ABSTRACT
While many chapters in parts 1, 2, and 3 emphasize the customary institutions that sustain community management of water systems, the chapters in part 4 explore legal and institutional frameworks at the national and international levels. Such frameworks provide the enabling environment that is necessary in order for water management interventions to restore human dignity, build livelihoods, and sustain a lasting peace. Thus, the reconstitution of statutory water management institutions is an essential part of the post-conflict state-building process. These institutions may be centralized or decentralized to varying extents and can embody a range of ownership and management structures, from state to private. In essence, legal and institutional frameworks for water management set the rules for how water is allocated and used in post-conflict situations.
