How to integrate IWRM and national development plans and strategies and why this needs to be done in the era of aid effectiveness

In all countries, it is a challenge for water advocates and water resource managers, as well as for national policymakers and the broader development community, to ensure that sustainable water resource management supports the achievement of national development goals. Too often, the contribution of water to broad development goals is not well understood at the political level outside the water sector, and, as a result, the means necessary to unlock this situation are not identified and prioritized. To rectify this, the contribution of water to various sectors of economic and social life needs to be recognized and good water management needs to be given the appropriate priority it deserves. For this to occur, not only do water sector practitioners need to engage with national development planning processes but also managers of development planning processes need to ensure that water sector representatives are effectively drawn in.
Although each country will have a different set of issues, some are common. In almost all developing countries, water supply and sanitation is a key concern, but its links to water resource management are often not well understood.
As highlighted throughout this brief, in order to promote the adoption of good water management through an IWRM approach, it is important to consider national development priorities - how water fits into them and how better water management could support them. The key recommendation for water sector managers and advocates is to understand both their national development planning system and the priorities within it.