INBO - Newsletter

INBO Newsletter n° 27 - May 2019 10 International Events The OECD Water Governance Initi- ative is a multi-stakeholder network of 100+ delegates from public, pri- vate and non-profit sectors gathering twice a year in a Policy Forum to share on-going reforms, projects, lessons and good practices in support of better governance in the water sector. It was launched on 27-28 March 2013 and is chaired by Peter Glas of the Dutch Water Authorities. The WGI is hosted by the OECD and coordinated by a multi-stakeholder steering com- mittee. On 12-13 November 2018, the OECD Water Governance Initiative held its 11 th meeting at the Palacio de Con- gresos, Zaragoza, Spain. The meeting gathered 80+ practition- ers, policymakers and representatives from major stakeholder groups. The agenda, list of participants, presenta- tions, and pictures from the event are accessible online. Summary and key outcomes: l Delegates discussed WGI con- tributions to major international water forums. OECD Secretariat reported on the 2018 High Level Political Forum (New York, 9-18 July 2018), where the OECD pro- gram on “A Territorial Approach to the SDGs” was launched. INBO updated delegates on the prepara- tory process of COP 24 (3-14 Dec, 2018, Katowice, Poland), the key themes of which include tech- nology, solidarity and nature. The Spanish hosts invited delegates to the 24 th SMAGUA fair to be held on 5-7 February 2019 in Zaragoza. l Delegates peer-reviewed the paper “An application of the OECD Prin- ciples on Water Governance to Flood Management”. This paper provides a checklist of 100+ questions that help policy-mak- ers and practitioners to assess whether governance systems are fit to manage flood in an effec- tive, efficient and inclusive way. WGI delegates stressed the impor- tance of this tool and issued a call to expand the exercise to other subsectors such as droughts or groundwater governance. l OECD Secretariat presented the draft WGI 2019-2021 Strategy and Program of Work for discussion. Breakout sessions were conducted to shape the objectives, outputs and timeline of the two Working Groups on Indicators and Capacity Development. l Delegates shared key messages from latest research and reforms related to water: water governance in Brazil (ANA); water governance in a humanitarian context (Action contre la Faim); the City Water Resilience Framework (Arup); coastal zone groundwater man- agement (BMZ); the role of women in the governance of shared waters (Women for Water Partnership). l Delegates welcomed the pro- gram proposal “The Governance and Economics of Water Security for Sustainable Development in Africa” which aims to leverage the King Hassan II World Water Prize. l The session “Water Governance and Circular Economy” shed light on changes in governance frameworks needed to transition from traditional linear economic practices to innovative circular practices. The OECD program, “Economics and Governance of Circular Economy in Cities”, was presented. l Delegates shared key messages on the water governance forums and conferences organized in 2018. l A knowledge sharing session was devoted to water governance in Spain during which Manuel Menendez, General Water Direc- tor of the Ministry for the Eco- logical Transition, presented key challenges in the water sector and highlighted opportunities to improve Spain’s water governance system through the lens of the OECD Principles. The OECD Water Governance Initiative (WGI) contributed to the development of the OECD Water Governance Indi- cator Framework, through a dedicated working group during the triennium 2016-2018. The next program of work of the WGI towards 2021 will keep working on governance indicators, to complement the framework through the development of impact indicators and by promoting the use of the existing indicator framework. Oriana ROMANO Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) Oriana.ROMANO@oecd.org www.oecd.org Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) 11 th Meeting of the OECD Water Governance Initiative (WGI) 12 - 13 November 2018 - Zaragoza - Spain