21 November 2017: At the 10th meeting of its Water Governance Initiative, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) updated members and stakeholders on the contribution of the Initiative to several global policy agendas including the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate targets under the Paris Agreement, and the forthcoming 8th World Water Forum. At the same meeting, Brazil’s National Water Agency and the World Water Council presented their progress in organizing the 8th World Water Forum, which will convene in 2018 in Brazil. The meeting also launched a report on water pricing policy in Brazil, the outcome of an OECD two-year policy dialogue in the country.

The Initiative’s 10th meeting took place from 20-21 November 2017, in Vienna, Austria, with approximately 70 members in attendance. Besides launching the report titled, ‘Water Charges in Brazil: The Ways Forward,’ the OECD also released a special issue of the ‘Water International’ journal on the OECD Principles on Water Governance. The meeting featured highlights from recent webinars on water governance stories, and discussed challenges and opportunities for water governance in Austria. Participants also discussed the results of the second phase of the pilot-tests of water governance indicators, which the OECD is testing in several countries, including Cabo Verde, Malaysia, Peru, and Scotland.

The OECD launched the Water Governance Initiative in March 2013. The Initiative, which has approximately 100 members, provides a multi-stakeholder platform for knowledge sharing, advises governments on water reforms, and seeks to raise the profile of governance in the global water policy agenda, including in the SDGs, the World Water Forum, the New Urban Agenda, and the Paris Agreement on climate. The Initiative seeks to foster continuity in the implementation of global water policy reforms, including through support for implementation between World Water Forums. [Meeting Web Page with Links to Presentations] [OECD Web Page on Water Governance Initiative] [Water Charges in Brazil Report Web Page] [Full Text of ‘Water Charges in Brazil: The Ways Forward’ Report]