Glossary

A - D

A

Accountability

Principle by which managers and decision makers in the government, the private sector and organized civil society are responsible towards the public for the actions they do or take within their positions.

Accord

An official agreement or treaty.

Act

A law passed formally by a parliament.

Actors

People at whatever level, ‘acting’ individually or collectively, taking part in any affair.

Adaptation (*)

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), it refers to “actions taken to help communities and ecosystems cope with changing climate conditions.”

Administration (water)

The organization and running of a system to manage the supply, allocation, demand and care for water.

Adverse effects of climate change (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines them as “changes in the physical environment or biota resulting from climate change which have significant deleterious effects on the composition, resilience or productivity of natural and managed ecosystems or on the operation of socio-economic systems or on human health and welfare.”.

Affermage contract

A lease contract whereby the government agrees to finance a facility but the private company operates the system and is responsible for providing work capital. The local government is responsible for all capital outlays. A formula fixes rates that often include a surcharge to be remitted to the government for repayment of debts.

Agreement

Negotiated arrangement; does not necessarily imply full satisfaction by all parties, nor unanimity on the reasons behind a decision, but reflects reaching an arrangement or product that is workable and acceptable to all.

Agreement (water)

Policy, law and other management arrangements that govern water-related behaviour; agreements (like negotiations) can be at different levels and scales, non-binding or binding (i.e., legally enforceable), formal or informal, verbal or written.

Allocation (water)

Formal and informal decision processes (and non-decisions) that alter the physical distribution of water and water-related rewards, risks, rights and responsibilities.

Amendment

A change or modification to existing agreements. Agreements can and should be amended over time as circumstances change, and adaptation is required.

Aquifers

They are also known as groundwater resources. They constitute non-visible water reserves, hidden under the ground. There are many different types of aquifers depending on their natural and geological characteristics. An aquifer can be connected to one or more superficial water resources (rivers, lakes, basins etc.).. Therefore they are areas where water constantly moves from one water basin to the other.

Arbitrator

An independent person or body officially appointed to settle a dispute.

Assisted negotiation

As the number of parties and/or issues in a negotiation increases, it is often necessary to involve a neutral facilitator or mediator to help manage the negotiation processes of deliberation, problem solving, choice making, consensus seeking or optimization.

Authority

The power or right to give orders and enforce obedience; // A person or organization having official power; // Recognised knowledge or expertise.

B

Bargain

Negotiate the terms of an agreement. Example phrase, ‘hard bargaining’, meaning pressing forcefully for a deal in one’s favour. Hard bargaining is often associated with competitive modes of negotiation.

Best alternative to a negotiated agreement (BATNA)

Concept developed by Roger Fisher and William Ury. Rather than focus on a traditional ‘bottom line’, they argued negotiators should know what possible outcomes are available in the absence of a successful negotiation. By researching and thinking creatively about the non-negotiated options, it is possible to have a clear measure against which any negotiated agreement can be assessed. Knowing your BATNA strengthens your position and if you know the other side’s BATNA you have an even better chance of making the right decisions during a negotiation. If accepting this logic, parties doing better than their BATNA becomes a necessary condition for agreement.

Bill

Draft of a proposed law presented to parliament for discussion.

Border, boundary or contiguous rivers

Are those rivers that act as a limit or boundary between two or more countries.

Breakthrough

A sudden important development or success, such as a significant step forward in a negotiation which moves parties closer to an agreement.

Bylaw

Administrative decision adopted within an organization or corporation for its internal governance.

C

Capacity building

Cooperative training network for sustainable development. This is linked directly to ‘good governance’ as building the capacity of institutions and people (in particular at national and local level) is necessary for ‘good governance’, which in turn is critical to achieving sustainable development.

Charter

A written constitution or description of an organization’s functions, // A written grant of rights, by the sovereign or legislature, of a specified group of people.

