NGOs and the Democratization of Ecuadorian Water Governance: Insights from the Multi-Stakeholder Platform el Foro de los Recursos Hídricos

Abstract

NGOs have taken up an increasing number of roles and responsibilities in Latin American societies. Based on a study of the multi-stakeholder platform, the Water Resources Forum in Ecuador, this paper shows how through the creation of a broad network of NGOs, academics, grassroots water users organizations and governmental actors; this platform has been able to contribute to the democratization of water governance. This paper analyses the international and national sociopolitical context in which this platform developed and traces the history and strategies that marked its development. Based on this, it argues that NGOs can play an important role in the development of more democratic and inclusive public policy making in water governance, but that the capacity of NGOs to bring about change greatly depends on the socio-political context and on the networks they are able to forge with grassroots organizations, state agencies, funders and other third sector actors.Résumé Les ONG endossent un nombre croissant de rôles et de responsabilités dans les sociétés latino-américaines. S'appuyant sur une étude de la plateforme multipartite du Forum des ressources en eau en É quateur, cet article montre comment grâce à la création d'un vaste réseau d'ONG, d'universitaires, d'organisations populaires d'utilisateurs d'eau et d'acteurs gouvernementaux, cette plateforme peut contribuer à démocratiser la gouvernance de l'eau. Cet article analyse le contexte sociopolitique national et international dans lequel cette plateforme s'est dével-oppée et retrace l'histoire et les stratégies qui ont marqué son développement. S'appuyant sur cette analyse, il fait valoir que les ONG peuvent jouer un rôle important dans l'élaboration de politiques publiques plus démocratiques et plus inclusives dans la gouvernance de l'eau, mais que leur capacité à apporter des Resumen Las ONG han asumido un creciente número de papeles y responsabilidades en las sociedades latinoamericanas. Basándose en un estudio de la plataforma multi-actores el Foro de los Recursos Hídricos en Ecuador, el presente documento muestra cómo, mediante la creación de un amplia red de ONG, académicos, organizaciones de base usuarias de agua y actores gubernamentales, esta pltaforma ha podido contribuir a la democratización de la gobernanza del agua. El presente documento analiza el contexto sociopolítico nacional e internacional en el que se desarrolló esta plataforma y presenta la historia y estrategias que marcaron su desarrollo. Basándose en esto, argumenta que las ONG pueden desempeñar un importante papel en el desarrollo de políticas públicas más democráticas e inclusivas en la gobernanza del agua pero que la capacidad de las ONG para generar cambios depende en gran medida del contexto sociopolítico y de las redes que puedan forjar con organizaciones de base, agencias estatales, financiadores y otros actores del sector terciario.

The politics of water democracy: insights from grassroot struggles in the Ecuadorian Highlands

“…Through the Consorcio de Capacitación para el Manejo de los Recursos Naturales Renovables , Interjuntas participated in capacity‐building activities and became an active member of the National Water Resources Forum ( Foro de los Recursos Hídricos , WRF) and its networks. The latter has become an important mechanism to have the water users' voices heard at national level (see Hoogesteger, ).…”

Facebook Satisfaction and Its Impacts on Fundraising: A Case Study at a Portuguese Non-Profit Organization

“…NGDO is a legal person by private law and non-profit, which include organizations that increase action in developing countries in humanitarian and emergency relief, protection and promotion of human rights and development cooperation (Couttenier and Hatte, 2016). Or, more broadly, they are public service organizations, which function as independent bodies of volunteers and self-government operating based on common values or interests (Hoogesteger, 2016). In this way, these organizations are part of a larger sector, the Social Economy or the Third Sector, where the activity and sense of existence resides, essentially, in the people and in the social utility (Couttenier and Hatte, 2016).…”

Territorial pluralism: water users’ multi-scalar struggles against state ordering in Ecuador’s highlands

“…In 2004, it presented a proposal for legal reforms to the National Congress (Hoogesteger, 2015a), starting a broad movement against the privatization of domestic water supply services in the country's urban areas. WRF publicly rejected the free-trade negotiations by the government, as they would significantly challenge national territorial water integrity and the poorest sectors' water security.…”

“…The 2008 Constitution of Ecuador is seen by many as one of the most progressive constitutions worldwide in terms of water (Harris & Roa-García, 2013;Hoogesteger, 2015a;Roa-García, Urteaga Crovetto, & Bustamante Zenteno, 2013). Its content reflects the remarkable political agency that the peasant and indigenous-based water users movement of Ecuador developed in the mid-2000s in opposition to a state that tries to control water in its territory through various legal and institutional arrangements.…”