A Região Metropolitana de São Paulo enfrentou uma grave crise hídrica ao longo dos anos de 2014 a 2016, e, não obstante sua gravidade, foi notória a falta de protagonismos dos Prefeitos na busca de soluções, em especial a liderança política da maior cidade do Brasil. Diante daquele cenário, um questionamento foi levantado pela Aliança pela Água: quais são, de fato, as responsabilidades dos municípios brasileiros na complexa e multissetorial gestão das águas? Desde então, esse desafio se transformou em iniciativas e inovações importantes. Leia este post em inglês aqui: Innovations in water management in the city of São Paulo: the leading role of civil society SOBRE A ALIANÇA PELA ÁGUA Fundada em outubro de 2014, a Aliança pela Água é uma articulação da sociedade civil criada para enfrentar a crise hídrica em São Paulo e construir uma “Nova Cultura de Cuidado com a Água” no Brasil. A Aliança é composta por um grupo amplo e diverso de mais de 60 organizações e movimentos envolvidos com questões do meio ambiente, direitos do consumidor, direitos humanos, educação, ativismo e inovação. SEGUINDO OS PASSOS CERTOS Em 2016, a Aliança decidiu criar uma frente de trabalho técnico para poder abordar essa questão de maneira mais efetiva. Um dos principais desafios observados durante a crise foi a falta de transparência na gestão dos recursos hídricos, o que influenciou diretamente a percepção da crise pela população e tornou mais difícil envolver os cidadãos em seu enfrentamento. Sob a coordenação de Estela Neves, Profa. do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Políticas Públicas da UFRJ, foi conduzido um processo de revisão extensiva da Constituição Federal de 1988 e do arcabouço legal-normativo brasileiro, de modo a mapear e sistematizar todas as atribuições dos municípios nas diferentes políticas setoriais. Esse processo contou com a colaboração de integrantes do secretariado da aliança e do Instituto Democracia e Sustentabilidade (IDS), resultando na publicação do documento “Quem cuida da Água? Governança da água doce: a moldura jurídico-institucional nacional” (2016). A partir desse documento técnico, foi criada a campanha #VotePelaÁgua, iniciada pela Aliança. Esta campanha conseguiu transformar os resultados da pesquisa em uma proposta de projeto de lei, organizada em três artigos e aplicável a qualquer município do Brasil. Esse texto foi concebido sob a égide do conceito de Segurança Hídrica. É importante salientar aqui que nenhuma atribuição nova foi criada e que o texto foi organizado na forma de um único instrumento legal, ou seja, a proposta de projeto de lei. Com isso, seria possível garantir que os governos locais respondessem pelas ações de sua responsabilidade. Foi um instrumento útil para informar e também pressionar os candidatos em campanha durante as eleições municipais em 2016. O resultado prático dessa mobilização foi a declaração assinada por mais de 300 organizações, em que foi ratificado o compromisso de 82 candidatos aos Legislativos e 18 candidatos aos Executivos de todo o Brasil, distribuídos em 47 municípios, de levar adiante a proposta do projeto de lei. De todos esses candidatos foram eleitos dois prefeitos nos municípios de Itu e Marabá, e cinco vereadores em São Paulo. O resultado técnico-político desse processo foi a elaboração de um documento que estruturava a segurança hídrica municipal em sete frentes, ilustradas na imagem abaixo. A EXPERIÊNCIA DE SÃO PAULO No município de São Paulo, maior cidade do país, a proposta de projeto de lei efetivamente avançou. Depois de ser apresentada no parlamento local, a declaração virou oficialmente um projeto de lei em dezembro de 2016, intitulado PL No. 575 e de autoria do Vereador Eduardo Suplicy (PT), com o apoio de um conjunto diverso de parlamentares[1] de diferentes partidos. A matéria foi aprovada em segunda discussão na Câmara Municipal em 8 maio de 2019 e promulgada em 31 de maio do mesmo ano a partir da Lei No. 17.104, que criou a Política Municipal de Segurança Hídrica e Gestão das Águas (PMSH). Dois dispositivos da lei devem ser destacados: o art. 3º, que determina a criação de “instância competente para implantar a Política Municipal de Segurança Hídrica e Gestão das Águas”; e o art. 4º, que destaca que “Caberá ao Município (…) apresentar Relatório da Situação sobre Segurança Hídrica”. Esta política pública inovadora coloca o foco nas ações e políticas de segurança hídrica a nível local e impulsiona a agenda como prioridade política. Dois grandes desafios no caso de São Paulo, para que a política realmente entre em vigor, é a) a criação de um órgão específico dentro do governo para articular e integrar a ação local, e b) a construção de um conjunto de indicadores que possam ser usados como um poderoso instrumento para monitorar, melhorar as políticas públicas e ampliar a comunicação com a sociedade e os cidadãos. Para avançar na implementação da PMSH, em 25 de junho, o Prefeito Bruno Covas (PSDB) assinou a Portaria No. 349, que constituiu a Comissão de Segurança Hídrica com as atribuições de elaborar uma proposta para a instituição de órgão específico para exercer as atribuições previstas no art. 2º da Lei e também elaborar uma proposta para monitoramento e aperfeiçoamento colaborativo dos indicadores e das políticas municipais previstas