Climate change (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines it as “a change of climate which is attributed directly or indirectly to human activity that alters the composition of the global atmosphere.”

Climate system (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines it as “the totality of the atmosphere, hydrosphere, biosphere and geosphere and their interactions.”

Coalition

A temporary alliance (of distinct parties, forming a government, or of States) for the performance of joint actions.

Code

A systematic collection of laws or statutes, arranged so as to avoid inconsistency and overlapping (e.g., the penal code). // A set of conventions governing behaviour.

Common law jurisdictions

Common law is considered as opposed to civil law. Common law jurisdictions (most of which descend from the English legal system) place great weight on common law decisions which take great account of precedents, as opposed to ‘civil law’ or ‘code’ jurisdictions (many of which descend from the Napoleonic code) in which the weight accorded to judicial precedent is reduced/minimised.

Competition

The activity of competing against others. To compete (v.) is to strive to gain or win something by defeating or establishing superiority over others.

Compliance

The action or fact of complying. To comply (v.) means to act in accordance with a wish, or command, to meet specified standards, which may have been defined in an agreement.

Compromise

The settlement of a dispute or an agreement reached by each side by making mutual concessions. // An intermediate state between conflicting opinions, reached by mutual concession.

Concession

A thing conceded, or given up, or chosen to be left out. // The right to use land or other property, granted by a government or local authorities, particularly for a specific use.

Conflict

An incompatibility between opinions, principles, etc. Conflict is not necessarily bad, abnormal or dysfunctional, but rather an inherent element of human interaction. When thinking about the directions taken by society, the governance processes by which we deal with conflict are what really matter. Where there is conflict, parties may be less inclined or able to participate fully or constructively in negotiations until the conflict is adequately acknowledged.

Consensus building

The process of seeking unanimity in group decision making, through carefully managed dialogue and joint problem-solving negotiations. A consensus-building process may lead to a workable agreement, in which participants agree on a course of action for different reasons. The accordance is reached after all parties have had a chance to express their views and no further investment of time or effort will improve the agreement from anyone’s standpoint without disadvantaging others.

Contract

A written or spoken agreement between two or more parties, intended to be enforceable by law.

Convention

A (formal) agreement between countries. // A formal assembly or conference for a common purpose. // A custom or customary practice.

Cooperation

The action of cooperating, i.e., of working together towards the same end, purpose, or effect; joint operation.

Corrective actions

Actions intended to correct or counteract something that is malfunctioning, undesirable, or injurious. Corrective action is also used as an encompassing term that includes remedial actions, genuine corrective actions and preventive actions.

Corruption

The misuse of a position of trust (where one receives authority in order to act on behalf of an institution) to gain profit.

Coastal-marine area

The territory belonging to a State located in the lower part of the basin, i.e. in the area within the immediate surroundings of the mouth of the main river. This area includes not only the mouth of the river but also the adjacent area. The coastal-marine area is where the transitional process of transforming freshwater into salty sea water takes place. It is possible to observe very specific and sensitive ecosystems in this area, such as freshwater wetlands, coastal lagoons, mangroves, sea grass beds and coral reefs.

Customary laws

Long-established practices commonly accepted as correct rules of action at local, national and international levels.

Customary water management laws

Group of non-formal norms and behaviours accepted by the community, and that have endured over time in the society.

D

Decentralization

The act by which the central government transfers powers, rights and duties to lower political and administrative hierarchical units.

Deliberation

Debate or discussion aimed at producing reasonable, well informed opinions in which participants are willing to revise preferences in light of argumentation, new information, and claims made by fellow participants. Although consensus needs not be the ultimate aim of deliberation and participants are expected to pursue their interests, an overarching concern in the legitimacy of outcomes (understood as justification to all affected) ideally characterizes deliberation.

Devolution

The act by which the government transfers core powers, rights and duties to local and regional administration or to individuals or groups of individuals that are located within or outside the government.

Dialogue

Discussion directed towards exploration of a subject or resolution of a problem.

