Table of Contents A. Context and Mandate B. Outputs Global Review of Development Effectiveness Framework For Options Assessment and Decision-Making Processes Criteria and Guidelines C. Work Programme Approach and Rationale Approach Developing the Knowledge Base D. Focal Dam/Basin Studies Information Collection Review of Development Effectiveness of Focal Dams Selection of Case Studies E. 150 Large Dams cross-check survey F. Thematic Reviews Social and Distributional Issues Environmental Issues Economic and Financial Issues Options Assessment Institutional Processes Methodological Approach G. Inputs from Interested Groups and Individuals Solicited Contributions Additional Contributions H. Work Programme Implementation I. Schedule

A. Context and Mandate 1. The World Commission on Dams (WCD) was established to address the central issues of controversy with respect to large dams, and to provide an independent review of their effectiveness in sustainable development. The Commission's overarching goals are: To review the development effectiveness of dams and assess alternatives for water resources and energy development; To develop internationally acceptable standards, guidelines and criteria for decision making in the planning, design, construction, monitoring, operation and decommissioning of dams. 2. Established through a process involving representatives from all sides of the dams debate, the WCD sets a new precedent for addressing conflicting views in the context of the international debate on sustainable development. The WCD is thus uniquely positioned to bring into focus the many assumptions and paradigms at the centre of the search to reconcile economic growth, social equity, environmental sustainability, good governance, and public participation - in the changing global context of development perspectives and value systems. 3. The work programme presents the rationale, approach and activities for developing a comprehensive base of shared knowledge from which the WCD will derive its three major outputs: A global review of the development effectiveness of large dams; A framework for options-assessments and decision-making processes that promotes sustainable management of water and energy resources; and A set of internationally acceptable criteria and guidelines for the planning, appraisal, design, construction, operation, monitoring and decommissioning of large dams. 4. The Final WCD report will reflect these outputs and the subsidiary products arising from the Commission's work. Prior to the Commission presenting its final report in June 2000, interim reports and findings may be released for review and comment. 5. The next section outlines the three WCD outputs. The rest of the report presents the four main work programme activities, and concludes with an overview of the mode and schedule for implementing the work programme. The four annexes provide additional detail on the activities. These are: Annex 1 on the focal dam/basin case studies; Annex 2 on the 150+ large dam cross-check survey; Annex 3 on the thematic reviews; and Annex 4 on inputs to the WCD process from interested individuals, groups or institutions. B. WCD Outputs 1. An overview of the three complementary WCD outputs and the various subsidiary products is presented in Figure 1. Output 1: Global review of the development effectiveness of dams 2. This output will provide a review and assessment of past global experience in the development effectiveness of dams; and secondly, assemble lessons learned from the global experience which will inform the forward-looking work in Outputs 2 and 3. Because there are over 45,000 large dams in the world, the global review will seek to illustrate the diversity of experiences and bring out general patterns and trends to support the lessons learned. Convergent and divergent views on past experience and lessons for the future will be captured. 3. The global review will be based on, and provide a synthesis of information arising from the WCD work programme activities including: (i) the focal dam/river basin case studies; (ii) the 150+ large dam cross-check survey; (iii) the past experience component of the thematic reviews; and, (iv) inputs submitted by interested individuals, groups and institutions either directly to the Secretariat, or in connection with the individual WCD activities (e.g. case and thematic studies and regional consultations). 4. The products to be derived under Output 1 include: A series of case study reports of focal dams in the context of river basins, with regional/global diversity; A report of overall performance trends, patterns and lessons from the cross-check survey involving large 150+ large dams globally; The synthesis report for Output 1. 5. Output 1 will be of primary interest to all stakeholders interested in an independent review of the past performance of dams and lessons learned to guide future decision-making. Output 2: Framework for options assessment and decision making 6. The aim of this output is to assemble a "decision support" system for assessing dam and non-dam options for water and energy services, and for use in key decision-making stages on dams and options, and through the life of a dam. It will incorporate an analysis of past and current practices and policies enabling such practices and will and consider what may constitute "good practice" in different contexts and regions for the future. The output will provide illustrations and examples of approaches, tools, methods and procedures, including the associated planning / decision-making processes and the institutional context for their successful application. 