na Lei. Entre os diversos indicadores a serem considerados estão, por exemplo, o índice de estresse hídrico local e a evolução histórica dos dados de internação por doenças de veiculação hídrica. É igualmente importante destacar que a Comissão de Segurança Hídrica é composta por seis secretarias do governo municipal, dois representantes da sociedade civil[2] e um representante da academia. Por fim, cabe destacar alguns aspectos desse complexo percurso no âmbito da construção da PMSH/SP Esse trabalho em São Paulo é fruto de um processo técnico realizado em parceria com a academia, seguido de uma mobilização do eleitorado que teve a participação ativa de uma multiplicidade de atores da sociedade civil, com articulação política com diferentes partidos políticos e os poderes Legislativo e Executivo do município de São Paulo DO PONTO DE VISTA DA PARCERIA DE GOVERNO ABERTO Esse trabalho de cocriação se insere em uma lógica de governo aberto e participação social que visa, entre outros elementos, à construção de indicadores de monitoramento da nova lei. Esses indicadores permitirão acompanhar os avanços na implementação da lei e identificar os desafios para o avanço dessa agenda. Esses indicadores foram desenvolvidos a partir de um processo de diálogo com a sociedade civil, em que a Aliança pela Água teve papel fundamental ao proporcionar aporte técnico e mobilização social. Os indicadores contêm elementos das sete frentes que serviram de base para a lei. Considerando as lições aprendidas com a crise hídrica brasileira, em especial o caso de São Paulo, a transparência deverá ser um dos principais componentes desse processo, contribuindo para promover o controle social e uma participação qualificada, de acordo com os dispositivos explicitados na própria lei que criou a Política Municipal de Segurança Hídrica. São Paulo tem muito a compartilhar com o Programa Local da Parceria de Governo Aberto (OGP – Open Government Partnership) tendo em vista seus pilares de transparência, participação, cocriação e prestação de contas e o interesse da OGP em vincular as reformas de governo aberto com os serviços públicos – em que a água é um dos temas prioritários. Seria importante explorar futuros compromissos referentes aos recursos hídricos no plano de ação de governo aberto de São Paulo com base nesta experiência da Aliança pela Água. Sobre os Autores Guilherme Checco é Mestre em Ciência Ambiental pelo Instituto de Energia e Ambiente da Universidade de São Paulo (Procam/IEE/USP) e Bacharel em Relações Internacionais pela Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo (PUC/SP). Atualmente ele atua como pesquisador no Instituto Democracia e Sustentabilidade (IDS). Marussia Whately é arquiteta e urbanista, especialista em água e saneamento. É uma das idealizadoras da Aliança pela Água. É autora de diversos livros e publicações, entre eles o “Século da Escassez. Uma nova cultura de cuidado com a água: impasses e desafios”. Atualmente é diretora-executiva do Instituto Água e Saneamento. Mais sobre a Comunidade de Práticas no domínio da Água e da Governação Aberta Os desafios atuais no domínio da água, desde a expansão da prestação de serviços até à limpeza das vias navegáveis mundiais, exigirão mais do que a melhoria das infraestruturas e a intensificação dos investimentos. Os governos e a sociedade civil devem também enfrentar desafios políticos assustadores, como a gestão fragmentada dos recursos, a corrupção e a desigualdade de acesso à água potável. A adoção de reformas governamentais abertas pode ajudar na capacidade institucional, facilitar a coordenação entre as partes interessadas e resolver assimetrias de informação, para promover a prestação de serviços de água e saneamento mais justos, confiáveis e eficientes. A Comunidade de Práticas sobre Água e Governo Aberto é um espaço colaborativo para que as partes interessadas compartilhem ideias e conhecimentos para apoiar reformas governamentais abertas para a água. É administrada pela Fundación Avina, a Open Government Partnership, o Instituto Internacional de Água de Estocolmo (SIWI), a Water Integrity Network (WIN) e o World Resources Institute (WRI) desde 2017. Saiba mais em: https://www.opengovpartnership.org/policy-area/water-sanitation/ Notas [1] Aliança pela Água e Rede Nossa São Paulo. Em julho de 2019, por uma questão de disponibilidade de agenda, a Rede Nossa São Paulo (RNSP) foi substituída pelo Instituto Democracia e Sustentabilidade (IDS), ambos membros da Aliança pela Água. [2] Vereadores Gilberto Natalini (PV), Nabil Bonduki (PT), José Police Neto (PSD), Soninha Francine (à época PPS, atual CIDADANIA), Ricardo Young (REDE), Toninho Vespoli (Psol), Jair Tatto (PT), Sâmia Bomfim (Psol) e Celso Giannazi (Psol) LABELS: Region/Country: Americas, Brazil CONTRIBUTORS: Authors: Guilherme Checco and Marussia Whately Reviewer: Comunidade de Práticas no domínio da Água e da Governação Aberta

