Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making

Recurring water crises, global water initiatives, and demands for water reforms by development banks, have all pushed water up the agenda of most Mekong-region countries. Many changes have already been made. Now decision makers need to know what has worked, what hasn?t, and why. To find out, IWMI ha...

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Main Author: International Water Management Institute
Format: Brief
Language:Inglés
Published: International Water Management Institute 2006
Subjects:
Online Access:https://hdl.handle.net/10568/37860
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author International Water Management Institute
author_browse International Water Management Institute
author_facet International Water Management Institute
author_sort International Water Management Institute
collection Repository of Agricultural Research Outputs (CGSpace)
description Recurring water crises, global water initiatives, and demands for water reforms by development banks, have all pushed water up the agenda of most Mekong-region countries. Many changes have already been made. Now decision makers need to know what has worked, what hasn?t, and why. To find out, IWMI has reviewed new water policies, plans and laws, and assessed participation, the new water ?apex bodies?, and integrated water resources management (IWRM). The findings show that top-down state policies based on ?blueprints? are widely applied in a one-size-fits-all approach, without taking local realities into account. Water planning is still largely expert-driven, and focused on procedures and targets. There is little room for decision-making that is based on negotiations between users, line agencies, NGOs and politicians, for example. Although much mention is made of participation and IWRM, little is being done on the ground. To bridge these divides, better forms of governance are needed. And greater efforts need to be made to understand complex local situations?so that policymakers are better informed, and new policies are appropriate and workable. Key to this will be an understanding of what causes new policies to succeed or fail in different contexts.
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spelling CGSpace378602025-11-07T08:26:38Z Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making International Water Management Institute water management river basins governance policy making planning water law Recurring water crises, global water initiatives, and demands for water reforms by development banks, have all pushed water up the agenda of most Mekong-region countries. Many changes have already been made. Now decision makers need to know what has worked, what hasn?t, and why. To find out, IWMI has reviewed new water policies, plans and laws, and assessed participation, the new water ?apex bodies?, and integrated water resources management (IWRM). The findings show that top-down state policies based on ?blueprints? are widely applied in a one-size-fits-all approach, without taking local realities into account. Water planning is still largely expert-driven, and focused on procedures and targets. There is little room for decision-making that is based on negotiations between users, line agencies, NGOs and politicians, for example. Although much mention is made of participation and IWRM, little is being done on the ground. To bridge these divides, better forms of governance are needed. And greater efforts need to be made to understand complex local situations?so that policymakers are better informed, and new policies are appropriate and workable. Key to this will be an understanding of what causes new policies to succeed or fail in different contexts. 2006 2014-06-13T11:16:54Z 2014-06-13T11:16:54Z Brief https://hdl.handle.net/10568/37860 en Open Access application/pdf International Water Management Institute International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 2006. Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making. Colombo, Sri Lanka: International Water Management Institute (IWMI). 6p. (IWMI Water Policy Briefing 022) https://hdl.handle.net/10568/37860
spellingShingle water management
river basins
governance
policy making
planning
water law
International Water Management Institute
Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title_full Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title_fullStr Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title_full_unstemmed Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title_short Water governance in the Mekong region: the need for more informed policy-making
title_sort water governance in the mekong region the need for more informed policy making
topic water management
river basins
governance
policy making
planning
water law
url https://hdl.handle.net/10568/37860
work_keys_str_mv AT internationalwatermanagementinstitute watergovernanceinthemekongregiontheneedformoreinformedpolicymaking