Capacity development for SDG 6.5 on IWRM and transboundary cooperation: opportunities and barriers

Abstract Capacity development (CD) is acknowledged as a driver of effective implementation of integrated water resources management (IWRM) (SDG 6.5.1) and transboundary water management (SDG 6.5.2). This paper explores the factors that facilitate or hinder CD for these agendas, to describe the roles water CD organisations play in support of these SDGs at the country level and to suggest potential pathways to leverage their work. A survey was conducted to analyse the perspectives of 41 water CD programme managers on their operational modes, strengths, opportunities and main challenges. Selected key informants were interviewed in depth, and the findings were analysed in the light of the literature on CD. The results highlight (1) an array of good-practice activities currently in progress, which provide potential for scaling up to accelerate progress; (2) wide acceptance of the relevance of the 2030 Agenda, even though this does not always explicitly address specific SDGs and (3) the difficulties in making the 2030 Agenda relevant to local communities. Further research is recommended to understand the context- and culturally-bound specifics of CD, to produce more locally sensitive and effective impact assessment frameworks and to adjust support to leverage CD to accelerate progress on the SDGs.