This paper focuses on how to improve the development and management of water resources while providing the principles that link resource management to the specific water-using sectors. In 1993 the Board of the World Bank endorsed a Water Resources Management Policy Paper. In that paper, and this Strategy, water resources management is seen to comprise the institutional framework; management instruments; and the development, maintenance and operation of infrastructure. The paper looks at the dynamics of water and development. It builds on the 1993 policy paper, evaluating current scenarios and looking at future options and their implications both for government policy and the World Bank.

World Bank Technical Paper No. 263. Management of water resources is essential for long-term, environmentally sustainable human and economic development. Increasingly, the World Bank and other international organizations are called upon to provide

Part of OECD Water Resources and Sanitation Set - Buy all four reports and save over 30% on buying separately! Water is a key prerequisite for human and economic development, and for maintaining ecosystems. However, billions of people lack access to water and sanitation services, mainly due to poor governance and inadequate investment and maintenance. The situation is becoming more urgent due to increasing pressure, competition and even conflict over the use of water resources. The OECD has been working over the last two years to address these challenges. The results are summarised in this report, which emphasises the economic and financial aspects of water resources management and water service provision, the need for an integrated approach (including governance considerations) to address these complex policy challenges, and the importance of establishing a firm evidence base to support policy development and implementation. This report examines: strategic financial planning for water supply and sanitation that balances the key sources of revenues for the water sector – the “3Ts” of taxes, tariffs and transfers; the design and implementation of water pricing strategies that balance financial sustainability with other policy objectives; recent developments in private sector participation in the water sector; and trends and the future outlook of water use in agriculture. It considers both developing and OECD countries and offers concrete recommendations and checklists for action. The report is an invaluable resource for policy makers, academics, NGOs and all others interested in the challenges facing the water sector today.

Today, 166 million people in 18 countries lack access to adequate water resources, and it is estimated that by 2025, the number of people affected will increase to approximately three billion or 40 per cent of the worlds population. There is now an international consensus that the severity of the problem requires a strategic approach that emphasises the equitable and sustainable management of water resources. This report examines the implementation of the World Banks 1993 Water Resources Management policy and evaluates the effectiveness of strategies adopted which seek to address identified problems. It also makes recommendations for improving World Bank policy and strategy in the water sector.

In 1993 the Board of the World Bank endorsed a Water Resources Management Policy Paper (WRMPP). In that paper, and in this Strategy, water resources management comprises the institutional framework (legal, regulatory and organizational roles), management instruments (regulatory and financial), and the development, maintenance and operation of infrastructure (including water storage structures and conveyance, wastewater treatment, and watershed protection). The 1993 Policy Paper reflected the broad global consensus that was forged during the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. This consensus stated that modern water resources management should be based on three fundamental principles (known as the Dublin Principles). First is the ecological principle which argues that independent management of water by different water-using sectors is not appropriate, that the river basin should be the unit of analysis, that land and water need to be managed together and that much greater attention needs to be paid to the environment. Second is the institutional principle, which argues that water resources management is best done when all stakeholders participate, including the state, the private sector and civil society; that women need to be included; and that resource management should respect the principle of subsidiarity, with actions taken at the lowest appropriate level. Third is the instrument principle, which argues that water is a scarce resource and that greater use needs to be made of incentives and economic principles in improving allocation and enhancing quality.

Water resource management throughout the world is a very complicated issue, involving various aspects and dimensions and a well-coordinated set of policies. A well-designed water policy is a multi-faceted concerted intervention, which could be specific to just one set of political and physical socio-economic conditions. A framework to analyse the interaction between policy design and implementation can assist in improving both of these in various physical, economic and political situations. This book focuses on the interaction between policy making and strategic behaviour of policy makers, water users and other stakeholders, and how policy analysis and other analytical tools from the field of game theory and negotiation can improve policy design. The book presents analysis by high-level policy makers and policy analysts from various countries, to share experience regarding specific policy issues that are relevant to almost any country in the world, but may have been addressed differently in each country.

In December 2002, a group of specialists on water resources from the United States and Iran met in Tunis, Tunisia, for an interacademy workshop on water resources management, conservation, and recycling. This was the fourth interacademy workshop on a variety of topics held in 2002, the first year of such workshops. Tunis was selected as the location for the workshop because the Tunisian experience in addressing water conservation issues was of interest to the participants from both the United States and Iran. This report includes the agenda for the workshop, all of the papers that were presented, and the list of site visits.