “WHAT” content water policies should have, there is a need to think about “HOW” they will be implemented and “BYWHOM” • this implies getting into the “black box” of water policy

5. =>>Three models can summarise challenges related to water policy, based on the level of territorial and institutional fragmentation OECD (2011) Water Governance in OECD Countries : a Multi-level Approach

6. Mind and bridge multi-level governance gaps A methodological framework OECD (2011) Water Governance in OECD Countries : a Multi-level Approach

7. LAC and OECD countries face common gaps ... but different priorities can be identified OECD countries LAC Countries

8. Key multi-level governance challenges in OECD countries OECD (2011) Water Governance in OECD Countries : a Multi-level Approach

9. How to ensure horizontal coordination of water policy? • All countries surveyed set-up coordination tool at central government level • None considered the creation of a “magic” ministry devotedexclusively to water as the panacea

10. Horizontal coordination across water-related policy areas

11. Current debate in Mexico : A water ministry? A federal regulator? OECD (2013) Making Water Reform Happen in Mexico

12. A wide range of governance instruments for vertical coordination of water policy Central Government Ministerial Departments Inter Governmental Council (COAG, Australia) River basin organisations Special Commission (Delta, Netherlands) Contracts (ex. France; EU, etc.) Conditionalities ( EU programming) Sub-national Governments Whatever the type of system – federal, regionalised, unitary – there is a strong need of coordination across ministries and levels of government

13. Vertical co-ordination across levels of government Some OECD countries have set-up all these mechanisms (France, Mexico), while others have more centralised water systems, with limited involvement of sub-national governments (e.g. Korea, Israel)

14. Co-ordination across local and regional authorities

15. Wastewater management in the Netherlands : The need for horizontal coordination between municipalities (sewage collection) and regional water authorities (treatment) OECD (2014 forth.) Water Governance in the Netherlands : Fit for the Future?

16. Preliminary OECD Guidelines for effective management of multi-level governance in water policy Diagnose multilevel governance gaps in water policymaking across ministries and public agencies, between levels of government, across subnational actors Involve subnational governments in the “design” stage of water policymaking, beyond their roles as “implementers” Adopt horizontal co-ordination tools to foster coherence across water related policy areas and enhance inter-institutional cooperation across ministries and public agencies Create, update and harmonise water information systems and databases for sharing water policy needs at basin, country and international levels Encourage performance measurement to evaluate and monitor outcomes of water policy at all levels of government Respond to the fragmentation of water policy at subnational level by fostering coordination across subnational actors and between levels of government Foster capacity building at all levels of government Encourage public participation in water policy design and implementation Assess the effectiveness and adequacy of existing governance instruments for coordinating water policy at horizontal and vertical levels

17. Lessons from OECD Water Policy DialoguesMexico (2013), Netherlands, Jordan, Tunisia (2014) and Brazil (2015) • There is a diversity of water governance tools, initiatives, programmes at global level .. But reforms are mostly carried out at … national Level • OECD Water Policy Dialogues can : • Assess water governance gaps • Identify good practices to bridge them • Engage a wide range of stakeholders • Support water reform processes • Suggest policy recommendations • Provide international comparisons • Institutional “mechanistic” reform cannot be thought of in a vacuum => the form of institution need to match water management functions and target critical issues (pricing, allocation, rights/concession deeds etc.) • Flexibility is needed to match the type of governance to the level of risk => a one-size –fits- all (e.g. Mexico’s RBO) does not work ! • Good practices need to be scaled-up, a crescendo approach often helps.

18. Next step (2015) : OECD Principles on Water Governance POLICY COHERENCE CAPACITY BUILDING

19. OECD Water Governance Initiative A multi-stakeholder Policy Forum to scale up best practice and shape policy guidance POLICY GUIDANCE SCALE UP BEST PRACTICE 2013-2015 OECD Principles on Water Governance OECD Indicators on Water Governance

20. Thankyouwww.oecd.org/gov/waterAziza.akhmouch@oecd.org