1. Framework for Water Management – challenges at national/local and trans-boundary scale
Gordana Kozhuharova, REC, Regional director for SEE,
Shkodra, Albania, 9th March, 2015

2. Structure Global figures and issues on trans-boundary waters
Pillars for transboundary water cooperation
- Legal Framework
- Institutional structures and capacity development
- Integrated approach
- Exchange of information, monitoring and assessment
- A participatory approach
- Benefits and costs-sharing
- Financing

3. Global figures on trans-boundary waters
Water – most “shared” resource on earth
Close to half of Earth’s land surface area is comprised of shared river and lake basins
They account for 60% of the world's freshwater supply
40 % of the world’s population lives on trans boundary rivers, lakes and groundwater reservoirs
More than 261 water catchment areas worldwide are shared by more than two states
- 176 flowing through two countries
- 48 through three countries and
- 37 through four or more

6. Global issues on trans-boundary waters
Since ‘50 the global freshwater supply per person has fallen by 60%
World's water consumption has increased by 180% expected to increase by a further 40% in 20 y.
2/5 of the world's population already suffer serious water deficits
Scarcity of Water resources - competition between countries wanting to access and use transboundary waters increases
Large-scale development projects on the upper reaches of a river may significantly affect water availability further downstream
Management - might be a opportunity or obstacle to economic cooperation, even cause of conflict in bilateral or multilateral relations
Challenge - to support cooperation between states on transboundary waters in ways that promote peace and sustainable development in the region

7. Pillars for transboundary water cooperation
Legal Framework
Institutional structures and capacity development
Integrated approach
Exchange of information and joint monitoring and assessment
A participatory approach
Benefits and costs-sharing
Financing

8. Water management – cooperation or conflict?

9. Legal instruments
Cooperation, however, is not necessarily based on formal agreements
Cooperative institutional arrangements - which means that states – formally or informally – ‘agree to a common set of rules that govern their interactions
41 % of transboundary river basins of 276 world’s international river basins, plus trans boundary aquifer systems, lack any type of cooperative management framework’ (UN-Water, 2008, p. 6)
Reason? cooperation on water management between states is:
- a lengthy and complicated process,
- requires substantial resources, capacities and support in order to be sustained
Still - Institutionalized cooperation in transboundary settings is generally assumed to result in benefits for the states involved, as it provides them with
- information and
- reduces uncertainty as well as transaction costs

10. Institutional structures and capacity development
Effective trans boundary water management starts at the national level
The right institutional structures at the national, trans boundary and regional levels – precondition
A clear mandate for the different national and trans boundary organizations - important prerequisite for the formation of strong governing bodies
Stakeholder involvement – CSO, Academia, research, private sector, donors
Complemented with sufficient financing and political commitment
Joint bodies with strong enforcement capacity, such as river, lake and aquifer commissions, is fundamental to ensuring
- cooperation between the various governmental entities and
- good management of shared resources

11. Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
Transboundary as well as national water development and management are strongly linked to sustainable and responsible growth
Integrated approach favoring:
- planning on long-term contingency
- building resilience into vulnerable systems with an emphasis on
- increased diversity and flexibility
IWRM - promotes coordinated and efficient development and management of water, land and related resources to maximize the economic and social welfare without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems
Holistic management of surface and groundwater, implemented with the entire river basin.

12. Exchange of information and joint monitoring and assessment
Assessment - essential for making informed decisions and formulating policy at the local, national and transboundary levels
Prerequisite for accurate assessments of water resources and problems - information based on well-organized measurement networks and monitoring programmes
Conditions:
- Data management systems
- Harmonized (if not standardized),
- Compatible assessment methods and
- Uniform reporting procedures.

13. Information exchange- build trust factor
Exchange of information – including on: - pollution caused by accidents, - on infrastructure projects that could affect downstream countries - on extreme events (floods and droughts) as well as on - operations such as for hydropower, navigation and irrigation is vital to building trust and a shared vision among riparian countries

14. A participatory approach
Fundamental for:
Maximize agreement effectiveness
Enhance transparency and decision-making
Create ownership and
Facilitate the acceptance and enforcement of decisions and policies.
Also a mechanism for:
- gaining a better or common understanding on the nature of a given problem
- desirability of specific outcomes
Stakeholder participation:
- strengthens integration,
- contributing to conflict prevention, and risk reduction
- all highly important in large infrastructure development projects.

15. A participatory approach – how, who?
Numerous methods –compilation of a stakeholders’ database for network interaction to public hearings
To be organized in an open and transparent way
Inclusive - should involve all relevant groups ,
- local residents, government representatives,
- the research community,
- farmers, industries, the private sector,
- women and minority groups
Obstacles:
public can be insufficiently aware of how to take part in decision-making.
mechanisms of public participation are not well developed in many countries
adequate financial resources to be effective

16. Benefits and costs-sharing
Primary - first to focus on optimizing the generation of basin-wide benefits, and
Secondly on sharing those benefits in a manner that is agreed as fair
Best scope– to agree on the use of water, rather than the allocation of water itself
Consensus over basic entitlements should be reached
attention is paid to the differential distribution of costs resulting from the use of the water resources of the entire water body in question
due to the limited amount of overall available water in some cases, such decisions sometimes involve very difficult trade-offs and choices.
Application of special approach to benefits and costs that are not easily quantifiable or commensurable
Payment for ecosystem services (PES) – such as for flood mitigation, regulating run-off and water supply – is a new and still contested approach.

17. Financing However, these require strong political support
Investment needs in most cases exceed the resources available
Level of necessary financing varies broadly
There are mixture of financing mechanisms and various sources
- national budgets
- external bilateral or multilateral donors funded projects
- strategic programmes and funds or private public partnerships
Number of innovative approaches such as:
Strategic partnerships comprising regional funds,
Regional revolving funds,
PES, cost recovery of water services
inter-riparian financing and
However, these require
strong political support
good governance and
appropriate institutional structures.

18. REC services in Water Management (WM)
Creation and support for policy enforcement
Policy
Building capacities, providing assistance
Participatory approach
Institutional
Development of technical documentation and specification
Technical

19. Why regional and cross border cooperation?
catalyst for bringing people to work together
how much more we can achieve by working together
No or very small language barriers
Common historic heritage

20. REMEMBER Effective management of trans boundary waters starts at the national level in your municipalities in your communities Taker proper care of your rivers and lakes their status depends on us and we depend on them