Background

Sustainable management of water resources is an important goal being adopted at national and international level in a bid to address water shortages, inequity, pollution and many other water problems. One of the key changes being adopted follows from the recognition that upstream/ downstream effects require management using a basin approach. As a result many countries are introducing new institutional arrangements for water resources management, including organizations to manage water resources at the basin level – (RBOs).
Creating new structures, or changing old ones, to meet the goals of integrated water resources management is not easy and there is evidence that the introduction of new river basin organizations does not run smoothly in many countries. In addition there is widespread uncertainty about what it means to implement the IWRM approach to water resources management on the ground.
Following from a series of case studies on River Basin Organisations, Cap-Net has developed a foundation training programme for the management of water resources. The approach has been to focus on the key functions essential for sustainable management of water resources and they represent the core responsibilities of a water management agency. Organizations tasked to carry out these functions at the river basin level may or may not be called RBOs.  This foundation training programme forms the basis of the proposed training program

Objective

The purpose of this training program is to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the application of integrated water resources management (IWRM) for sustainable management and development of water resources, leading to water security. It is also to provide a platform for dissemination of knowledge and experience in IWRM implementation through RBOs and IWRM capacity building.

Target group

The training is particularly targeted at the staff of river basin organizations (RBOs) within the region. Participants should be experience managers and/or trainers (with experiences and/or responsibility in training and/or RBO management) and is expected to take this training forward at the local or regional level and/or to use the knowledge in management of their respective RBO. The expected number of participants is 30, respecting gender and geographic balance.

Required Qualification

-A middle to senior level official currently engaged in water resources management and have present or future influence in water resources management activities and decisions;
-Willing and committed to take responsibility within the organization to promote and implement integrated river basin management; and
-Has a good command of English to be able to share experiences and participate in workshop discussions.
-Successful participants will be expected to complete a list of indicators for their basin prior to coming to the course.

Number of Participants

The number of participants is limited to 30. Around 12 participants, from the 8 developing Southeast Asian countries and Timor Leste, will be selected by the organizing parties for full sponsorship.

Organisation

This training of trainers’ course is a programme of AguaJaring Southeast Asia and will be hosted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI) and co-organized by the Irrigation Department (ID), Myanmar, with the support of UNESCAP Bangkok, Cap-Net and GWP-SEA. The course is part of Cap-Net global programme of action, of which AguaJaring is an affiliated regional network.

Methods

The workshop will use adult learning tools, focusing on participants sharing their own experiences, and guided by the introduction of new conceptual approaches and tools. There will be a combination of short lectures, practical exercises, group work and discussion. The course will be supported by training materials developed by Cap-Net (www.cap-net.org). Contents will also be generated by other partners and course participants. Participants are encouraged (and expected) to bring in experiences with the application of water resources management for adaptation to climate variability. Modules will be supported by specific cases to be brought in by the capacity building networks. Each participant will be given the materials used in the training and pack containing useful resources introduced during the course.

Course

The course will cover the following 10 thematic modules, as follows:
-Basic principles of IWRM;
-Water resource management functions;
-Water resource management indicators;
-Stakeholders;
-Water allocation;
-Pollution management;
-Monitoring;
-Information management;
-Economic and financial instruments;
-Basin planning.