A CONTRIBUTION FROM THE WATER AND OPEN GOVERNMENT COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE The promotion of an open government and the empowerment of citizens through co-creation processes using technology could sound like a distant goal. But as challenging as it sounds, there are steps being taken in this direction. This is evidenced by the initiatives contained in the action plans adopted by the governments that are part of the Open Government Partnership, (OGP). LAUNCHING OPEN GOVERNMENT INITIATIVES: OPENING UP INFORMATION ON WATER LICENSING In Chile, the Water Directorate (DGA in Spanish) has taken part in the OGP process since 2016. The OGP participation in Chile is coordinated by the Presidency’s Secretariat General (SEGPRES), which serves as the national point of contact (PoC). Since Chile’s first Action Plan, SEGPRES has promoted a participatory process with civil society organizations and public entities. Through this process, the DGA presented its first commitment in the 2016-2018 Action Plan. To fulfil its first commitment, the DGA developed an easy-to-access web app. The app makes it possible to obtain information on the demand and granting of water use licenses in the country and makes it easier to file complaints in case of damage. In particular, the app makes it possible to visualize georeferenced information on resolved and ongoing water rights submitted to the DGA and allows public consultation of water-rights documentation. It also provides visualizations of the location of citizen complaints filed in relation to violations to the Water Code (Código de Aguas, C.A.). Among the most frequent violations are: the construction of unauthorized works on watercourses (Art. 41 y 171 C.A.) unauthorized water extraction (Art. 20, 59 and 163 C.A.; Art. 42 and 43 D.S. 203/2013), and non-compliance with the conditions for the exercise of water use rights (control of water extractions, Art. 68 C.A.). THE FOURTH OPEN GOVERNMENT NATIONAL ACTION PLAN: PROGRESS AND NEW TOOLS FOR TRANSPARENCY ON WATER EXTRACTION ARTICLE 68°- “The Water Directorate General may require the installation and maintenance of systems for the measurement of flows, of extracted volumes and of phreatic levels in [the construction and operation of hydraulic] works, in addition to a system for the transmission and sharing of the information obtained. In the case of non-consumptive exploitation rights, this requirement shall also apply to aquifer restitution works […]” Water Code, Law 21.064 Since 2018, DGA is working to disseminate information to the public and increase transparency on the use of water resources as a contribution to commitment #8 on water resources of Chile’s latest OGP Action Plan 2018-2020. These efforts are in line with the most recent changes to the Water Code, Law 21.064, specifically in relation to article 68. Specifically, the DGA has decided to make available to the public data on water extraction by different users, including farmers, mining and forestry companies, and other water rights holders. To do this, DGA is developing a new web app. The data visualized in this app will be partly user-generated and further complemented by documentation on water use rights. Larger water users have to set up a meter system that automatically generates the georeferenced data that is then sent to DGA, while smaller users will report the information through excel sheets centralised by DGA. While there is the risk of users manipulating the excel sheet (or even the meters), DGA expects that the publication of the data and social monitoring and pressure will be an incentive for relatively accurate input. Focused on transparency and public access to information on water use, this work on National Action Plan commitments seeks to reduce uncertainty regarding water availability, given the extreme water scarcity that affects Chile. A water scarcity decree has been issued for 56 communes and an agricultural emergency officially declared in 111, impacting over 400,000 people. The DGA has been questioned for not having all relevant information on the registration, allocation and management of water rights in the country. The new system is an attempt to respond. DISCLOSURE MUST GO HAND IN HAND WITH CITIZEN ENGAGEMENT It is important to put these efforts into context. The issues we face in the water management sector will not be solved with just data. The creation of opportunities for citizens to use and engage with the information and platform for their benefit is essential. At present, the data that will be published is mainly contained in specialized studies. These studies neither disaggregate the data nor consider the local scale. This is an example of a dissociation between the functioning of public services and the people they serve. Disaggregation would allow for a better understanding and use of the information by those who need it most. And to further prevent or reduce disconnection to citizens’ needs, it is essential to listen to what people have to say, address and resolve complaints and grievances in an empathic, committed and needs-focused manner. This experience reinforces the idea that the main efforts to promote principles of co-creation, transparency and participation need to be initiated by the State. This will ensure credibility and increased cooperation between the government and civil organisations, allowing for the construction of a true path towards the improvement of people’s quality of life. However, such efforts, like the web platforms created to promote transparency and access to public information, will not fulfil their mission if they are not complemented well through citizen engagement.

