#11: National coordination mechanism that includes public and non-public actors

A national coordination mechanism that includes public and non-public actors and both different national ministries / agencies, actors such as NGOs, civil society, international cooperation, is an attempt to address water policy issues holistically by setting a base of comprehensive understanding of the problem (enabled by a huge variety of

"[A]ny person, group or organisation with an interest or ‘stake’ in an issue, either because they will be affected or because they may have some influence on its outcome. Stakeholders may include other government bodies.” (Ridder et al. 2005).

backgrounds).

This approach has been used to support strategic planning of the water sector, as well as the coordination of actions of different authorities in the implementation of international conventions.

In Sri Lanka, the National Water Supply and Drainage Board has led intra-sectorial coordination towards crisis prevention through the institution of informal networks between public and non-public actors, in particular governmental agencies, NGOs and sector support institutions. The coordination activity unfold through the support of research, the joint development of policy and the sharing of relevant experiences. This arrangement proved to be suitable for rapid coordination and networking, cooperative behavior and identification of priorities and necessities. Similarly, in India a set of emergency-mitigation expert engineers and NGOs provides an efficient source of expertise when managing water supply, sanitation and environmental health related issues. The establishment of such mechanisms for crisis prevention is a valuable strategy to enhance coordination.