POLICY GOVERNANCE VERSUS SUSTAINABLE GOVERNANCE: FINANCIAL RESOURCES, INTERESTS AND POWER

Contextualization

The session discussed the relationship between political governance and sustainable water governance today. For panelists, talking about water crisis is not absurd, because it is the result of how we are treating water and the environment in an unsustainable way, with a great imbalance in the outcome of these policies between rich and poor, and this made the water, source of life, become a vector of disease and scarcity. The interest and benefit of society must prevail. Therefore, political and sustainable governance must be considered in an integrated manner. Water should not only be treated as water use or water balance, but in an integrated manner, articulated mainly with climate change/variations and respecting its size and cultural uses. Climate change directly affects water availability and brings us many weaknesses and uncertainties. These changes cannot be addressed with the current structure and instruments. The new challenges go beyond hydraulic or engineering issues.

Recommendations

Among the guidelines, the main ones are the recognition of the water issue and the structuring of a governance capable of facing the existing problems; integration and articulation with climate change, to acquire capacity to act, and cope with uncertainties; broaden society’s participation, especially underrepresented ones, in the decision-making process, so that the decisions taken really reflect reality.

Conclusions

Society needs to be involved in decision-making, and this goes beyond the discussion of how to provide sanitation services, it must be at all stages and processes linked to water, but it must be recognized that there are no models or formulas for To ensure society’s participation and management, each region has its own reality, and it needs to be considered and appropriate. The water resources sector is more and more pressured by the increase in production, population, effluents, among others, and it is necessary to respond to this new reality. The lack of knowledge and involvement of the population is a critical factor for this process. The need to invest in the sector is recognized, but it does not materialize in actions and projects and this will only change with the participation of society. The need to overcome resistance to inclusion of minorities and women’s participation in an equitable relationship was recognized.