Citizen deliberation in the context of Uruguays first National Water Plan

Published in Water Policy 23 (3): 487–502.
Authors

Marila Lázaro, Isabel Bortagaray, Micaela Trimble, Cristina Zurbriggen

 
Publication year 2021
DOI https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2021.199
Affiliations
  • Science and Development Unit, Faculty of Sciences, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
  • Institute for Sustainable Development, Innovation and Social Inclusion (IDIIS, for its name in Spanish), Northeast Regional University Centre, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó, Uruguay
  • South American Institute for Resilience and Sustainability Studies (SARAS), Bella Vista-Maldonado, Uruguay
  • Political Science Department, Faculty of Social Sciences, Universidad de la República, Montevideo, Uruguay
IAI Program
  • Deci Agua 
  • Sectorial Commission for Scientific Research of the Universidad de la República (CSIC-UDELAR) and DINAGUA
  • Centre for Global Studies at the University of Victoria (Canada) 
  • Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) SGPHW 056.
IAI Project SGPHW-056
Keywords
consensus conference
deliberative participation
mini-public
river basin organizations
water governance
water management
PDFCitizen deliberation in the context of Uruguay’s first National Water Plan.pdf

Highlights

  • Deci Agua was a citizen deliberation process based on consensus conferences.
  • A Citizen Panel contributed to the formulation of Uruguay's first National Water Plan.
  • The inclusion of the ethical dimension of water management was the main contribution.
  • Mini-publics like Deci Agua collaborate with the public debate.
  • Processes of citizen participation can complement stakeholder participation forums.

Abstract

As part of the formulation of the first National Water Plan (NWP) in Uruguay, a mini-public process called &lsquoCitizen Deliberation on Water (Deci Agua)&rsquo was developed in 2016. While the draft of the plan was being discussed in the formal arenas of water governance (Basin Commissions and Regional Water Resources Councils), a University research team (led by the authors), in coordination with the national water authority, adapted the mechanism of consensus conferences in order to incorporate the citizens&rsquo visions and to contribute to public understanding of the NWP challenges. This article analyses the main aspects of the developed participation strategy and discusses them regarding a set of quality criteria used to evaluate deliberative processes. Although the final version of the NWP (passed by decree in 2017) incorporated some of the contributions of the Citizen Panel, an in-depth analysis of the scope of the deliberative process of Deci Agua allows us to delve into some key aspects related to the quality of participation processes and the challenges. A mixed approach that combines stakeholder participation and lay citizens is novel and desirable in water governance since it increases the scope of participation, deepens the legitimacy of decision-making and improves the public debate. Highlights Deci Agua was a citizen deliberation process based on consensus conferences. A Citizen Panel contributed to the formulation of Uruguay's first National Water Plan. The inclusion of the ethical dimension of water management was the main contribution. Mini-publics like Deci Agua collaborate with the public debate. Processes of citizen participation can complement stakeholder participation forums.