Discourse

A shared set of concepts, categories and ideas provided with a framework for making sense of situations. It includes judgements, assumptions, capabilities, dispositions and intentions. It provides basic terms for analysis, debates, agreements and disagreements. Discourses can embody power as they condition norms and perceptions of actors, suppressing some interests while advancing others. Understanding discourses will enable greater comprehension of the behaviour of different parties in any negotiation.

Dispute

A disagreement. A dispute refers to a more specific issue or disagreement than a conflict, and can be due to a particular incident where one or more party is aggrieved. Parties may be in dispute due to an incident without there being any significant underlying conflict (incompatibilities, etc.).

Duty

A legal obligation. Its breach may give rise to liability or possibility of legal sanction.

E - I

E

Ecosystem services

Those benefits that people receive from ecosystems.

Effective water governance

Normative approach aimed towards transparent, coherent, participative and sustainable water management and development.

Efficiency

Principle by which individuals and institutions must use the best processes available to produce better results, meeting the goals traced while using the least amount of resources needed.

Emissions (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines it as “the release of greenhouse gases and/or their precursors into the atmosphere over a specified area and period of time.”

Enactment

Act of officially publishing a law leading to compliance and enforcement.

Enforcement

To compel observance of or obedience to laws and regulations by imposing certain sanctions.

Engage

Attract or involve someone’s interest or attention. // Engage in/with: participate or become involved in.

Equity

The quality of being fair and impartial. // Principle under which all individuals that are in the same situation must abide by the same laws, without any type pf distinction or discrimination.

Ethics (in water negotiation):

The moral principles governing or influencing conduct. People’s experience haggling over price in markets encourages many to think that it is acceptable to be untruthful in negotiations. It is common for negotiators to exaggerate the value of something (say that they have more attractive alternative offers) or to misrepresent information important to the negotiation. In negotiations over water issues, hollow threats and other dishonest devices may be used. Apart from the moral reasons for not being untruthful or exaggerating, there are practical reasons for being ethical. If people provide misleading information it is difficult to achieve outcomes that genuinely rely on what is of high value to one side and of low cost to the other. Also, long-term resentment can flow from dishonest negotiations as untruths often become evident as the negotiation progresses.

Evaporation

The process of releasing molecules from bodies of water and from the water retained in vegetation growing in the area. It is produced by heat from solar radiation.

F

Facilitate

Make easy or less difficult or more easily achieved. // The intervention of a third party (facilitator) in a conflict in order to end the confrontation and achieve a proper solution or an agreement.

Forfeiture

The loss of property or right as a result of a violation of the law.

G

Governance

The action or manner of governing; the system of controlling, directing, or regulating influence. It involves four aspects: social, political, economic and legal. More than government, governance refers to the complex of processes and institutions by which society contests, makes and manages decisions.

Governance (water)

The range of political, social, economic and administrative systems that are in place to develop and manage water resources, and the delivery of water services, at different levels of society.

Greenhouse gases (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines it as “those gaseous constituents of the atmosphere, both natural and anthropogenic, that absorb and re-emit infrared radiation.”

H

Hegemony

Dominance, especially by one State or social group over others.

High value-low cost

Negotiators need to learn what is of high value to their own side and seek to claim it, and what is of low cost and be willing to concede it. They should also try to learn the same about the other side so that both sides can gain as much as possible of high value, while giving away what is of low cost.

Hydrological cycle

The continuous process of water changing within its three states: solid, liquid and gaseous, within all systems containing water, i.e. the atmosphere, snow-capped mountains and glaciers, rivers and lakes, soil, vegetation, oceans and seas. The hydrological cycle, or the water cycle, consists of the following phases or transfer processes: precipitation, evaporation, surface runoff, permeation into the subsoil and aquifer replenishment.

I

Incentive

Mechanisms (payment or concession) to incite the behaviour and choice patterns of individuals or of a given population.

