Short Description
Across Europe and beyond, water systems are under increasing pressure from climate change, environmental degradation, competing water uses, and institutional fragmentation. Floods, droughts, biodiversity loss, and water scarcity are no longer future risks—they are current management challenges. While technical solutions are often available, weak or misaligned governance arrangements frequently limit their effectiveness. Roles and responsibilities may be unclear, coordination across sectors and levels of government can be difficult, and stakeholders are not always meaningfully involved in decision-making. In this context, assessing water governance is essential to understand not only what problems exist, but why they persist and how governance structures can be strengthened to deliver more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive water outcomes.
The InnWater governance assessment framework and associated tool provide water managers with a structured way to reflect on how water governance functions in practice. Building on the OECD Principles on Water Governance and extending them to better address sustainability and climate resilience, the framework helps users assess governance strengths, identify gaps, and prioritise areas for improvement. Rather than prescribing one “right” governance model, InnWater is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different institutional, cultural, and geographic contexts. It supports water managers in translating abstract governance principles into concrete discussions, shared understanding, and actionable steps, while encouraging long-term thinking around resilience, sustainability, and inclusive decision-making.
The InnWater framework and tool were validated through a three-step process involving different audiences and real-world settings. First, an online two-round Delphi consultation with selected water governance experts assessed the overall structure, coherence, and relevance of the framework. Second, five structured focus group consultations were held with potential users from different water-related sectors across Europe to test usability, clarity, and practical value. Third, the framework was applied in project pilot sites through in-person workshops, allowing water managers and stakeholders to use the tool in real governance contexts. Results from the three validation phases were grouped into key insights and implications for water managers. The document finishes by presenting a set of practical recommendations for using the InnWater governance approach in future settings to assess and contribute to improving the governance of a given context, fostering dialogues and addressing sustainability and resilience in water management.
This document is intended for water managers, river basin authorities, local and regional administrations, policy-makers, and practitioners involved in water governance. It is also relevant for facilitators, consultants, and organisations supporting participatory water management processes. The document can be used as a practical guide to understand why governance assessment matters, how the InnWater framework can support governance improvement, and how to apply the tool in different contexts.
The InnWater governance assessment framework and associated tool provide water managers with a structured way to reflect on how water governance functions in practice. Building on the OECD Principles on Water Governance and extending them to better address sustainability and climate resilience, the framework helps users assess governance strengths, identify gaps, and prioritise areas for improvement. Rather than prescribing one “right” governance model, InnWater is designed to be flexible and adaptable to different institutional, cultural, and geographic contexts. It supports water managers in translating abstract governance principles into concrete discussions, shared understanding, and actionable steps, while encouraging long-term thinking around resilience, sustainability, and inclusive decision-making.
The InnWater framework and tool were validated through a three-step process involving different audiences and real-world settings. First, an online two-round Delphi consultation with selected water governance experts assessed the overall structure, coherence, and relevance of the framework. Second, five structured focus group consultations were held with potential users from different water-related sectors across Europe to test usability, clarity, and practical value. Third, the framework was applied in project pilot sites through in-person workshops, allowing water managers and stakeholders to use the tool in real governance contexts. Results from the three validation phases were grouped into key insights and implications for water managers. The document finishes by presenting a set of practical recommendations for using the InnWater governance approach in future settings to assess and contribute to improving the governance of a given context, fostering dialogues and addressing sustainability and resilience in water management.
This document is intended for water managers, river basin authorities, local and regional administrations, policy-makers, and practitioners involved in water governance. It is also relevant for facilitators, consultants, and organisations supporting participatory water management processes. The document can be used as a practical guide to understand why governance assessment matters, how the InnWater framework can support governance improvement, and how to apply the tool in different contexts.
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