7. The policy context and rationale for selecting the good practice examples will reflect the criteria and guidelines under Output 3. The specific examples provided will be based on the work and findings of: (i) the thematic reviews on social, environmental, economic, institutional issues; (ii) the thematic review of options for power, irrigation, water supply, flood management, and (iii) the lessons learned from the global review activities. 8. The products under Output 2 include, inter alia: An assessment of non-dam options for water and energy services provided by dams; Analysis of experience and practice for options assessment and decision-making in water and energy resource planning; Documented illustrations of good practice (approaches, methods, tools, processes and institutional arrangements) around decision-making for all stages of the planning cycle for options and dams, and around the project cycle for dams, including: - comprehensive and comparative economic and financial analysis of options; - integration of sectoral planning and river basin planning approaches; - environmental and social impact assessment; - approaches and procedures for addressing social issues; in particular displacement, resettlement, and impacts on downstream communities; - negotiation and conflict resolution; in particular consultation processes and participatory planning; - planning processes and institutional arrangements. The synthesis report for Output 2. 9. Output 2 will be of primary interest to decision-makers and practitioners in government bodies, implementing agencies, utilities, NGOs, the private sector and civil society groups who are interested in examples of good practice procedures, tools and processes for dam related options assessment, planning, operation, and participatory decision-making. Output 3: Criteria and Guidelines 10. Output 3 will provide a policy framework and supporting policy-level criteria and guidelines to facilitate dams-related decisions. It will provide the Commission's findings and recommendations for addressing complex choices, conflicting values, and competing priorities. The rationale for the recommended policy-level criteria and guidelines will be provided, along with discussion of the enabling conditions, capacity considerations and incentive frameworks that may be needed to successfully implement the recommendations. The Commission's "call to action" will be formulated in Output 3, which will incorporate components of new values. 11. Output 3 will be based on the findings and recommendations arising from the case studies, 150+ large dams cross-check survey; thematic reviews, and submissions received; and it will be informed by Outputs 1 and 2. 12. The products under Output 3 include: A set of proposed policy-level criteria and guidelines for future dams-related decision-making, options assessment and water and energy resource planning, and; A set of recommended measures, enabling conditions and incentive frameworks to promote compliance with the policy-level criteria and guidelines during the planning, design, appraisal, construction, operation, monitoring and decommissioning of large dams; A synthesis report on Output 3 13. Output 3 will be of primary interest to decision-makers and analysts in governments, utilities, development banks, NGOs, the private sector and representative civil society groups interested in policy-level criteria and guidelines for dams and their alternatives in water and energy resources development. C. Work Programme Approach and Rationale Approach 1. Taking as a starting point the key issues raised by stakeholders in the debate around the performance and development effectiveness of dams, the work programme and the Commission process is structured around: (i) four blocks of activity leading to development of a shared knowledge base; (ii) preparation and synthesis of the three main outputs; and, (iii) preparation of the final Commission report summarizing the main findings, conclusions and recommendations. 2. A refined notion of development effectiveness is central to the work programme activities and outputs. The activities undertaken within the WCD process will serve as the mechanism to collect evidence, information and convergent and divergent views on development effectiveness. This will inform the Commission on how the various notions of development effectiveness may be reflected in the Commission's findings and recommendations, and embodied in the three WCD outputs and the Commission report. 3. The past decade has seen the notion of development effectiveness of physical investments, including dams, shift focus from more strictly defined measures of performance and economic efficiency towards a greater emphasis on their broader contribution to development objectives: economic, social, environmental, political, and others - in a sustainable development context. Similarly, the debate on dams has evolved around this shifting notion of development effectiveness and related value systems, encompassing both the process and outcomes of projects. In this context, some of the key elements of this debate may be summarized as relating to: performance, equity, uncertainty, growth, sustainability and governance. The linkage of the policy-level criteria and guidelines to these and similar concepts will be explored further and refined during the WCD process. Developing the Knowledge Base 4. The WCD knowledge base will incorporate information and experience with dams worldwide, derived from the WCD activities which represent four complementary lines of enquiry : (i) the case studies, (ii) the 150+ large dams cross-check survey, (iii) the thematic reviews, and (iv) the inputs received from interested individuals, groups and institutions. Activities 5. In developing the knowledge base for the Commission, the WCD Secretariat will coordinate the following activities: Focal dam/river basin case studies: The purpose of focal dam/river basin studies is to review, assess and illustrate the past performance and development effectiveness of a number of large dams, and to extract lessons learned. This will include the preparation of several case studies globally, each concentrating on a focal dam in the context of its river basin. While a single large dam will be studied intensively, other large non-focal dams within the river basin also will be examined for important interactive and cumulative effects. 