Water policies around the world are in urgent need of reform. Despite improvements in some sectors and countries, progress on meeting national, regional and international goals for managing and securing access to water for all has been uneven. Rallying policymakers around a positive water reform agenda needs to be a high priority and calls for strong political commitment and leadership. This report on Meeting the Water Reform Challenge brings together key insights from recent OECD work and identifies the priority areas where governments need to focus their reform efforts. It calls for governments to focus on getting the basics of water policy right. Sustainable financing, effective governance, and coherence between water and sectoral policies are the building blocks of successful reform.

Building on the main water challenges identified by the OECD Environment Outlook to 2050, this report examines financing of the water sector; the governance and institutional arrangements that are in place; and coherence between water policies and policies in place in other sectors of the economy.

Building on the main water challenges identified by the OECD Environment Outlook to 2050, this report examines financing of the water sector; the governance and institutional arrangements that are in place; and coherence between water policies and policies in place in other sectors of the economy.

This book examines the challenge of reform of the urban water supply sector in developing countries, based on case studies of state-owned water companies in Ghana, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The growing public private partnership for urban water supply is analyzed, focussing on the concession contract model. The implications for meeting the water needs of the urban poor, for the regulatory role of the state and for state capacity building are also discussed.

This book examines the challenge of reform of the urban water supply sector in developing countries, based on case studies of state-owned water companies in Ghana, India, Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe. The growing public private partnership for urban water supply is analyzed, focussing on the concession contract model. The implications for meeting the water needs of the urban poor, for the regulatory role of the state and for state capacity building are also discussed.

This publication sets out the challenge for freshwater in a changing climate and provides policy guidance on how to navigate this new "waterscape".

Access to water is a key issue for developing countries. Kenya is one such country in which water scarcity and a poor water infrastructure compromise the health and standard of living of the population, and hinder its economic and social development. Despite a long history of attempts to reform the country's water sector and improve water resources management, a large proportion of Kenya's population is still not sufficiently served with water for consumptive, sanitation, and productive purposes. This book examines aspects of water reform and access in the country, including the institutional and historical factors affecting the water sector, and the historical evolution of water resources management from the colonial to post-independence periods. The study shows that the Water Service Providers created to replace the government agencies in the provision of water services during the recent reforms are not efficient and productive enough to meet the MDGs as envisioned by government plan.