4.5 - Inter-ministerial Committees and Commissions
GEF IW project experiences in inter-ministerial committees and commissions is available here.
Responsibilities for water resources development and management are often fragmented over many sectors. Solutions should be cross-cutting throughout the decision-making process in different sectors and at different levels.
GWP describes such IMC committees as Apex bodies (http://www.gwptoolbox.org/index.php?option=com_tool&id=11). Apex bodies consist of a range of entities such as high level steering groups within national governments, inter-agency task forces (for specific purposes e.g. water pollution control), and international consortia for the management of water resources. The aim of such bodies is to provide structures for co-ordination between different organisations involved in water resource management. In some cases water policy and management is centred in a specific body of government but in many situations responsibility for water is shared between a number of bodies (e.g. ministries for irrigation, environment and public works) that may not be able to operate easily together. Here an apex body may provide a useful co-ordinating function.
The functions of these bodies vary considerably. As many governments endorse and seek to use IWRM, the intended outcomes include:
- Improved co-ordination of government functions through integrated plans of action
- Structural change within government agencies to facilitate better co-ordination
- Creation of new departments or commissions and authorities for natural resources management, aligned to river basins and/or ecological zones
The role of an apex body depends on the economic, social and encompassing political issues, even more than on the technical IWRM issues.
Further information:
WaterWIki: http://waterwiki.net/index.php/Summary_of_Live_Forum:_Stakeholder_Management_in_Water_Projects
Waterbody/Regional Commissions
The International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River has established guidance and FAQs on commissions (http://www.icpdr.org/main/icpdr/10-frequently-asked-questions-international-commission-protection-danube-river)
Experience with Transboundary Commissions
Nico Willemse, Project Manager of the Benguela Current Large Marine Ecosystem (UNDP-GEF), provides some lessons on developing a transboundary basin commission.