Water Futures Mobilizing Multi Stakeholder Action for Resilience 2025

Key principles of adaptive water governance FIGURE 10 Adaptive water governanceEffectiveness Integration Transparency and engagement EfficiencyClearly allocated and defined roles and responsibilities Coherence of policies and regulatory frameworks Capacity and knowledge across stakeholders Co-creation and engagement Monitoring and evaluation Innovative regulation/policyWater dataVertical within basin systems, scales, levels of government and boundaries Horizontal across strategies Source: Adapted from OECD. (2015). OECD Principles on Water Governance. Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities.79 Where we want to get The governance of freshwater resources is appropriate for local culture and institutions, capable of long-term planning and able to adapt in a timely manner at times of uncertainty and risk. Based on a consultative and evidence-based approach, water governance can integrate tools and mechanisms that enable preventive and responsive action to growing uncertainty and evolving risk. Water governance should be integrated consistently across different scales and build links with non-government actors. Decision- making processes should consider the needs and perspectives of multiple stakeholders and prove resilient to political cycles and change as the water cycle evolves. From city to state to national levels, water governance should reflect the reality that the hydrological cycle goes beyond administrative boundaries and that communities, regions and nations are interdependent in their use of water resources. Future water governance should engage multiple stakeholders, institutional actors and local communities to foster inclusive decision-making at every level. Integrated governance enables agility, as water impacts are hyperlocal but require large-scale coordinated efforts. Such a multi-scale approach can simultaneously support key global missions, including sustaining and restoring natural habitats, establishing a circular water economy, and minimizing water intensity in emerging energy and data infrastructure.78 Where to start Multi-stakeholder collaboration Co-create a strategic plan that enables horizontal and vertical integration of water governance ( see Figure 10). Such a plan should adopt a resilience- based approach to water resource management. Inspired by essential work undertaken by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in 2015 and the Global Commission on the Economics of Water (GCEW) in 2024, water governance proposals should consider the value of the hydrological cycle as a whole. Adaptive water governance Pathway 4 Water Futures: Mobilizing Multi-Stakeholder Action for Resilience 26