BRIDGING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE POOR AND THE RICH

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BRIDGING THE DIVIDE BETWEEN THE POOR AND THE RICH

• Hammou Laamrani
• Safwat Abdel dayem
• Khalid Abu zeid
• Magdy Hefny

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Regional overarching water challenges General
threads and differentiated experiences
Political choices can make a difference
Bridging the divides can make more than a
difference

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There are few easy water resources left for
development
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Bridging the divide between actors, between
sectors and segments of the society
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Bridging the Water MDGs Gaps in the Arab Region
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2006 Population Without Sanitation
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Population Without Access will increase in 2015
even if MDGs are met

• Since 1990, 81 million people in the 22 Arab
  States gained access to an improved drinking
  water source, but due to population growth the
  number of people not using an improved source
  increased from 36 million in 1990, to 50 million
  in 2006

• Since 1990, 89 million people in the 22 Arab
  States gained access to an improved sanitation
  facility, however the number of people not using
  an improved sanitation facility still increased
  from 90 million in 1990, to 96 million in 2006

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Key messages

• Need to bridge the knowledge gap on MDGs and WSS
  coverage indicators and standards used by
  governments and international agencies
• Need to bridge the information gap on reliable
  data and trends related to WSS coverage, water
  borne diseases
• The MDGs targets are modest leaving more
  WSS-deprived people in 2015 than in 1990, which
  puts a need to bridge the expected gap in 2015
  to go beyond just achieving the MDG targets
• Although some Arab countries may be on track in
  achieving some MDGs, yet the Arab Region as a
  whole is not on track
• Need to bridge the gap between countries in
  achieving the MDGs

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Key messages on water MDGs (2)

• Need to bridge the gap between the rural and
  urban coverage of WSS services
• Need to bridge the gap between Water supply and
  sanitation coverage and in their consideration as
  a human right
• Need to bridge the gap between the rich and the
  poor in the WSS
• Governments need to assess put national MDGs
  achievement plans allocate national MDGs
  budgets
• Arab financial resources need to be mobilized to
  establish an Arab Water Facility to bridge the
  gap in financing the MDGs plans in place

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THREE GOOD REASONS TO THINK GOVERNANCE In MENA/
Arab Countries special region

• As Tom Naff wrote years and years ago, it is not
  that people in the Middle East are not careful in
  their use of water it is rather that they are
  not SO CAREFUL as they have to be given the
  situation.
• Technical competences and expertise are not the
  missing link. Water Governance is the key to
  bridge the real divides.
•  
• It is only policy - and policy at the highest
  level -- that will make water governance not
  simply part of, but the central pillar of, water
  management particularly of water demand
  management in the region.

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What governance stands for?
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• i. the process whereby (legal) authority is
  mobilized, distributed and used for decision
  making about the development, allocation,
  management, utilization and conservation of water
  resources Vermilion (2000).
• ii. The Global Water Partnership defined water
  governance as follows Water governance refers
  to the range of political, social, economic and
  administrative systems that are in place to
  develop and manage water resources and delivery
  of water services at different levels of
  society. (GWP, 2002)

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• iii. The World Bank has set three goals for good
  governance which include empowering citizens to
  hold governments accountable through
  participation and decentralisation enabling
  governments to respond to new demands by building
  capacity and enforcing compliance with the rule
  of law and greater transparency (World Bank,
  1994)
• iv. Governance is the exercise of economic,
  political and administrative authority to manage
  a countrys affair at all levels. It comprises
  the mechanisms, processes and institutions
  through which citizens and groups articulate
  their interests, exercise their legal rights,
  meet their obligations and meditate their
  differences (UNDP, 2001. Human Development
  Report, New York, USA).

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• iii. The World Bank has set three goals for good
  governance which include empowering citizens to
  hold governments accountable through
  participation and decentralisation enabling
  governments to respond to new demands by building
  capacity and enforcing compliance with the rule
  of law and greater transparency (World Bank,
  1994)
• iv. Governance is the exercise of economic,
  political and administrative authority to manage
  a countrys affair at all levels. It comprises
  the mechanisms, processes and institutions
  through which citizens and groups articulate
  their interests, exercise their legal rights,
  meet their obligations and meditate their
  differences (UNDP, 2001. Human Development
  Report, New York, USA).

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Deficit in water governance is not in favour of
sustainable, efficient and effective use
The Index of public accountability (11 measures)
and the Index of Quality of Administration (IQA)
(7 measures). WB (2003a)
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Centralization and the role of the public sector

• Despite evidence that public administrations
  are relatively effective in the region, the other
  problems of poor governance in MENA especially
  limited transparency, control of corruption,
  voice, and participation are magnified by the
  comparatively large public sectors.

