recap of first day

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Recap Day 1 Josefina Maestu

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Recap of first day. Josefina Maestu, Director of UNW-DPAC. International Annual UN-Water Zaragoza Conference 2012/2013. Preparing for the 2013 International Year. Water Cooperation: Making it Happen! 8-10 January 2013

TRANSCRIPT

Page 1: Recap of first day

Recap Day 1Josefina Maestu

Page 2: Recap of first day

Opening Session’s Insights I

• Not only upper riparian people must accommodate the needs of their lower riparian neighbours, but any user must recognize the legitimacy of the other users and join with them to manage the common good.

• One important user is nature itself who needs water for all its living creatures, but also provides high quality water if her ecosystems are healthy.

• The future generations will rely on water cooperation. • Dialogue and consensus building are called to be the

institutional framework for conflict resolution and water governance.

Page 3: Recap of first day

The Conference Approach• Learning from experience• Emphasis on the means: thus showing the

importance of mediation, water diplomacy, transboundary cooperation, information, shared views and goals, voluntary approach, dispute resolution.

• Identifying challenges, barriers, failures• Learning from failure and building upon success

stories.

Page 4: Recap of first day

Opening Session’s Insights II

Sustainable water management is an enduring collective entrepreneurship that may start with the creation of a nucleus able to make cooperation the instrument to guarantee the preservation of natural capital while allowing the covering water needs for life and the equitable functioning of the economic system (E.g. The Ebro experience).

Page 5: Recap of first day

Opening Session’s key remarks• International conventions have been an important driver of transboundary cooperation:

“The globalization of the [Water] Convention should also go hand-in-hand with the expected entry into force of the United Nations Watercourses Convention. These two instruments are based on the same principles. They complement each other and should be implemented in a coherent manner.”

• Climate change, economic development and population growth implies increasing competition for water resources that might become a source of local, regional and international conflicts

• However water has also proven to be a productive pathway to cooperation and conflict prevention. Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) offer a set of approaches aimed at resolving disputes in a non-confrontational manner. (litigation.. arbitration…..mediation…..Negotiation…)

• Confrontation, although possible, is not an alternative to negotiation: sooner or later parties will need to or communicate for the purpose of influencing other party’s decisions.

Page 6: Recap of first day

Session 1: Furthering water cooperation among nations and stakeholders. Making it happen.

Cooperation: A Risk-Opportunity approach (The World Bank):

•While the associated economic benefits and costs of cooperation are generally well analysed, the perceptions of decision makers regarding political risks and opportunities have been much less explored.

•The critical institutional change that needs to be promoted is the shift in people’s perception so that:

– Opportunities must be perceived as more important that the risks involved in cooperation.– The benefits of agreeing are more significant than the opportunity costs of competing.

•In many countries risk reduction was an important pre-condition before countries would progress to negotiated outcomes.

•Reduced risks provided sufficient motivation for countries to reconsider the cooperation deal, and even sign an agreement.

Page 7: Recap of first day

Session 1: Furthering water cooperation among nations and stakeholders. Making it happen.

The five main risk concerns

•Capacity and knowledge (confidence in ability to negotiate a fair deal)

•Accountability and voice

•Sovereignty and Autonomy (ability to act in the best interest of the country without constraints, making decisions independently)

•Equity and access (Fairness of relative benefits to country including timing of benefits and costs of accessing the river)

•Stability and Support (longevity of the potential agreement, including ratification likelihood)

The Seven Risk Reduction Strategies

•Knowledge and skill Expansion

•Institutional design

•Agreement design

•Program design

•Financing and or guarantee

•Facilitation (third party)

•Decision legitimacy

Page 8: Recap of first day

Furthering water cooperation among nations and stakeholders. Making it happen. Lessons from experience

• it is imperative to invest the necessary time and resources to produce the most appropriate solution Fit for purpose remedies rather than “model” river basin solutions are needed.

• Politics are difficult to predict, so anticipation is critical. Laying the foundation for cooperation by reducing risks will prepare countries for deals.

• Long-term time commitment is needed. Cooperation takes several years of planning, facilitation, and confidence building, often before formal negotiations even begin.

• Deals are dynamic. Deals can be fragile, and fall apart or evolve and grow into stronger and more sustainable arrangements. Periodic assessments are needed.

Page 9: Recap of first day

The Sava River Basin Commission: an agreement to manage disagreement

The Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin (FASRB) started after the war pushed up by several internal factors and external factors(such as the need to preserve and promote economic development, voluntary commitment to comply the WFD, the stability pact, UE accession process) but also with awareness raising.

