THE POLITICAL ECONOMY OF REGIONALISM AND INTERNATIONAL WATERS Lessons from the Regionalization of Water Programs in the Americas Cletus Springer/Maximiliano Campos Department of Sustainable Development (DSD-SEDI) Organization of American States (OAS) Washington, DC June , 2013
Overview and Context • The Organization of American States (OAS) is the oldest public international organization in the world. • The OAS brings together all 35 independent states of the Americas and constitutes the main political, juridical, and social governmental forum in the Hemisphere. In addition, it has granted permanent observer status to 67 states, as well as to the European Union (EU). • Brings together countries of the Western Hemisphere to strengthen cooperation and advance in common interests. • The Organization was established in order to achieve among its member states, as stipulated in Article 1 of its Charter………….. "an order of peace and justice, to promote their solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence” .....
Basis for Action • Executive Order No. 96-6 (Creation of DSD) • Summit of the Americas Process • General Assembly Resolutions • CIDI and CIDS Resolutions • Santa Cruz +10 Declaration • Inter-American Program on Sustainable Development (PIDS) 2006- 2009 (extended to 2014), • Declaration of Santo Domingo for the Sustainable Development of the Americas; • Strategic Plan for Partnerships for Integral Development • Declaration on Security in the Americas (October 28, 2003) • PC Committee on Hemispheric Security • Joint Consultative Organ (JCO) on Natural Disasters • National Focal Points (Networks)
Department Sustainable Development • More than 50 years of experience on Sustainable Development and Environment in the Americas. • Principal Technical Arm of GS/OAS, responsible for supporting Political Organs of OAS and meeting technical-policy needs of Member States on Environment and Sustainable Development. • Facilitates regional exchange of information and cooperation on Sustainable Development through project execution, policy recommendations, support to political bodies and Ministerial Processes. • Vehicle for Public Participation in Sustainable Development and Environmental Management (Secretariat for ISP and highest percentage of Civil Society relations in the Organization) • Supports Program of Work of the General Secretary of OAS in addressing Democracy and Development by fostering cooperation among countries with shared circumstances or problems and by strengthening multinational and national cooperation for sustainable development and environment in its strategic areas.
Strategic Priority Areas • Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) • Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Use of Forests – Sustainable Cities • Sustainable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation • Management of Natural Hazards Risk • Environmental Law, Policy and Good Governance
Common challenges • Exposure to extreme hydrological events linked to a changing climate; • Water quality degradation from organic and chemical contaminants linked to unregulated mining and industrial activities, sewerage discharge and pollution; • Extensive sedimentation which degrades water quality and which affects navigable waterways, harbors, dams and reservoirs; • Biodiversity alteration in particular in fluvial and coastal ecosystems such as wetlands; • Unsustainable management of fisheries resources due to overexploitation, or lack of capture protection measures for non-target species; • Unsustainable management of aquifers in critical recharge and discharge zones; • Conflicts and negative environmental impacts generated by water use for crop irrigation; and • A lack of contingency plans for managing water-related disasters.
Common Challenges cont’d…. • a multiplicity of institutions or organizations that are primarily concerned with water resource management at the national level • Poor communication and coordination due to technical, political and financial constraints • Conflicting mandates, incompatible policies and duplication of effort especially when dealing with inter-jurisdictional entities at local, sub-regional and national levels • Weak technical capacity especially for dealing with water resources management in a transboundary context • The lack of an integrated water resources management vision • Inappropriate land and soil use resulting from an expansion of the agricultural frontier and urban encroachment • Technological limitations on agricultural production resulting in deforestation • Uncoordinated models for dam management at the basin level • Urban development models with low level of resource allocation and marginal and poor settlements. • Lack of trust
Project-specific approaches The approach used in the Americas has typically involved the following four stages: • strengthening basin-wide cooperation capacity to establish the conditions for providing participating institutions and governments with the management capacity for formulating SAPs for integrated water resources management and their subsequent implementation; • harmonizing the institutional and legal frameworks including basin decision support systems; • promoting stakeholder participation, communication and education; • monitoring and evaluating the SAPs including the preparation of integrated water balances; assessing and monitoring water quality, integrated groundwater management; harmonizing national action plans for sustainable land management; and preparing hydro-climate models and scenarios for climate change adaptation
Developments • Over the past 2 decades many transboundary river management organizations established: – Organization of the Amazon Treaty Cooperation (OTCA), – Intergovernmental Coordinating Committee for the La Plata Basin (CIC) – Binational Commission for the Development of the Upper Bermejo and the Grande de Tarija Rivers basin. – River Basin Committee (Sao Francisco)
Key Lessons • SAPs developed through broad consultative processes and are grounded in scientific and technical studies and focus on key issues, are usually capable of coping with changes in government or sudden shifts in political priorities. • Financial partnerships must be an integral part of any SAP process, to secure financing for its implementation and provide for continuity of actions • public engagement processes are not only critical in highlighting environmental issues but also pressing socio-economic priorities, resulting in SAPs that produce integrated sustainable development solutions that are not limited to solving the root causes of environmental degradation • public participation in river basin management is more likely to be effective if gender considerations are taken on board and measures are taken to address gender inequities.
GENERAL SCENARIO IN THE AMERICAS -Weak institutions, obsolete or fragmented legislation, limited investments and/or financial mechanisms, unarticulated participation of civil society, private sector, academia and government, need for transparent management with information access and accountability …………. fragile GOVERNANCE Good Governance Environment COORDINATE WATER (& OTHER RESOURCES) MANAGEMENT MAXIMIZE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC WELFARE (NON COMPROMIZING SUSTAINABILITY OF VITAL ECOSYSTEMS) GLOBAL TO LOCAL OAS WATER AGENDA: Support Member States in developing plans, policies and CHALLENGES projects to improve management, protection, conservation and sustainable use of water resources in the framework of their efforts to reduce poverty, converting water resources in a -Exponential contamination of factor for understanding, cooperation and integration as well as a mechanism to strength water. peace, democracy and to promote sustainable development. Project Level -Decrease in financial Satellite Program for Development Argentina INTERAGUAS-Brazil investments for maintenance Coastal Caribbean Aquifers Information Exchange and new hydraulic infrastructure Level Upper Paraguay River Basin (safe drinking water, sanitation, IWRM San Juan River Basin Focal Points hydropower, transportation, Bermejo River Basin Water and Youth tourism and recreation). Water Resources in Brazil Policy Level DeltAmerica Guarani Aquifer Summit of the Americas San Francisco CEHICA Process -Changes in water supply due to Parnaíba River Basin - Brazil Transboundary OAS General Assembly Aquifers Focal ISARM-Americas Program Ministerial climate variability and change. Points Artibonito Inter American Commission on Sust. Dev. (CIDS) Rio de la Plata Basin Regional Dialogues Amazon Basin -Increase in water demand due Water and Health PRODESAM - Brazil to population growth and World Water Forum Rio Negro Basin water’s associated services Wider Caribbean Water Resources Adaptation to Climate Change Esmeralda River Basin
Deltamerica
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