Scaling up global capacities for responsible governance of water tenure

Validity period: November 2023 – October 2026
Budget: 2.499.980,00 US-Dollar

Millions of people live in areas of the world that are highly water stressed. The situation is expected to worsen over time, given the effects of climate change and an increasing global demand for water. For these reasons, it is critical that water resources be allocated sustainably, especially when it comes to agriculture, which accounts for 72 percent of water withdrawals worldwide. This project was designed to address these issues at global, regional, national and local levels by supporting the responsible governance of water tenure in the context of food security.

Goal

The project’s ultimate aim is to support countries to develop consistent frameworks on water tenure governance that are aligned with recommendations from the FAO Committees on Agriculture (COAG) and World Food Security (CFS). To achieve this goal, the project will raise stakeholder awareness of water tenure arrangements, water policy and water law reforms, while highlighting the crucial nature of water accounting to support water tenure assessments and allocation decisions.
The project will carry out preparatory and awareness-raising activities to support the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure. Global and regional events will be held to raise awareness on water tenure governance among stakeholders from governments, civil society, academia, the private sector and international organizations. It will also provide guidance on water tenure assessment and its implementation.
In the pilot countries of Colombia and Thailand, national water tenure arrangements will be reviewed, and national multistakeholder dialogues will be carried out to increase awareness and knowledge of integrated water resource and water tenure assessments. Finally, at local level, the project will support water tenure assessments and water accounting studies to inform country-level dialogues, which will be coupled with capacity-building activities on water resource and tenure assessments for experts in the public sector, farmers’ organizations and civil society.

A farmer in Colombia is watering a vegetable field. — © © FAO

Impact

The project results are expected to contribute to the strengthening of global policy frameworks on water management to support a sustainable supply of water and a significant reduction in water scarcity (SDG Target 6.4). The results are also expected to boost productivity in agriculture by increasing access to water for small-scale producers, including women, Indigenous Peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers (SDG Target 2.3).

Approach

An implementation plan for the Global Dialogue on Water Tenure will be validated through global and regional consultations.
Outreach activities and advocacy work will be carried out for the Global Dialogue at regional and global fora.
Principles for responsible governance of water tenure that include the administration of water rights, water tenure arrangements within water-user organizations and improved water data collection and accounting will be defined.
Multistakeholder dialogues on water tenure will be held to address water tenure at regional level in Asia and Latin America, as well as at national level in Colombia and Thailand. Participants will include representatives from governments, academic institutions, civil society, the private sector and other United Nations (UN) agencies whose work relates to water access.
Capacity-development activities on integrated water resource and water tenure assessments, including water accounting, will be carried out.

Partnercountries: Colombia, Thailand