Water Economics and Politics Seminar Series
/ Water institutions and sector performance

Water governance: Trends and new pathways for the hydrological transition

Speaker: Dr Oriana Romano | Head of Unit: Water Governance and Circular Economy, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE), France

Moderator: Prof. Djiby Thiam | Director: WPE – Water and Production Economics, University of Cape Town (UCT), South Africa

Time: 16:00 South African Standard Time (SAST) | GMT +2

Topic: Water governance is entering a new phase shaped by climate change, biodiversity loss, urbanisation and growing competition across users, scales and sectors. The hydrological transition calls for governance systems that are adaptive, multi-level and place-based, able to manage water quantity, quality and risks in an integrated way. Building on OECD work, this paper examines key trends, including stronger basin governance, stakeholder participation, data and transparency, policy coherence and financing for resilient water systems. It also explores new pathways, from nature-based solutions to circular water approaches and risk-based investment, to support equitable, efficient and sustainable water futures.

Registrations open soon

About the speaker: Oriana Romano is Head of Unit for Water Governance, the Blue and Circular Economy, Urban Policies, and Sustainable Development Division of the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities (CFE). Ms Romano leads OECD work on water governance and has coordinated several policy dialogues and multi-stakeholder platforms. Her expertise focuses in particular on the sustainable use of natural resources at the local level through a multi-level governance approach. Prior to joining the OECD in 2013, she was a research assistant and university lecturer in Environmental Economics at the Centre for International Business and Sustainability (CIBS) at London Metropolitan University, as well as at the Department of Social Sciences of the University of Naples "L'Orientale" (Unior), Italy. She holds a PhD in Institutions, Economics and Law of Public Services.

Seminar format:

  • Live online session on Microsoft Teams
  • Duration: 1 hour
  • Live presentation with Q&A session

Who should attend: This series is open to students and faculty from academic institutions across South Africa and sub-Saharan Africa, policymakers, engineering and technical professionals, advocacy groups, NGO staff, and anyone with a keen interest in water economics and policy.

The UCT-UCR Seminar Series

This seminar is part of the UCT-UCR Seminar Series: Water Economics and Politics, a collaboration between the University of Cape Town (UCT) and University of California, Riverside (UCR). Subscribe to our mailing list to receive updates on upcoming sessions.

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