Water - Policy Advice

Policy Advice

The World Bank provides advice on water-related policies and programs to national and local governments and to civil society, through analytical and advisory work and policy dialogue. The Bank’s formal and informal studies of critical issues help shape client countries' policies and programs. The Bank is also a major provider of non-lending technical assistance.

Support for performance improvements
Experience shows that sustainable infrastructure development is more likely to happen in an environment that fosters good performance by service providers and other institutions; ways to create such an environment are the focus of much of the Bank’s analytical work in the water sector. Also, engaging in policy dialogue and institutional strengthening at the country level helps to build country ownership and thereby improve project performance.

Design of strategies
The high degree of specificity in water resources development and management and in water services means that global lessons of experience have to be crafted into country or region-specific goals and strategies that match local conditions. Analytical and advisory activities are critical for this adaptation process.

Water sector priorities can only be achieved if they are integrated into government’s strategic objectives and if resources are allocated accordingly among sectors. National development plans offer an integrated framework to fit the various sector priorities into a larger framework. Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs) and Medium Term Expenditure Frameworks provide a useful framework for prioritization and resource allocation. For certain countries, country water resources assistance strategies provide programs of Bank lending and non-lending support that are tailored to the country’s priorities, consistent with the PRSP (and the Bank’s country assistance strategy), and govern the Bank-country partnership in water.

Bridging transboundary issues
The Bank has proven to be an ‘honest broker’ that can bridge sensitive trans-boundary issues. For instance, it was invited to coordinate international support to Nile cooperation in 1997, and now coordinates the involvement of about 17 multilateral and bilateral development partners of the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI).

Assistance for monitoring and evaluation
As a result of the increased focus on results measurement, the World Bank is also stepping up its work on tools to help project teams to improve monitoring and evaluation.