Water

Comprehensive Review of ADB's Water Policy Implementation
Consultations

ADB organized a series of consultations in collaboration with clients and partners to generate feedback on policy implementation experience and other inputs to the review. The consultations were conducted in countries representing the five regions that ADB serves. ADB's Resident Missions helped organize the consultations.

RESULTS OF THE CONSULTATIONS Cambodia Meeting Report Fiji Meeting Report Indonesia Meeting Report Kazakhstan Meeting Report India Meeting Report Private Sector Consultation Meeting Report Civil Society Consultation Meeting Report

The consultations were designed to improve water operations by looking at ADB's

• experience in implementing the water policy
• achievements and lessons learned
• challenges and investment requirements
• opportunities and areas for improvement
• issues that require attention

The review also considered experiences by other international development agencies and the current development context.

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The consultations

• focused on the three key areas highlighted in ADB's water policy: national policy reform, water resource management, and water service delivery
• addressed cross-cutting issues (e.g., resource conservation, regional cooperation, partnerships, and governance)
• incorporated key elements of ADB's poverty reduction strategy

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ADB conducted five in-country consultations and two additional consultations at ADB HQ on key topics to secure feedback from a broad range of stakeholders to inform the comprehensive review of ADB's water policy implementation. View the highlights of the

• Cambodia Consultation
• Fiji Consultation
• Indonesia Consultation
• Kazakhstan Consultation
• India Consultation
• Private Sector Consultation
• Civil Society Consultation

Download the full summary of the consultations. [PDF]

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ADB conducted five country consultations as part of the review process.

ADB also conducted consultations with the private sector and civil society.

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1. Stakeholder Surveys: Performance, Priorities, and Partnerships

Participants were asked to contribute their views through two surveys focused on performance, priorities, and partnerships:

	Client Stakeholder Survey The Client Stakeholder Survey contained questions focused on ADB's performance, progress in the developing member countries (DMCs), and recommendations on investment priorities and partnerships.
	NGO Center Questionnaire The NGO Center Questionnaire sought input about partnerships and regional cooperation to help improve ADB's Cooperation Framework. This framework aimed to guide ADB's efforts to strengthen cooperation between ADB, NGOs, and the governments of ADB's DMCs.



2. Single-Stakeholder Breakout Groups: Investment Priorities, Community Ownership, and Partnerships

The single-stakeholder breakout group exercise focused on the following three questions:

Investment Priorities	Where should ADB concentrate its water investments over the next five years in your country? What should be included in ADB's water investment packages in your country?
Community Ownership/ Sustainability	What strategies would be the most effective in promoting community ownership of water infrastructure and services in poor rural areas in your country?
Partnerships	Which groups or organizations should ADB partner with in the next 5 years in your country? (advocacy and reform, co-financing, knowledge sharing, capacity building)

For this exercise, participants were divided into three groups: 1) NGOs and academe, 2) government and private sector, and 3) international organizations and project resource persons. Each group addressed three questions and prioritized the group's top answers to each question.



3. Multi-Stakeholder Breakout Groups: Innovations and Progress, Challenges and Constraints, Actions and Opportunities

Participants were divided into four groups to discuss the following:

• Group 1: National Water Policies and Water Sector and Sub-sector Reforms
• Group 2: Water Resources Management
• Group 3: Water Service Delivery (Irrigation and Drainage)
• Group 4: Water Service Delivery (Water Supply and Sanitation)



Group 1: National Water Policies and Water Sector and Sub-sector Reforms
Progress:	What key improvements have resulted from the implementation of national water policy, legal, and institutional reforms in your country? What progress has been made to strengthen the coordination, institutional capacities, and participatory practices of the agencies and institutions charged with governance of the water sector in your country?
Challenges/ Constraints:	What challenges or constraints remain in the way of improving water governance at the national and sector and sub-sector levels?
Required Actions:	What water sector reforms are still necessary to build capacities, address constraints, and improve governance in your country? What should ADB do to help?
Group 2: Water Resources Management
Progress:	What progress has been made to develop river basin organizations (RBOs) and to pilot a river basin approach to implementing integrated water resources management (IWRM) in your country? What improvements have been made (good practices) to acknowledge social and environmental concerns in water resources projects in your country?
Challenges/ Constraints:	What challenges or constraints remain in the way of improving water resources development and management and addressing social and environmental concerns in water resource projects in your country?
Required Actions:	What actions must be taken in the next five years to improve water resources development and management (including addressing social and environmental concerns) in your country and what can ADB do to help?
Group 3: Water Service Delivery (Irrigation and Drainage)
Progress:	What progress has been made to improve coverage and increase efficiencies in water service delivery in your country? What reforms have been implemented to improve the quality and sustainability of water service delivery in your country? What progress has been made to address affordability and access?
Challenges/ Constraints:	What challenges or constraints remain in the way of improving water service delivery in your country?
Required Actions:	What actions must be taken in the next five years to expand and improve water service delivery your country and what can ADB do to help?
Group 4: Water Service Delivery (Water Supply and Sanitation)
Progress:	What progress has been made to improve coverage and increase efficiencies in water service delivery in your country? What reforms have been implemented to improve the quality and sustainability of water service delivery in your country? What progress has been made to address affordability and access?
Challenges/ Constraints:	What challenges or constraints remain in the way of improving water service delivery in your country?
Required Actions:	What actions must be taken in the next five years to expand and improve water service delivery your country and what can ADB do to help?

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The consultations targeted approximately 35-40 representatives from the following groups:

• national and sub-national governments
• civil society, including NGOs and academe
• private sector
• other stakeholders involved in or affected by water sector-related work

ADB strived for balanced representation across geography, ethnicity, gender, and the main subsector/thematic areas outlined in ADB's work.

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ADB Water Policy Help Desk
Tel. No.: (632) 632-4444 Loc. 7746
Email: water@adb.org