Beyond information dissemination: The role of Strategic Communications in the Water and Sanitation sector

Transcription

1 Beyond information dissemination: The role of Strategic Communications in the Water and Sanitation sector Paul Mitchell Development Communication Division External Affairs May 7 th, 2002

2 The New Development Process Demand for increased stakeholders s participation in decision making Demand for transparency and accountability A holistic approach: consider economic, social, political, institutional, cultural and environmental concerns

3 The new political battleground For opponent of Privatization, who believe that access to clean water is a human right, The Cochabamba Water War became an event of surpassing interests. There are many signs that other poor communities, especially in Third World cities, may start refusing to accept deals that put a foreign corporation s hand on the neighborhood pump or household tap. Water actions may turn out to test the limits of the global privatization gold rush. The New Yorker, April 8 th, 2001 Local concerns become immediately global

4 Top five constraints of Privatization in Africa Constraint Causes Effects Lack of consensus Lack of information Weak government commitment Lack of political will Slow process Ideological beliefs Vested interests Reluctance to sell profitable enterprises Political uncertainty Historical setting Tardiness Democratization Investor uncertainty Forthcoming elections Inadequate Weak institutional and Lack of transparency management human resources capacity Distrust of valuation methods capacity Lack of commitment Poor design and preparation Fragmentation Incomplete transactions Legal constraints Old legislation Insufficient authority given to Lack of commitment agency Weak judicial system Slow process Lack of ownership Institutional jealousies and Lack of consensus of the program government interference Lack of involvement of Perception of program as driven by indigenous private sector external agencies Donor driven Tardiness *Oliver Campbell White and Anita Bhatia, The World Bank, 1998

5 A process in need for professional expertise Aguas del Tunari seemed to have given little thought to how its plans would be received in Cochabamba. The International Water executives who were actually doing the work in the city were engineers, not marketers, and being newly arrived abroad, they were not attuned to the problems or passions of the Bolivian Public. Geoffrey Thorpe, the company's manager, simply said that if people didn t pay their water bills their water would be turned off. The New Yorker, April 8 th, 2001 Listen to stakeholders concerns Build political and social consensus Sustain public awareness and understanding Promote local ownership

6 Strategic Communication can help Maintain and strengthen political and utilities commitment to potentially unpopular reforms Achieve public acceptance of cost recovery measures and diminish opposition to foreign operators Establish a mechanism for dialogue with various stakeholders and manage expectations

7 What is happening in the Water and Sanitation Sector PCP elements used in WS projects 39% Public information campaigns using mass media 15% Sociopolitical analysis of stakeholder groups 22% Consultations and opinion research 24% Health/ conservation promotion Majority of staff unaware of the potential of strategic communications Activities carried out on an ad-hoc basis Communications seen as a secondary issue

8 What is happening in the Water and Sanitation Sector (continued) Importance ascribed to Public Communication programs by Task Managers 14% allocate 22% use communication expertise supervision budget for PCP 33% consider PCP an integral part of project 31% allocate budget for implementation Budget allocation for strategic communication programs development, implementation and supervision

9 Current practice needs to move from tactics to strategy PAST: Isolated news releases Dissemination of materials Ad-hoc media events Advertising campaigns PRESENT & FUTURE: Design, plan and implement all activities keeping a well defined end result in mind manage the sociopolitical and reputational risk of the project

10 Analytical framework for strategy development: the five management decisions AUDIENCE Who needs to be reached? BEHAVIOR What change in behavior and attitudes are required? MESSAGES What messages will be appropriate for different segments of audience? CHANNELS Which channels of communication will be most effective in reaching your audiences? EVALUATION How will the success/failure of the communication strategy be measured?

11 How does strategic communications fit into the World Bank s project cycle? Identification PCD PAD Mid-term Evaluation/ Completion Audit Strategy Capacity Supervision design building Implementation

12 How the World Bank can assist clients in strategic communications Build Government capacity in communications Increase the long-term political and social sustainability of the reform Manage the reputational risk of the project