Session 3.2 Water Governance Applying a Human Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to Water Governance A brand-new UNDP programme for Europe

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Session 3.2 Water Governance Applying a Human
Rights-Based Approach (HRBA) to Water Governance
A brand-new UNDP programme for Europe CIS

• Juerg Staudenmann, Water Governance Advisor
• Louise Nylin, Human Rights Advisor
• EE CoP-Meeting 2008 Tue 14 Oct 2008

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Scope / outline

• Why applying a HRBA to Water Governance ?
• WSS matters (for Human Development)
• but Water Governance is the key !
• What means taking a Human Rights-based Approach
  (HRBA) Louise Nylin
• How A new programme for Europe CIS
• Objective approach
• The 4 thematic areas of concern
• Link to (HQ-supported) WSS assessment
• Summary conclusions

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Access to Water Supply Sanitation matters !

• Human Development strongly linked to WSS

The successfully tackling of the WSS crises
could trigger the next leap forward in human
development! (UNDP HDR 2006)
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Why a HRBA to Water Governance ?

• Fact
• 1.1 billion people without water, 2.6 billion
  without sanitation
• WSS a key driver to achieve the MDGs (child
  mortality / maternal health poverty food
  security healthy work force education )
• The growing Water Crisis is foremost a problem
  of Water Governance, not of lacking water
  resources
• A crisis of the poor and marginalized (incl.
  ethnic, gender or rural-urban disparities)
• Low political commitment to sanitation and
  hygiene
• Climate Change will add more complexity
  additional burden
• The way forward
• Focus on support to countries to develop national
  strategies plans towards integrated water
  resources management (IWRM)
• Promote international aid financing
• But also make water a human right and mean it !
  (UNDP HDR 2006)

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Whats HRBA (Human Rights-based Approach)?

• See separate ppt by Louise Nylin

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Applying a HRBA to Water Governance What it
may imply

• Prioritizing human and/or household
  allocation/consumption over all other uses
  (especially in crisis situations)
• Ensuring guaranteeing allocation of a minimum
  volume of (affordable) drinking water for
  everyone
• Providing (legal) instruments, e.g. for
  inhabitants to
• Claim their water rights
• Get access to info and political decisions
• BUT Choosing an integrated approach to Water
  Resources management (e.g. IWRM)
• not focusing on WSS only (pipes and pumps)
• To ensure sustainability !

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Linking HRBA to Water Governance

• Opportunities
• Promoting (increased) state budget allocations
  towards WSS
• Possibility to hold state accountable /
  responsible for
• prioritizing implementing WSS
• Participatory, non-discriminatory, inclusive
  approach
• Sensible prioritization while balancing between
  different water users (incl. the natural
  environment!)

• Challenges
• Other user groups (industry, energy sector,
  agricultural industry) often have stronger
  influence (financially, politically, socially)
• Finding the right balance between WSS and other
  development priorities like
• food security (irrigation / agriculture),
• livelihoods (production / industry), energy
  (e.g. hydropower for heating),
• environment

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How A new UNDP programme

• The UNECE Protocol on Water and Health A
  unique opportunity for Europe CIS
• Parties shall take all appropriate measures
  for ensuring (a) adequate supplies of
  wholesome drinking water (b) adequate
  sanitation...
• principles and approaches equitable access
  to water, adequate in terms of both quantity and
  of quality, should be provided for all members of
  the population, especially those who suffer a
  disadvantage or social exclusion.

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UNDP regional HRBA-to-Water Governance Programme
for Europe CIS

• Motivation / objective
• Use momentum to develop concrete new projects (at
  national and local level)
• Mobilize partnerships and funds for projects and
  (mainstreamed) interventions
• Approach
• Phase 1 Analyze specific country situation, gaps
  and opportunities (BRC)
• Phase 2 Verify needs with stakeholders set
  priorities develop concrete projects (CO with
  BRC support)
• Phase 3 Launch and implement national projects
  or mainstreamed interventions (COs)

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4 Thematic Areas of Concern

• Accessibility Infrastructure
• Physical accessibility, primary focus on quality
  of the (WSS) services
• Dev. priority provide access to poor,
  marginalised and vulnerable groups
• Affordability Water Pricing
• Economic accessibility, water tariff system that
  provides standard volume of water to everyone at
  affordable prices (or free if necessary)
• Special consideration to poor, marginalised and
  vulnerable groups
• Allocation Quality Water Resources Management
• Supplied water needs to be safe and suitable for
  all different uses
• Balance among competing needs (incl. natural
  environment) while prioritizing human consumption
  