150+ large dams cross-check survey: This analysis will generate broader findings on the past performance of 150+ large dams around the world. The review will be less comprehensive in terms of analysis of individual dams than is intended for the case studies. Rather, the review will generate insights and perspectives on past experience from the analysis of patterns and trends, such as: frequencies (the percentage of dams which achieved their project objectives); and trends over time (such as the percentage of projects with environmental impact assessments). Thematic reviews: These reviews are designed to document experience and lessons learned on cross-cutting topics central to the debate on large dams and their alternatives. These thematic reviews will articulate the empirical results obtained from the case studies, the 150+ large dams cross-check survey and the submissions, and serve to fill in crucial gaps in the experience knowledge base. The reviews will also be forward-looking and analyze state-of-the-art of perspectives, practices and approaches to these key topics. The thematic reviews will be organized around five main theme areas: social, environmental, economic/financial, options assessment, and institutional issues. The extent of coverage of a particular topic will depend on the centrality of the topic to the WCD's key objectives and the degree of convergent and divergent views surrounding it. Inputs from interested groups and individuals: The Commission will welcome inputs from all interested individuals, groups and institutions. This will serve to broaden the knowledge base that is ultimately developed, while helping to ensure that the viewpoints of the contributors are taken into consideration in developing the WCD's outputs. These inputs include direct submissions by individuals and groups, regional consultations, feedback received at meetings of the WCD Forum, and materials submitted independently: such as additional case studies, testimonies, technical papers, and comments received on the WCD web page and by other electronic media. These inputs will be properly acknowledged and incorporated in the WCD activities as appropriate, and incorporated in the WCD knowledge base. D. Focal Dam/River Basin Studies 1. The focal dam/river basin case studies will review and assess the performance and development effectiveness of a number of large dams in different regions of the world. Selection of focal dams/ case studies 2. A number of existing large dams were identified by the Secretariat; then a set of selection criteria derived from the mandate and key objectives of the WCD were applied to identify potential dams/river basins for the case studies. This approach was necessary, as it is not possible to conduct a comprehensive investigation of all 45,000 large dams in the world within the timeframe and with the resources available to the WCD. 3. Four main factors in the final selection included: regional representation; diversity of experience and issues; the potential for development lessons to be learned; and the level of information availability/accessibility to conduct the case study. Additional selection criteria applied across the list of candidates to ensure diversity in the selection of focal dams/river included: Transboundary impacts (the possibility of increasing the number of countries represented); Age diversity ; Diversity in function (hydroelectric, irrigation, flood-control, multi-purpose, etc.); Diversity in the magnitude of impacts (size of population, area and ecosystem affected); Diversity in reservoir size (to differentiate between large and major dams); Diversity in catchment area size and ecology. The focal dam/river basin case studies agreed at the 3rd Commission meeting held in Colombo, Sri Lanka in December 1998, immediately after the South-Asia regional consultation include the following.   Focal Dam River Basin Basin Country 1 Tarbela Indus Pakistan 2 Kariba Zambezi Zambia/Zimbabwe 3 Pak Mun Mun Thailand 4 Grand Coulee Columbia USA 5 Raudalsvatn/Alternate Glomma-Laagen/Alternate Norway 6 Danjiangkou Hangjiang China 7 Tucurui Tocantins Brazil 8 - - Russia* 9 - - Turkey* 10 - - India*   Gariep/Vanderkloof Orange River Pilot South Africa * Formal dialogue with governments initiated for first group of studies (1-7); consultation with governments for studies (8-10) pending . 