Advancing Water Governance in Europe & CIS: A Human Rights Approach

1. UNDP’s work and role promoting Water Governance in Europe & CIS Towards a new Regional Programme “Applying a Human Rights-based Approach (HRBA) to Water Governance” Juerg Staudenmann Water Governance Advisor

2. Overview • UNDP’s mandate & Water Governance strategy • Water as key driver for Human Development • UNDP’s work in Europe & CIS region • Why a new programme? UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

3. UNDP’s mandate “TheUN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life” • MDGs as overarching framework / coordinator of UN Development Group • over 160 Country Offices (UN country team) • National, regional and global projects (UNDP and joint) • UNDP Strategic Plan: 1 pillar on “Environment & Sustainable Development” • Mainstreaming ESD into development • Facilitating financing and access to environmental services (at local level  pro-poor) • Promoting adaptation to climate change  “Water and Sanitation” as priority area of intervention! UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

4. Why Water Governance ? • Key HDR 2006 findings: • Water & sanitation is essential for life and livelihoods • Water & sanitation are key drivers to achieve majority of MDGs • “Global Water Crisis” is a crisis for the poor and marginalized (large disparities between rural and urban areas, but also between poor and privileged parts of society) • Even lower political commitment to sanitation and hygiene (2.6 billion people lacking access; 1.8 million child deaths/year) • Climate Change will add another dimension • The growing “Water Crisis” is a problem of Water Governance, not so much of lacking water resources or population growth • Key recommendations: • Make water a human right – legislatively • Support national strategies for IWRM, water and sanitation (incl. empowerment of the poor, gender, climate change, …) • Advocate for increase of international aid (+ USD 3-4 billion/year = ODA x2) UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

5. UNDP’s Water Governance strategy • Reduce poverty and vulnerability, enhance livelihoods, and protect environmental resources through “adaptive water governance”, by supporting countries to: • achieve equitable allocation and efficient water resources management • achieve or exceed the water supply and sanitation MDGs • enhance regional and global cooperation, peace, security and socio-economic development. … through: • National strategies for equitable management of water • Local action on water and sanitation • Cooperation on Transboundary Waters • Adaptation to climate change • Global and regional advocacy Across: Capacity development; Gender equality; Human rights based approach UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

6. Water as key to achieve the MDGs • Almost all MDGs cannot be achieved if water fails! • Child mortality & maternal health • Education-sanitation nexus (adequate facilities for girls; health) • Gender equality (reduced vulnerability) • Water – poverty nexus (enhanced livelihood security; pro-poor economic growth; health – work force link) • Transboundary Interdependence 90% of population in countries with shared river basins • Competing demands for water means the poor will lose out on all fronts unless we • Change and improve “water governance” • Be prepared to adapt to (climate) change • Successfully tackling the WSS crises could trigger next leap forward in human development ! UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

7. WSS – Human Development link UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

8. UNDP’s Water Governance portfolio in the Europe & CIS region • Regional projects: • GEF-implementing agency • Transboundary Water Management (e.g. Danube/Black Sea, Dnipro, Caspian Sea, Kura-Aras, ...) • National / local project: • IWRM – National and participatory planning & implementation (e.g. Kazakhstan, new CA-project) • WSS (e.g. BiH, Tajikistan, Armenia) • Mainstreaming “water-activities” in rural development (e.g. Crimea, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan), Climate change & energy-reform (e.g. Albania, Bulgaria), biodiversity conservation (e.g. Macedonia, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Hungary, …) • Private sector involvement (e.g. UNDP-Coca Cola Partnership “Every Drop Matters” in Croatia, Kazakhstan, Romania, Turkey, …) UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

9. Working in partnership • UNECE / WHO / bilateral partners: Protocol on Water & Health / HRBA • EC / EUWI / UNECE / OECD: “Common Framework for Addressing Water Issues in Central Asia” • UNECE / OSCE / RECs: Environment & Security Initiative • Cap-Net / GWP: Capacity building, networking, stakeholder platforms • Stockholm Water Governance Facility / SIWI: expertise & support (e.g. “water intelligent reports”) • Local and bilateral partners: Projects and concrete action on the ground! UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

10. Knowledge Management & UNDP Water Community of Practice (CoP) • Knowledge Management Platform:WaterWiki (http://WaterWiki.net) • A Wiki-platform (like Wikipedia) with projects, Who is who, reports, articles, etc. • Currently under revision (upgrade, new features, new content, Russian translations, expansion) • Idea: Dynamic linking, e.g. with UNECE River Basin Assessment, EC Guideline on Water, etc. UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

11. Why a new programme?  Situation in RBEC Countries PROJECTED in business-as-usual scenario NOT to achieve the water supply or sanitation MDGs (in progress): UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

12. Why a new programme linking Water Governance with Human Rights? • Taking the opportunity!  Special (favorable) regional context with the Protocol on Water & Health • Aim:  Establish a regional umbrella, which • is closely linked to emerging activities (foremost under the Protocol on Water & Health) • serves as basis to build strong partnerships • supports the identification of “niches” to develop concrete interventionsto apply a HRBA • Ultimate objective:  Develop and implement concrete projects at national and local level UNDP Bratislava Regional Centre

13. Thank you! For further information visit: http://WaterWiki.net