Prof. Torkil Jønch-ClausenDirector, DHI Water & Environment

Chair, Danish water Forum

“Water reform and access to water for the rural poor”

September 2006

“The global context – the role of water reform in achieving the Millennium Development

Goals”

The Millennium Development Goals

The 8 Millennium Development Goals

1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger*

2. Achieve universal primary education

3. Promote gender equality and empower women

4. Reduce child mortality

5. Improve maternal health

6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

7. Ensure environmental sustainability*

8. Develop a global partnership for development

MDG 1: the targets

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Target 1: halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people whose income is less than 1 $ per day

Target 2: halve between 1990 and 2015 the proportion of people who suffer from hunger

Note: Same people suffering both – same target group for most MDG’s!

MDG 7: the targets

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Target 9: integrate the principles of sustainable development inot country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

Target 10: halve by 2015 the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation(the ”water target”)

Target 11: have achieved by 2020 a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers

The 8 Millennium Development Goals:What will they achieve by 2015?

• 500 mill people out of extreme poverty

• 300 mill people no longer suffering from hunger

• Dramatic progress on child health: 30 mill children saved

• 2 mill mothers saved

• 350 mill people fewer without safe drinking water

• 650 mill people fewer without benefits of sanitation

• Etc. etc.

The “water” target

The Millennium Development Goals:The “water target” (MDG 7, target 10)

“Halving proportion of people without access to safe drinking water supply and sanitation by 2015”:

=> serving 230,000 people/day with water!!=> serving 430,000 people/day with sanitation

Existing Problems: Drinking Water

Existing Problems: Sanitation

Water as a Human Right

UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural RightsNovember 2002

“The human right to drinking water is fundamental for lifeand health. Sufficient and safe drinking water is a

precondition for the realization of all human rights”

The environment-povertylink

The “Millennium Ecosystem Assessment”:Interactions

Human well-being and poverty reduction

•Health•Security

Ecosystem services

•Provisioning•Regulating•Cultural•Supporting

Direct drivers

•Land use•Species introduction•Climate

Indirect drivers

•Demography•Economic•Sociopolitical

The water-poverty-hungerlink

Pressure on water: Global trends

Water and the poverty goal

• Water as a production factor for the poor

• Water infrastructure as development catalyst

• Reduced vulnerability to floods and droughts

• Reduced ecosystem degradation - better livelihoods

• Reduced water related diseases - deaths!

Water and the hunger goal

• Grain production from irrigation

• Water for subsistence agriculture, gardens, livestock and tree crops

• Water for fisheries and other foods

• Reduced urban hunger due to cheaper food prices

• Better nutritional status for healthy people

Water and the hunger goal (IWMI/SEI 2005)

50% increase in water use for food production by 2015- from 4500 cukm/yr to 6700 cukm/yr!

Total2200

Rainfed1950

Irrigation250

New land600

Ex. land1000

Savings350

Water and the hunger goal- implications of these estimates

• Strong focus on rainfed agriculture

• Strong focus on smallholders

• Increasing challenge in trade-off between water for food production and water for ecosystems (environmental flows)

• Need for IWRM approaches!

The WSSD target on IWRM

The WSSD (Johannesburg) target

“Develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans by 2005, with support to developing countries”

IWRM – why and what?

Managing water to achieve societal goals

Structure

EconomicEfficiency Equity Environmental

Sustainability

Management Instruments Assessment Information Allocation

Instruments

EnablingEnvironment Policies Legislation

InstitutionalFramework Central -

Local River Basin Public -

Private

Balance “water for livelihood” and “water as a resource”

Addressing the delicate balance!

Managing competing uses:

Water for

people

Water for food

Water for

nature

Water for

otheruses

Cross-sectoral integration

• Enabling environment

• Institutions

• Management tools

Integrating across levels

National

Basin

Local

Why such IWRM plans at WSSD?

Two good reasons:

• Instrument to mainstream water in national economy and development in all sectors

• Instrument to help achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDG´s) by 2015: on poverty, hunger, health and environment

Meeting the WWSD target - how?

A coherent approach to change

Enabling environment

Institutional roles

Management instruments

Strategy

The IWRM planning cycle

COMMITMENT TO REFORMESTABLISH STATUS

PREPARE STRATEGY

ANALYSE GAPS

IMPLEMENT FRAMEWORKS

MONITOR PROGRESS

CCCOMMITMENT TO ACTIONS

The outcome:

National frameworks for water development, management and service provision ….

Framework for water governance

Framework for water infrastructure development

Framework for water and sanitation service delivery

Framework for water efficiency improvements

Essential frameworks for addressing water and poverty!

Linking to other strategies and plans,such as …

– National strategies to meet Millennium Development Goals

– Country poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs)

– National Five Year Plans or Sustainable Development Strategies

– National Plans on women’s development and empowerment

– Etc. etc.

Meeting the WWSD target - the status

Global status as reported to WWF Mexico, March 2006

Total World figures :• Good progress: 25%• Some steps:50%• Initial stage: 25%

Next assessment: CSD 2008

The Danish commitment…

15 mill. DKK allocated in Danish budget 2005 to support countries on their road toward the WSSD target:

Support to 10 sub-regions, some 60 countries• Roadmaps for developing IWRM plans• Experience/good practice exchange at regional level• Capacity building

Ongoing program - executed through UNEP (UCC-Water at DHI), in close cooperation with the Global Water Partnership and other international/UN organisations

Asia •Southeast Asia (all 7 target countries)•Central Asia (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic)

Africa Southern Africa (Lesotho, Angola)•West Africa (Togo, Liberia, Ivory Coast, Gambia)•Central Africa (RDC, Rwanda, Eq. Guinea)•North Africa (focus countries t.b.d.)

Latin America •South America – the “Cone”•South America – the Andean sub-region•Central America (Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemla)•Caribbean (focus countries t.b.d.)

Sub-regions

- and selected focus countries

The “roadmaps” and

IWRM “Plan”

Vision

Assessment

Policy

Strategy

IWRM Plan

”Roadmap”

The process:- from Vision

to IWRM ”Plan”

The further Danish commitment…

A joint Danida-UN/Water high level conference in

Copenhagen in January 2007:

– Moving from national roadmaps and plans to implementation of IWRM

– International agreement on a ”roadmap for IWRM implementation” towards 2015

-- and continued effort to support countries in IWRM implementation as a contribution to MDG achievement

Conclusion

The governance-water-poverty link

Poverty

Governance- incl. IWRM

Natural resource base

Water

Service deliverysystem

EmpowermentRights

Thank you!

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