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What is NPD?
National Policy Dialogues on Integrated Water Resources Management are the intersectoral interagency platforms where key national stakeholders discuss and advance water policy reforms. The NPD objective is to facilitate the reform of water policies (covering both water supply and sanitation) and support integrated water resources management (IWRM) in a particular country.
How does it work?
While NPDs follow a common methodology, the NPD process in each country is unique. The dynamics and content of the dialogue process depend on the existing objectives, the legislative and institutional frameworks, as well as the political and socio-economic situation in each country.
National Steering Committees are established with representatives of various sectors, academia and NGOs to guide the dialogue process.
The NPD is implemented through:
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The (bi-)annual national intersectoral Steering Committee meetings, which are conducted under the leadership of a high-level government representative such as the deputy minister of water resources or a chair of the state water committee/agency. Each NPD involves high level representatives of all key partners, including national and basin authorities, representatives of relevant international and donor organizations, civil society (NGOs) and the private sector. At such meetings the stakeholders discuss key national water policy issues and adopt decisions. In some countries the NPDs serve as a platform for donors’ coordination.
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Policy packages, e.g. high-level and secondary legislation, strategies, regulations, standards, tariffs, investment concepts and pilot projects that feed into developing specific policies. All these are developed based on consultations with the ministries, agencies and institutions (including science and academia), non-governmental and international organizations.
Who organizes NPDs?
NPDs are nationally owned processes. The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) act as strategic partners of the EECCA countries and the EU in organizing the NPDs.
Who finances NPD?
- The European Union has provided the biggest support to the NPDs since 2006.
- The European Union Water Initiative (EUWI) launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002 aimed at the coordination of the EU development assistance in the field of water, and UNECE and OECD as strategic partners for this task in the region of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia. The implementation of EUWI in the region relied on National Policy Dialogues on Integrated Water Resources Management and Water Supply and Sanitation (NPDs), jointly facilitated by the UNECE and OECD.
- Since 2016, the NPDs have been a part of the EU-funded programmes for the Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Ukraine). These large programmes included EUWI Plus (https://euwipluseast.eu/en/, 2016-21) and EU4Environment Programme /Water and Data (EU4Environment - Programme description (eu4waterdata.eu), 2022-24), which implemented by a consortium of UNECE, OECD, the Environment Agency Austria, Austrian development Agency and the International Office for Water of France.
- In Central Asia EU-Central Asia Working Group on Environment and Climate Change supported the EUWI NPDs. In 2019-2022 the NPDs a part of the EU-funded project https://wecoop.eu
- Co-financing from the countries is a necessary condition for conducting the NPD process, this could be in the form of expertise, manpower, space and equipment for the meeting, financial contribution.
Where are NPDs operational?
- NPDs are operational in 10 countries of Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
- In 2024 Iraq became the first country which started the NPD process beyond the UNECE region.
What are the typical issues raised at the NPDs?
- Strengthening water legislation (ref. EU WFD, Water Convention): development of national water strategies and laws – in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan.
- Quality of drinking water (ref. Protocol on Water and Health) – in Armenia, Georgia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan.
- Strengthening transboundary water cooperation (ref. UNECE Water Convention) – in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan.
- Adaptation of the water sector to climate change – in Moldova, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan.
- Support to reporting under SDG 6.5.2 – all countries.
- Development of the economic and financial instruments - in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan.
- Development of the nexus investment concepts – Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan.
What is the value added of the NPDs?
The NPDs support water sector reforms through assistance to the governments in:
- Development and implementation of water strategies and legislation based on IWRM principles, in a spirit of moving away from silos and foster coherence and consistency across policies and to facilitate coordination across government institutions.
- Strengthening intersectoral cooperation to improve water and health and implement the UNECE/WHO Europe Protocol on Water and Health, by setting and implementing targets on the whole water cycle and on the water and health nexus
- Development of national policies for the management of transboundary waters in accordance with the Water Convention and other international environmental instruments.
What else should I know about the NPDs?
- NPD is a flexible and an evolving concept
- NPD is different in each country
- Typically, NPD process facilitates from a project to exist