1. IW:LEARN GLOBAL GROUNDWATER COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Multiple Dimensions of Groundwater Governance
GEF Targets Groundwater – Part 1
Outlook
WEBINAR by Lucilla Minelli, Kirstin Conti and Andrea Merla
October 17th, 2013

2. A CRITICAL
RESOURCE
GROUNDWATER
represents 96% of
Earth’s unfrozen
freshwater

3. Groundwater
Governance aims at
ensuring full and long
lasting use of
groundwater resources
and dependent
ecosystem services
SDG on
WATER?
Haiti – photo m.miletto
WATER
SECURITY

7. The recognition of the role
of groundwater in the GEF
International Waters
Strategy for the GEF 6th
Cycle

8. Groundwater ?

9. The new proposed International Waters
strategy for the 6th GEF replenishment cycle
states:
“Groundwater governance frameworks
remain weak”
“There is thus an urgent
need for more
systematically linking
surface and groundwater
governance systems and
management”
“The technical and governance needs
are challenging and not yet
comprehensively addressed in the
existing GEF International Waters
portfolio.”

10. Title of Project
F
D
Countries
Status
IA/EA
Integrated Natural Resources
Management in the Baikal Basin
Transboundary Ecosystem
Protection and Sustainable Use of the
Dinaric Karst Aquifer System
Protection of the NW Sahara Aquifer
System (NWSAS) and related humid
zones and ecosystems
Russian Federation
Mongolia
Under
Implementation
UNDP/
UNESCO
Albania, B&H, Croatia,
Montenegro
Under
Implementation
UNDP/
UNESCO
MedPartnership – Regional
Component: Mediterranean Coastal
Aquifers sub-Component
Algeria, Libya, Tunisia
Phase 1
UNEP/
completed.
Phase 2 starting
implementation
OSS
Albania, Algeria,
B&H, Croatia, Egypt, Lebanon,
Libya, Montenegro, Serbia,
Tunisia, Turkey
Under
implementation
UNEP/
UNESCO
Mainstreaming Groundwater
Consideration into the Integrated
Management of the Nile River Basin
Ethiopia, Egypt, Congo,
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda,
Sudan, Uganda, Tanzania
Under
implementation
UNDP/
IAEA
Formulation of an Action Program for
the Integrated Management of the
Shared Nubian Aquifer
Groundwater and Drought
Management in SADC
Chad, Egypt, Libya, Sudan
Nearing
completion
UNDP/
IAEA
Botswana, Mozambique, South
Africa, Zimbabwe
Completed
World
Bank/
Integrating Watershed and Coastal
Area Management in the Small Island
Developing States of the Caribbean
Environmental Protection and
Sustainable Management of the
Guarani Aquifer System
Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago.
Completed
Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay,
Completed
Developing Renewable Groundwater
Resources in Arid Lands: A Pilot case –
The Eastern Desert of Egypt
Managing Hydrogeological Risk in the
Iullemenden Aquifer System
Egypt
Completed
UNDP/
Cairo
Univ.
Mali, Niger, Nigeria
Completed
UNEP/
OSS
Enabling countries of the transboundary
Syr Darya Basin to make sustainable use
of their groundwater potential and
subsurface space with consideration to
climate variability and change.
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan,
In preparation
UNDP/
Uruguay
Tajikistan, Uzbekistan
SADC
UNDPUNEP/
CHEI
World
Bank/
OAS
UNESCO

11. IW1: Catalyze sustainable management of transboundary water
systems by supporting multi- state cooperation through
foundational capacity building, targeted research and portfolio
learning.
PROGRAM 1.1 (90-120 $US): Foster cooperation for sustainable
use of transboundary water systems and economic growth.
Outcome 1.1.1: Political commitment/shared vision and
improved governance demonstrated for joint, ecosystem-based
management of 7-9 new transboundary water bodies.
Outcome 1.1.2: On-the-ground demonstration actions
implemented, such as in water quality, quantity, conjunctive
management of groundwater and surface
water, fisheries, coastal habitats.

12. IW 2: Catalyze investments to balance competing water- uses in
the management of transboundary surface and groundwater and
enhance multi-state cooperation
PROGRAM 2. 1 (130-150 $US): Advance Conjunctive Management
of Surface and Groundwater Resources
Outcome 2.1.1: Improved governance of shared water
bodies, including conjunctive management of surface and
groundwater through regional institutions and frameworks for
cooperation lead to increased environmental and socio-economic
benefits.
Outcome 2.1.2: Increased management capacity of regional and
national institutions to incorporate climate variability and
change, including improved capacity for management of floods and
droughts.

13. • Is this enough?
• Do these strategies, programs and expected outcomes, address the
major global threats to the sustainability of groundwater resources
and of their dependent ecosystems? (deepening of the water
tables, salinization, nutrients pollution - compounded by the
transboundary nature of the resource)
• Do they allow consideration of the yet untapped opportunities for
the strategic uses of deeper aquifers and of subsurface space?
• Will they foster the visibility of this hidden resource, the
recognition of its often transboundary nature, and awareness on
its vulnerability?
• Will they help to unravel the interdependencies linking
groundwater, land use, urban development, energy production and
mining?

