Final Version, 22 November 2007

Message from the Regional Consultation
Meeting on Developing Knowledge andLessons
Establishing regional water knowledge hubs will help the countries of the Asia Pacificregion in addressing their water management challenges of the 21st century

This message presents summary findings and recommendations from the Regional Consultation
Meeting for Candidate Water Knowledge Hubs in the Asia-Pacific Region, hosted bySingapore’s Public Utilities Board (PUB Singapore) on 29-31 October 2007 at the Singapore
WaterHub. The consultation was organized in the context of the Asia Pacific Water Forum’s(APWF) Key Result Area 1 activities for developing knowledge and lessons. The meeting wasattended by 24 representatives from 13 centers of excellence in the region and beyond.

Key findings of the meeting are:
1. The region faces unprecedented challenges in water management. The Asia Pacificregion faces unprecedented challenges in water management in the next two decades
because of climate change, urbanization, decentralization, environmental degradation,
governance reforms, and other profound changes in society. To address these formidable
challenges, the countries in the region need to urgently improve their knowledge generation,
sharing, and capacity development for delivering water and sanitation services andmanaging water resources in river basins.
2. A new approach is needed for knowledge partnerships and networking. The meeting
explored a new approach to knowledge partnerships and networking in the Asia Pacificregion with the help of regional water knowledge hubs that focus on key water sector topics(knowledge domains). In this approach, space is created for countries with advanced
expertise and existing centers of excellence in the region to offer their services as a regional
water knowledge hub to clients and partners in the region. 11In modern usage, hubs are known as common connection points in a network, as a central server to whichclients connect. In airline travel, hubs connect people to their destination. Hub is also used to refer to a center ofexcellence and business, as in a financial hub. A knowledge hub can be regarded as connecting people to thebest information, analysis, and people. A knowledge hub has a reputation for excellence in delivering products
and services to clients. For the purpose of this regional consultation meeting, the concept of regional water
knowledge hubs was used to refer to centers of excellence that will deliver the best information, knowledge, andcapacity development services in their specific area of focus (their knowledge domain). These domains arepriority water sector topics to help the countries in the Asia Pacific region in addressing the formidable water
management challenges of the 21st century. (From: Lincklaen Arriens, W. and Luijendijk, J., 2007. Water
knowledge networking – partnering for better results).

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3. Knowledge hubs can pursue excellence by adopting key operating principles. For thenew approach to work and become self-sustaining, the regional water knowledge hubs willneed to demonstrate and maintain excellence in their products and services to meet clientneeds. Adopting a number of common key operating principles will help to ensure that thishappens. Each regional water knowledge hub, working in its knowledge domain, should be
able to demonstrate: vision and leadership; a focus on client needs; significant outcomes
and impact in the region; an (international) team of experienced specialists; generation andidentification of state-of-the art knowledge; a stimulating research environment includinginternships for younger researchers; relevant and feasible knowledge solutions to address
water management challenges in the region; regular comparative analysis across the region;
excellent products and services that meet client needs; an inclusive attitude to knowledge
networking; dissemination of up-to-date information for the region; an entrepreneurial
approach to developing a sustainable business model; and adequate human and financial
resources to develop the knowledge hub’s excellence.
4. The water knowledge hubs will collaborate to improve performance. PUB Singaporeand UNESCO are co-leaders of the APWF’s Key Result Area 1 on developing knowledge
and lessons, and PUB Singapore has offered its WaterHub as a regional water knowledge
hub for urban water management. The Asian Development Bank and UNESCO-IHE Institutefor Water Education have agreed to facilitate the collaboration among regional water
knowledge hubs and their networks. The participants of the meeting expressed interest incollaboration among the candidate water knowledge hubs and recommended to establish anAPWF Network of Regional Water Knowledge Hubs.
5. Regular review meetings will provide an efficient governance framework. The
proposed Network of Regional Water Knowledge Hubs will meet regularly to review
progress and performance. The Governing Council of the APWF will be invited to the review
meetings for providing guidance and to endorse recommendations for follow-up actions.
APWF’s Secretariat in Japan will be kept informed of meeting results.

