Bonn Recommendations for Action

In December 2001 an innovative meeting tookplace in Bonn, focussing on water as a key to sus-tainable development. The conference broughttogether government delegates from 118 coun-tries, including 46 Ministers, representatives from47 international organisations and delegates of73 organisations from major groups and civilsociety. It was a meeting appropriate for the ageof global partnerships as it demonstrated thatgovernments, the private sector, civil society andlocal and grassroots initiatives can work togeth-er in a spirit of partnership while acknowledgingthe differences in their mandates, roles andresponsibilities. It neither avoided nor resolvedthe challenging and contentious issues in wateraffairs that are debated in communities or atnational and international levels. However, itreached a remarkable degree of consensus giventhe controversial nature of these issues and thebroad representation of stakeholders taking partin the meeting.

These recommendations for action result fromthis conference. As convenor of the conference,the German government is pleased to take themforward.

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Ten years after the UN Conference on Environ-ment and Development, the world is preparing forthe World Summit on Sustainable Development.More than ever, all the people of the world need

development which is sustainable: women andmen, the old and the young, the poor and thewealthy, people in the south and in the north. Thechallenge to turn the concept of sustainabledevelopment into reality is immense. Yet the onlyother choice would be to accept poverty, depri-vation, insecurity and discrimination as a fate forbillions of human beings, and continued unsus-tainable management of natural resources inmany parts of the world.

The International Conference on Freshwater hasreviewed the role of water in sustainable devel-opment, taken stock of progress in the imple-mentation of Agenda 21 and identified how thisimplementation can improve. It has built on manyprevious efforts and conferences which havedefined the challenges and developed principlesand policies related to water and sus-tainabledevelopment. There is often a gap between mak-ing such policies and putting them into practice.So this conference focussed on practical ideas.

Water is a key to sustainable development, cru-cial to its social, economic and environmentaldimensions. Water is life, essential for humanhealth. Water is an economic and a social good,and should be allocated first to satisfy basichuman needs. Many people regard access todrinking water and sanitation to be a humanright. There is no substitute for water: withoutit, humans and other living organisms die, farm-ers cannot grow food, businesses cannot operate.

Providing water security is a key dimension ofpoverty reduction.

Despite improvements in water use efficiency, theuse and demand for freshwater and the incidenceof water pollution have increased. Access to safewater supply and adequate sanitation, particu-larly in developing countries, has during the lasttwo decades barely kept pace with populationgrowth. The demand for water for food, humanconsumption and sanitation is increasing. Ecosys-tems are becoming increasingly stressed by waterscarcity and pollution.

The conference has analysed the implications ofrecent landmark decisions taken by the interna-tional community. Most relevant among them arethe International Development Target set by theUN Millennium Assembly "to halve, by 2015, theproportion of people living in extreme povertyand to halve the proportion of people who sufferfrom hunger and are unable to reach or to affordsafe drinking water”, and the emphasis on stew-ardship "to stop the unsustainable exploitation ofwater resources”. To reach that target for drink-ing water, best available estimates show that, by2015, an additional 1.6 billion people will needaccess to adequate water infrastructure and serv-ices. In addition, over 2 billion will need improvedsanitation.

Estimates for required global investment in allforms of water-related infrastructure vary wide-ly up to $ 180 billion annually, compared to acurrent estimated level of $ 70-80 billion. Watersupply and sanitation for basic human needs,however, accounts for only a small proportion ofthese totals: its needs are estimated at approxi-

mately $ 20 billion annually, compared to a cur-rent level of $ 10 billion.

The participants of the conference have notedthat the challenges have been adequatelydefined, the key targets described, and locallyappropriate principles and policies for watermanagement identified. They have identified pos-itive ways forward relating to a wide range ofwater-related issues.

The conference recommends priority actionsunder the following three headings:

• Governance

• Mobilising financial resources

• Capacity building and sharing knowledge

The recommendations are addressed to the inter-national preparatory process of the World Sum-mit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburgfor consideration and review. They also provide areference for the Third World Water Forum inKyoto, and to all the different types of organisa-tions that are working in water, poverty and sus-tainable development.

