Good practices on strategic planning and management of water resources in Asia and the Pacific

Abstract

This publication is the second one of the series of publications on water resources management produced in connection with the UNESCAP project on "Capacity-building in Strategic Planning and Management of Natural Resources in Asia and the Pacific". It summarizes key lessons and findings from the application of the strategic planning and management (SPM) concept to water resources as part of the a contribution of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission of Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) to the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in the region. The key lessons and findings include principles of the application of SPM to water resources management and expected contributions from the application of the SPM approaches to the development of IWRM plans. The principles extracted from these experiences for adoption of SPM to water resources development include (i) rationale of application of SPM for water resources development, (ii) key elements/components and issues of SPM, and (iii) strategic elements in the initiation and implementation of SPM approaches to the development of IWRM plans. Good practices on strategic planning and management of water resources in Asia and the Pacific were selected from the case studies carried out in 17 countries in Asia and the Pacific are included in this publication. The selection of the good practices was based on the concise and yet comprehensive nature of the respective case study reports, which had not required too much editorial efforts. The good practices included the case studies in China, Fiji, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam. It also contains a special summary of experiences in the Pacific. The publication is thus aimed primarily to provide examples of practical application of the strategic planning and management approaches to the preparation of integrated water resources management plans at various levels. In that context, it is aimed to assist decision makers, planners and practicing water resources experts in their efforts to enhance the effectiveness in the formulation and implementation of strategic plans for water related organizations for integrated water resources management. The publication is also intended to serve as a reference for planners and practicing professionals working in other sectors when dealing with water resources development and should be used together with the Guidelines on Strategic Planning and Management of Water Resources, published by ESCAP in 2004.