The document discusses how transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building can build trust and engagement in water governance. It analyzes frameworks from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and South America and found that policy coherence and transparency were key areas for improvement. Success requires optimal timing that aligns with social and political expectations, community learning and involvement in co-designing solutions, and transparent information systems. The authors highlight that collaborative planning and stakeholder involvement in developing indicators is critical for sustainable water governance.

1. Transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building: cornerstones for
trust and engagement in good water governance
(Neto, S. and Camkin, J.)
Manuscript submitted to the Special Issue of the journal Water International
“The OECD Principles on Water Governance as a Means to an End:
How to Measure Impacts of Water Governance?”
16TH MEETING OF THE OECD WATER GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE | 20 JANUARY 2022

2. 16TH MEETING OF THE OECD WATER GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE | 20 JANUARY 2022
DEPARTING POINT AND MAIN QUESTION:
• This article discusses how coherent policy, transparency, and
ensuring and maintaining community involvement builds trust and
engagement, and enables improvements in water governance over
time.
• It builds from the assessment of existing frameworks in Europe, Asia-
Pacific, Africa, and South America, where policy coherence, and
ensuring integrity and transparency were identified as key areas for
improvement (Neto et al, 2018).
 Why are some policies or implementation actions successful in some
cases and not others, and how can the factors of success be
assessed?
“Transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building: cornerstones for trust and engagement in good water governance” - (Neto and Camkin, 2022)

3. 16TH MEETING OF THE OECD WATER GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE | 20 JANUARY 2022
Reasons for failure or delay towards improved water governance:
 Gaps in communication between organizations, and between institutional levels.
 Lack of mainstreaming and integration of water reforms in other policies.
 Limited policy evaluation and lack of mechanisms for systematic feedback.
Reasons for success towards improved water governance:
 Optimal momentum of opportunity aligning with political, social, other expectations.
 Accepting the importance of community learning and capacity building, through good
participatory channels beyond engagement, allowing co-design of solutions.
 Having in place good information and knowledge systems that are transparent and
accessible to everyone involved in water governance.
“Transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building: cornerstones for trust and engagement in good water governance” - (Neto and Camkin, 2022)

4. 16TH MEETING OF THE OECD WATER GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE | 20 JANUARY 2022
HIGHLIGHTS:
 This work has highlighted that a collaborative planning process is more critical to
long-term sustainable water use than any individual plan because the collaboration
facilitates community learning and capacity building.
 Similarly, the deep involvement of water stakeholders in the co-design and co-
implementation of an appropriate indicator framework is critical for good water
governance.
“Transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building: cornerstones for trust and engagement in good water governance” - (Neto and Camkin, 2022)

5. 16TH MEETING OF THE OECD WATER GOVERNANCE INITIATIVE | 20 JANUARY 2022
FINAL DISCUSSION OF IMPACTS ON WATER GOVERNANCE:
 Reinforcing the aims of an indicator framework for water governance
as a tool to foster dialogue at all levels.
 Promoting inclusiveness across all stakeholders and identify and
support the roles they play.
 Stimulating transparency in all water institutions.
 Increasing awareness on water issues, and, critically, trigger actions
to bridge water governance gaps.
“Transparency, regional diversity, and capacity building: cornerstones for trust and engagement in good water governance” - (Neto and Camkin, 2022)

6. THANK YOU !
SUSANA NETO