Infiltration

The process by which water seeps into the subsoil from the soil surface layers. This phenomenon is determined by the topographic characteristics of the land itself, the runoff speed and the permeability of the subsoil.

Infrastructure

The basic physical structures and services – both natural and man-made that are needed for the functioning of a community or society.

Institution

Established organization within a society, normally of a public nature, with a specific mandate and of significant importance for a given sector.

Institutions

Institutions are persistent, predictable arrangements, laws, processes or customs serving to structure political, social, cultural or economic transactions and relationships in a society. They may be informal or formal, and allow organized, collective efforts around common concerns. Although persistent, institutions constantly evolve.

Integrated Management

A basic principle of international water law that is twofold. On the one hand, it refers to the integrated management of the different phases of water (unified management of surface, subterranean and any other relevant water). On the other hand, integrated management requires the consideration and inclusion of other natural resources.

Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)

The Global Water Partnership (GWP) defines Integrated Water Resources Management as “a process which promotes the coordinated development and management of water, land and related resources in order to maximise economic and social welfare in an equitable manner without compromising the sustainability of vital ecosystems and the environment.”

Interests

Interests are what underlie stated positions and provide insight into needs, wants, desires, concerns, hopes, fears and values. Interests may be substantive (referring to the content of the problem/issue), relational (about ways of relating, and of valuing the relationship) or procedural (related to how fair the process is, and the quality of participation and decision making). Interests are not just reworded positions. They can involve multiple layers, ranging from fulfilling basic needs to desire for understanding, creativity, stimulation, meaning, rationality, dignity, choice, control, autonomy and distributive justice (see ‘positions’).

International Water Basin

Helsinki rule N.II defines an international water basin as a geographic area which runs through the territory of two or more States, delimited by an area known as the water basin, including the surface and subterranean waters that flow until they meet. The following resources come within the concept of the international water basin established by the Helsinki Rules:

• The waters of the main river, including the tributaries and lakes that are part of it;
• The riverbed and subsoil of such waters;
• The soil, flora and fauna and other natural resources;
• Groundwater; and
• The adjacent coastal and marine area.

Issue

An important topic for debate or resolution.

J - O

J

Jurisdiction

Generally speaking this means the geographical area over which authority or control may be exerted. A specifically legal interpretation refers to the authority of a court to hear and rule on a particular matter within a specific territory, or within a specific subject matter. // The territory or sphere over which the legal authority of a court or other institution extends.

Jurisprudence

The study of law or legal questions commonly referred to with respect to case decisions.

L

Law

A rule or system of rules recognized by a country or community as regulating the actions of its members and enforced by the imposition of penalties. // The regime that orders human activities and relations in accordance to a given policy or in a specific sector.

Law (soft and hard)

Soft law refers to quasi-legal instruments which do not have any legally binding force, or whose binding force is somewhat weaker than the binding force of traditional law, often contrasted with soft law by being referred to as ‘hard law’. Traditionally, the term ‘soft law’ is associated with international law, such as most resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly.

Legal personality

Legal recognition conceded by the legal order to different entities, which can be physical persons or artificial persons (business).

Legislation

A law or group of laws, also known as statutes, acts, decrees, edicts, codes (to codify means to put legal principles into a code or statute form). The hierarchy of legislation varies according to the legal order considered and the source of law making (for example ordinances are frequently issued by municipal government, and in cases of conflict, they do not have the same authority as acts issued by the principal law-making authority in the state).

Legitimate

Confirming to the law or to rules; or, able to be defended with logic or justification.

Litigate

Go to law, be a party to a lawsuit; or, take a dispute to a law court.

M

Mediate

Intervene as a mediator (between parties in a dispute) to produce agreement or reconciliation.

Micro-catchment

A watershed area usually used to describe a smaller section of a river basin draining into a tributary stream. Similar to sub-catchment.