4. For each case study, the focal dam will be studied intensively in a river basin context, while other large dams within the basin will be examined to illustrate interactive and cumulative effects with the focal dam. The baseline information collected in each case study aims to provide: Country setting/basin profile: a sketch of the broader policy/planning, decision-making context and institutional framework; and a profile of the full river basin (or major tributary) which will include factual and descriptive information on the basin characteristics including the main physical, socio-economic, cultural and environmental parameters; Focal dam assessment: detailed information on the focal dam needed to prepare parameters and indicators to assess and illustrate stakeholders views on the performance, development effectiveness and decision-making processes for the focal dam. This will include both quantitative and qualitative information; Catchment and interactive issues: additional summary information on other large dams in the basin to elicit and illustrate the planned and actual extent of interaction between the focal dam and the other large dams. Broader institutional frameworks and decision-making processes that have shaped the effectiveness of the large dams and the broader development of the river basin will be examined, and their cumulative impacts assessed where relevant. 5. Each of the WCD focal dam/basin case studies, with the engagement of in-country stakeholders, will aim to: collect and verify quantitative and qualitative data to support the independent review of the performance and development effectiveness of the dams and decision-making processes; be illustrative in nature; capture convergent and divergent views; summarize lessons learned. Development effectiveness of focal dam 6. The concept of "effectiveness" is taken in the broadest sense. It includes not only the relevance and appropriateness of large dams as a response to the needs which motivated their construction (e.g. irrigation, electricity generation, flood management, water supply, navigation and other multi-purpose benefits), but also the projected versus actual services and benefits, the costs and impacts associated with the results obtained, the distribution of gains and losses among groups, the environmental consequences, and the general conditions under which the dams were built and are operated. The political context and national reasons for building the dam, and the impact of the project on the country's economy will also be examined in the case studies; these relate to decision-making and consultative processes, and to the ex-post validity of the key assumptions upon which dam projects were originally developed. 7. In order to provide a consistent approach in the global case study programme, the development effectiveness of each focal dam will be assessed from the following perspectives: What were the projected vs. actual benefits, costs and impacts? This will consist of assessing and illustrating the extent to which large dam projects have achieved their stated objectives. Expected information, depending on the type and purpose of the dams include a comparison between: electricity production forecasts and actual generation; projected and actual areas of irrigated lands or agricultural production; forecast crop value and actual value; change in flood damages before and after project; actual and predicted costs and impacts for each phase of the project; predicted impacts and their mitigation/compensation etc. What were the unintended costs, benefits and impacts? Dams frequently have unanticipated costs, benefits and impacts that need to be factored in the assessment of development effectiveness and the illustration of experience. This will be done by seeking to assess and illustrate the unintended costs, benefits and impacts that were not considered, or expressed, in the decision-making stages (including displacement costs; health impacts; compensation of unexpected losses; effects on production systems; environmental impacts, and unintended benefits, etc). Unintended benefits will depend on the country context and may include recreational values, improved road access, informal agricultural expansion, power or agriculture export sales, etc. From this analysis lessons can be learned for dealing with uncertainty and unanticipated effects of dam projects. Distribution of costs and benefits - who gained and who lost? Equity, gender and sustainability aspects will be assessed and illustrated under this question. To the extent feasible, the information collected on the impacts of large dams will be disagregated. This will give a clearer indication of losers and winners. The beneficiary groups for the services provided by the dam will also be considered in respect to local, provincial/ national and regional categories. Other aspects to be covered include the distribution of costs and benefits of the project affected communities based on age, gender, ethnicity, and residential status (urban vs. rural); upstream vs. downstream; as well as changes in roles, incomes/livelihoods among marginalised groups. In addition, social costs not internalized in analyzing the project feasibility will be identified as far as possible, as well as compensations provided to groups negatively impacted. Along with these questions, changes in rights (ownership as well as use rights) over resources and their implications on social structures (hierarchies, institutions, and relationships) will be analyzed. How were decisions made? The case studies will document and illustrate decision-making processes regarding the planning, implementation and monitoring of individual large dam projects, and of river basin development programmes as a whole. The extent to which these processes have been demand-driven, democratic, and inclusive will be examined, with due consideration of changes in the context and value systems occurring over time. The role of interest groups (community based NGOs, the media, elected authorities, government officials, donors and the private sector) will be analyzed at all stages of the planning and project cycle. Due consideration will be given to the analysis of conflict management