In conversation with Margarita Gutiérrez Vizcaino, director of the Area of Incidence and Systematic Change at Cántaro Azul. WIN and Cántaro Azul are collaborating on a project for the adaptation and implementation of the Integrity Management Toolbox for small water supply systems in Mexico. Tell us about yourselves: what do you do in the water sector, in what context and area do you work in? Cántaro Azul was born 13 years ago with the aim of ensuring access to safe water in rural communities. We operate mainly in the State of Chiapas, in Mexico. This State has the highest rates of marginalisation and poverty in the country, as well as the lowest rate of access to water, despite the large amount of water resources available in the area. It should also be noted that 50% of the population of Chiapas lives in rural areas and that, therefore, 2.5 million people obtain their water services through community structures. Cántaro Azul first focused on developing the “Mesitas Azules”, which is a low-cost ultraviolet water purification technology, easy to use and access by rural communities. First, the “Mesitas Azules” were used in households and Cántaro Azul subsequently introduced them in schools. However, it soon became clear that the technological component was not enough and Cántaro Azul began to develop a complementary social component. Our conclusion based on our experience is very clear: without a social component, there is no good management or sustainability in the use of water systems. Cántaro Azul operates 3 main programmes: Social Franchise: is a social entrepreneurship programme, working with groups of women who build and operate water purification kiosks. Cántaro Azul provides the seed capital, technical support and fosters the articulation among women’s groups. This programme operates mainly in peri-urban areas where bottled water is largely a solution to poor water services, and where these kiosks provide a more environmentally-friendly and affordable alternative to the local economy. Safe water in schools: within this programme, water purification systems are installed with linked pedagogical and recreational components. The purification system is in a transparent box that allows children to see how the water is purified through the system. An assessment is also made with the school community and school committees are created to promote hygienic habits Community water management: this programme began at the family and at the kiosks level creating a social structure to support the systems, whether they were “Mesitas Azules” in households or in community kiosks. Last year we changed the strategy and began to work with the community water committees which are self-organised. Our focus moved to actively supporting more centralized systems with the aim of achieving greater efficiency and sustainability. Our key activities support the committees in strengthening their capacities and improving the water systems. Could you share an example of a success story? The Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez school, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, is a success story that provides safe water for around 600 children. It is located in a peri-urban area. There, we installed a large system of rainwater collection and purification. The school committee (i.e. parents, children and teachers) took over the system and they have made it financially sustainable by selling sell water to surrounding families. With the money collected they pay for the operation and maintenance of the system, including the salary of a technician. Another success story is the collaboration with the municipal government of the town of Berriozábal. Here, we have managed to share the problem and the proposals for a solution with a local government that serves 100 locations. The government has shown a strong commitment and created a municipal structure, endorsed by the State Congress, to institutionally support rural communities of the municipality. This municipal structure, called the “Organismo Municipal de Servicios Comunitarios de Agua y Saneamiento” (Municipal Agency for Community Water and Sanitation Services), serves 37 community water committees in rural areas. What are the challenges you see? Are there integrity issues? We find a major problem with regards to the poor quality of the data and information available. The official data on access to water and sanitation services do not reflect the complete reality, since they do not take into account the actual availability, the water quality or the availability of sanitation facilities. The only data available is about existing infrastructure, regardless of whether it is functional or not. The most serious consequence of this is that decisions are made based on these data and, therefore, real issues are not taken into account. This is a serious problem and particularly evident in the sharp decline in the budget dedicated to water and sanitation in the country in recent years. Another important challenge is that of investments. Total priority is given to infrastructure, but not to the social or governance component. One of the reasons behind this is the greater ease of diverting resources in construction projects, as well as the fact that tangible works generate more political capital. We find two immediate consequences, on the one hand not enough money is allocated to governance and management and on the other, low quality infrastructure is built without taking into account the context of the situation at all. Another notable challenge is people’s lack of awareness and participation. They normally do not know their rights, including the human rights to water and sanitation as well as water quality criteria. Not knowing makes them hesitant to demand quality service. In fact, when we go to the communities and ask about their water services, one of the first reactions is that they say they have no problems. Only after subsequent questioning, it turns out that the water is indeed contaminated and does not arrive every day into their homes. Why did you decide to work with WIN? In December 2018, WIN organized a full-day event in Mexico City to introduce the integrity concept and the Integrity Management Toolbox approach to water and sanitation organizations in the country. Aided by a series of presentations and a simulation exercise, participants discussed possible ways to apply the toolbox to identify and address their integrity risks and, thus, improve the performance and quality of their services. As a result of the workshop, we came to know WIN’s work at a very good time for us, coinciding with our change in strategy towards a model more focused on community committees and as we began to establish our methodologies. Thus, we decided not to start from scratch, but to support and strengthen ourselves with WIN methodologies, adapting them to the rural context of Chiapas. What was your experience working with the IM Toolbox for small water supply systems? The IM Toolbox for small systems helped us identify things we wanted to, but never got down to doing ourselves. With regards to