Communication Practices for Governance and Sustainability Improvement
Resource information
The past decade has witnessed major
shift thinking about water, including how water
infrastructure development strategies can help advance
sustainable development and the global fight against
poverty. This reflects, in part, greater attention now being
paid to governance reforms promoting integrated water
resource management (IWRM), the efficient and wise use of
water, and expanding access to water and energy services. In
addition, the increased emphasis on developing and
implementing anti-corruption strategies increases confidence
that water infrastructure can be developed efficiently and
equitably. There is also growing appreciation of the strong
linkages between water, environment and energy security and
climate change - impacting on decisions about the
development and management of water infrastructure,
especially in water-stressed regions, and of the central
role that public, private sector and civil society
partnerships can play in encouraging innovation, tackling
challenges, promoting transparency and accountability and
creating synergy. Communication is the thread that links
these concerns and underpins achievements in sustainability
and governance reform in water. Not only to ensure that
up-front strategic assessments mobilize all viable options
to meet the challenges unique to each situation, but also to
better integrate governance and anti-corruption reforms and
sustainability into all stages of planning and the project
cycle of infrastructure. Wider acceptance of
multi-stakeholder dialogue is a trend which characterizes
beneficial change. This LHWP is notable for its progressive
learning approach as it moved through its implementation
phases and is an example of the shift s that are occurring
globally in approaches to dam planning and management as
they have become more inclusive. It is also a key example of
the critical importance of political will in tackling
corruption in a large water infrastructure project.