mechanisms. In the countries where the context is relevant, emphasis will be placed on analyzing the roles of traditionally marginalised groups (women, lower caste groups, indigenous peoples, or ethnic minorities) in decision-making processes. The manner in which conflicting priorities at various levels (regional vs. national; national vs. local; community vs. individuals) are addressed or negotiated will be illustrated. Did the project comply with the criteria and guidelines of the day? The case studies will assess and illustrate the extent to which criteria and guidelines that existed at the time were followed during the planning, construction and operation of the dam. Where applicable, these criteria and guidelines will be analyzed to determine their effectiveness and the accountabilities, and to identify incentives and institutional frameworks explaining their implementation. Decision-makers and interest group awareness of other existing guidelines will be assessed. How would the project be viewed today in terms of lessons learned? The case studies will summarize the convergent and divergent views on all the above issues. The different stakeholder interests, and to the extent possible, the stakeholders collectively as a group will provide views of the lessons learned from their own experience. E. 150+ Large Dams cross-check survey 1. As a complementary activity to the focal dam/basin case studies, the 150+ large dams cross-check survey will be prepared. The main objective will be to capture and consolidate factual information on the dams to illustrate the patterns and other trends in performance, measured in terms of predicted versus actual indicators and descriptive parameters. This review will extend the range of insights available from the case studies and thematic reviews, and will add an important empirical dimension to the WCD knowledge base. 2. A variety of dams to represent different types (e.g. storage, run-of-river); ages (e.g. dams from the 1930's through the 1990's), functions (e.g. water supply, irrigation, power, flood management, recreation and other); ownership structures (e.g. public, corporate and private); and regional locations, will be included in the cross-check survey. Each dam will have a date record with time series dimensions where feasible. Analysis will be performed on the full set, and on sub-sets of 150+ dams compiled. 3. The data records for dams incorporated in the review will be related to the data records and indicators developed for the focal dam/basin case studies. However, the cross-check survey will have fewer parameters, and thus provide less in-depth analysis and illustration than the focal dam/basin case studies. The data records will essentially be a sub-set of parameters developed for the focal dam assessment of development effectiveness in the case studies. 4. The WCD will select approximately 150+ dams based on the following criteria: 8-10 focal dams from the case studies; 50 +/- non-focal dams from the case study river basins; 50 +/- dams from other existing databases; 40 +/- dams selected by the WCD from dam registries to increase the overall diversity of the 150+ selection, such as based on function, age, and geographical distribution. The method for data collection and the types of analysis that will be provided in the cross-check survey is further elaborated in Annex 2. F. Thematic Reviews 1. The thematic reviews will provide the baseline information, analysis and recommendations on cross-cutting issues and central elements in the debate associated with large dams. The reviews will consider past and current experience, as well as the forward-looking context. 2. The thematic reviews will address five major areas of concern identified in the WCD strategy and objectives paper: (i) social and distributional issues, (ii) environmental issues, (iii) economic and financial issues, (iv) options assessment, and (v) institutional processes. 3. The main purposes of these reviews are: To review the existing knowledge and experiences on key issues; To provide a shared understanding on different regional and paradigm perspectives related to the issues; To clarify the areas of common ground and disagreement around highly controversial issues; To identify good practices (including tools, methodologies and procedures) and options that could improve the decision-making process within the broader context of sustainable management of water and energy resources. To provide specific criteria and guidelines for the planning, design, appraisal, construction, operation, monitoring and decommissioning of dams. 4. The following sections provide an initial view of the scope of the thematic studies. These are further elaborated in Annex 3. Social and distributional issues: This theme area will focus on the distributive aspects of the overall costs and benefits of large dams. The central question, "Who pays the price and who reaps the benefits of large dams?" will be subjected to a thorough analysis, and its equity, legal and ethical dimensions will be fully addressed. Issues to be examined include: social equity; rights to natural resources; impacts on project affected people, vulnerable groups, women and indigenous people; cultural aspects; dynamics of displacement; and, experiences on resettlement, restoration of livelihoods, reparations and development. Lessons learned should inform the overall decision-making process and guidelines on resettlement, compensation/ mitigation procedures and specific development measures for social impacts that could help project-affected people become project beneficiaries. Environmental issues: This theme area will focus on