the process and the methodology used by Cántaro Azul we were unsure about the next steps and yes, knowing and applying the toolbox helped us to define the next steps – such as the action plan with the committee(s). The toolbox workshop inspired us greatly. On the one hand, it showed us how to build a working plan with the community. On the other hand, we greatly appreciate the tool’s self-management approach, which is aimed at avoiding paternalism and motivating the community to build their own solutions. - Cantaro Azul working with the IM Toolbox for small systems in Chiapas, Mexico What is your experience regarding gender? Do you work with women and other marginalised communities? This is a very challenging issue for us and for which we have yet to conclude our reflection within the organization. Chiapas is a State with a great proportion of the population being indigenous and living in rural areas. In these contexts, gender structures are very different from those in the west. On the one hand, there is machismo and little space for women in decision-making. On the other hand, certain aspects are a consequence of the people’s world vision and the distribution of roles in society. We have to be careful in trying to change the moulds without a deeper understanding and analysis, as it can close many doors. Moreover, some imported models of support for women only load them with more work. What we try to do is to make their voices heard as they are the main users of water and therefore our main stakeholders in the assessment processes. In mestizo communities we do try to push for more. For example, the “Social Franchise” project with kiosks is carried out with women entrepreneurs, but the work is made compatible with their household chores. Although it is not surprising that even when the woman is the final authority, the husband ends up making the decisions. Sometimes it is also a challenge for women facilitators to be heard on an equal footing, just like men in certain communities, but once we have achieved this, it helps immensely to break down barriers.

The tangled roots of deadly pollution in a protected lagoon We supported investigative journalists Datadista in 2019 to take a deep dive in the circumstances leading to increasing pollution in the waters of the protected Mar Menor lagoon in southern Spain. What they found is a chilling call to action. It starts with grand plans and ends with three tonnes of fish dying on the shore. There are suitcases full of money and secret underground pumps. But the most striking piece of the story is thirty years of laissez-faire by authorities, despite foreseeable and dramatic consequences. In December, the Global Investigative Journalism Network picked this story as one of its top picks in Spanish for 2019. The whole investigation has just been translated into English. Take note! The original investigation published in Spanish: https://datadista.com/medioambiente/desastre-mar-menor/ The English version: https://datadista.com/medioambiente/desastre-mar-menor/eng/

This blog was written by Cartocritica, as a contribution to the Community of Practice on Water and Open Government. Access to water is a right that affects various aspects of life: environmental, social and political. It is essential for the conservation of biodiversity, to maintain hygiene, and to support health and livelihoods. In Mexico, water is considered the property of the nation and the government is responsible for guaranteeing the right to its access, its availability in sufficient quantity and quality, and access to safe sanitation. However, what can be seen in Mexico is desiccated landscapes, polluted aquifers, and communities that lack water access. Even in cases where water is available, quantity and quality are often inadequate. Much water is lost or polluted by excessive toxic discharge, large concessions for industries, and irregular system operation. When one tries to review official data on volumes of water available, extracted, licensed under a concession, or polluted, it becomes clear that there is little or no information available, and that most of what is available is in restricted access. Such opacity prevents interested users, especially territory and human rights defenders, from accessing key information that would allow them to know what the state of water resources is in their localities or to promote citizen participation in water management. This is why more transparency and accountability in the water sector are urgently needed. Incorporating water-related commitments in the Open Government Partnership (OGP) process is a means to address this and enable dialogue between government and civil society. Context: the first water-related Open Government Commitments Introducing water in Mexico’s Open Government Partnership National Action Plans Mexico has been a member of the OGP initiative since its creation in 2011. It has to date adopted four National Action Plans. While the second National Action Plan (2013 – 2015) included the governance of natural resources as one of its commitments, it was not until the third National Action Plan (2016-2018) that water was specifically included as a thematic focus. This has to do with the fact that this action plan was intended to address the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The objective of the water-related commitment in the third National Action Plan was: To measure both volume and quality of water consumption and discharges, as well as to promote water reuse, zero discharge of large-scale users and to supervise treatment, making information transparent in order to facilitate citizen participation in monitoring. Its principal line of action was described as: To promote inter-institutional coordination and the active participation of citizens in order to establish a system (public and open platform and other means of communication), to make up-to-date information available on water volumes extracted and granted in concession, as well as on discharges, based on available and newly created information. To act on the commitment, the National Water Commission (Conagua) launched a website where documents on water quality were published, although not in line with the original objective (see evaluations on compliance with third plan here and here) and only till early 2018. Documents were then replaced by a link to a web platform featuring a real-time map of installed water meters in the country, including information on volume extracted at each measurement point, but not on the volume of granted concessions or of discharges. However, the option for downloading open data was difficult to use and the platform ceased to be updated in March 2019. Mistrust between stakeholders leads to the interruption of work on commitments Unfortunately, the implementation and monitoring of the commitments made in the third Plan were interrupted in May 2017, following allegations of espionage directed at journalists and human rights defenders, some of whom were active participants in the OGP process. The Núcleo de Organizaciones de la Sociedad Civil (Nucleus of