Over exploitation and degradation of surface and groundwater resources has until now been an inherent consequence of economic development. Remedial actions to compensate for or reduce environmental impacts have often been left behind, leading to a waste of economic and ecological resources that might have been used for other purposes. The derived effects include increased scarcity of suitable water for various human purposes as well as degradation of natural aquatic habitats and ecosystems which, in some cases, leads to non-reversible changes such as eventual loss of biological and ecological diversity.

A Grave Situation

The international community has acknowledged the severity of the problems incurred by increased demand, overexploitation of the resources and deteriorating water quality, and agreed formally to take action to protect the freshwater resources. A demonstration of this was provided by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, 1992, the result of which was the Agenda 21. This document (UNCED, 1992), in chapter 18 on protection of quality and supply of freshwater resources, lays down the key principles and recommendations for sound water resource management – crystallized, matured and elaborated through a series of preparatory meetings including the Copenhagen Informal Consultation (CIC), 1991 and the International Conference on Water and the Environment (ICWE) in Dublin, 1992. The key principles comprise the acknowledgment of fresh water seen as a finite and vulnerable resource; management at the lowest appropriate levels; the government as enabler in a participatory, demand-driven approach; water as a social and economic good; integrated water and land use management; the role of women, and the role of the private sector. One important recommendation in Agenda 21 is that all countries shall develop water resource management action plans before the year 2000.

Global Water Partnership (GWP) is an international network of organisations interested in water resource development and management, and are committed to the Dublin-Rio principles. GWP fosters interaction among its members by promoting "cross-sectorial and multi-stakeholder" dialogues at global, regional or national level. Yet, the role of GWP goes beyond this primary task of improving communications within the water community. It also aims at promoting high quality services, delivered through Associated Programmes.

The mission of the Global Water Partnership is to "support countries in the sustainable management of their water resources". The GWP objectives are:

p Clearly establish the principles of sustainable water resources management

p Identify gaps and stimulate its partners to meet critical needs within their available human
      and financial resources

p   Support action at local, national, regional or river-basin level that follow principles of sustainable
      water resources management

p   Help match needs to available resources.

The Partners of GWP are the organisations, institutions and agencies interested in sustainable management of water resources. Development Alternatives has been an active Partner from the time of GWP’s inception, and its Vice President for Environment, George C Varughese has been a member of its Steering Committee.

GWP Consultative Group

The highest decision-making body of GWP is the Consultative Group (CG). It consists of the representatives of all the members of the Partnership. The CG meets annually and the GWP Chair, is currently Dr Ismail Serageldin, Vice President at the World Bank. Decisions in the CG are taken by consensus and guide the overall development of GWP.

GWP Associated Programmes

Associated Programmes (APs) are operational, autonomous programmes providing services on the ground. The objective shared by all APs is to assist in solving problems encountered by stakeholders in water resources management.

The GWP portfolio of APs constitutes the "business units" of the Partnership. The APs may have different organisational structures as well as different lifetimes. This depends on the type of services provided and the geographical coverage. However, the common mode of operation is to pool the best knowledge available within the Partnership and to package it into services that meet demands from the regions.

The Steering Committee (SC) is composed of representatives of donors and the various constituencies of the organisations interested in the Partnership. The SC considers issues before they are submitted to the Consultative Group (CG) for debate and approval. It functions as a de facto board of trustees, advising the CG on key policy matters while making decisions on operational issues and supporting the GWP Executive Secretary as needed.

The Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) provides professional and scientific advice to the CG and safeguards the technical quality of GWP. In particular, TAC advises on the priority setting as well as identification and performance evaluation of the Associated Programmes. TAC members are appointed by the Consultative Group on the recommendation of the Steering Committee.

The Regional TACs (RTACs) are the centerpieces and engines of the future regional water partnerships. The membership assemblies of these partnerships advice the RTACs on regional priorities for water resources development and concomitant action programmes. The RTACs operate according to the same principles as the central TAC, drawing on eminent expertise within each region on water resources management. One of their main functions is to assist the regional partnerships in referring clients in need of assistance to service providers within the regions. As programmes materialise for implementation in the region, the RTACs will facilitate and monitor the implementation of the respective projects.

Development Alternatives sees global cooperation as exemplified by GWP as essential in designing and implementing programmes to regenerate and manage our natural resources. q

for more information visit :
www.gwpforum.org