To relate to the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment’s overall objective of sustainabledevelopment, sectoral themes such as water needto be harmonised with, and possibly integratedinto, national strategies for poverty reduction(such as Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers).

Water security for all is an achievable goal. Thereis enough water for everybody in the world, butonly if we change the way we manage it. Theresponsibility to act is ours – for the benefit ofthe present and future generations.

More than 700 delegates developed jointly the Bonn Recommendations for Action.

Actions in the Field of Governance

• The primary responsibility for ensuring equi-table and sustainable water resources man-agement rests with governments. It requiresthe participation of all stakeholders who useor protect water resources and their ecosys-tems. Special attention is needed to improvethe participation of those people, particularlythe poor, who are often ex-cluded from deci-sion-making.

• Public responsibility includes the task to setand enforce stable and transparent rules thatenable all water users to gain equitable accessto, and make use of, water.

• Countries should be in the process of devel-oping water resources management plans by2005.

• Water resources policies and managementshould be better linked with other interna-tional agreements and processes, such asthose concerned with climate change, deser-tification, biodiversity, wetlands, dams, themarine environment and sustainable forests.They should also be linked to internationalprocesses on development, finance and to thenational benefits from trade in other goods.

1. Secure equitable access to water for all people

• Water management policies should not dis-tinguish between water users by gender andshould allow men and women equitableaccess to water resources, including safedrinking water and sanitation.

• Water resources management should be basedon a participatory approach. Men and womenshould be equally involved in managing thesustainable use of water resources and shar-ing of benefits. To achieve equity, in manyparts of the world the role of women in watermanagement needs to be strengthened andtheir participation broadened.

• Water experts and policy makers should betrained to work in a gender-inclusive manner.In many places, specific support is also need-ed to empower women to take up leadershipand managerial roles in water resources poli-cies and management.

• Water policies and water management sys-tems should be gender-sensitive. They shouldreflect the division of roles and labour - paidand unpaid - between men and women in allsettings related to water. Data relating towater should be disaggregated by gender.

3. Promote gender equity

• Water is an integral part of sustainable devel-opment. Policies for all aspects of watershould be clearly linked to policies for pover-ty reduction and economic growth. Govern-ments should review the priority given towater and sanitation and to productive waterinfrastructure in national and internationalprogrammes to tackle poverty.

• Water infrastructure and services should be

pro-poor and gender-sensitive. The plansshould be realistic and targeted to the needsof the poor, and should include targets andindicators of progress at all levels.

• The UN Millennium Declaration target ondrinking water should be complemented by acorresponding target to halve the proportionof people lacking access to improved sanita-tion by 2015.

2. Ensure that water infrastructure and services deliver to poor people

Chairperson Rogatien Biaou (centre), Co-Chair JisongWu (left) and Rapporteur Aizaz Chaudry (right) fromWorking Group A on ‘Governance, Integrated Mana-gement and New Partnerships’.

Chairperson Bärbel Dieckmann (centre) with the Co-Chairs of the Gender Plenary Session: Diane M. Quarless (left) and Jon Lane (right).

• Water should be equitably and sustainablyallocated, firstly to basic human needs andthen to the functioning of ecosystems and dif-ferent economic uses including food security.Allocation mechanisms should balance com-peting demands and take into account thesocial, economic and environmental values ofwater. They should reflect the links betweensurface and groundwater and those betweeninland and coastal water, growing urbanisa-tion, land management, the need to maintainecosystem integrity and the threats of deser-tification and environmental degradation.

• Integrated water resources managementshould be sustainable and optimise watersecurity and human benefit per unit of waterwhile protecting the integrity of ecosystems.

Water should be treated as a valuable andfinite resource. Water demand should be moreactively managed, and water use efficiencyincreased in all uses.

• Irrigated agriculture is the world’s largest userof water, and therefore offers the largestpotential in terms of water savings, the bene-fits of which can be shared with other sectors.

• Countries should set appropriate national tar-gets to improve the equity and efficiency withwhich water resources are used.