Civil Society Organisations, NOSC) then decided to withdraw from the OGP coordination board, known as the Tripartite Technical Secretariat (STT), on the grounds that there was a lack of trust and no enabling environment for the promotion of dialogue needed to continue the process. The government tried to get support from new CSOs to continue with the implementation of the third Action Plan but did not succeed. In mid-2018, presidential elections were held in Mexico. The opposition won the election, taking power at the end of that year. In this new scenario, the OGP process was resumed in 2019, with the publication of the fourth National OGP Action Plan on December 10th, 2019. A new commitment: preparing a fourth National Action Plan with a commitment for water Following the transition process into the new administration, the Ministry of Public Administration contacted members of civil society and academia (including UNAM, CartoCrítica, Agua para Todos) to review the most relevant issues on their agendas and consider them for future commitments. At that time, transparency and accountability in natural resources management had not shown many signs of improvement. Several civil society organisations were thus making efforts to promote access to natural resource data. During this new round of meetings, CSOs pointed out that the situation in Mexico was characterised by over-exploitation and pollution of aquifers, vulnerable communities having little access to drinking water, a lack of transparency regarding the volume of granted concessions and of real extraction, and a lack of information on fees paid by private entities and by the real beneficiaries of those concessions. Such a lack of access to information on the state, management, and protection of water limits the possibilities for constructive public debate and inclusive citizen participation. This lack of access to information also hinders the improvement of public policies that promote equity, efficiency, and sustainability in access to and use of water resources. Around the time of the meetings, a group of CSOs (Causa Natura, Reforestamos Mexico, the Fund for Environmental Communication and Education, and CartoCrítica) were already working on the design of a Natural Resources Transparency Index (ITRN in Spanish), a tool to measure transparency of public information regarding the management of forests, water, and fishing resources. In this work, recommendations were made for the development of commitments on open government. Proposals were then made to develop a commitment for water resources, to be integrated in Mexico’s fourth National Action Plan (2019 – 2021). The commitment would identify areas of opportunity to promote openness and dissemination of information in efforts to achieve SDGs (6, 14, 15 and 16), with the joint participation of three parties – government, civil society and the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI). An OGP Coordinating Committee replaced the STT and promoted meetings with the CSOs developing the ITRN, as well as with the government entities involved in natural resource management. In the water sector, these were Conagua and Semarnat (Ministry of the Environment). The meetings resulted in an agreement to include the Index in the fourth OGP National Action Plan, under commitment number 10: Strengthening transparency in forest, water, and fisheries management. The commitment covers two main developments: the implementation of recommendations from the transparency assessments carried out through the ITRN, and the creation of a participatory mechanism called Transparency Monitoring Groups (Grupos de Monitoreo de la Transparencia), to follow up on the progress of this commitment. The Natural Resources Transparency Index (ITRN): input for the OGP Action Plan Commitment The ITRN involves an analysis of transparency in the forestry, water, and fisheries sectors, through indicators for three types of data -categorised as active (required by law), proactive (voluntary, useful and available online) and reactive (requested). The ITRN examines these in three axes, or areas, of resource management: Permits and concessions: rights to use the resource. Subsidies: assistance or aid granted to the population for the use of the resource. Inspection and surveillance: compliance checks on resource-related obligations. The indicators are assessed based on a set of variables (required data) according to their availability and usefulness. A set of variables (and their components) is foreseen for each data or transparency category (Active, Proactive, and Reactive), in each area of management (concessions and permits / subsidies / inspection and surveillance). In order to identify these variables, both officials and users from each sector were involved. Vulnerable groups with direct links to the resources, who are defenders of territories and the main users of the data, in particular women, indigenous peoples and small-scale producers, were also involved in this process. To date, the variables identified are in the process of being evaluated. For example, one of the variables identified in the Active Transparency category and related to permits and concessions is: information on concessions for the exploitation and use of national surface waters. This variable is broken down into various components such as type of use, concession volume, validity period and location of the authorised point of extraction. A value of 1 is assigned to the variable if the components are available online, 0.5 if incomplete, and 0 if not available. With the results obtained, specific recommendations will be made for each sector to improve transparency and information access. The commitment made in the OGP Action Plan is to implement these recommendations. Moving forward with the new commitment A roadmap was developed to ensure implementation and follow-up of the commitment. This roadmap contains key actions that make it possible to identify the state of the commitment process at any point in time. The creation of the Monitoring Groups is a milestone in this process. These groups are public, inclusive, and have an open follow-up mechanism. They include participants who are also decision makers, and who verify and ensure that recommendations are implemented. They also provide feedback for the future, including new needs, new participants, and new commitments to be monitored. In the ongoing ITRN assessment of variables related to water resources, several issues have already been identified in terms of transparency and accountability. There is for example too little updated data on quality, extraction volumes granted and effectively withdrawn, and availability of environmental flows. After this first assessment, it is expected that not only will the information gaps identified be filled and that data will be made available in official websites in a timely and reliable manner and in open formats, but also that this data will be usable by different stakeholders: for a researcher studying the behaviour of a basin as well as for users defending their territories, and their rights.

