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Implementing Risk Management in Water and Sanitation

Over the centuries, societies around the world haveand learned to coexist alongside the risk of naturaldisasters. Today s climatic changes mean that we live in a world where these risks are , a globalised economy brings with it therisk of socioeconomic disasters created by fluctuationsin the global financial developing solutions to manage increasing risk wecan help protect the poor and vulnerable communitieswho bear the brunt of the effects of natural need new strategies and a better capacity to absorbchange. 1UN- Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)Quick facts Floods, droughts and windstorms are themost frequent natural disasters and accountfor almost 90% of the 1,000 most disastrousevents since 1990. Disaster events pose huge economic riskswith costs estimated at US$ 1 trillion from2000 to : WWAP (2012), UN- Water (2014) Implementing RiskManagement in Waterand SanitationInformation briefWhy do we need to manage Water risks?

Implementing Risk Management in Water ... analysis of adaptation should consider all benefits, especially those related to health. ... risk creation and reduction of existing risk are essential ...

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Transcription of Implementing Risk Management in Water and Sanitation

1 Over the centuries, societies around the world haveand learned to coexist alongside the risk of naturaldisasters. Today s climatic changes mean that we live in a world where these risks are , a globalised economy brings with it therisk of socioeconomic disasters created by fluctuationsin the global financial developing solutions to manage increasing risk wecan help protect the poor and vulnerable communitieswho bear the brunt of the effects of natural need new strategies and a better capacity to absorbchange. 1UN- Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)Quick facts Floods, droughts and windstorms are themost frequent natural disasters and accountfor almost 90% of the 1,000 most disastrousevents since 1990. Disaster events pose huge economic riskswith costs estimated at US$ 1 trillion from2000 to : WWAP (2012), UN- Water (2014) Implementing RiskManagement in Waterand SanitationInformation briefWhy do we need to manage Water risks?

2 Rio+20 demanded coordination between disaster risk reduction and development planning and suggestedmainstreaming climate change and resilience in sustainable development strategies. The proposed targets follow proven disaster risk reduction strategies endorsed by the internationally agreedHyogo Framework for related to risks and Water adopted by the Intergovernmental Open Working Group (OWG)on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 significantly reduce the number of deaths and the number of affected people and decreaseby y% the economic losses relative to GDP caused by disasters, including Water -related disasters, with thefocus on protecting the poor and people in vulnerable 2030, expand international cooperation and capacity-building support to developing countries inwater and Sanitation related activities and programmes, including Water harvesting, desalination, waterefficiency, wastewater treatment, recycling and reuse and strengthen the participation of local communities for improving Water and.

3 OWG (2014)Commitment to progress 05 risk_management_water_sanitation eng:01 issue briefs 17/12/14 18:26 P gina 1UN- Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)2 Implementing Risk Management in Water and Sanitation Information brief2 According to the last report by the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) (2014),disaster risk reduction has hardly been integrated and embedded within poverty eradication and sustainabledevelopment policies and programmes. Decentralisationhas put a heavy burden on local government, which is often overwhelmed byresponsibilities. The success of local adaptation measures relies on supportive institutions. Most governments have not fully developed coordinated and coherent actionon disaster risk reductionacross different sectors and between central and local governments.

4 Institutional arrangements, legislationand policy for disaster risk reduction tend to be anchored, when in place, in disaster response which may nothave the authority or capacity to influence decisions related to national development planning and investment. Few doubt that human-induced climate change is real, but it can be difficult for decision-makers to understandwhat the rise of average annual temperatures means for their region. Hydrological informationis oftenincomplete, unreliable, inaccessible or lacking. ChallengesThere is a need for improved financing. Many lack access to financial resources, and current financial systemsdo not always reflect needs. Accounting for disaster losseswould allow for more analysis and identifying strategic trade-offs whenmaking decisions that may have an impact on risk. Innovative, predictableand sustainable funding targetingthe most vulnerable groups and ecosystemsis needed to improve adaptive capacity.

5 Decentralisationrequires that local institutions are strengthened, supported and empowered. These resources should be additional to official development assistance (ODA) for implementationKey aspects for dealing with Water -related disasters include: 1) Increase knowledgeabout communities at risk from Water -related disasters, especially disasters likely to arise from climatechange; 2)Adopt integrated disaster risk Management , including structuraland non-structural approaches; 3)Adopt and implement monitoring systems; and 4)Apply an end-to-end preparedness approach, which has theuser communities prepared for potential disasters (UN- Water ,2014).1. Increased and improved financingAbout 40% of the world s peoplelive in international river 60% of internationalwatercourses are not governed bycooperative managementagreements and 80% of theexisting agreements are bilateraleven though other partners : SIWI (2009)What is needed?

