A survey of water governance in 48 Asia Pacific countries found that while most countries have overarching water policy frameworks and coordination mechanisms in place, limited implementation of water policies occurs due to gaps in human resources and funding. Few countries have dedicated policies for water-related disasters, water quality preservation, or use economic instruments to manage water resources. Data and monitoring are also insufficient, hampering evaluation of water policies. Key recommendations include strengthening implementation and monitoring of water policies, adopting instruments to manage trade-offs, addressing capacity and data gaps, and further developing stakeholder engagement and integrity practices.

1. WATER GOVERNANCE
IN ASIA PACIFIC
Key governance findings and recommendations

2. Water governance survey in Asia Pacific
1. Clear roles and responsibilities
2. Appropriate scales
3. Policy coherence
4. Capacity development
5. Data & information
6. Financing
7. Regulatory frameworks
8. Innovation
9. Integrity & transparency
10. Stakeholder engagement
11. Trade-offs
12. Monitoring & evaluation
 Data gathered for 48 countries
 Survey w/46 questions,
distributed in 12 sections

3. Some key governance findings (1)
Most countries have an overarching water
policy framework and coordination
mechanisms in place
Limited implementation of water-related
policies due to human resources and
funding gaps
31
38
28
16
10
20
1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
Dedicated WASH policy Dedicated policy for
water-related disasters
Dedicated water quality
and preservation policy
No data available
No
Yes

4. Some key governance findings (2)
Limited uptake of water policy
instruments to manage trade-offs
1
1
69
2
14
5
8
1 1
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
No data
available
No
Yes
Limited use of economic instrument
to manage water resources

5. Some key governance findings (3)
Limited uptake of integrity practices
and tools
Insufficient data and monitoring
hampering water policies evaluation

6. Some key governance recommendations
Strengthening the implementation and
monitoring of water-related
Adopting water policy instruments to manage
trade-offs
Adopting water economic instruments to manage water resources and
generate sustainable funding
Addressing capacity and data gaps
Developing further stakeholder engagement in water decision making
Mainstreaming integrity and transparency practices across water policies,
institutions and governance frameworks