A word from Barbara Schreiner, the new Executive Director of WIN. On 2 January 2019, I stepped into the WIN offices in Berlin, and into my new role as the Executive Director of this important network. I am very excited to have joined the WIN team and to be able to contribute to the efforts to improve integrity and reduce corruption in the water sector across the world. I step into this role as someone with over twenty years of experience in the water sector, in government, as a consultant, and in the NGO sector. Throughout all of those roles, my commitment to addressing issues of water governance has been driven by the question: How do my actions benefit Mrs Mkhwanazi? Mrs Mkhwanazi is a middle-aged woman, living in rural KwaZulu Natal in South Africa. She looks after a number of children – some her own, some grandchildren without parents, or with absent parents – with little to support her except a piece of land and her own hard work. There are other women, just like her, in Myanmar, Ecuador, and India – poor women struggling to make ends meet and look after their families. Mrs Mkhwanazi is my lodestone – is what I am doing in the water sector making her life better? On 28 July 2010, the United Nations General Assembly recognised the Human Right to Water and Sanitation. In 2015, the UN adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals. Goal 6 focuses on water, which also contributes significantly to the successful achievement of a number of other goals, including those pertaining to Zero Hunger (2), Good Health and Well-Being (3), and Sustainable Cities and Communities (11). At that time, 844 million people did not have basic water service, and 2.1 billion people did not have access to water on their premises, available when needed and free from contamination (what is called ‘safely managed drinking water’). The sanitation figures were far worse. Now, the demand for limited water resources continues to grow, and in many areas, water pollution is also growing. Corruption and lack of integrity in the water sector have enormous negative impacts on our ability to deliver on the SDGs and to meet the human rights to water and food across the world for poor women and men. The impacts come through, amongst other things, public funds being siphoned off into private hands; water authorities turning a blind eye to over-abstraction of water and high levels of pollution, encouraged to do so through ‘gifts’ and political pressure; capture of water regulators by powerful vested interests; collusion, particularly in the construction sector, to push up prices; delivery of sub-standard services in order to increase profit, and demands for payments, including sextortion, for people to access water and sanitation services. Corruption and lack of integrity in the water sector benefit those with enough power and money to bend the rules. Mrs Mkhwanazi is the one who bears the cost. I am delighted that one of our themes for 2019 is gender. It is important that we understand better the different impacts of corruption and lack of integrity on poor women and men and on other particularly marginalised groups such as people with disabilities. In my short time with WIN, I have understood the remarkable range of partners that we have across the world, from big, global players to country-specific NGOs. I have met and been impressed by the small, passionate team based in Berlin, some of whom have been around for a while, and some of whom are relatively new to WIN. I have begun to understand the excellent work that has been done by the WIN team and its partners over the past decade and the size of the challenges that still remain. Currently, we are in the third year of the implementation of our 2017 – 2022 strategy. 2019 will see us conducting a mid-term evaluation which will enable us to refocus our work in the second half of the strategy period, looking at how, from the strong base that we now have, we can build the reach and impact of the network. This requires us to enhance the work that we do in conducting research on integrity issues in the water sector, raising global awareness of the impacts of corruption and lack of integrity, developing tools to address the challenges, understanding better the impacts of corruption, including through a gender lens, and working on the ground with our partners to build capacity amongst civil society, government and the private sector. I have no doubt, from what I have seen so far, that we are well-placed to do so. I hope to have the opportunity to get to know all of our partners and donors in the coming months, to support the creation of new partnerships, to build on the current programme of WIN, and to see how, together we can grow our impact in the water sector. Mrs Mhkwanazi is counting on us, we need to do more. In the meantime, I invite you to be in touch with me as I come up to speed on the most pressing issues and on the opportunities that lie ahead of us.

