Because existing legal regimes for the management of water resources were established when water was considered as an inexhaustible natural resource, they often fail to meet present day challenges. To achieve the Millennium Development Goal N° 7, which aims to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe water and improved sanitation services, transition economies and developing countries need to revise existing policies, develop appropriate regulatory frameworks, and improve governance for Integrated Water Resource Development and Management (IWRDM).
Starting from specific problems in selected countries, this seminar will examine key principles of IWRDM that require both effective legal frameworks and accountable institutions at the national and local levels. It will also analyze how integrated institutional structures, regulatory mechanisms and market-oriented incentives could contribute to the sustainable use of water resources.