Stakeholder engagement for Integrated Water Resource Management toolkit has been developed to provide key resources and tools that is hoped will help users gain a better idea about why it is necessary engage or bond with stakeholders, how to carry put a stakeholder analysis and how this can help you develop an engagement strategy. Stakeholder engagement is a process and it starts off with the identification of the relevant stakeholders, followed by an analysis of what the attitudes of these stakeholders are towards the project and how influential they may be. Once this analysis is done, the consultation process can start, where by the stakeholders are brought into the fold and collaboration takes place. The last stage is to manage the identified stakeholders by keeping open channels of communications with continuous monitoring of attitudes and ensuring conflicts are foreseen and managed.

This information can be found in the sections “Stakeholder Analysis” and “Why and How to engage” below.

Stakeholder AnalysisStakeholder analysis involves the identification of the stakeholders that will most likely be impacted by the Project. This is a very important component of stakeholder engagement and is the first step towards gaining the stakeholders cooperation in implementing the Project. It is better to have the stakeholders in the fold then stand against the project just because they felt left out. An inclusive project is better then and exclusive project. The following resource will help the user catch a better picture of what stakeholder analysis and what processes it involves.

1) Stakeholder Analysis Guidelines (Kammi Schmeer)
2) Socio – Economic Methodologies. Best practice Guidelines. Stakeholder methodologies in Natural Resource Management. Robin Grimble – Natural Resources Institute. The University of Greenwich. DFID
3) Stakeholder Analysis. Objective oriented Planning Module 1
4) Stakeholder Analysis- Live and Learn

Why and How to EngageThis toolkit provides tools and resources on the engagement process. Why it is necessary to engage with stakeholders and how one can go about it. It also has references that are in the form of case studies and demonstrates how other countries and regions have adapted and carried out stakeholder engagement with respect to their IWRM projects.

1) Gender and Partners
2) Guidelines for Stakeholder Participation in Integrated Water Resource Management in South Africa. Summary. Ministry of Water Affairs and Forestry.
3) Levels of Engagement-IWC
4) Getting-in-Step. Getting In Step. Engaging & Introducing Stakeholders in your watershed.
5) Working Paper 96. Stakeholder Participation in Developing Institutions for Integrated Water Resources Management: Lessons from Asia. D. J. Bandaragoda. International Water Management Institute
6) Tools for Development. A handbook for those engaged in development  Activity. Department for International Development
7) Using Prticipatory and learning based approaches for Environmental Management to help achieve constructive behaviour change