REGIONAL PROCESS CONCEPT NOTE

10th WORLD WATER FORUM, BALI, 2024

This concept note intends to provide an overview of the 10th World Water Forum’s Regional Process, including its objectives, expected outcomes, working group structure, and roadmap. This will also act as a general guide to each region/sub-region towards developing the 10th Forum Regional Process outcomes.

​ THE REGIONAL PROCESS

Different setting and environmental conditions enable diverse regions to share commonalities in challenges and solutions. Hance, the Regional Process has been essential in organizing the World Water Forum, considering that it provides a regionalized voice and priorities, enabling the two other processes to have an in-depth understanding of regional perspectives on the current status of the thematic issues and political water agenda. This process will also encourage acquiring new knowledge and sharing of experiences and best management practices across different regions.

The Regional Process has its core value in developing, analyzing, and presenting case studies and practices related to issues at the local and regional levels. Hance, this process differs from the Thematic Process, which will take a more analytical/ theoretical approach based on global thematic priorities. The Regional Process will incorporate local and regional perspectives throughout its preparatory process and other processes.

The Regional Process is interlinked with the two other processes bearing in mind that the importance of each Sub-theme for the Thematic Process varies in every regional or local context. While the challenges in a particular region might be comparable, understanding the priority issues and solutions in each region or local should be considered. The Regional Process also drives the political process through policy recommendations, commitments, and sharing of knowledge and experiences from a regional and local perspective as topics of every discussion within and between five different Political process segments.

Dialogues and implementation plans may only be responsive when rooted in the local context. The 10th Forum will therefore attempt to reinforce regional processes that will articulate thematic and political issues from local and regional perspectives. This will result in more customized political commitment for action at the local level and practical solutions for thematic areas. The regional process also targets understanding different regional experiences and knowledge in water management. To do this, a wide range of multi-stakeholders from regions and sub-regions will be required and invited to draw localized solutions that could be realized in the regional context.

​ OBJECTIVES

  • To Specify regional priorities and related tangible local action plans to share and implement for the solutions to the priorities identified in the regions under Forum themes
  • To facilitate regional dialogues and cooperation on local/ regional water-related challenges by identifying local and regional water priorities and developing solutions to those challenges
  • To catalyze the exchange of experiences, ideas, lessons, and potential solutions among different regions on common water issues through a set of inter-regional dialogues
  • To strengthen regional stakeholders of water able to raise the political profile of water in the respective region

PROPOSED DELIVERABLES

Each Region is asked to prepare the following in the preparation phase.

  • Regional (including Sub-regional process roadmap) roadmap : To guide each region/ sub-region, a procedure and plan of work are required to ensure the timely achievement of essential milestones leading to Bali 2024.
  • Regional/ Sub-Regional process prep meeting(s) : To mobilize and galvanize the stakeholders in each region/sub-region and develop plans and roadmap with them.
  • Regional (including Sub-regional report) Reports : A draft of each Regional Report will be prepared, and its final draft is asked to be presented during the Forum. It is expected to provide inputs into the other processes of the forum. The Regional report will include the results of the Sub-regional processes.
  • Regional Process Showcase : To share local water solutions and tangible outcomes of the regional water projects and studies.

 REGIONAL PROCESS THEMATIC FRAMEWORK

The core value of the Regional Process is to provide a customized local context of the water issues and address regional perspectives on prioritized water issues. considering the aligned and coherent articulation of regional issues in connection to identified major themes of the 10th World Water Forum, the following framework is proposed. Regional and Thematic Process has a strong linkage in terms of dealing with issues and finding solutions to the identified challenges from different views. Given that both processes are working toward the common theme of " Water for Shared Prosperity" of the 10th World Water Forum, the proposed approach is to ensure close alignment between the local/regional issues and thematic priorities. Each region is asked to choose at least (minimum) 3 topics from the Thematic Framework considering each sub-regional and regional water priorities. this will provide ample opportunities for in-depth analysis and interpretation from the local/ regional view. There is no limit to the number of Topics a Region/Sub-region should address in addition to considering respective local water priorities. See below for a limited example.


< Proposed Regional Process Thematic Framework >

A common selection of the same topics would give essential elements for inter-regional dialogues during the Forum period.

 WORKING GROUP STRUCTURE

< Proposed Regional Process Working Group Structure>

Regional Process commission (RPC) is to make preliminary decisions on the Regional Coordinator. RPC will make a roadmap and plans to operate RP efficiently and balanced way. In addition, RPC will oversee planning and coordinating the inter-regional dialogues. The WWC and Indonesian national secretariat will support the RPC meeting. RPC is to interact with the Thematic and Political Process Commissions to provide local and regional context and discussion results.

Regional Coordinating Group, RCG (Regional Coordinator(s) + Sub-regional Coordinators) : Each region will have a regional coordinating group which is composed of regional coordinator(s) and sub-regional coordinators. Each Regional Coordinating Group (RCG) will develop sub-regional priorities aligned with the six Forum sub-themes and carry out an inclusive multi-stakeholder process by continuously engaging with them to work toward developing a Regional Process outcome under the guidance of the RPC. Each RCG will organize a Regional Synthesis session during the Forum supported by the results of the sub-regional coordinators.

Sub-regional Coordination Group (SCG): The sub-regional coordination group comprises the coordinator and session organizers. Each Sub-region will have up to 2 sub-regional coordinators. Each Regional Coordinator(s) will appoint the Sub-regional Coordinator based on their expertise and experiences. The group will join in designing and developing sub-regional issues and coordinate with session organizers to develop sessions by providing guidance updated information to the session coordinators under the guidance of the coordination group. 

PROPOSED TIMELINE & MAJOR MILESTONES

Date

Regional Process

January 2023

·     Proposed Regional Framework

February 2023

·     (1st SCM, Kick-off) Introduce the overall process and discuss ways to develop

March~ 2023

·     Call for Interest of Regional Coordinator

·     Development of the advanced framework

June 2023

·     Finalization of Regional Framework

July-August 2023

·     Concept Note Finalization of proposed regions (Asia Pacific,

     Mediterranean), Continuation of Negotiation(Americas, Africa)

-        Sub-Regional Coordinator selection

-        Session Organizers Identification

October 2023

·     Regional Session Identification

-     (2nd SCM): Region, Sub-region Topic Description, Session Planning

January 2024

·     Regional Session Plan Finalization

~May 2024

·     Continuous development of the sessions and deliverables


 < Proposed Regional Process Timeline and Major Milestones>