Recommendations of the meeting are:
The participants in the meeting call on the Governing Council of the APWF to endorse thefollowing actions in developing knowledge and lessons under the Key Result Area 1:
1. Introducing the new approach of knowledge partnerships and networking in the Asia Pacificregion with the help of regional water knowledge hubs that focus on key water sector topics(knowledge domains), allowing for announcements of the candidate hubs and the proposed
Network to be made at the 1st Asia Pacific Water Summit on 3-4 December in Beppu, Japan.
2. Recognizing regional water knowledge hubs for priority water sector topics (knowledgedomains) based on a review of the development plan to be completed by each of thecandidate hubs in the first quarter of 2008.
3. Supporting the establishment of the APWF Network of Regional Water Knowledge Hubs inthe first quarter of 2008. Initial Network actions are to (i) develop a website andcommunications platform for the Network; (ii) develop guidelines for the Network’s operation
including objectives, principles, activities, results, and governance; and (iii) organize the first
Network meeting in Singapore at the end of the 1st quarter of 2008 to review thedevelopment plans of candidate hubs and for the Network’s operation. The start-up of theNetwork will be coordinated by a team of staff from PUB Singapore, UNESCO, UNESCOIHE, and the Asian Development Bank.

2Participants in the meeting represented the following organizations:(Organizations listed in alphabetical order, with their current or proposed role)
Asian Development Bank (ADB), Manila
Facilitator for developing regional water knowledge hubs in the Asia Pacific Water Forum, leaderof Asia Pacific Water Forum’s Priority Theme 1 on Water Financing and Capacity Development,
and of Key Result Area 3 on increasing public outreach, and supporter of several networks ofwater practitioner organizations in the Asia Pacific region
Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Canberra
Facilitator for identifying a candidate regional water knowledge hub in Australia (for a knowledge
domain to be determined shortly)
International Centre for Water Hazard and Risk Management (ICHARM), Tsukuba
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for disaster risk reduction and flood management, andleader of Asia Pacific Water Forum’s Priority Theme 2 on Water-related Disaster Management
International Research and Training Centre on Erosion and Sedimentation (IRTCES),
Beijing
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for erosion and sedimentation in river basins
International Water Management Institute (IWMI), Colombo
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for irrigation service reform
Japan Water Agency (JWA), Saitama
Secretariat of the Network of Asian River Basin Organizations, and partner of the candidate
regional water knowledge hub for river basin organizations and management (Ministry of PublicWorks, Indonesia)
National Hydraulic Research Institute of Malaysia (NAHRIM), Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment (MONRE), Kuala Lumpur
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for climate change
Ministry of Public Works (MPW), Jakarta
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for river basin organizations and management (incollaboration with Japan Water Agency as the Secretariat of the Network of Asian River Basin
Organizations
K-Water, Daejon
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for water quality management in river basins
PUB Singapore
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for urban water management, and co-leader of Asia
Pacific Water Forum’s Key Result Area 1 on Developing Knowledge and Lessons
Scientific Information Center of the Interstate Commission for Water Coordination (SICICWC), Tashkent
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for water resources management in central Asia
Pacific Islands Applied Geo-science Commission (SOPAC), Suva
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for water services and resource management in thePacific (Note: SOPAC was unable to participate in the meeting but expressed their support)

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UNESCO, Paris
Co-leader of Asia Pacific Water Forum’s Key Result Area 1 on Developing Knowledge andLessons (Note: UNESCO helped to prepare for the meeting but was unable to participate)
UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, Delft
Facilitator for developing the Asia Pacific Water Forum Network of Water Knowledge Hubs
Yellow River Conservancy Commission (YRCC), Zhengzhou
Candidate regional water knowledge hub for decision support systems for river basin
management (Hydroinformatics)
The participants also recommended establishing regional water knowledge hubs on otherpriority topics (knowledge domains), including: (i) water governance (being explored, including
possible roles by the National University of Singapore and the National University of Malaysia);(ii) sanitation; (iii) water supply for rural areas and small towns; (iv) groundwater management;(v) environment, ecosystems and healthy rivers; and (vi) water and energy.

Participants in the meeting expressed their appreciation to:
PUB Singapore for hosting the regional consultation meeting, and to UNESCO-IHE and the
Asian Development Bank for facilitating the meeting.

4Contact persons:
PUB Singapore:

Mr. Han Tong NG (NG_Han_Tong@pub.gov.sg)
Mr. Meng Kin WONG (WONG_Meng_Kin@pub.gov.sg)

Singapore WaterHub:

Mr. Ban Thong TAN (TAN_Ban_Thong@pub.gov.sg)
Ms. Luana Chow (Luana_CHOW@pub.gov.sg)

UNESCO:Mr. Toshihiro SONODA (t.sonoda@unesco.org)

UNESCO-IHE:

Mr. Jan LUIJENDIJK (j.luijendijk@unesco-ihe.org)

Asian Development Bank:

Mr. Wouter LINCKLAEN ARRIENS (wlincklaenarriens@adb.org)

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