RAFI-EADSC hosts international workshop on water management
The International Workshop on Water Tariffs, Water Governance, and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) was held from August 10 to 12 at the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. – Eduardo Aboitiz Development Studies Center (RAFI-EADSC).
Presented by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), Mega Cebu, and other local partners, the workshop brought together local and international resource persons for a discussion of important water-related issues under various domestic contexts. Local speakers representing Cebu, Manila, Davao, and Zamboanga shared their approaches in water resources management.
Participants to the workshop included Metro Cebu Development and Coordinating Board, national government and regional line agencies, water districts in and around Cebu, local government units, universities, the private sector, and NGOs. They had in-depth discussions on issues such as water pricing and tariffs, challenges of water governance, IWRM for sustainability, and climate change, afterwards proposing multi-pronged solutions to address the challenges.
UNESCO Jakarta also expressed support for Mega Cebu as it continues to bring together various stakeholders to find solutions to overcome the water problem. The UNESCO-Mega Cebu partnership is seen to be a future reference for other city-regions in Asia. This timely partnership follows the El Niño dry spell experienced this year and flooding in Cebu, a situation aggravated by climate change and increasing water demand due to rapid urbanization.