Development Aspects Impressum Editors

Keywords:

Capacity development Knowledge management Networks
Information and communication technologies (ICT) Water
Green Economy

1. Introduction

The world is facing development challenges (population growth, rapid urbaniza- tion, poverty and climate change) which demand action in terms of the high level of inequities which persist, such as inadequate access to water and sanitation, or low incomes which affect the health and quality of life of billions. The demand for development is transversally cut by the recognition of the need for changing our paradigms. The demand is no longer about doing more of what we do, but achiev- ing more in a completely different way.

Despite substantial progress in many areas, human development has been in- equitable: around a seventh of the world’s population – the so-called “bottom billion” – does not have a secure food supply and has only limited access to clean water, sanitation or modern sources of energy. At the same time humans are over- exploiting natural resources in many regions. Human beings have severely modi- fied or completely replaced many terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, and many ecosystem services are degraded (Hoff, 2011).
Water resources management now needs to recognize multiple and competi- tive water users, which include environmental sustainability and equilibrium, in order to no longer contribute to climate change. In the framework of integrated water resources management (IWRM), the change has been from water develop- ment to water governance, recognizing the unique nature of water as a natural resource; from increasing supply to managing demand and satisfying the water supply, food and energy securities.
Our economies are also shifting attention to the micro-level. Companies are measured in terms of their social responsibility, and consumers are beginning to understand they too have a role and may become responsible consumers. Revisit- ing frameworks such as IWRM to resonate with the new complexities is essential. Stronger institutions that are better interlinked are required to handle the increased level of complexity. New knowledge, datasets, analytical tools and consistent data need to be developed and above all capacity development and social learning are critical.
Both economic growth and increased access to water and sanitation are very much needed. But a call for change indudes “green”, “clean” and “compact” technologies and practices which do not harm the environment. Cross-sectoral management can boost overall resource use efficiency. In multi-use systems in particular waste and by-products can be turned into a resource for other products and services, e.g., in green agriculture, wastewater-energy integration or multi- use reservoirs. Capacity development comes as a renewed strategy, backing the change process.
A new way of managing water resources as well as a new economy will be the result of a process of learning, transferring, acquiring and using new abilities to replace the old way of doing things. Capacity development means that knowledge has been created, shared and anchored, and is available and in effective use by a variety of stakeholder groups (OECD, 2006).

Capacity development in support of paradigm shifts captured in processes such as IWRM also needs to become acquainted with a new perspective. Working through open networks drives interdisciplinary thinking in an accessible and par- ticipatory scheme, and helps to leverage and share scarce resources such as staff time, knowledge products and funds. Combined with the use of new technologies, the result is efficient in terms of time and fund allocation, reduces environmental impact and has the capacity to reach and anchor capacities at the local level, mak- ing capacity development a responsible action on its own.

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