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Political Economy perspective
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Key drivers outside the water box

• Population growth and its implication

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Agriculture complexity food security and self
sufficiency vs poor productive use
Low economic return, high Social burden and hard
policy decision still ahead
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(No Transcript)
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Quality of water policy and institution
The index covers the adequacy of the policy mix
(legislation, property rights and rationing or
allocation mechanisms) as well as instruments and
policies to control pollution
WB (2007)
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Pace of reforms is determined by political economy

• Politically difficult decisions to remove
  subsidies and introduce pricing in the context of
  rural unemployment and poverty in non oil
  countries.
• Overall macroeconomic and fiscal factors are
  critical in policy choices and therefore in water
  outcomes Water solutions and water problems both
  come from outside water sector
• Water in MENA is also a political good, God
  gift and economic good of social value.
• Water market and tradable water rights are
  subject to political equivocal though taking
  place in many forms and at different scales
  (Realities ahead of regulation)

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Centralization and the role of the public sector
(2)

• Thus, the stereotypical country in the region is
  one with a large public sector, highly
  centralized government, an overstaffed civil
  service, and relatively little participation.
• Worse, dialogue on public sector reform is often
  held back by heightened political sensitivities.
  http//www1.worldbank.org/mena/governance/

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• Stakeholders participation is poor but emerging
• Accountability (Mutual)
• Transparency and access to information
• Access to justice
• Regulations and law enforcement mean also
  ownership that requires participatory regulation

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Hard political decision do pay back
TUNISIA success story
Stabilizing demand while increasing benefits
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InWent case study (D. Virchow, a paper submitted
to the MENA region report)
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Five messages to consider for further policy
consideration (1)

• Power relations and interests need to be part of
  the analysis of key determinants of water policy
  cycle in MENA.
• Put the water challenges in the perspective of
  development realities of the nations. Issues that
  affect water sector are not separated from
  reforms and challenges taking place in other
  sectors. Water solution need a cross-sectoral
  policy perspective (macroeconomic versus sectoral
  analysis)

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Five messages to consider for further policy
consideration (2)

• Sustain the Political backup to water reforms AND
  seize the opportunities provided by the global
  challenges and changes (global market, climate
  change, food, energy and financial crises) to
  implement hard decisions in terms of
  accountability, water market, water valuation,
  pricing and water demand management.
• Revisit the role and type of agriculture and
  water allocation between sectors in the changing
  socio-economic development patterns of nations in
  the MENA region.
• Solutions to water challenges in MENA have a
  strong and overarching governance dimension that
  needs to be addressed as a priority in the water
  reforms and in the overall development agenda as
  shown in the next section.

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Bridging the Water Rights Equity Gaps in the
Arab Region
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• The international law is not well established in
  issues related to clearly defining international
  water rights, and experience is even lacking more
  in groundwater rights.
• Need to explore the possibility of assigning an
  international organization that organizes and
  supervises country agreements to assure justice
  and equity

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Bridging Water Rights Equity Gaps between
Countries

• Need to bridge gap between Historical Prior Use
  rights (essential for most Arab countries)
  Riparianism rights of upstream countries
• Considering direct rainwater use harvesting
  (Green Water), where available, for agriculture
  and other purposes will bridge the conceptual
  gaps in sharing international waters
• Water should be out of the political struggle by
  ensuring Right for water under political
  conflicts

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Bridging Water Rights Equity Gaps between
Sectors

• The domestic sector has the first priority, the
  increase of its share will be a normal
  consequence to the population growth
• Many of the Arab countries are applying shifts to
  their cropping patterns and/or charging tariffs
  for excessive cultivation of high water consuming
  crops.
• Water laws are not essentially respected, which
  leads to the conclusion that establishing a law
  enforcement policy in these countries is equally
  important.
• Achieving equity must relate directly to people's
  needs and consider their social and economic
  conditions. That should be the basis of water
  allocation among different sectors, which
  requires a more dynamic water rights system.

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Bridging Water Rights Equity Gaps between Users
of the Same Sector

• There is a need for a common vision on all
  aspects of water rights and equity, with it is
  interlinked issues such as water valuation, water
  tariff and cost recovery.
• An efficient law enforcement mechanism is
  absolutely important in preserving water rights.
• Water allocation within the irrigation sector
  should not be in excess to high water consuming
  crops on the expense of other crops.
• Bridging the knowledge gap in Arab states could
  be seriously be enhanced by public awareness on
  Water Rights and Equity

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Bridging Water Rights Equity Gaps between Users
of the Same Sector

• Equity entails equity in water distribution and
  equity in cost recovery.
• Equity should be ensured types of uses (export
  cropping, industry)
• Every consumer has a water right but also has an
  obligation towards water conservation in quantity
  and quality

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Financial sustainability, economic incentives,
and social equity
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Who finances the infrastructure?
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Operating Expenses
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How do these financing arrangements affect
incentives? Inefficiency in Water Service
Delivery

• Country Unaccounted for water ()
• Jordan 52
• Egypt 50
• Palestine 45
• Lebanon 40
• Algeria 40
• Morocco 30
• Tunisia 22

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Cost of Environmental Delivery
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What can the water ethics perspective add to the
perspectiveA few key messages

• Emphasizing the Right to Water and Water for the
  Poorest Principle
• The right to water is enshrined in the Universal
  Declaration of Human Right. Article 25 provides
  that Everyone has the right to a standard of
  living adequate for the health and well-being of
  him self and his family...".
• It is time now for Launching "Water for the Poor"
  Conference for the Arab Region

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• Mutual learning Knowledge Transfer, through
  applying Benchmarking and Bench-learning of
  Arab's Water Best Practices.

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• Strengthening the Arab Network for Water Ethics -
  The long term vision of ANWE is To create a
  Society of Water Use Ethics.
• The mission of ANWE is "to disseminate
  knowledge, Exchange experience, Change behaviour,
  Improve social conduct, Raise awareness, and
  Publicize success stories in water use ethics.

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Thank you

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