Presentation on 'Partnerships between local authorities and other actors; by Barbara Anton, ICLEI, at 2014 UN-Water Annual International Zaragoza Conference. Preparing for World Water Day 2014: Partnerships for improving water and energy access, efficiency and sustainability. 13-16 January 2014.

2. Partnerships between Local
Authorities and other actors
Barbara Anton
ICLEI - Local Governments for Sustainability
European Secretariat
Freiburg, Germany

3. Overview
• some remarks on urban nexus and role of local
authority:
> urbanisation - ‘departmentalisation’
> complexity of situation (ex. urban water
management)
> institutional and governance implications at
local level
> need for integrated planning and management
• strategic approach nexus management
• some examples and lessons learnt

4. The Urban Nexus
• Solving resource issues within boundaries of complex and
‘chaotic’ city systems, characterised by:
→ continuous extraction and processing of resources
→ daily uncoordinated investments of myriad of households,
enterprises, institutions etc.
→ use and interaction of numerous technologies and designs
• To control such urban systems, modern urbanism has divided
and dis-integrated cities into parts: jurisdictions,
departments, services silos, legal categories, single purpose
zones
• This is why opportunities of interconnectedness to achieve

5. (Source: Brown, Keath, Wong, 2009)

6. (Source: Hoban and Wong, 2006)

7. Public
health
Food
Energy
Green
space
Urban
Water
Cycle
Transpor
t
Biodiversity
Ecosystems
Quality
of
life
Housing
Air
quality
Land-use
Economi
c
development
Waste

8. Hammarby Sjöstad, Stockholm, Sweden
Source: www.hammarbysjostad.se

9. • integrated planning and management

10. • Implications within local authority:
→ cross-departmental planning and
implementation
• Implications for urban water governance:
→ comprehensive interaction with
stakeholders, including water users, at different
levels (vertical, horizontal, city-region etc.)
=======================================
Bottom-line: need for an integrated and participatory
planning and management process …

11. … so: What’s new?
Pressure on natural resources mounting (population
growth, changes in life style; climate change)
→ more conscious identification of
interdependencies between different resource
uses;
→ more pro-active, targeted cross-optimisation in
resource use and management;
→ more scientific evidence available
→ larger range of technological options in place

12. Strategic approach for cyclical nexus
management to re-integrate :
• targeted identification of relevant linkages
which promise the achievement of
multiple objectives through single measures
• systematic assessment of potential for
efficiency gains or other benefits by taking
advantage of such linkages
• review of options to realise such efficiency
gains/benefits
• ...
• monitoring & evaluation
Involvement
of
stakeholders/
partnerships
can help
sharpen
analysis and
increase
impact

13. Selected examples and lessons learnt
→ developed country/urban context:
Zaragoza, Spain
→ developing countries/rural context:
Cinta Mekar, Indonesia
Mweteni village, Tanzania

14. Selected examples and lessons learnt
→ developed country/urban context:
Zaragoza, Spain
Local authority and NGO make water saving
a matter of civic pride

15. Zaragoza (1)
In a nutshell:
• On-going major initiative for water - and thus energy - saving
since 1997
• Initially kicked off by Municipality and NGO (ECODES)
• In 2010, key actors created ZINNAE (“Zaragoza Innova en Agua
y energia”)
• Also effective engagement of citizenship as a whole
• Results (among others):
> population growth since year 2000: ca. 100,000 inhabitants;
reduction of water consumption in city in same period: 26 %
> Now domestic water consumption/per capita ca. 40 % below
average in Spain
> Water saving as a matter of civic pride

16. Zaragoza (2)
Crucial factors of success:
• multifaceted approach: technical, educational, introducing
relevant policies and regulations, campaigning …
• changing values, technologies, prices etc. ... can only happen
if all key stakeholders are on board
• long-term stakeholder engagement thrives with champions
and good facilitation
• mutual trust
• citizen commitments (> 30.000 citizens and 300 social groups)
• measurable goals/public monitoring of achievement of
milestones
• A COMMON DREAM

17. Zaragoza (3)

18. Zaragoza (4)
Way forward into the future:
• making more of linkages between water and energy efficiency
• getting housing sector on board (working with construction
companies, working with plumbers etc.)
• taking also potential for climate change mitigation/
adaptation into account
• scaling up activities with partners in Central and South
America
• Pilot testing and
replicating state-of-art
technological innovation

19. Selected examples and lessons learnt
→ developing country/rural context:
Cinta Mekar, Indonesia
National, sub-national authorities, NGO and
community sharing risks of developing energy &
water supply for the poor with private sector

20. Cinta Mekar, Indonesia (1)
In a nutshell:
• Mini-hydropower project in a rural context
• Pro-Poor Public-Private Partnership (5P) for
sustainable electricity supply for the poor
• wider nexus, reconciling economic and social
objectives, in particular basic services for the poor,
improved hygiene and health and new income
opportunities to alleviate poverty

21. Cinta Mekar Hydropower Project

22. Intake before & after the project

23. Cinta Mekar, Indonesia (2)
Crucial factors of success:
• Pro-Poor Public-Private Partnership approach - recognising
that community-based organisations (CBOs) are indispensable
for local applicability and ownership
• CBOs often play the role of the champion
• Changing mindset of local/subnational authorities: service
output is most relevant, not service input
• Sharing of risks in providing services to the poor from the side
of public authorities can facilitate private sector engagement

24. Community consultation

25. Cinta Mekar, Indonesia (3)
Way forward:
• Development of policies and institutional
mechanisms
• Building awareness of relevant stakeholders
Replication and scaling up

26. Selected examples and lessons learnt
→ developing country/rural context:
Mweteni village, Tanzania
Local authorities as crucial actors for realising
locally relevant and tailor-made water &
energy solutions

27. In a nutshell:
Mweteni village, Pare mountains, Same, Tanzania

28. ´Water
2006
access in Mweteni
2012

29. 2006
Community development
in Mweteni
2006
2012

30. 2006
Increased energy demand
2006
2012

31. Mweteni village, Tanzania (2)
Crucial factors of success:
• Women as drivers of ecologically sound community
development
• Readiness of local authorities to work in partnership
with civil society/women’s groups
• Local authorities as on-the-ground enablers of
national development aspirations

32. Mweteni village, Tanzania (3)
Way forward:
• Paradox in development to be kept in mind:
improved quality of life and increasing consumption
lead to new issues in sustainable resource
management
• Water problem well addressed - but higher energy
consumption would have to be factored in right from
beginning
• Capacity of local authorities needs to be enhanced to
address nexus issues

33. Conclusions:
• Technological solutions are just one side of the coin
• Water-energy nexus is only one of many important sectoral
linkages at local level to be managed more efficiently
• More attention to water-energy nexus can be created if it is
linked to other local development priorities (e.g. poverty
alleviation, health issues)
• The involvement of local actors - whether public, private or
civil society at large - and a broader vision of improving
quality of life make a significant difference to achieving
tangible progress in managing the water-energy nexus