Micro-basin

A small basin or a section of a bigger basin. In this area the economic, social and environmental aspects are strongly connected. Therefore, the micro-basin constitutes the basic geographical unit for planning a sustainable use and integrated management of natural resources.

Mitigation (*)

In the context of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Kyoto Protocol, it refers to the “actions to cut net emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce climate change as a consequence.”

Monitoring

Recording activities carried out to measure the pursuing of planned environmental objectives.

Multi-stakeholder platform (MSP)

-Mechanism of governance in which different stakeholders are identified and (usually through representatives) invited and assisted to interact in a deliberative forum that focuses on: sharing knowledge and perspectives, generating and examining options, informing and shaping negotiations and decisions.

Mutual gains

The benefits obtained through a negotiation should not be limited to the basic objectives that are evident at the outset. Negotiators should seek ways of expanding the negotiations for the benefit of both (or all) parties. Such creative thinking can lead to mutual gains. [The classic example is the story of the two sisters negotiating over how to divide an orange. Cutting it in half would give each the minimum benefit, but when the two girls question each other about the use to which the orange will be put, they discover that one needs the inside to make orange juice and the other needs the peel to make marmalade, with the result that they can both gain the full use of the orange for their respective purposes.]

N

Negotiation

A process of interaction by which two or more parties, with differences to be reconciled or choices to be made, seek to do better through jointly decided action than they might do by acting individually. The main aim of negotiation is to reach a workable, acceptable agreement to all parties. // The process of bringing different interests into settlements or arrangements of some matter.

Negotiation capacity

The qualification that determines one’s ability to engage in valid negotiations and in a parity situation towards the other contracting parties.

Neutral

An impartial or unbiased state or person, not helping or supporting either of two opposing sides, especially States at war or in dispute.

Neutral (in water negotiations)

A person/organization deemed acceptable by all key parties to assist constructive negotiations move forward by acting as an intermediary; an independent who needs to have high-quality negotiation skills. Whilst all actors have views and biases, a person/organization engaged as a neutral must put aside their own biases and focus on supporting all negotiating parties. However, the neutrals should declare and maintain their own process bias, such as their own commitment to unforced consensus seeking.

New Public Management

Economic policy movement which argues for cost reduction in public policy and its implementation. It is seen as a paradigm for modernising public administration.

Non-decisions

Decisions consciously avoided or ‘not taken’, either because they are too difficult, or perhaps because leaving something vague or ambiguous provides advantage to one or other party.

Nonpoint source pollution

Pollution from many different sources that is difficult to identify (for example when runoff moves over and through the ground carrying natural and human-made pollutants into lakes, rivers, wetlands and coastal waters).

O

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P - S

P

Paradigms

The fundamental orienting philosophies or principles underpinning the ways we perceive, understand and interpret things, and thus informing our attitudes and behaviours. Often these can limit us from accepting alternatives or new options.

Paradigm shift

A significant shift in our paradigm, such that not only do aspects we thought inconceivable all of a sudden appear possible, but often the ‘impossible’ becomes ‘the obvious’.

Pareto plus principle

A negotiation principle which holds that: if proposing a new project or development, not only should no-one be made worse off, but all potentially disadvantaged peoples are made absolutely better off.

Participatory decision making

Political process which allows (and advises) that individuals have a voice in the decisions that affect their interests, either directly or indirectly.

Party

A person or group forming one side in an agreement or dispute or negotiation.

Pattern of behaviour

A way of working that is consistent with an overarching plan. It emerges over time and can be influenced through incentives.

Perspective

Peculiar evaluation or consideration of a specific topic.

Plan

Strategy to attain outcomes consistent with broader policy objectives. // An accurate program for doing or achieving something.

Point source pollution

Pollution released at specific identifiable sites (for example from factories or sewage outlets).

Policy

General principles that guide a government in its management of public affairs. //

A course or principle of action adopted or proposed by an organization or individual.