• The value of ecosystems should be recognisedin water allocation and river basin manage-ment. Allocations should at a minimum ensureflows through ecosystems at levels that main-tain their integrity.

4. Appropriately allocate water among competing demands

• National water management policies shouldtake account of the impact of trade in water-intensive goods on water availability andecosystems integrity. For example, in waterscarce regions, people should grow crops withlow water requirements or of high value com-pared to the water used. Options for improv-

ing the water balance by importing water-intensive goods from water-rich regionsshould be explored where appropriate andcost-effective.

• Subsidies that inhibit water use efficiency orcause negative effects on the environmentshould be reduced.

7. Improve water management

• Watersheds, river basins, lakes and aquifersmust be the primary frame of reference forwater resources management. Institutionaland participatory mechanisms need to bedeveloped at this level.

• Water can promote regional co-operation.Such co-operation across internal and inter-national boundaries should be intensified as a

means to share the upstream and downstreambenefits.

• Co-operative management of such water isbest served by long-term commitments. Activestrategies should be initiated to exchangewater-related knowledge and develop mutu-al understanding.

5. Share benefits

• In many water-scarce countries, the develop-ment of new water sources and infrastructuremay be necessary to provide water for devel-opment and to mitigate against the impactsof desertification, droughts and climatechange.

• Decisions to construct large water infrastruc-ture projects including dams should be takenafter a participatory integrated assessmentof needs and options, taking a precautionaryapproach into account. Actions to improve theperformance of existing infrastructure shouldbe a high priority. All risks, costs and benefits

should be fully accounted for. The role of largeinfrastructure in sustainable development andpoverty reduction should be directly demon-strated.

• Project designs should minimise potentialnegative impacts on the environment andenhance the livelihoods of project affectedparties. People affected by a project shouldparticipate in project decision-making andshare in project benefits. Proper mechanismsand incentives should be in place for compli-ance with rules and agreements concerningenvironmental and social aspects of projects.

6. Promote participatory sharing of benefitsfrom large projects

Intensive agriculture in the Middle East.

Parched soil.

• Drinking water quality should be safeguardedbecause it is essential for human health.

• Water governance arrangements should pro-tect ecosystems and preserve or restore theecological integrity of groundwater, rivers,lakes, wetlands and associated coastal zones.This will maintain the wide range of ecologi-cal services that healthy ecosystems provideand the livelihoods that depend upon them.

• Water resources management should comple-ment work to combat desertification andother forms of environmental and ecologicaldegradation.

• Pollution prevention should be prioritised,because it is normally more cost effective thanthe restoration of polluted waters. Water sup-plies should be protected from pollution fromthe source to the user.

• Treatment of waste water must be intensifiedand made more affordable for munici-pali-ties and industry. Investments in appropriatesanitation facilities should protect water bod-ies from pollution and reduce health hazards.Countries should intensify their attention tothe management of diffuse (non-point)sources of pollution.

• Effective legal frameworks for protectingwater quality should employ the full range ofpolicy instruments including regulation, vol-untary measures, market- and information-based tools. Where such frameworks exist,water quality should be monitored and theregulations enforced. This approach shouldmake use of the polluter pays principle, thusgiving incentives to polluters to apply the bestavailable technology to prevent pollution.

8. Protect water quality and ecosystems

• Water management arrangements should takeaccount of climate variability and expand thecapacity to identify trends, manage risks andadapt to hazards such as floods and droughts.Anticipation and prevention are more effec-tive and less expensive than having to react toemergencies. Early warning systems shouldbecome an integral part of water resourcesdevelopment and planning.

• Closer links should be established betweendevelopment and disaster management sys-tems. This should be achieved both by reduc-ing poor people’s vulnerability to disasters andby strengthening post-disaster recovery sys-tems.

• Decision-making mechanisms under uncer-tainty should ensure flexibility to respond toboth rapid onset disasters and longterm

changes to water resources. Risk managementshould be an integral part of water resourcesmanagement This should include establishingclose co-ordination beyond the water sector.

• Exposure to flood risks should be minimisedthrough wetland and watershed restoration,better land use planning and improveddrainage.

