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 SEE ALSO

Comprehensive Review of ADB's Water Policy Implementation
Report on the Civil Society Consultation

17-18 November 2005 ; ADB Headquarters

EVENT DETAILS
Date 17-18 November 2005
Contact
ADB Water Policy Help Desk
Tel.: (632) 632-4444 Loc. 7746
Email: water@adb.org
Related Materials
  • Event Description
  • Participants' Brief [PDF]
  • Photos
  • Full Report
    		•
    BACKGROUND

    The civil society consultation for ADB's water policy implementation review in Manila provided an important venue for civil society stakeholders to discuss key issues, experiences and lessons learned, and express their concerns about ADB's water operations.

    Streams of Knowledge, an international knowledge resource organization, was enlisted to help organize this consultation, the last of a series of external consultations for the comprehensive review of ADB's water policy implementation.

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    OBJECTIVE

    The civil society consultation aimed to secure feedback from civil society stakeholders in the Asia and Pacific region on ADB's water policy implementation.

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    PROCESS

    Sixty participants from project-affected communities, development/service organizations, knowledge resource groups, professional associations, and advocacy organizations attended the consultation. Members of the review panel leading the review of ADB's water policy implementation, and ADB's NGO and civil society specialists and water operations staff also participated in the consultation.

    Participants contributed their views through a survey, an open-ended dialogue, and a panel-led discussion. A workshop was planned but not conducted at participants' request to allow for more direct dialogue with ADB staff. Participants were also given the opportunity to share any additional concerns or issues that were not covered in any of the consultation exercises through a feedback form and a wall blog.

    Two NGOs, WaterAid and the NGO Forum on ADB, prepared and presented case studies during the consultation.

    ADB also hosted a number of related events prior to the consultation, including orientation sessions with ADB's NGO Center (NGOC) and Knowledge Management Center (KM Center), knowledge games, and the presentation of ADB's Technical Background Paper, "Asia Water Watch 2015: Are Countries in Asia on Track to Meet Target 10 of the Millennium Development Goals?" ADB staff met with individual participants as requested.

    A protest rally outside ADB's main entrance called on ADB to review its water policy and its overall lending strategy. Around 35 protesters attended the rally led by the Freedom from Debt Coalition, a member of the NGO Forum on ADB.

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    KEY ISSUES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

    Participants expressed the following concerns:

      Participation & Governance      Responsiveness to the Poor     Project Impacts     ADB's Water Policy  

    Key Issues

    • Lack of participation and disregard for community recommendations result in negative impacts and design weaknesses of projects
    • Weak processes for community and civil society engagement, and inadequate knowledge and skills in participatory approaches among executing agencies contribute to the lack of participation
    • Lack of information deters civil society from monitoring project implementation
    • Government and civil society's relationship is not smooth in many countries; some governments perceive loan conditions as constricting democratic spaces
    • ADB funds large water resources projects, and creates parallel institutions and special purpose vehicles that run counter to the water policy's thrust to promote decentralization

    Recommendations to ADB:

    • Help build community organizations' capacity to improve people's participation in projects and the implementation of ADB's water policy
    • Improve project design and provide additional resources to support processes that ensure community and civil society participation
    • Use investments to promote democracy and governance reforms
    • Develop modalities to improve transparency of loan agreements and procedures, and involve the people as a third party in loan agreements
    • Promote accountability of project implementation mechanisms among local governments
    • Take into account cultural differences and countries' socio-economic conditions to ensure that national policies and water sector reforms are consistent with these norms
    • Conduct a study on public utility performance and develop modalities to strengthen public water utilities
    • Consider trade unions in public water utilities as a major stakeholder and involve them in efforts to strengthen public water utilities
    • De-emphasize private sector participation and strengthen the accountability of governments for public services delivery

    ADB reiterated its interest to continually engage civil society in constructive dialogue, and invited the participants to propose follow-up actions to address issues raised during the consultation and in the case studies prepared by civil society groups. ADB's NGO and Civil Society Center will help to facilitate proposed follow-up actions.

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    RELATED MATERIALS

    Civil Society representatives collaborated to assess several ADB water projects. Their findings are as follows:

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    PDF View the document
    [ PDF: 142kb | 32 pages ].
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    FULL REPORT

    1. Executive Summary

    2. Background On The Comprehensive Review

    3. Background On The Consultation Process

      1. Objectives and Process
      2. Timeline and Expected Outputs

    4. Summary Of Civil Society Consultation

      1. Participants and Process
      2. Presentations
      3. Key Issues Discussed
      4. Participant Recommendations to ADB

    5. Contact Information

    Appendices

    1. Agenda for Civil Society Consultation
    2. Final Participants List
    3. Summary of Survey Responses
    4. Summary Timeline of Key Activities of the Review
    5. List of Key Areas Covered in the Scope of the Comprehensive Review

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    CONTACT
    Ellen Pascua
    Water Fund Manager
    E-mail: epascua@adb.org

    Jennifer Vicedo
    Assistant Coordinator for ADB's Water Policy Implementation Review
    E-mail: jvicedo@adb.org

    Jennifer Francis
    NGO/Civil Society Specialist
    E-mail: jfrancis@adb.org

    Rosario Aurora L. Villaluna
    Executive Secretary, Streams of Knowledge
    Email: rory.villaluna@streams.net