Research paper Published: 2022 By Ortrun Merkle, Umrbek Allakulov and Debora Gonzalez Suggested citation: Merkle, O; Allakulov, U; Gonzalez, D (2022). Sextortion in access to WASH services in selected regions of Bangladesh. UNU-MERIT Working Papers #2022-022, ISSN 1871-9872 This paper investigates the incidence and risk factors associated with sextortion in accessing water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services by women in selected regions of Bangladesh. Read the Paper: https://www.merit.unu.edu/publications/working-papers/abstract/?id=9348

Research paper Published in 2022 By Danny Marks, Dublin City University Suggested citation: Marks, D.; 2021; Corruption and integrity failures in Bangkok’s wastewater sector. Berlin: Water Integrity Network Corruption and integrity failures in Bangkok's wastewater sector are contributing to increased levels of untreated water and affecting the health and livelihoods of people in the region and smallholder farmers in particular. This research examines the different types of integrity failures plaguing the sector. Download (pdf, EN)

Strategy document Published in 2022 Building on its research into the impact of and responses to corruption and poor integrity in the water and sanitation sectors, WIN advocates and builds capacity for integrity as a crucial requirement to achieve the global development agenda, including SDGs and climate-related targets. Addressing climate change clearly and decisively is crucial to WIN's work, to ensure equitable access to water and sanitation services to all, as well as to ensure resilience of the water and sanitation sectors and of communities, especially those most affected by climate change. WIN's climate approach describes the most important integrity challenges identified by partners and stakeholders in joint workshops and presents major areas of work related to climate justice for WIN and partners in the coming years. Download (pdf, EN): Work with us in implementing this approach, join our stakeholder network for climate work:

Evidence from Integrity Management Processes in Utilities, Water Institutions, and Small Water System Management Committees Case studies Published in 2022 The Water Integrity Network (WIN) has a suite of integrity assessment and management tools to support service providers in strengthening integrity within their work processes. These adaptable tools have been developed, implemented and continuously improved with our network of WASH, finance, anti-corruption/integrity and development experts, including Caritas Switzerland, cewas, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit [GIZ gmbH]. the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), KfW, the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI). the Kenyan Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB) and leading water utilities and organisations from Argentina to Zambia. Globally, these integrity tools have been applied with over 130 organisations and/or community groups across Africa, Asia, Europe, and Latin America in both rural and urban areas. The tools have been used to address, amongst other things, misuse of financial resources, poor human resources management and nepotism, low public trust, poor customer service, and compliance issues. Water sector stakeholders that commit to strengthening integrity are better placed to become more effective organisations. We have examples to demonstrate that measurable, positive change can be traced back to action for transparency, accountability, participation and anti-corruption across a range of different contexts worldwide. Download: (pdf, EN) (pdf, ES)

Case studies Published: 2022 By Carmen Fernandez Fernandez (Consultant) and Girum Girma (Caritas Switzerland) Participatory processes that help enhance trust, increase motivation, and build collective action between water committees and users are key for delivering more effective and sustainable water services. To enable participation and improve water access by focusing on integrity of small systems in Ethiopia, Caritas worked with WASHCOs to introduce the Integrity Management Toolbox for Small Water Supply Systems in several communities. These cases describe the process and lessons learned. Download (pdf, EN) The case of Gobile The case of Badesa

CORRUPTION THREATENS TO DERAIL CLIMATE ACTION. A PREVENTIVE INTEGRITY APPROACH MUST BE BUILT IN FROM PROJECT START “There is strengthened evidence that the global water cycle will continue to intensify as global temperatures rise, with precipitation and surface water flows projected to become more variable over most land regions within seasons” –IPCC 6th Assessment Report Climate Change 2021 The climate crisis is already significantly impacting the health, social and environmental dynamics of millions of people. The most vulnerable communities, and coastal and rural populations in developing countries as well as those affected by conflict, are unjustly bearing the harshest burden. Without significant investment in adaptation, the consequences will be dire. This means we must ensure new climate funds go where they are intended and most needed. In turn, this means integrity is essential. The water and sanitation sectors are currently the primary beneficiaries of climate funds for adaptation. However, these sectors are already fragmented and complex in terms of governance. The influx of funds from new sources and stakeholders creates new opportunities for corruption and important integrity risks. Over 40 percent of all climate-related overseas development assistance is received by initiatives in countries among the riskiest places in the world for corruption (U4 Brief 2020:14). An integrity approach is key to ensure adaptation processes stay on track. An integrity approach is also essential to limit maladaptation, an emerging concern largely driven by corruption and integrity failures in climate adaptation. Maladaptation heightens expected climate-related risks instead of lowering them, or creates new sets of risks. This brief, developed with the Green Climate Fund – Independent Integrity Unit, Examines how corruption and integrity failures may heighten the risk of maladaptation. Highlights the importance of adopting preventive integrity measures to reduce the risks of maladaptation. Encourages further research and discussion on the relationship between maladaptation and corruption. Download and read here: See more, including a video here on what maladaptation is and what the links are with integrity