• Particular attention needs to be paid to thepoor in both rural and urban areas who aretypically resident on land vulnerable to disas-ters and whose livelihoods are particularlyvulnerable to their impacts.

• Organisations that deal with disaster pre-paredness and management should be streng-thened. Such action will also place societies ina better position to deal with future climatechange.

9. Manage risks to cope with variability and climate change

• The predominant public delivery of water serv-ices should be complemented by more use ofdifferent and often innovative forms of servicedelivery, including self help groups formed bythe people themselves, informal serviceproviders, co-operative societies, and local andinternational private enterprises. In each situa-tion, the approach should be chosen that wouldbest benefit people and the environment.

• All service providers should be subject to

effective regulation, benchmarking and moni-toring. They should be efficient, accountable,and protected from inappropriate pressures.There should be clear separation between theroles and responsibilities of the regulator andthe service providers.

• Regulation is a national level function whichshould be strengthened through internation-al networking and the application of consis-tent principles, standards and methods.

10. Encourage more efficient service provision

Decentral water purification plant.

Maintenance and repair of water pipes.

• People need to be centrally involved in man-agement and governance decisions concern-ing water resources. Local stakeholders shoulddevelop mechanisms for collaborative man-agement of the local water needs and re-sources. The design and operation of waterservices should use a people centred approachand be based on understanding the needs ofthe people to be served.

• Decision making, implementation of projects,and operation of services should be decen-tralised to the lowest level capable of handlingsuch tasks, keeping in mind that watershedsare the appropriate frame of reference forwater resources management. Local govern-ments, community-based organisations andprivate service providers (where they exist)

should be the key players in local manage-ment and the provision of local services. Thisrequires appropriate legislation and financialmechanisms to empower local governmentand to facilitate the role of small scale serviceproviders.

• National governments should strengthen theirdomestic public funding capabilities and cre-ate a viable financial frame for local govern-ments. This will require significant support tomodernise the financial planning, manage-ment and accounting skills in local govern-ments. Decentralisation of responsibilities forwater and other services to local governmentshould go hand in hand with parallel actionsto improve management and provide clearauthority to raise and retain revenues.

11. Manage water at the lowest appropriate level

• The fight against corruption must start withawareness building and should aim at max-imising transparency to the public in theentire decision making process of a project,from planning through procurement to con-struction and operation. It must focus on allparties to any corrupt practices.

• Water governance arrangements shouldimprove accountability, introduce and enforceappropriate legal provisions against corrup-tion, monitor the performance of public insti-

tutions and private companies, develop codesof conduct, and invite civil society to play anactive role in these processes.

• Assured access for citizens to all relevantinformation in the public domain is a power-ful tool for fighting corruption. The publicshould also have access to effective andaffordable justice.

• All actions, whether initiated by Internation-al Financial Institutions, countries or others,to fight corruption are welcomed.

12. Combat corruption effectively

Local water user group discussing water issues.

Actions in the Field of Mobilising Financial Resources

• All sources for funding in developing countries– public funding from general budget reve-nues, water tariffs and charges, external assis-

tance, and private investment – must bestrengthened to bridge the gap between cur-rent and required levels of expenditure.

13. Ensure significant increase in all types of funding

• Public budgets are now, and will continue tobe, the biggest source of investment in water,particularly in low income countries. Evenwhere the mobilisation of private investmentis successful, public funds will generally beneeded to support complementary invest-ments and for instruments to protect the pub-lic from hazards and reduce risk to investorsand suppliers of goods and services.

• Macro economic growth is necessary tostrengthen the national and local public reve-nue base in developing countries, and henceto give the governments the opportunity toput more money into the water sector. Formany developing countries, the prospects for

such economic growth are linked to broaderissues of equitable international trade.

• Investments in water for productivity, and inwater and sanitation for health, can result insignificant national economic gains.

• Where scarce public funds are being allocatedto water, priority should be given to meetingthe basic needs of the poor and to preservingthe integrity of ecosystems.

• Where domestic capital markets exist, theyshould be developed further to finance thewater sector, for example through issuinglocal or central government bonds.

