Water

First Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies:
Leadership in Water Governance

Main Event Page National Water Sector Apex Bodies

Hanoi, Viet Nam
18-21 May 2004

Report of the Meeting

• What are water sector apex bodies?
• Highlights of the meeting
• Meeting report

Water sector apex bodies are national organizations that guide the water sector. Examples include national water (resources) councils, committees, commissions, boards, or authorities, together with their supporting offices/secretariats.

National water sector apex bodies have been established in several countries in Asia to guide national water sector reforms.

ADB has, to date, provided technical assistance for the establishment and/or capacity building of the national water sector apex bodies in Sri Lanka, Lao PDR, Thailand, and Viet Nam.

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The first regional meeting of national water sector apex bodies was held on 18-21 May 2004 in Hanoi, Viet Nam.

Objectives

• exchange information and experience on the work of national water sector apex bodies in the region
• identify priority needs and opportunities for networking, capacity building, and research among the apex bodies

Participants

Participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Viet Nam attended the meeting. Invited representatives from India, Kazakhstan, and PRC were unable to attend.

Of the countries represented, the following have established apex bodies: Bangladesh, Lao PDR, Nepal, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. Pakistan and Indonesia are considering establishing their respective apex body while Cambodia and Malaysia are still in the process of ascertaining the need for such a body.

Presentations

Keynote presentations by ADB staff and consultants provided the framework that guided the discussions during the meeting. The presentations revolved around the rationale and guidelines for establishing water sector apex bodies, and the core functions that they should perform to strengthen sector coordination and to advance sector reforms.

These presentations included:

• ADB's Water Policy and the Need for National Water Sector Apex Bodies by Wouter Lincklaen Arriens, ADB's Lead Water Resources Specialist
• Experience in Water Sector Apex Body Development by Alfred Birch, Senior Water Resources Adviser to Viet Nam's National Water Resources Council
• Comparative Analysis of Water Sector Reforms by Paul Mosley, ADB Consultant
• Performance Standards, Support Needs and Networking for National Water Sector Apex Bodies by Wouter Lincklaen Arriens

Presentations by country representatives focused on describing: (i) their organizational structure, (ii) the organization's mandate, (iii) accomplishments in the last five years, and (iv) lessons learned.

Agreements

During workshop sessions and plenary discussions, the participants decided to pursue regional cooperation among apex bodies that could focus initially on the following areas:

• benchmarking and peer review of apex bodies performance
• training and workshops for capacity building
• regional exchanges for awareness raising and information sharing
• support for developing guidelines and sourcebooks
• launching of regional coordinated media campaign

The second regional meeting will be held within the first quarter of 2005.

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Report of the Meeting: First Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies Leadership in Water Governance [PDF: 74Kb | 21 pages]

• Executive Summary
• Introduction
• Overview of the Meeting
• Keynote Presentations by Resource Persons
• Workshop and Plenary Lessons
• Concluding Session and Agreements on the Way Forward
• Participants' Evaluation