14. IW:LEARN GLOBAL GROUNDWATER COMMUNITY OF PRACTICE
Multiple Dimensions of Groundwater Governance
GEF Targets Groundwater – Part 2
Groundwater Governance – A Global Framework
for Action
WEBINAR by Lucilla Minelli, Kirstin Conti and Andrea Merla
October 17th, 2013

15. Objectives of the project
• Bring to the global attention the urgent need
for improved governance of
groundwater resources
• Identify and promote globally valid
guiding principles for managing groundwater
resources at the country level

16. Project process and milestones
1. Baseline
2. Diagnostic
• Status of
groundwater
governance
3. Vision
• Scientific and
technical
knowledge, regional
and country
experiences
4. A global Framework for Action (2014)
Policy and institutional
guidelines, recommendations, best
practices.
• A shared vision for
groundwater
governance

17. Phase 1. The baseline
Objectives
 agreement on the scientific and economic issues in
relation to groundwater management,
 consensus on the scope for future action.
Outputs
• A working definition of groundwater governance
• Case studies exemplifying various socio-economic, geologic and climatic
conditions: India, Kenya, South Africa, Algeria, Iran, Libya, Morocco, Near
East Region, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Yemen.
• 12 Thematic papers synthesizing the current knowledge and experience
concerning key economic, policy, institutional, environmental and technical
aspects of groundwater management, and address emerging issues and
innovative approaches.

18. Thematic Papers
•
•
Groundwater Governance: Synthesis of Thematic Papers and Case Studies
No.1 – Trends in groundwater pollution; trends in loss of groundwater quality and related
aquifers services
• No.2 - Conjunctive Use and Management of Groundwater and Surface Water
• No.3 – Urban-rural tensions; opportunities for co-management
• No.4 - Management of aquifer recharge / discharge processes and aquifer equilibrium states
• No.5 - Groundwater Policy and Governance
• No.6 – Legal framework for sustainable groundwater governance
• No.7 – Trends in local groundwater management institutions / user partnerships
• No.8 - Social adoption of groundwater pumping technology and the development of
groundwater cultures: governance at the point of abstraction
• No.9 – Macro-economic trends that influence demand for groundwater and related aquifer
services
• No.10 - Governance of the subsurface and groundwater frontier
• No.11 - Managing the Invisible - Understanding and Improving Groundwater Governance
• No.12 - Groundwater and climate change adaptation
 http://www.groundwatergovernance.org/resources/thematic-papers/en/

19. Phase 2. A global groundwater diagnostic
Objectives
build the technical basis for the visioning process
and the Global Framework for Action
 make the best scientific and technical knowledge
accessible to policy and decision makers
Outputs
• 5 Regional Consultations to discuss specific challenges
and priorities within the different regional contexts
• Private Sector Roundtable to explore opportunities for
partnerships and information sharing

20. Regional consultations
First Regional Consultation - Latin America and the Caribbean
Montevideo, Uruguay - 18-20 April 2012
•
Report
Second regional consultation: sub-Saharan Africa
Nairobi, Kenya - 29-31 May 2012
•
Report
Third regional consultation: Arab States
Amman, Jordan - 8-10 October 2012
•
Report
Fourth regional consultation: East and South Asia and the Pacific
Shijiazhuang, China - 3-5 December 2012
•
Report
Fifth regional consultation: UNECE Region
The Hague, The Netherlands - 19-21 March 2013
•
Report

21. A lot to read!

22. Private sector roundtable:
Public and Private Sector Cooperation
The Hague, Netherlands
21 March 2013
 capture the views
and interests of the
private sector
 explore
opportunities for
partnerships and
information sharing
 Key messages to be incorporated into the project
Global Framework for Action.

23. Phase 3. A vision for groundwater governance
and a Global Framework for Action
Key policy messages and recommendations
directed to leaders in government, the private
sector and civil society.
 raise political awareness globally of the urgency to
improve groundwater governance,
 foster precautionary and proactive governance
approaches, to prolong the integrity of aquifers and their
associated goods and services.

24. Water security - SDGs
Groundwater governance
Vision
Enabling frameworks
Guiding principles
Global Diagnostic
Framework for action
Where are we now
Thematic Papers
Case Studies
Synthesis Paper
Regional
Consultations
Regional
Diagnostics

25. Guiding principles for groundwater management being
considered:
• Recognize Aquifer Recharge Areas (and Waterwell Capture Zones) to be
managed and protected through appropriate land use planning, and enhanced
when needed (MAR).
• conjunctive management of shallow groundwater systems with the surface
water resources with which they naturally interact
• Conjunctive management of all groundwater and surface water resources in
basin/aquifer systems, small islands, and/or other physical/administrative
jurisdictions
• managing groundwater quantity and quality on an integrated basis (especially
as regards the threat of resource salinization)
• investment in measurement and monitoring – groundwater being very cheap to
develop but more expensive to manage

26. Topics being discussed:
• Approach to groundwater management both within and outside river-basin
organizations
• Administration of subsurface space for construction and other uses (mainly in
urban areas)
• Dealing with the use of non-renewable groundwater resources
• Handling transboundary aquifers and groundwater flow, as an opportunity for
international collaboration and synergy
• Need for neutral repositories of subsurface information and groundwater
resources
• A range of positions on the ‘socioeconomic developmental cycle’ from needing
managed groundwater resource development to requiring action to make current
resource use levels sustainable

27. How should the Vision be structured for maximum reach and
impact?
How closely should the Vision be linked with the Sustainable
Development Goal process?
Are there any particular issues you consider essential to a
global groundwater Vision?
What are the priority actions for the Framework?
Any suggestions for how we can increase project visibility
(and the importance of improved groundwater governance)
both inside and outside the “groundwater box?”

28. WATER SECURITY
Thank you!