Abstract
Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) have gained momentum in addressing contentious and cross-sectoral aspects of natural resources management. They have helped to enhance cross-learning and the inclusion of marginalized groups. Tanzania’s water resources management sub-sector has championed these platforms as a means of breaking silos around planning, coordination, and resource mobilization. However, it is not uncommon to experience the occasional dominance of some influential sectors or groups due to their resources contribution to the process, contemporary influence, or statutory authority. Between 2013 and 2020, Tanzania has pioneered the establishment of MSPs at a national level and across the river and lake basins. This paper examines the representation of stakeholder groups in these platforms. Additionally, it establishes the baseline information that contributes to unlocking the current project-based platform design characterized by inherent limitations to potential changes in stakeholders’ attitudes and actions. The research analyzed stakeholder’s views, their representation, and the local and international literature to formulate opinions. Findings indicated that gender equality had not been adhered to despite being in the guidelines for establishing MSPs. The balance of public, private, and civil society organizations (CSOs) is acutely dominated by the public sector organizations, especially water-related ones. Finally, participation on the decision-making level is minimal, causing unsustainable platforms unless development partners continue to support operational costs.
Highlights
Ministry of Water, Water Resources Institute, Dar es Salaam P.O
We address the following objectives in this paper: (a) to assess the level of adherence to the one-third gender rule for all water-related institutions of representation as proposed in the water policy and legislation in Tanzania; to examine the balance of participation between different groups of stakeholders as envisaged in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 17 and government Multi-stakeholder platforms (MSPs) regulations; and to evaluate the role of participation of the managerial level in the mainstreaming of MSP undertakings to respective partners
Results were presented under three themes, namely (i) gender balance, which aimed at evaluating the level of adherence to or departure to national and international guidelines on gender; (ii) the balance of participation of sectors, which assessed the participation split from the public sector, private sector, and civil society; and (iii) the uptake of MSP deliberations, which aimed at assessing the uptake of MSP
Summary
The MSPs in Tanzania are operationalized at the national, basin, and catchment levels. In the context of this paper, we selected two national- and basin-level MSPs for the analysis. These constitute most of Tanzania’s southwestern highland block, which is famous as a critical food basket. The case study MSPs were selected to compare and contrast participation issues and experiences at the national and sub-national or basin level. We studied the same between infant basin form (that have started as recent as 2019) and the relatively experienced national platform. The same is expected to have been percolated to the basin or sub-national levels.
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