Policy arrangement

Implemented outcome of a specific set of ideas and concepts materializing a discourse into a framed practice.

Position

Point of view adopted in a particular topic.

Positions

Specifically stated solutions (or offers) to a problem or situation. They describe what is wanted or sought. A position may be presented as if there is no other viable option, and can appear to be a party’s main aim or goal (see ‘interests’).

Power

The ability to do something or act in a particular way. // The capacity to influence other people or the course of events. // A right or authority given or delegated to a person or body.// Political authority or control.

Precedent

A legal rule or principle established by a case (the higher the court that establishes the rule the greater its precedent value) which may be applied in later cases on the same legal issue.

Private good

A good which, if consumed by one person, cannot be consumed by another. The benefits of a private good are both divisible and excludable.

Procedure

An established or official way of doing something. Usually composed by a series of actions conduced in a certain order or manner.

Property law

Governs various forms of ownership over property which can take the form of tangible assets such as land or items, or immovable or personal property such as bank accounts. A property right refers to ownership of title to that property.

Protocol

The official procedure or system of rules governing affairs of State or diplomatic occasions. // The accepted code of behaviour in a particular situation.

Public good

A good whose benefits can be provided to all people at no more cost than that required to provide it for one person. The benefit of a public good are indivisible and people cannot be excluded from enjoying them.

Public participation

Mechanism by which organised civil society can take part in the decision-making process of plans and projects that affect them directly or indirectly.

R

Ratify

Confirm or accept an agreement by formal consent, signature etc. // Make an agreement officially valid.

Reform

The process of change, amendment and modification of policies, laws and institutions, but also the instrument and vehicle to promote that change.

Regulation

A rule or directive made and maintained by an authority. // Order or rule legally binding adopted by an administrative agency or local government. // Legal restrictions imposed by the government to adjust the conducts of the citizens. The goal of regulations might be to produce outcomes that without the introductions of the restrictive measures would not have otherwise occurred.

Responsibility

The state or fact of being responsible. // The opportunity or ability to act independently and take decisions without authorization. // A thing which one is required to do as part of a job, role or legal obligation.

Reward

A fair return for good or bad behaviour; to be rewarded (v.): to receive what one deserves.

Right

A thing one may legally or morally claim; the state of being entitled to a privilege or immunity or authority to act (a right of reply, human rights, etc.).

Rights-based approach (water)

Water management paradigm that centres inalienable rights of individuals in the core of environmental development and management scheme.

Riparian States

States located within or sharing part of a water basin.

Risk

Exposure to danger, loss, injury or other adverse consequences.

Risk-benefit analysis

A decision tool that focuses on the prevention of events carrying out serious risk analyses and assessing the costs of inaction as the likelihood of a specified risk occurring.

Rule

A regulation or principle governing conduct or procedure within a particular sphere. // Government or dominion. // A popular custom or standard, the normal way of things.

Runoff

It is the movement of water from the upper areas of the basin to the lowest areas, occurring either on the surface or at subterranean level.

S

Sanction

A coercive measure that results from failure to comply with a law, rule or order.

Scenario analysis

The process of analysing possible future events by considering alternative potential outcomes or scenarios.

Sources of international law related to water

The sources of international law are valid procedures through which standards are created. These procedures consist of treaties, customary international law and the general principles of law recognized by the different legal systems around the world.

Social learning

It has been described as ‘the interactive way of getting things done in theatres with actors who are interdependent with respect to some contested natural resource or ecological service. The interactive way of getting things done is based on conflict resolution, negotiated agreement, shared learning, convergence of goals, theories, and systems of monitoring, and concerted action’. They are more than just participatory exercises as facilitated participation does play a key role. Building blocks of social learning are: the constructivist paradigm, an orientation towards reflection and action, and a commitment to try and take a systemic or holistic approach.

Social capital (**)

“The stock of active connections among people: the trust, mutual understanding and shared values and behaviours that bind the members of human networks and communities and makes cooperative action possible.”

