Water Related Information System for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong, Vietnam

Within the BMBF financed project "Water Related Information System for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong, Vietnam (WISDOM)", ZEF will be responsible for a Work Package on „Knowledge Governance and Policy“, directed
by Prof Solvay Gerke, supported by Dr. Gabi Waibel (coordinator), Dr. Peter Mollinga (water management) and Prof. Hans-Dieter Evers (knowledge management training).

The goal is to create a knowledge governance system for sustainable water management in the lower Mekong delta. The task of this work package is to enable the creation of a knowledge governance system that leads to action in regard to the effective management of water related problems, and ultimately to sustainable economic and social development and a reduction of poverty in the lower Mekong delta area.

We distinguish two problem sets, knowledge generation and knowledge dissemination. The research program itself will produce a multitude of data generated in the respective work packages. In addition, “best practice” knowledge is available from other IWRM programmes world wide, including the Mekong River Commission, and data provided by various government agencies. These science-based data, information and knowledge need to be combined with local knowledge that is available in the form of oral traditions, experience and practice of the local population. In KM (knowledge management) theory we contrast these two types of knowledge as “explicit knowledge”, globally available in reports and publications and “tacit knowledge” derived from experience and usually not available in written form or science-based language. This tacit local knowledge needs to be made explicit and codified in texts.

Ultimately a knowledge governance systems needs to be designed that combines local and science-based knowledge, enables knowledge sharing between k-generating agencies and leads to knowledge dissemination to stakeholders. Government agencies and local civil society actors will be enabled to use data, information and knowledge to take appropriate problem-solving action.