Formulation of National Water Visions

Building on the experience of developing the World Water Vision, a regional cooperation project between FAO and ESCAP on the "Formulation of National Water Visions to Action" was initiated. It was implemented in 2000 for four pilot countries: Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Viet Nam.

The experience showed that in all the pilot countries, the importance of formulating realistic national water visions and their subsequent consistent implementation was recognized and appreciated by all the key agencies and civic communities involved in water resources management. The results of careful examination of the implementation process of the respective national water visions through various steps of the strategic planning process indicated the need for a sustainable programme of action and effective integration of these efforts and activities into the ongoing national development process.

The strategic planning and management process called for adoption of the participatory approach. This was seen as important in order to establish shared visions, institutional frameworks strengthening the key agencies and their respective missions, integrated river basin management and good governance principles including development of performance indicators and monitoring.

The experience also point out that application of strategic planning and management for water resources management is expected to be different from one another depending on the actual conditions and process of development in each country. The regional experience of the national processes in the four pilot countries was consolidated in a synthesis report which has also be posted on the FAO Webpage. It is expected that this consolidated experience would facilitate the integration of water resources management into the national economic and social development process in the region. Examples of the national water visions are shown below:

(A) Australia:
The vision for Australian water resources reflects a change in Australian values from an emphasis on exploitation of the resource to a stewardship ethic in water resources management.

(B) Malaysia:
In support of Vision 2020 (towards achieving developed nation status), Malaysia will conserve and manage its water resources to ensure adequate and safe water for all (including the environment).

(C) The Philippines:
By the year 2025, water resources in the Philippines will be used efficiently, allocated equitably and managed sustainably with provisions for water-related disasters.

(D) Thailand:
By the year 2025, Thailand will have sufficient water of good quality for all users through an efficient management, organizational and legal system that would ensure equitable and sustainable utilization of its water resources with due consideration on the quality of life and the participation of all stakeholders.

(E) Viet Nam:
The Vietnamese Water Vision is the integration and sustainable use of water resources, effective prevention and mitigation of harm effects of water for a better future.

Note: The four country reports have been incorporated in the synthesis report mentioned above by the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of FAO and posted also on the FAO Web site. It should be noted here that the above national water visions were developed through a number of national workshops, starting from the need assessment of application of integrated water resources management (which had been initiated by the Global Water Partnership). Although there is a similarity among the frameworks for action developed in the pilot countries, the details of the linkages between the national water visions and respective frameworks for action differ among the countries depending on the number of national consultations which were conducted prior to the implementation of the FAO-ESCAP regional cooperation project.