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Pro-poor water governance Improved access to quality water services Pro-poor economic growth and livelihood improvement Community capacity building and empowerment Disaster prevention and mitigation Management of the environment
This paper discusses the fourth area of action and its existing policy and operational imperatives. It also outlines how to achieve community capacity building and empowerment to achieve water security for the poor.
Rights and Responsibilities
In November 2002, the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights agreed on a General Comment on the right to water. This new legal standard guaranteed the human right of every individual to sufficient, safe, affordable water for domestic and other needs and made clear the duties of the state and non-state actors in respecting, protecting, and fulfilling this right. How can poor people’s water needs be assured, their rights to water fulfilled and protected? There is much discourse that emphasizes the importance of good water governance in order to achieve water security for all, not just the poor. Indeed, at the 2nd World Water Forum,2 Ministers declared that the world’s water insecurity is not due to scarcity, but in fact results from a crisis of governance. Good governance hinges not solely on effective and transparent government, but also on active citizenship. The right of individuals to sufficient water and adequate sanitation are bound up with their responsibilities in achieving that right. In many developed and developing countries, that direct responsibility is expressed in little more than paying a (subsidized) fee for the water used. In poor societies, however, the direct responsibilities are bigger. Achieving good governance over water resources and systems in poorer developing countries requires the ability and capacity of the people, especially poor women, men, and children and their advocates •
to participate meaningfully and advocate effectively their interests in processes of decision-making over water, to hold decision-makers to account for decisions that trample on or present a barrier to their achievement of water security, and to gain redress for their grievances.
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In addition, poor communities are expected and mobilized to become actively involved in water-related development projects. This responsibility is not just in terms of assisting engineers and extension workers through labor and materials, but also in terms of managing water infrastructure and systems as well as maintaining and repairing them. They are also expected to contribute to a water project’s capital costs, as well as its operation and maintenance costs. 2
The Hague, 2000.
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