Multi-stakeholder partnerships in fragile political contexts: experiences from the Palestinian water and waste sector

In this chapter, we discuss both the transfer of MSPs in the water and the waste sector, and the underlying assumption that this governance concept is – with some adjustments – applicable and effective, also in fragile contexts that are characterized by conflict, political instability and institutional multiplicity.

Based on fieldwork in the Palestinian Territories, we suggest that multi-stakeholder governance of water, sanitation and waste management is a requirement for successful service provision in these sectors exactly because of the fragility of the governance context. This is already widely recognized and applied by relevant Palestinian stakeholders and policy-makers. As such, it is misguided to assume that MSPs are an entirely new construct, a tool that needs to be introduced to ‘modernize’ water management in developing countries and/or fragile situations. Our cases show that MSPs are not a new concept introduced by donor organizations, but emerge both with and without donor-pressure. The relevant questions, then, evolve not around whether to promote or transfer MSPs, but how to enhance their effectiveness and added value in fragile settings