14. Strengthen public funding capabilities

Working Group B, chaired by Jacobus Richelle and Zaal Lomtadze with Jennifer Moore as Rapporteur, discussed‘Mobilising Financial Resources’.

• In view of the high capital demand for waterinfrastructure investment, it is necessary toaugment public funding by mobilising privatefunding for water utilities, wastewater treat-ment, irrigation and other water-related pro-grammes. These could take the form of pub-lic-private partnerships, noting that privately-managed service delivery does not imply pri-vate ownership of water resources.

• Investors seek confidence that their legal andfinancial interests are protected for the fullcontract duration, and that they can recovertheir investment over time. This implies appro-priate regulatory arrangements, transparentcontracting procedures, reliable cost recovery

mechanisms, and public acceptance of sucharrangements. Where there is no track recordof successful private investment, pilot projectsrequire additional attention by governments,stakeholders and the international communi-ty to ensure that the interests of the waterconsumers, the environment, and the investorsare safeguarded.

• The self help potential of local communitiesshould be used more widely to reduce thefinancial requirements of rural and urbanprojects for poverty alleviation. Supportshould be given to NGOs and others whoassist local communities to develop micro-finance capabilities.

16. Make water attractive for private investment

• The international donor and lending commu-nity should aim to raise the priority that itgives to water in the developing and transitioncountries. Developed countries which haveagreed to, but not yet reached, the agreed UNtarget for official development assistance of0.7% of GDP should exert their best effortsto do so.

• Development assistance should be comple-mentary to domestic sources of funding andserve a catalytic role, building capacity andhelping local and regional institutions todefine their own solutions and models, andcreating an enabling environment attractiveto potential investors. Private sector partici-

pation should not be imposed on developingcountries as a conditionality for funding.

• External development assistance for directprovision of water infrastructure and servicesin developing countries needs to be targetedtowards serving the poor (especially the ruralpoor for whom the prospects of other types ofservice provision are remoter than in urbanareas), preserving the integrity of ecosystemsand mitigating the effects of climate variabil-ity and change.

• The donor community should use its exper-tise and leverage to help developing countriesto mobilise investment financing from allsources, including commercial ones.

17. Increase development assistance to water

• Water service providers should aim for finan-cial sustainability through receiving suffi-cient income from their customers to financeoperation, maintenance and capital costs. Bal-ancing this aim, however, cost recovery objec-tives should not be a barrier to poor people’saccess to water supply and sanitation. Wherethe poor cannot afford to pay the full cost ofwater supply and sanitation services, tariffsystems that allow social targeting should beestablished. Options include transparent sub-sidy arrangements from public funds andcross-subsidy from other customers.

• Efforts to recover costs should focus on thoseconsumers who use the most water. Theauthorities that set tariffs should be willing tocharge the full cost to users that can afford topay.

• Transparent subsidies can be applied whereappropriate and necessary to preserve ecosys-tems.

• Subsidies to any water-related activity shouldbe reduced and finally eliminated if they areleading to inefficient use of water or causingnegative effects for the environment.

15. Improve economic efficiency to sustain operations and investment

Actions in the Field of Capacity Building and Sharing Knowledge

• Knowledge is the foundation of understand-ing and decision-making. Shared knowledge,and respect for different forms of knowledge,are the basis for building consensus andresolving conflicts. Decisions can only lead toeffective management actions if the actorshave the right knowledge and skills. Enhanc-ing human capacities at all levels is a key forwise water management. This needs to bebased on integrating the distinct and comple-mentary contributions of local, traditionalknowledge, knowledge from different profes-sionals and disciplines and the hands-onexperience of practitioners. All can and shouldlearn from each other. Practical actions tobuild partnerships and create channels forsharing information at all levels are a key firststep in developing integrated water manage-ment.

• Education and training, both formal and non-formal, should give all people respect forwater as a finite, vulnerable and valuableresource. It should make sure that the rightskills are in the right place at all levels fromlocal communities to international institu-tions. This would include technical skills,knowledge of the multiple benefits and eco-logical services of water, the relevance of san-itation and hygiene, a basic understanding ofintegrated water resources management aswell as new skills in areas such as businessmanagement, risk management and commu-nity participation.

