Key messages

• ANA, Brazil’s National Agency for Water and Basic Sanitation, holds regulatory duties regarding water resource management, including water-use regulation, dam safety and water supply and sanitation. Since 2000, ANA has been central to the implementation of the National Water Resources Policy – the key legal instrument governing water resource management in Brazil - and has built a reputation for its competent technical staff.
• ANA has a strong track record in water resource management but now faces the challenge of meeting a mandate that extends to water supply and sanitation, where it will develop national reference standards  - standards to guide sub-national regulatory agencies supervising the water supply and sanitation sector at the state and local level.
• To effectively take on these new duties, ANA can take action to clarify its role, address misalignments between its mandate, mission and regulatory powers in the water supply and sanitation sector, build its economic analysis capability in water and sanitation, and advocate for reforms that would relieve various external constraints around hiring and financial management affecting the agency.
• ANA can also look within and consider how its current organisational structure, processes, and outputs, including its use of data and digital tools, function to deliver outcomes for citizens efficiently and effectively whilst promoting a culture of integrity and independence. Transparent dialogue within the organisation and with sector stakeholders regarding roles and responsibilities remains vital in a dynamic and challenging context.

CONTACT

For more information, please contact NER.Info@oecd.org, OECD Regulatory Policy Division.