How to facilitate the transfer of water management knowledge: Lessons from Dutch-Romanian project experiences for project implementers, advisors and financers

The booklet aims to provide practical guidance to organizations involved in externally supported knowledge transfer projects in the water management domain. This includes actors who contribute to the implementation of such projects, as well as the wide range of organizations who finances or otherwise support such projects, like (international) financing institutions, embassies and network organizations. Thus, the booklet provides advices to government authorities and agencies at the local, regional, national and international level, public and private companies, non-governmental organizations and knowledge institutes. Part 1 introduces some of the theoretical starting-points that formed the basis for the research activities. Ideas about social learning, policy implementation, water governance and evaluation are elaborated as a means to understand the course and outcomes of an international water project. Part 2 concentrates on our experiences with Dutch-Romanian projects. After presenting the context of these projects, we present four case studies. We then reflect on how the Dutch-Romanian collaboration has evolved and present our main conclusions on the presented cases. Part 3 provides a wider perspective on international water projects. After reflecting on experiences from other countries, it presents our four main lessons learned. Finally, we present several concrete recommendations to those who implement water projects and to those who finance or provide advice to water projects