• Education at all levels should promote a holis-tic, interdisciplinary approach to water man-agement.

• Human resources development for watershould follow a five-pronged approach: edu-cation for the formative years (primary andsecondary education), vocational training,university education, continuous educationand research capacity strengthening. Educa-tion and training should be demand-oriented,participatory and hands-on, and make use ofinformation and communications technology,

distance learning and institutional twinningarrangements. Training for water profession-als should bridge gaps between hitherto sep-arated disciplines such as engineering, eco-nomics, hydrology, ecology, gender, and socialscience. It should include training in partici-patory approaches and in the realities of thelives of the poor.

• The mass media, traditional media and otheravenues of public awareness building, includ-ing advertising, should be used to convey thebasic messages of good water managementand of hygiene and sanitation. Such messagesmay combine human values with both tradi-tional and modern scientific knowledge.

• The knowledge and skills needed for watermanagement change as new knowledge isgenerated and new needs emerge. Mecha-nisms to disseminate knowledge, change cur-ricula, exchange teaching materials and cre-ate partnerships between educators and train-ers around the world should be developed andfunded.

• Concerted actions to enhance the skills ofpoor people, and especially women, are need-ed. These should be adapted to local needs andopportunities. NGOs and other civil societyorganisations often have a special role in suchprogrammes.

• Workers and their Trade Unions should berecognised as an important resource forknowledge, skills and expertise related towater.

• Specific initiatives are needed to createawareness and provide skills and experience toyoung people. These should create better pro-fessional opportunities and bring young peo-ple from different parts of the world togetherto share experience and create mutual respectand understanding. Donor countries shouldexpand programmes for young professionalsfrom around the world to gain hands-on expe-rience, and in particular to work closely withpoor communities.

18. Focus education and training on water wisdom

In Working Group C, the discussion on ‘CapacityDevelopment and Technology Transfer’ was chairedby Lars Engfeldt and Claudia Martinez-Zuleta, with Alison Drayton as Rapporteur.

• Knowledge must be shared globally and pack-aged appropriately for intended target audi-ences. This includes the provision by all coun-tries of basic data for research and assess-ment. Information management must provideinformation to decision-makers at the righttime and in a form they understand.

• Research and knowledge sharing on watershould contribute more effectively to pre-venting and solving problems, and follow anholistic interdisciplinary approach.

• Better knowledge is needed everywhere, butalways has a price. Knowledge managementshould focus on quality, not quantity.

• Internationally-accepted indicators on differ-ent aspects of water management need to bedeveloped. These should include indicators for

the relevant targets in the UN MillenniumDeclaration and for other relevant nationaland international goals. These indicatorsshould be developed through participatoryprocesses, including stakeholders from differ-ent levels and around the world. The WorldWater Assessment Programme should take alead role in the development of these indica-tors.

• Sharing knowledge through dialogue is oftenthe starting point for developing further col-laboration on water management throughbuilding trust and mutual understanding. Forexample, river basin organisations could startwith data and knowledge sharing and devel-op into other activities as and when there isa clear and agreed need.

19. Focus research and information management on problem solving

• Many existing water institutions need tochange their focus and their method of ad-dressing challenges, by reorienting their roleand structure appropriately.

• Capacity building and technical assistance areamong the essential elements for institu-tional change for integrated water manage-ment. This is a long-term process, whichshould be based on gradual, practical steps.It must be flexible, as needs are constantlychanging. Collaboration and internationalpartnerships are particularly needed in manydeveloping countries, where reform is mostneeded but resources are most limited.

• Specific initiatives to strengthen institutionsat the community level, that take ethicalissues into account, are essential for empow-

erment of the poor. This requires both mobil-isation at the community level and, wherenecessary, changes to policies, laws and gov-ernment organisations to create the enablingenvironment through which local-level insti-tutions can operate.

• There are many positive experiences of insti-tutional change throughout the developingworld. Specific initiatives to develop models ofgood practice and improve South-South shar-ing of experiences are needed.

