Managing a Shared Resource : The World Bank Group’s Support for Water Resource Management (Approach Paper)

Overview & Synopsis

Water resource management (WRM) is foundational to sustainable development, economic growth, and poverty reduction, yet water resources are under increasing pressure from climate change, population growth, and competing demands across sectors. This report examines how the World Bank Group has supported countries in strengthening WRM as a core development function. It conceptualizes WRM as a practical “system of systems” encompassing hydrological, information, institutional, and infrastructure components that together shape how water availability is assessed, allocated, and managed across uses. Distinct from water service delivery, effective WRM governs the underlying resource base on which agriculture, energy, ecosystems, and human well-being depend. The evaluation is motivated by persistent gaps between global commitments to integrated WRM and progress in implementation, as reflected in slow advances toward Sustainable Development Goal target 6.5.1. It assesses whether and how World Bank Group support has contributed to strengthening the core systems that underpin WRM and enabled countries to manage water-related risks, trade-offs, and variability more effectively. By linking WRM to macroeconomic performance, climate resilience, and social outcomes, the report aims to generate evidence and lessons to inform future strategic, operational, and policy engagement in water resource management.