Development Aspects Impressum Editors

References

Blokland, M. (2011). Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative, Training and Capacity Building Component: Development, Delivery and Impact of the Training and Capacity Building Programme. Knowledge Management Paper Series, No. 2. Nairobi, Kenya: UN-HABITAT.
Goodwin, R. (2010). Management challenges of small water utilities: An over- view. Presented during a Seminar on Addressing the Management Challenges of Small Water Utilities: Lessons From the Lake Victoria Region Water and Sanitation Initiative, at the Fifth International African Water Congress, Kam- pala, Uganda.
UNESCO-IHE (2011). Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Initiative, Training and Capacity Building Component: End of Programme Report. Nairobi, Kenya: UN-HABITAT.

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Chapter 3:

Capacity development for a changing world

Damian Indij

Latin America Water Education & Training Network (LA-WETnet), Buenos Aires, Argentina

Bekithemba Gumbo

International Network for Capacity Building in Sustainable Water Management (Cap-Net UNDP), Pretoria, South Africa

Abstract

There is considerable need for capacity-building in the water sector. Water is a key resource for sustainable development and poverty reduction. Challenges faced by more and more countries in their struggle for economic and social development are increasingly related to water. The water sector shows an emerging global crisis presenting shortages, quality deterioration, flood impacts, increased competition for use and governance problems. The paper explores lessons learned from 10 years of experience of capacity-building networks for sustainable water resources management operating within the Cap-Net UNDP framework. Networks consti- tute innovative and cost-efficient collective strategies to facilitate the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and to reinforce sustainable de- velopment. Through their structure, networks are in accordance with the prin- ciple of common but differentiated responsibilities and support local ownership and development by anchoring knowledge and responding demands. Being open and inclusive, networks drive participatory decision-making. Networks member- ship rests on centres of excellence, which provide the base knowledge and specific views to build interdisciplinary thinking and problem-solving. Through the use of innovative information and communication technology (ICT) tools and web-based knowledge platforms, networks work towards universal access to ICT to facilitate access and knowledge transfer to multiple target groups. Through their decision- making and operational frameworks, networks enable capacity development in line with the basic principles of the Green Economy: resources efficiency; social inclusivity; and low carbon emission. The Cap-Net network has demonstrated that assembling skills and knowledge from different disciplines (multi- and trans-) is possible, thereby building a critical mass of competence for action; all this leading to rapid development, adaptation and transfer of knowledge. The strategies and tools adopted by networks forming the Cap-Net global network are available for sharing and replication.