Capacity Building

ACTION PLAN:

Local Government Freshwater Capacity Building in Asia Pacific

Key Discussion Points

	Capacity Building
	Stakeholder Process
	Defining the Problem
	Jurisdictional Aspects
	Communication
	Performance Indicators
	Essential Linkages
	Building on Previous Experience

Actions

	Further Clarification
	Initial Proposals
	Marketing the Initiative
	Funding

1. Capacity Building

	Capacity Building – need to be clear on the definition and assumptions going into this
	Capacity Building at the local government level vs. the citizen level vs. other levels (including water retailers)
	Capacity Building at all levels of the water management cycle
	Awareness raising and water cycle education
	Learning Leaders (ICLEI)
	Development of relevant decision support tools
	Importance of training and mentorship of tomorrow’s leaders (youth)
	Importance of better water governance

2. Stakeholder Process

	Strategy for working with the public as part of the stakeholder process
	Local knowledge and “wisdom” in managing ecosystems and resources in a holistic manner using stakeholder process
	Importance of an informed public

3. Defining the Problem

	Question of scale - Get the problem identified at the right scale
	Recognition that behavioural change is fundamental

4. Jurisdictional Aspects

	How to address jurisdictional issues (Washington State example)
	Need to address water as a system in an integrated manner with a focus on sustainable urban planning and development
	How are the issues of water rights and water ownership being addressed?

5. Communication

	Better communication of scientific and technical data to support informed decision making
	Package the information to make it easier for people to access
	Clarify what we have already learned
	Make effective use of the media in communicating scientific and other information
	Make sustainability about people themselves – link to health

6. Performance Indicators

	Performance indicators – What are they?
	Need to ask the right questions (Are we doing the things that matter most?)
	Clarify the process of establishing the criteria and benchmarks for success
	Definition of best practice
	Aspects to address:

– Do we know what is going on? (Do we understand the problem?)

– Do we know what to do to affect change?

– Can we choose? (Does the political will exist?)

– Translation into something that people understand (MEGO to OMG ratio)

7. Essential Linkages

	Links to local governments and related institutions
	Link to Youth Action Team
	Link to UNEP/IETC Cities as Sustainable Ecosystems (CASE) Initiative
	Link to Melbourne Principles
	Don’t reinvent the wheel
	Link to the other players working on the health aspects
	Link to IWA water utility efficiency initiative (similar to that developed through the African Water Utilities Partnership)
	Share case studies and success stories through GWP Toolbox, UNESCO/WWAP, WWC/Water Actions for WWF3

8. Building on Previous Experience

	Australian Water Campaign
	Japan
	Other

Example – Australian Campaign

2 Thrusts:

	Water quality improvement
	Water conservation

3 Targets:

	Council/Corporate
	Community
	Catchment

... Builds on links to key partners (e.g. Australian Water Association)

Example – Japan

	Survey of the major players in the Japanese water sector
	Promotion of more integrated approaches

Actions

	Further Clarification
	Initial Proposals
	Marketing the Initiative
	Funding

Further Clarification

	Questions to be addressed
	Issues to be addressed
	Items to be clarified

Questions to be addressed

	Which are the initial municipalities thus far identified as part of this initiative?
	What is already going on in Asia Pacific? (and elsewhere?)– Need a roadmap on this.
	What are the information gaps? …and opportunities to link to issues that will motivate action?

Issues to be addressed

	The issue of scale – Understanding the issue and the best scale at which to address it
	The need to evaluate what has been done, what is being done, what we have learned and how this initiative is linked to other initiatives

Items to be clarified

	The specific roles of local governments, citizens, industry and other stakeholders
	The role of awareness and education with emphasis on the translation of scientific and technical data into information that stakeholders can understand
	The rationale behind the principles which have been developed to support this initiative

Proposals for an AP Initiative

1. ICLEI could prepare and distribute a simple guide on “things that should be done” in launching a campaign at the local level (This could be linked to the public awareness and education components of the campaign)

2. ICLEI already has a number of decision support tools and checklists and can package these for local authorities. IETC can provide support through introductory guides, sourcebooks, train-the-trainer kits, e-learning, EST-Performance Assessment (EST-PA), EST-Information Systems (EST-IS), etc…

Marketing the AP Initiative

	Need a Constituency Map
	Work with cities in Asia Pacific already familiar with the ICLEI process (i.e. the Cities for Climate Protection Campaign)
	Use Mekong River Commission as a possible point of entry
	Build on complementary initiatives and issues (e.g. Australian Victorian Women’s Trust on gender issues)

Possible Funding for the AP Initiative

	GPA and GEF links – “White Water to Blue Water”
	National Governments
	Other Key Organisations