• Successful institutional change and reformdepend on the effectiveness of the wider gov-ernance environment. Institutional reformprogrammes should complement governanceimprovements.

20. Make water institutions more effective

• Appropriate technologies for the whole rangeof water resources management and servicedelivery should be available on an equitablebasis to countries and regions experiencingwater related problems. They should build onand strengthen existing and innovative knowl-edge and environmentally friendly technolo-gies.

• Systematic efforts are needed to revive andlearn from traditional and indigenous tech-

nologies (for example rain water harvesting)around the world.

• The wealth of available experience in all coun-tries and sectors needs to be tapped in a sys-tematic fashion. Donor agencies and industryneed to co-operate for the transfer and adap-tation of the best available technologies.South-South technical transfer is also impor-tant.

21. Share knowledge and innovative technologies

Sharing knowledge and building capacity.

• Governments, including local government,should more actively play their key role inwater governance and drive local, nationaland international processes of water manage-ment reform.

• Governments should consider and, whereappropriate, adapt and apply internationallyrecognised principles to national and localactions, whilst respecting different cultures,traditions and legal frameworks. Governments

should play the pivotal role in the mobilisationof financial and human resources, the settingand enforcement of legislation and standardsand in the establishment of opportunities andprocedures for a broader public participationin water management.

• Many governments are moving away fromservice provision towards facilitating that pro-vision by others.

22. Governments

• People at the local level actively manage manyaspects of water resources. They often have abetter understanding of the real potential andlimitations of their local environment. Theycan be empowered to meet this role by socialmobilisation processes.

• Concerted actions are needed to enhancecapacities and knowledge, secure rights,

develop leadership, overcome local inequali-ties and ensure that local communities haveaccess to the technologies and financial andother resources that they need to turn choic-es into actions.

• Indigenous people often have particularknowledge of the spiritual value of water,which they can share with others.

23. Local Communities

Water-related organisations are moving on fromisolation to partnership. This process involveschanges to laws, policies and institutional proce-dures, complemented by actions to build capaci-ties. People and organisations fulfilling a new rolemust be able to meet their new responsibilities.

This is a long process that needs to be properlyresourced, for example by guidance in socialresponsibility or accountability. Internationalpartnerships can play a catalytic role in thisprocess.

Roles

The representative of the Local Authorities making a statement.

• Private companies, ranging from internationalenterprises to small local service providers andincluding financial institutions, should con-tribute more actively to sustainable gover-nance, financing, service provision and capa-city building in water.

• Becoming a partner in water services requiresrecognition of co-responsibility for the com-mon good. Management or ownership ofassets carries the obligation to conduct busi-ness in a socially, environmentally and ethi-cally acceptable manner.

26. The Private Sector

• The United Nations and the internationalcommunity should strengthen their commit-ment and their efforts to enable developingcountries to manage water sustainably.

• Strong partnerships in the international com-munity can be a catalyst for reform andcapacity development. In particular, they can

help mobilise knowledge and financial andother resources to reduce poverty and createmore sustainable forms of water resourcesmanagement.

• The United Nations should strengthen thecoordination and coherence of its activities onwater issues in an inclusive manner.

27. The International Community

• Workers and Trade Unions should be includedin participatory forms of decision-making andparticularly in joint committees of manage-ment and Trade Unions.

• In order to ensure workers’ contributions tosustainable water development, core labourstandards should be accepted and imple-mented, particularly those relating to freedomof association.

24. Workers and Trade Unions

• NGOs should continue to participate in policymaking and implementation, including thedelivery of services, and to represent the inter-ests of stakeholder groups and the environ-ment. They can play an important role inadvocacy and in ensuring the accountabilityof government and others. They can also playan important role in creating a link betweengovernment and local communities. They

should raise awareness and knowledge amongtheir members and constituencies on inte-grated water management.

• Professional and scientific organisations, withtheir extensive knowledge and experience,should contribute increasingly to managewater. They should widen their professionalscope and engage with more inter-disciplinaryand cross-sectoral approaches.

25. Non-Governmental Organisations

Delegates from UN and International Organisationsat the Bonn Conference.