• Transboundary Cooperation Joint management of
  the resource
• Adequate cooperation between neighbour countries
  / communities sharing water resource/body (at
  national, basin or local level)
• HRBA to prioritize human water consumption

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Accessibility Infrastructure (connectivity and
service provision)

• Potential priority action
• Ensuring accessibility for vulnerable groups,
  including rural areas
• Prioritisation and targeting of vulnerable and
  marginalised groups in water policy including
  service provision
• Avoiding negative impacts of WSS infrastructure
  and facilities design on vulnerable and
  marginalised groups
• Ensuring public participation of vulnerable and
  marginalised groups in decision-making

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Affordability Water Pricing (water tariffs and
ability to pay)

• Potential priority action
• Integrating affordability into planning for
  financing water services
• Ensuring equitable pricing policies (and
  cross-subsidies as needed)
• Ensuring affordability of services in WSS
  concessions
• Public participation, transparency and
  accountability (redress mechanisms and
  procurement)

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Allocation Quality Water Resources Management
(production, supply, demand management)

• Potential priority action
• Prioritising water for domestic uses
• Managing natural water resources to ensure water
  quality and quantity (and sustainability)
• Monitoring water quality safe for use
• Responding to climate change and natural
  disasters
• Public participation and transparency

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Transboundary Cooperation (equal opportunities
and shared benefits)

• Potential priority action
• Promoting and facilitating transboundary
  cooperation on water resource management
• Enabling dialogue towards conflict resolution
• Public participation

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Link to (HQ-supported) WSS assessment

• Follow-up on HDR 2006 (Water)
• IN-depth assessment in 5x2 countries
• WSS situation gap analysis / capacity
  development needs
• Status of national programming (UNDAF Co.)
  opportunity analysis
• Identification of concrete entry-points for
  projects
• RBEC
• Start early 2009
• Potential target countries BiH / Moldova /
  Tajikistan
• Full alignment with HRBA-Water Governance
  programme (joint assessments, joint stakeholder
  meetings, joint partner resource mobilization
  strategy, concerted WSS project portfolio)

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Budget

• Budget 2009 (Phase 12) USD 100-160,000
• BRC 2 x 10,000
• Global Human Rights Programme 40,000
• Global Water Governance Programme 40,000
• COs (for Phase 2) 10-20,000

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Summary

• Overall aim to utilize momentum identify
  opportunities to design new programmes
• To promote the Right to Water
• To implement it
• Focus / prioritize / mainstream Access to
  sufficient, safe, acceptable, physically
  accessible and affordable water, and basic
  sanitation in(to) the national development
  agenda

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Summary approach

• Support countries
• Identifying national needs and opportunities
  (entry-points) for concrete interventions
• Advocate for WSS as priority area (towards
  achieving the MDGs)
• Taking a comprehensive approach (IWRM) to ensure
  long-term sustainability
• Mobilize partners and financial resources to
  prioritize and implement concrete new WSS, RtW
  and Water Governance activities

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Summary UNDPs opportunity

• External perspective Support EECCA-countries
• Recipient signatory states implementing the
  Protocol on Water Health provisions (national
  analysis, gap assessments, target setting,
  strategy project development)
• Donor signatory states identifying needs and
  priorities, and direct their ODA/investment
  towards interventions in the sense of the
  Protocol on Water Health
• UNDP-perspective Taking a pan-regional,
  programmatic, practice approach
• Development of a coherent methodological approach
  on HRBA-Water nexus
• Utilizing building on the regional legal
  context
• Building HRBA-Water capacity for the region, at
  disposal of COs
• Overall Provide technically support for concrete
  development and implement of concrete projects
  and interventions to improve peoples life!

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Next steps

• Programme launch 2009
• Phase 1 Assessments / selections of target
  countries (1st tier / 2nd tier)
• Phase 2 In-depth Analysis stakeholder
  consultations for 2-3 selected Countries
• Oslo Conference on Right to Water
• 26-28 Nov
• 3rd day hosted by UNDP ? UN-guidance note

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Thank you!

• For further information visit
• http//WaterWiki.net