During the Romania National Consultation there was a strong consensus on the need for frequent dialogue among the central and local water authorities and institutions. This would correlate the strategies and investments contained in the River Basin Management Plans. Participants also focused on the problems and specific recommendations for the post-2015 development framework, to ensure basic water and sanitation services as a fundamental human right.
The participants agreed that water, in all its uses, is fundamental to sustainable development needs and must be managed effectively. The suggested global water goal and identified targets and indicators would allow the benefits to become more obvious. Strong synergies between water and other issues such as energy and food require clearer recognition and an integrated approach.
The Romania report suggests an improvement of capacity building to ensure effective monitoring of future water and sanitation targets and flood forecasting. It also calls for reducing the timeline between planning and implementation, as well as improved land-use, better planning for development at local level, taking into account flood hazards. Furthermore it suggests an information and awareness programme for the public on the complexity of the issues in the water/wastewater management field.
Another 28 Reports
By the end of April another 28 reports will be submitted from other national consultations. From these a final synthesis report will be developed for input into the Global Dialogue High Panel Discussion at Singapore Water Week in June.
All materials and news articles connected to the national consultations can be found here: Global Dialogue on Water Security and Sustainable Growth. Among the selection of news are summaries from consultations in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Romania and Slovenia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal, Zambia, Tanzania and Nicaragua.
The combined work undertaken within the Global Dialogue will result in a milestone report on "Water Security and Sustainable Growth" to be presented at the World Water Forum in South Korea in 2015.
The full report from GWP Romania is available here.
Top photo: The national consultation in Romania took place 20 March in Bucharest.