KEY FINDINGS

The OECD has worked with 34 water regulators to identify dedicated bodies set up to regulate the provision of urban drinking water and wastewater services.

The key highlights of the report show that:

• More and more countries establish dedicated bodies to regulate water services
• Where they exist, these water regulators are the critical link in the implementation of regulation. They are also a vector of transparency through the information on service performance that they collect and make available to all

• The 34 water regulators have generally adopted many of the good governance principles and practices identified in the OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulators Policy: The Governance of Regulators. In particular, water regulators generally display legitimacy, clarity of roles and responsibilities, and accountability grounded in legislative instruments when it comes to their institutional settings

• Their financial autonomy, the professionalism of their staff, the clarity of their mandate and the delineation of their responsibilities determine their integrity and the success of their mission
• But the potential of regulators to make regulation more relevant, effective, and less costly is not exploited. Governments could better harness their culture of consultation with regulated and users to improve urban water regulation

RELATED WORK

• Recommendation of the Council on Regulatory Policy and Governance
• OECD (2014), OECD Best Practice Principles for Regulatory Policy: The Governance of Regulators
• Network of Economic Regulators
• OECD Water Governance Initiative  
• OECD work on water
• Diving into Empty Pools - OECD Insights Blog

LAUNCH OF THE REPORT IN SEOUL

The Governance of Water Regulators was launched at the 7th World Water Forum in Seoul, Korea on 13 April 2015 together with:

Water and Cities: Ensuring Sustainable Futures. This report provides guidance on how governments can ensure the financial sustainability of urban water systems, improve governance and regulatory frameworks to better implement water policies at different territorial scales, reduce barriers to the use of innovative techniques and approaches, and better link urban and rural water policies. 

Stakeholder Engagement for Inclusive Water Governance. This report assesses the current trends, drivers, obstacles, mechanisms, impacts, costs and benefits of stakeholder engagement in the water sector. It provides pragmatic policy guidance to decision makers and practitioners in the form of key principles and a Checklist for Public Action with indicators, international references and self-assessment questions.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Please contact in the Regulatory Policy Division, Directorate for Public Governance and Territorial Development:

• Ms Céline Kauffmann, Deputy Head