Politicians do not want to be associated with things that are bad. It is important to support and engage politicians to learn how water management can be improved and improve the environment. These two important lessons for water sector advocates emerged from the December 2010 conference 'Sustainable Water Management in Cities: engaging stakeholders for effective change', held in Zaragoza, Spain.
Published on: 17/03/2011
Politicians do not want to be associated with things that are bad. It is important to support and engage politicians to learn how water management can be improved and improve the environment.
These two important lessons for water sector advocates emerged from the December 2010 conference 'Sustainable Water Management in Cities: engaging stakeholders for effective change', held in Zaragoza, Spain . They came out of discussions about the political opportunities and challenges for sustainable water management in cities.
Other political lessons include:
The Zaragoza City Council, the UN-Water Decade Programme on Advocacy and Communication, the SWITCH consortium and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), organised this five day conference from, 13-17 December 2010 to contribute to the sustainable management of water in cities. It brought together experts, local government officials, media specialists, key water operators and political representatives of cities and stakeholder groups to discuss issues, propose practical ways to progress the international agenda and share solutions for engaging stakeholders. This event was also used as an intermediary step in preparations for World Water Day 2011, which focuses on urban water management.
Conference organisers targeted political and media people by spending a day on each discussing with them how best to get them on board for more sustainable city water management. Of the 157 participants, 23 were political representatives, such as mayors and councillors, 26 were high level public administration directors, 18 were media and communication experts (but only 8 of these were independent journalists).
“If they want the politicians to engage, why are they organising a separate field visit for them?”, asked one of the political representatives in the Conference Daily newsletter.
There were lessons too on how to engage with the media – and how not to!
Dalia Abdel-Salam, from Egypt, said: “Sometimes as journalists we are in big trouble. Experts expect that the journalists write about their research in their paper, but they do not try to simplify their research - and make it accessible for the reader.”
Rebecca Munetsi, from Namibia, needs good ammunition to ensure her stories are well used. “The problem I’m facing comes from the newsroom. That is where the pressure comes from. For them water is old news. I always have to convince my editor.”
Roel Landingin from the Philippines stressed that you could not just expect journalists to write what you wanted. They would take their own line.
”We are really two different worlds. There are two different agendas. It is good to recognise that for realistic engagement. A good journalist is not expected to repeat, but to own and add value to a story. They won’t choose the intended story. This can be good and bad. You can’t hope to use them.”
This means that there is tension between being a journalist and being an advocate for a cause.
Syeda Amna Nasir is a freelance journalist for Dawn and The News International, from Lahore and Karachi, Pakistan. She is also a stringer for www.centralasiaonline.com/en . She made some good observations on the role of the media in reporting on water and sanitation in an interview with the Conference Daily.
What is the main challenge for the media in reporting on water and sanitation issues (especially at the city level)?
“Concerned departments and officials are not bothered to share information. A focused and responsible reporter will cover the reality on the ground, creating an understanding for a general audience.”
Asked how the media could contribute to water policy changes at the city level, she said:
“We need to cover every aspect of the water scenario: human health, ecosystem health, sustainable use and economy, hazards and environmental predictions, global water commitments."
“Media can raise [its] voice reporting on wasteful farming techniques, leakages in the irrigation network, climate change and the over-exploitation, or pollution of natural aquifers and other water bodies. We help educate people how to protect water wastage; future conflicts are rooted in disputes over water and we make the public aware about the links between sanitation and health. Media sensitisation is needed occasionally to strengthen flow of communication. Through media cooperation and production of inputs into radio and TV programmes as well as newspaper articles, [the] visibility of the coalitions' work will enhance."
How can local authorities and other stakeholders assist the media better in communicating on the issues of water and sanitation?
“Most of the time they are reluctant to share information since they are not sure how the media will utilize given information. Governments and international agencies should encourage electronic media to include sanitation and water management related messages in its entertaining programmes and to develop educational programmes on sanitation, water management and health related issues.
Petra Brussee and Dick de Jong
