Overseas Development Institute
Overseas Development Institute
Water Policy Programme
 
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Governance and Conflict
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ODI Theme - Governance
Contacts
Alan Nicol
Head of Water Policy Programme
 
Conflict over scarce water resources has been central to water sector debates for a decade or more. Whilst few examples of ‘water wars' exist internationally — indeed the looming global crisis, so often reported by the Media, typically finds resolution in cooperative arrangements and ‘silent solutions' rather than hot conflict — at lower levels, particularly sub-national, many real examples do exist.  Invariably these are bound up in broader social, economic and political change and frequently are as much about issues of resource governance — including property rights regimes, formal and informal institutions in which rights are vested and how power is shared within and between institutions and social groups — as they are about absolute quantities of water.

Current areas of work

We are engaged in reformulating an effective Nile Basin Dialogue between riparian country civil society institutions and the NBI in order to improve the overall environment of stakeholder participation. 

Central to our analysis of Governance and conflict, generally, is a more informed understanding of politics and power at all levels and we are developing this theme through research on Water Governance and Government in the Horn of Africa.

Key projects
To view a full list of projects, click here
Aid effectiveness in the water and sanitation sector
  It is often stated that the water sector has a weak track record of working in ways that are consistent with the objectives of aid effectiveness and implementing the Paris Declaration principles. However, there remains a dearth of experience of implementation of sector-wide approaches and other approaches that are consistent with aid effectiveness principles and objectives.
Katharina Welle, Alan Nicol, Josephine Tucker and Barbara Evans 2007-2008
Evaluation of WRAPP Water and Sanitation Programme in Southern Sudan
  The Water for Recovery and Peace Program (WRAPP) has been operating in Southern Sudan under PACT. This evaluation examines the approach and results with respect to sustainability, effectivenesss, efficiency and replicability.
Katharina Welle 2007-2008
Policy and institutional development in the water sector of Southern Sudan
  The challenges facing scaling up of basic service delivery in the ‘post conflict’ South Sudan are huge but they are particularly acute in the water sector. ODI's role was to provide technical assistance 'on demand' and facilitating the policy process in the development of the Southern Sudan Water Policy
Tom Slaymaker 2005-2007
Developing Civil Society Engagement & Dialogue in the Nile Basin Initiative
  In the Nile basin, often a focus for 'water wars' theoreticians, we have established a Social Development Office within the Nile Basin Initiative Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office, based in Addis Ababa....
1999 on