Source (*)

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, in its Article 1, defines it as “any process or activity which releases a greenhouse gas, an aerosol or a precursor of a greenhouse gas into the atmosphere.”

Stakeholder

A person with an interest or concern in something.

Stalemate

A situation in which further progress by opposing parties seems impossible; an impasse.

Statute

A written law passed by a legislative body; or, a rule of an organization or institution.

Strategy

A plan designed to achieve a particular long-term aim.

Subsidiarity

This principle states that a central authority should perform only those tasks which cannot be performed at a more local level. // Legal principle that aims to bring the decision-making process to citizens. It is a bottom-up approach. State institutions will only intervene in the absence of capacity of lower institutions.

Sustainable

Of, relating to, or designating forms of human economic activity and culture that do not lead to environmental degradation, especially avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources.

Sustainability

Development approach that focuses on economic growth parallel to environmental protection, preserving it for future generations

T - Z

T

Trade-off

A balance achieved between two desirable but incompatible features; a compromise.

Transboundary or successive rivers

Transboundary or successive rivers are those that flow within the territory of a particular country, but cross its border and continue flowing through the territory of another country, towards the river mouth (which may even be found in a third or fourth country).

Transboundary waters

Waters that flow across a boundary (for example, a border between states or provinces or local jurisdictions); the sharing of transboundary waters, as with any other waters, is best negotiated.

Transparency

The capacity to avoid corruption in the governance system by means of clear and open decision-making processes as well as accountable officers.

Treaty

A formally concluded and ratified agreement between States.

U

Usufruct

The right of enjoyment or use of property that belongs to another, including the rights to enjoy the profits and advantages of the object, provided there is no damage to the property (usufructuary = adj.).

V

Vision

The ability to think about the future with imagination or wisdom; or, a mental image of what the future will or could be like. In an organization, the general framework that defines the final objective and justifies the procedure and single actions aimed at reaching such a goal.

Vulnerability (*)

According to the IPCC, it can be defined as “the degree to which a system is susceptible to, or unable to cope with, adverse effects of climate change, including climate variability and extremes. Vulnerability is a function of the character, magnitude, and rate of climate variation to which a system is exposed, its sensitivity, and its adaptive capacity.”

W

Water arrangement

Outcome of the process of negotiation, where two or more parties come to a settlement or agreement on water issues. The outcome might be formal or informal.

Water basin

A water basin, also known as a catchment or collector basin, is a geographical and hydrological unit consisting of a main river and all of the territories between the water source, the spring, and the mouth of the river. This specifically includes all land and smaller rivers that supply the main river with water, as well as the coastal-marine area in situations where the river flows out into the sea. The water captured by the basin can be fed out into rivers, lakes, swamps, bays, subterranean aquifers or into several elements of this landscape.

Water governance

The process of managing and developing water resources by engaging and interacting social, political, economic and legal institutions.

Water governance capacity

Level of competence of a society to implement effective water arrangements, by means of transparent, coherent and cost-efficient institutional settings that enhance water governance.

Water right

A legal right to use water in general or from a specific source (for so-called ‘off-stream’ uses). As to their legal form, water rights may be created by the direct operation of the law, but mostly on the basis of a legal instrument issued by the state agency responsible for water resources management.

Water right trading

The transfer or exchange of permits or licences for water extraction granted by government.

Watershed

An area of land that feeds water to the river, draining through the landscape into tributaries and main river channels.

Watershed services

The benefits people obtain from ecosystems within a watershed.

Water Users’ Associations (WUAs)

Associations of water users at the local level to manage commonly the resource in their best interest and according to the legal constraints established.

Z

Zone of Possible Agreement (ZOPA)

The BATNAs (Best Alternatives To a Negotiated Agreement) of all parties define a zone of possible agreement. The wider the ZOPA, the more possibilities for negotiating a workable agreement.