Collaboration and the urban nexus: theoretical and practical implications for integrated NRM? David Benson and Animesh K. Gain UN-ESCAP, Bangkok, 10-11 November 2016

Overview Governing for the nexus – normative theory Collaborative governance in NRM Collaboration in practice: IWRM in Bangladesh and Dhaka Practical implications for collaboration in the urban nexus Challenges and opportunities Conclusions

Theorising nexus governance Four normative features of governing for the WEF nexus: Integrated approach to natural resource management Coordinating sectoral policy objectives – water, energy, food production Consistent with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs Institutions and instruments for promoting coordination Integration at multiple scales – global to the local Collaboration between multiple actors – state and non-state Benson et al. (2015, 2016)

Collaborative governance in NRM Multiple definitions of ‘collaboration’ in the governance literature Within NRM studies it is taken to mean: ‘… where power is allocated to multiple stakeholders who engage in negotiation and consensus building within specific institutions… located at [different] scales.’ (Benson et al. 2013) Paradigmatic shift? Multi-stakeholder participation in decision-making now a feature of integrated NRM globally, e.g. IWRM But state agency control still significant in NRM governance

Collaboration in policy: Bangladesh and IWRM The nexus is institutionalised through the National Water Policy (NWP) 1999 Endorses an integrated approach to planning and managing water resources (IWRM) Sectoral objectives for integrating agriculture, energy and environmental protection Requirements for stakeholder participation at all levels, including local Commitment for power sharing State and non-state actors, including women Processes and institutions for participation National and river basin scale

Collaboration in practice: the urban nexus in Dhaka Dhaka – defined by UN-DESA as a ‘megacity’ 15.5 million people (2015) Problems with planning, integrating water, energy and environmental provision (Gain et al. 2017) Multiple national ministries for water/energy/environmental management, Dhaka City Corporation, government agencies National and city level planning Collaboration in IWRM is constrained by: Limited power sharing Sectoral decision-making by government/city agencies and industry Limited institutions for non-state actor participation Decisions taken at national scale

Practical implications for collaboration in the urban nexus Challenges Power dynamics and limited subsidiarity – government agencies, industry Financial and technical constraints Including state and non-state actors, e.g. industry, NGOs, civil society Cultural constraints – gender Opportunities Collaboration can support nexus integration at local scales in developed countries (UK, USA, Australia, EU) (Benson et al. 2013) More consideration of how collaboration can support the urban nexus in developing countries through: Cross-institutional integration, building institutional capacity, supporting collaborative processes and different groups Scope for lesson-drawing/policy transfer (Benson and Jordan 2011)

Constraints in developing countries Conclusions Collaboration should (theoretically) be an important component of the urban nexus Constraints in developing countries Opportunities for greater promotion of collaboration in nexus governance through lesson-drawing on effectiveness Contact us: d.i.benson@exeter.ac.uk