The recommendations responded to the objectives of the Expert Consultation and were focused on water scarcity, national and regional water and food security, and available national and regional policy options to address these issues.
The Consultation observed that:
National governments were fully aware of the problems of water scarcity and its implication for food security and rural welfare;
In view of the similarity of the policy issues and challenges faced by the countries of the region, there was a scope and a general interest to expand regional cooperation on common issues such as food security and trade, water legislation and administration; capacity building and human resources development; and exchange of information and experiences among the countries. Such cooperation needed to be integrated with other regional socio-economic cooperation programmes. A water-basin approach was noted as the base for water management.
Based on these observations the following recommendations were made:
Governments are encouraged to undertake national water sector policy reform, including:
adoption of national goals, policy objectives with decentralized measures and policy instruments for policy implementation;
assessment of the supply-demand balance and the level of national water scarcity in the medium and longer terms;
review macro- and micro-economic policies, including fiscal policy and investments, to ensure an enabling environment for water policy reform;
review legal aspects of water rights, water allocation and administration, management, and development responsibilities;
consider water pricing or water costing as options for cost recovery and conservation;
adopt the water basin as the basis for water management;
promote greater community participation in water resources and basin management;
accelerate institutional reform, at different levels of government and in the private sector;
build institutional capacity and enhance human resources development and social adaptive resources for policy change;
give emphasis to demand management, including water price and the cost relationship of water;
promote research and studies on water problems as the basis for water planning; and
promote integrated approaches that incorporate technological, engineering, social and economic aspects into considerations of water resources management.
Water scarcity has to be addressed with a mix of policy options (e.g., water resources development, water allocation, pricing, legislation and institutions, etc.) combined in a holistic way. This requires established institutional and human capacity and exchange of methodology and experience.
The consultation supported expanded regional cooperation and exchange in the area of water policy, including:
information management and assessment of the resource base and the supply-demand balance;
capacity building and human resources development;
mobilization and exchange of expertise for technical cooperation between the countries in the region;
continuous exchange and cooperation in specific areas of common interest, including development of non-traditional water resources; desalinization; and wastewater re-use;
salinization, soil erosion, groundwater pollution and other environmental degradation issues;
utilization of non-renewable groundwater resources;
studies, assessment and planning of transboundary water resources; and
potential cooperation on joint investments drawing on the comparative advantages of the countries.
