UNESCO-IHE hosted the International Symposium Water for a Changing World: Enhancing Local Knowledge and Capacity in June 13-15, 2007, in Delft, the Netherlands, to assess the priority challenges in the water sector and to recommend principles and strategies for enhancing knowledge and capacity at country level in order to make international development and water management more effective and sustainable.
This report reflects the opinions of over 300 professionals, leaders and politicians representing national and local governments, scientists, education institutions and NGOs from 56 countries, as well as UN agencies and multilateral development banks.
The Discussion Forum was chaired by H.R.H the Crown Prince of the Netherlands, and comprised Ministers from Yemen, Indonesia, Uganda and Mozambique, as well as the Deputy Director General of UNESCO, the President of the World Water Council, and the Deputy CEO of Suez.
General recommendations
- Prioritize the local actors –Build on existing local Knowledge
- Raise awareness –teach water literacy
- Promote integrated approaches
- Transform organisations to make them more effective
- Reform the water sector
- Build learning networks
- Target and encourage leaders and champions
- Share information and knowledge
Five policy recommendations
- Capacity and Knowledge Development require long-term time horizons.
- Developing countries must become more independent in their own problem-solving.
- Capacity and knowledge development is a goal in itself, not just a tool.
- Start early: At primary school and beyond.
- Make knowledge and capacity development more effective: UNDERSTAND how it works.
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