An Overview On Integrated Water Resource Management In Developing Countries With Reference To Global Efforts

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) is a framework for the sustainable development and management of water resources for the whole society. IWRM plays a key role in social and economic development, particularly in sustainable development and poverty alleviation. The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), in coordination with a range of stakeholders, is implementing a programme for regional and national capacity building in IWRM. At the core of this initiative is the preparation of an ESCWA Region Training Manual which provides the basis for developing a regional training and capacity building program that promotes the concepts and applications of IWRM at basin, national and regional levels. The Material in the ESCWA Region Training Manual can then be customized to address the training and information needs of different types of stakeholders in the ESCWAregion. This paper report thus gives an overview of the ESCWA Region Training Manual that will be published at the end of 2004 and introduces the next phase of the programme for national implementation. The ESCWA Region Training Manual follows the structure of the Global Water Partnership IWRM Tool Box, with regional adaptations from the ESCWA region by regional experts. It covers three main sections: WaterGovernance(Policy, laws, institutions, stakeholders and capacity building) Water Uses (Agriculture, water supply and sanitation and the environment) and Water Management Tool(planning, analysis, groundwater, economics, paying for water, raising awareness, etc.). The second phase of the programme is for implementation by national water agencies and their partner stakeholders working with the environment and agriculture. Using the ESCWA Region Training Manual, ESCWA plans to customize the manual to different groups of stakeholders at the regional and national levels. Representatives from member countries are now invited to comment on this initiative and subsequently to prepare, develop and operationalize their national plans for implementing IWRM capacity building