There is an increased interest in capacity development at all levels

1. Session 6.1Current Trends • There is an increased interest in capacity development at all levels • An increasing number of initiatives and programmes on water education and capacity development that has potential for scaling-up and have an impact on the performance of the water sector. • More multi-stakeholder and multi-disciplinary platforms and dialogues are taking place more frequently than ever before.

2. Session 6.1Guiding principles for education, knowledge and capacity development • Quantity, quality, equality and accessibility of data and information relevant for policy making, capacity development and education at all levels • Strive to have female professionals and stakeholders as full partners in all levels and not merely as a target group • Education, knowledge and capacity development should be seen as a means to transform mentalities, lifestyles and attitudes towards a more sustainable and responsible use of water • Reinforcing the values and principles that underpin integrated water management approaches • Innovative and non-traditional means of communication and dissemination for capacity development • Scaling-up of successful initiatives and long-term nature of capacity development interventions

3. Session 6.1Recommendations • Efforts should be focused on changing attitudes. Water should be seen as a crucial part of development. It is the underlying principle in all interventions. More funding sources and alliances need to be explored. • Water should be part of the general educational curriculum. Focus should be on action-oriented education, particularly targeting children and youth. • International initiatives, such as the UN DESD and the UN Decade for Water, to promote water education should be intensified. • Databases of high quality should be systematised in a way that can be used on different levels (e.g. primary, secondary school, research institutions). You cannot educate well if there is no good information available and accessible. • Set up monitoring systems to check quality of data and educational materials to ensure objectivity and clarity, tailored to the needs of the stakeholders.

4. Session 6.1Recommendations • Carry out local needs assessments for capacity development prior to any major capacity development interventions. • More focus should be put on action-oriented research that includes local stakeholders, in particular communities. • Encourage science-based policy formulation • Encourage a holistic approach to research programmes bringing multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholders and inter-sectorial approaches to the issues • Improve understanding about learning cultures and styles through multi-stakeholder platforms at various scales.

5. Session 6.1Follow-up actions The various actors present have made a commitment to take the findings discussed here to various platforms through: • Conference on Education for Sustainable Development in Bonn, • Stockholm Water Week, • Commission on Sustainable Development New York • etc. The group will continue cooperation, networking and consultations in order to generate new initiatives and scale-up of existing ones.