• International frameworks enhanced cooperation and the need for a balance between environmental protection of the basin and economic development of the countries

• Need for a new, international framework for water management on the basin level after geopolitical changes

• FASRB provides a solid basis for the IWRM in the basin, although rather demanding in terms of the need for resources and continuous, joint efforts of the parties, challenging in terms of cross-sectoral cooperation.

• Countries have different interests but they became interested in contributing to the common goals (such as quality even not being a national priority) for the sake of commitment and international reputation.

• A functioning Secretariat that helps build and maintain engagement and trust among the parties is fundamental.

Page 10: Recap of first day

La Albufeira: a long lasting adaptable cooperation framework

• Since 1864 a dialogue have been a constructive strategy to share the benefits of river use (for fishing, irrigation, hydropower, etc.)

• Opposed perceptions on the role and value of water are recognized but the agreement is not the outcome of a conflict but of a long lasting good neighborhood relationship

• Consensus is based on the recognition of other party interest. Loyalty and trust is essential to make agreements enforceable and robust.

• The WFD allow to balance environmental protection with sustainable use of water within the frame of International and EU law.

• A good agreement must have a sound technical basis. There is still scope to advance in shared technical knowledge.

• Individuals, third parties and facilitators play a crucial role to enable stable and effective cooperation.

• Moreover when water is abundant agreement is still easier than when in drought periods.

Page 11: Recap of first day

Hungary Tisza Cooperation a gradual approach towards a cooperative Integral Water Resources Management.

• Tisza Group, as part of the International Commission for the Danube Basin, is the platform strengthening coordination and info exchange related to international, regional and national activities.

• An example on how many international initiatives can jointly push cooperation at a regional level (the EU, the ICPDR, the UNDP, the GEF and the UNEP Carpathian Convention)

• Coherence with IWRM is guaranteed by the voluntary adherence to the WFD.

• Cooperation is cost effective.Monitoring is important, sharing reliable information systems and sources can save money as efforts are coordinated.

• So far RBMP have been built but finance might not be ready. The main challenge still is the PoM implementation.

• Local/regional issues remain a national task. Coordination efforts, conducted mainly through the respective Ministries responsible for water and environment issues, have been largely directed at inter-ministerial coordination.

Page 12: Recap of first day

Finland – Russia a working cooperation framework for peace, the economy and the environment

• Since 1964 the Finnish Russian Agreement on the utilization of trans- boundary watercourses provides an institutional setting able to adapt to new demands, priorities and perceptions of water challenges (from sharing the economic benefits at the star to environmental and health concerns in modern times)

• Agreement based upon successful.- Identification of shared interests and goals- Analysis of multiple interests disregarding state borders- Finding an optimal solution for sharing costs and benefits (including agreements among private partners (companies). - Participatory approach- Long-term commitment- Being open and transparent has increased trust between partners.

Page 13: Recap of first day

Success stories of cooperation and their transferable lessons learnt

Myanmar

- Identifying the appropriate level of intervention (ethnical, sectoral, country)

- Making sure that no partners is “more equal· than other partners, empowering communities

- Ensuring funding is a challenge.

- Giving women a central role.

Basins in decentralized states

- Legal arrangements are critical.

- All decision levels needs to be considered and harmonized (national, regional, local..)

- Funding is key to incentivize agreements.

Page 14: Recap of first day

Senegal River Basin

- Political will might be the driving force of cooperation

- Equality concerns make agreements feasible and socially acceptable.

- Water is a matter of solidarity rather than competition.

- Financing and external support is critical for all parts to opt for cooperation rather than competition. The key role of the Secretariat.

Africa

– There are two major factors that play a role:• The rate of change within a water basin. Scarcity, economic growth, and population growth can

all affect the availability of water resources.• The institutional capacity of the region; what Wolf calls “the human systems built to mitigate the

change.”– It is possible to make people work together? (capacity, information, rules, etc.)– External incentives for cooperation (if you go that way we will provide financial and technical support) – Water must be part of the solution not of the problem. BUILDING PEACE TO IMPLEMENTING AN

ECOSYSTEM APPROACH.

Page 15: Recap of first day

Programme day 2

Water cooperation in rural areas and cities. Making it happen!

• Session 2: Furthering water cooperation in rural areas: making it happen!

• Session 3: Techniques and models to further water cooperation to improve water efficiency and water services in cities

• Wrap up and take away lessons

Side events:

Intensively developed aquifers (Botín Foundation Water Observatory)

Informal meeting on the Post-2012 and ODS process (UNICEF, UN-Water)