6 05 risk_management_water_sanitation eng:01 issue briefs 17/12/14 18:26 P gina 2UN- Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)3 Implementing Risk Management in Water and SanitationInformation brief3 Donors need more flexible mechanismsto get funds to the level where strategies are being put intoaction. Microcreditsshould be more widely available and targeted. Channelling fundsthrough government is advantageous because of broad scale coverage. But corruptioncan eat away at these initiatives. NGOs can only exist in a political context that allows them to cooperatewith government. Strong NGOs can lobby local governments on behalf of the poor and hold governmentsaccountable for service delivery. Corporate social responsibilityis a means to engage local neighbourhoods in Water resources, mobilityand communication. Funding to enhance communities capacityto anticipate and respond to Water -related disasters is a soundinvestment, as is investing in cost-effective and adaptive Water managementand technology transfer.

7 Invest in infrastructure and in well-functioning ecosystems. Invest in data collection. Cost-benefit analysisof adaptation should consider all benefits , especially those related to health . Infrastructure can help cope with climate uncertainty. This includes natural infrastructure, such as watershedand wetlands, in addition to dams and it is insufficient, capacity should be increased and traditional knowledge should be acknowledgedand used. Public awareness and professional education on the inter-dependence of disasters with development,climate change, disaster risk and adaptation are the foundations of a culture of risk reduction. Governance should be improved beginning with an increased focus on Water . In the United NationsFramework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) there was little focus on Water , and little mention of itin the reports from the UN Climate Change Conferences in Bali, 2007 (COP 13) and Poznan, 2008 (COP 14).

8 At national level Disaster risk Management (and in particular risk assessments) needs to be an integral component ofdevelopment plans and poverty eradication programmes. The approach needs to incorporatedevelopment mechanisms (such as national public investment planning systems, social protection, andnational and local infrastructure investments) to reduce risks and strengthen resilience. The river basin perspectivemust become more prominent in National Adaptation Programmes for Action(NAPAs), and mechanisms must be put in place to stimulate cooperation between transboundary countrieson adaptation measures. 2. Infrastructure and technologies3. Capacity development4. Water governance05 risk_management_water_sanitation eng:01 issue briefs 17/12/14 18:26 P gina 3UN- Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication (UNW-DPAC)4 Implementing Risk Management in Water and Sanitation Information brief Accountability measurescan guide government and public awareness of, and support for, disaster riskreduction policies.

9 A culture of accountability improves the effectiveness of governance and service delivery. Hydrological datamust be shared among regions in accordance with the World MeteorologicalOrganization (WMO) Resolution 25 on free and open local level The local level is crucial in climate adaptation, and institutional reforms must be crafted should be put in place to ensure adaptation efforts respect, protect and promote fundamentalhuman rights. Risk assessmentsof standards can be useful tools for identifying and minimising negative impacts at local level. Ministries and public authorities must be encouraged towards greater attendanceat local level. Adaptation strategies will only work if they fit local conditions (physical landscape, cultural traditions andtraditional knowledge). Promoting and supporting the collection, assessment and dissemination ofsuccessful local adaptation strategiesis essential to guard the wealth of local experience around the globe.

10 Stakeholder participation must be the back-bone of all processes. Women must be involved in decision-making at all levels in society and adaptation strategies and programmes must be gender sensitive. All utilities, including rural Water and Sanitation programmes, must be systematically assessed forresilience to climate change. Additionally, most governments have not fully developed coordinated and coherent actionon disaster riskreduction across different sectors and between central and local governments. There is a growingrecognition about government s responsibility for effective disaster risk reduction policy planning andimplementation conducted through a transparent and multistakeholder Delta ProgrammeThe Dutch Delta Programme is a joint endeavour between central and sub-national authorities in chargeof managing Water , in close co-operation with social organisations and business to protect the countryagainst flooding and ensure freshwater supply over the next 100 : Recommendations from UN- Water to improve disaster risk Management At-risk communities implement hazard-specific early warning systems.


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