Rationale 

1. Apex Bodies: The Coordinating Eye behind Water Sector Reforms
2. Coordination of the Water and Sanitation Sector: Background to the Kiribati National Water and Sanitation Coordination Committee
3. Country Water Action: Nepal Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS): Steering Nepal's Water Sector
4. ADB's Water Policy and the Need for National Water Sector Apex Bodies
5. Direction and Experience in Water Sector Apex Body Development
6. Community participation in Water Governance is it achievable through the Apex Bodies in Asia?

 Role and Mandate
Role of the National Water Apex Body (NWAB), regardless of its structure and name, is to coordinate water sector reform od different forms and shapes. In order to execute this role effectively the NWAB should be officially mandated by government to advise, develop, coordinate implementation, monitor, evaluate and adapt national policy, work plans and legislation pertaining to water resources management. This includes providing government with advice on decisions concerning the water sector.

Official endorsement and follow up by executive level Government is important because what needs to be kept in mind is that the apex body should not become an institution without any teeth. In spite of hurdles, the apex body ssshould be proactive in the decision making mechanism of Parliament. The following documents provide a background to the expected functions of a water apex body.

1. The National Water and Sanitation Committee strenths, proposed Mission, aims, Terms of Reference, Coordination, Reporting and Composition (Draft)
2. Pacific Programme for Water Governance. Kiribati Water Governance milestone Report 2: Activities 3 & 4
3. Country Water Action: Phillippines Rationalizing Tariffs for Private Water Utilities under the National Water Resources Board
4. Leadership in Water Governance through National Apex Bodies
5. Water Resources: Chapter 16

Processes and Suggested Structures
The key documents in this section highlights the policy and processes involved in water reforms and how these processes have helped better coordinate with the stakeholders and other sectors. It also provides illustrations and examples of the  existing  structures of National Water Apex Bodies (NWAB) that are in use. It also shows that no matter what structure is adopted for an apex body to be fully functional it requires sustained political committment.

To carry oput this function, the committee of the memebership usually encompasses all the stakeholders involved in the waters ector including civil society. Such memberships allows for links with the sectors of concern to water reform.

The resources contained in this section also provide guidance on how to engage with stakeholders and form partnerships in order to  achieve the objectives of the apex body. The following is a list of key documents.

1. Intergovermental Agreement On A National Water Initiative
   
2. Study of National Water Sector Apex Bodies and Civil Society  Involvement in Asia. Summary of Thailand, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka  Case Studies April 2005
3. 27th WEDC Conference. People and Systems for Water , Sanitation and Health. networking Wter Committee in Madagascar
4. Partnerships in the Water and Sanitation Sector
5. Development of the Kiribati NWSC

Monitoring and Evaluation Guidelines
The monitoring and evaluation key documents provides an overview of the benchmarking process used by other national water committees to see how far they have come, if they have achieved their objectives and what more needs to be done. For any organization the monitoring and evaluation of their funtion is key, if they want to know the true impact of their work.

The work of any organization can not be said to be successful until and unless all the key indicators are accounted for. To do this regular monitoring and evaluation of the status of these key indicators must be performed. The documents also provide an idea of the indicators that can be used to  measure the performance of the NWAB.

1. Country Water Action: Asia National Water Sector Apex Bodies- Blazing New Trails with Performance Becnshmarking of National Water Sector Apex Bodies
2. Perfornmance indicators for Benchmarking of National Water Sector Apex Bodies
3. Introducing a Framework for National Water Sector Apex Bodies to Assess their Effectiveness

Case Studies
The following case studies provide an example of what the National Water Apex Bodies (NWAB)processes and suggested structures are to be, the monitoring and evaluation guidelineS, the rationale and the role and mandate of the NWAB.

1. Country Paper: National Water Sector Apex Body Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies (18-27 May 2004, Hanoi, Vietnam) Bangladesh: Water Resources Planning Organization (WARPO)
2.  Country Paper: National Water Sector Apex Body Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies (18-27 May 2004, Hanoi, Vietnam) Lao PDR: Water Resources Coordinating Committee
3. Country Paper National Water Sector Apex Body Nepal: Water and Energy Commission Secretariat
4. Philippines: National Water Resources Board
5. Country Paper: National Water Sector Apex Body Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies (18-27 May 2004, Hanoi, Vietnam) Sri Lanka: National Water Resources Authority
6. Country Paper: National Water Sector Apex Body Regional Meeting of National Water Sector Apex Bodies (18-27 May 2004, Hanoi, Vietnam) Viet nam: National Water Resources Council
7. Kiribati briefing to European Union Delegation. August 2008. EU Water Governance Programme. Kiribati Pilot Project
8. EU Pacific Water Governance  Project Kiribati, Pilot Study. Long Term Water and Sanitation priorities in Kiribati for potential support under EU EDF 10 (Draft)
9. The Establishment of the Brazilian National Water Agency
10. Country Water Action: Philippines. National Regulator takes Drastic Measures against Big Time Commercial Water Abusers