Water Awareness Strategy.

This Water Sector Awareness Strategy is a 10-years sectoral document representing a framework of what needs to be communicated to close the information gap on water initiatives among the stakeholders and outlines the possible target audiences as well as communication tools. It is also a basis for developing national specific implementation plans by Water Sector Organizations and service providers. PWA, as leading organization, has the lead role in strategy implementation and coordinates the efforts amongst relevant water sector organizations for the purpose of achieving the awareness objectives. However, some local and international organizations can play major role in strategy implementation through providing technical and financial support.
Main goal of the Strategy is achieving improved awareness and understanding on sector’s thematic areas and issues contributing to economic and social development. The main goal would be achieved through a number of strategic objectives, as follows (i) promote understanding and support of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and increase its effectiveness; (ii) increase commitment among the main Water Sector Institutions and the public on the importance of water supply and sanitation services in socioeconomic attributes; (iii) increase knowledge of the importance of water demand management in the sustainable development and utilization of water resources; (iv) encourage cross-border investments in transboundary water resources management that promotes regional cooperation; (v) advocate water rights and promulgate water related regional conflict issues; and (vi) promote water resources development, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects that encourage investment in and best usage of water resources for community well-being.
Primary target audiences identified by the document are the general public; policy and decision-makers; professionals in government, private sector, and NGOs; private sector; water service providers; schools and academic institutions; farmers, associations and relevant communities; international community; and media.
To make agriculture more productive and sustainable, the Water Sector Awareness Strategy proposes to (i) inform farmers, farmers associations, irrigation associations, and industrial associations, agricultural water users associations, as the central role players on issues of sustainability, on how services are being offered to them so that they are better prepared to sustain and control their use of water; and (ii) advocate the importance of reuse of recycled water for the agricultural sector especially in non-irrigated areas of the West Bank and middle and southern areas of Gaza.
Rural poverty reduction will be tackled by (i) subsidizing water for domestic use among poor communities should be considered to support the socially disadvantaged groups; and (ii) providing water supply and sanitation to marginalized communities (in particular of Area C).
In order to enable more inclusive and efficient agricultural systems, interventions shall be directed to (i) raise awareness on the importance of stakeholder participation in water resources development and management among users, planners and policymakers at all levels; (ii) highlight and promote the role and participation of women in decision making and in the provision, utilization, management and safeguarding of water; (iii) incorporate women’s specific needs in water management policies and programs; (iv) challenge cultural, political and economic influences that impede women’s involvement at all levels of water resources management; and (v) take in consideration the crucial role of women in domestic and agricultural water uses.
Promoting, development and putting into use of emergency contingency plans that used during infrastructure failures will increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters.
As for the Governance, the monitoring and evaluation process is considered crucial to achieve the objectives of this strategy. PWA as a leading organization for the water sector shall initiate such activity at the beginning of strategy implementation, identifying base values for the identified indicators. However, the responsibility for water resource governance, being a ministerial and regulatory function, and water service management, being an operational function, should be separated institutionally.