environmental factors that have not been fully assessed in the past experience with large dams, and/or involve high levels of scientific uncertainty. Issues to be examined include meso-scale impacts of modified hydrological regimes on ecosystems and on ecological functions of rivers, environmental restoration, and dams in the context of global warming and global change. These outputs will contribute to expanding the scope of environmental assessment, options assessment and management of large dams and water resources. Economic and Financial issues: This theme area will focus on two key issues. First, it will examine the adequacy of current economic and financial analysis practices to determine the overall economic development rationale for a dam, and how in future, options assessment can take account of various emerging issues such as: the treatment of non-monetised natural and cultural values and externalities; and the need for improved risk analysis and standardized discount rates between sectors. Secondly, the theme area will examine trends in financing large dams and options including changes in the sources and methods in project financing for water and power resources projects worldwide, and notably between private sector and public sector. It will ask how current project financing trends including the impacts of de-regulation affect future decision-making processes and implementation responsibilities and arrangements. The outputs of this thematic area will contribute to findings and recommendations on the treatment of economic and financial issues in planning, options evaluation and the methods of financing dams and their alternatives. Options Assessment: This theme will address topics associated with the options assessment and the trade-offs between dams and options both in terms of the technologies and approaches to deliver services provided by dams: e.g. electricity generation, irrigation, flood management and water supply, etc. It will assess the enabling conditions required for sustainable use of the technologies, and the consequences of these choices on sustainable development in local, regional and national contexts. The potential for demand-side management, traditional techniques and other alternatives for achieving the "same results" will be addressed for each of these topics, in addition to the review of the individual characteristics the alternatives. These outputs should contribute to the analysis and recommendations on alternatives and their potential role in sustainable development, and multi-purpose development in the context of river basin management. Institutional processes: This thematic area will draw together experience on decision-making processes and related institutional arrangements needed to implement practices identified under the previous four themes areas. One important aspect is to provide the rationale and example processes for fully incorporating economic, social and environmental criteria for decision-making around dams and their options, in transparent and participatory processes. Among the issues to be examined under this theme area include: the institutional context for national and sectoral planning processes and how they influence options assessments; river basin management approaches; and institutional / financial mechanisms necessary to implement practices identified in the other thematic studies. The thematic area will also address governance structures, legislative and regulatory frameworks, and policies which influence compliance and implementation capacity; the role of traditional institutions; participatory planning and principles and mechanisms for transparent and equitable decision-making and conflict-resolution. These outputs feed directly into the development of criteria, guidelines and practices for improved decision-making throughout the planning and project cycle at the local, sub-regional and national levels. Methodological Approach 5. Secretariat staff will prepare an initial scoping paper and terms of reference (TOR) for each thematic topic. Teams will then be assembled to produce a comprehensive review paper for each thematic topic. The final output for each thematic review will be a synthesis paper, prepared by the Secretariat, which will summarize the contributions to the analysis of the topic. The figure below illustrates the process of preparing the synthesis paper. 6. The Secretariat will prepare the scoping papers for each topic, with active involvement of Commission Members. These scoping papers will provide a conceptual framework for the review process and the basis for the Terms of Reference (TOR) for engaging experts to prepare the review papers. 7. The review papers will synthesize the state-of-the-art knowledge, practices and key viewpoints on each topic. The level of effort involved in the preparation of these review papers varies according to the complexity of the issue and the level of controversy surrounding it taking into consideration the resources available and timeframe. As part of the preparation of the review paper, review panels will be set up to bring different perspectives and approaches on the topic and to clarify the areas of potential agreement and disagreement on highly controversial issues. Where necessary Task Forces may be convened for aspects requiring further analysis. 8. Details on the methodological approach and timeframe are presented in Annex 3, together with the summaries of the initially proposed topics. G. Input from Interested Groups and Individuals 1. It is essential that all interested groups and individuals should have the opportunity to inform the WCD process. This will serve to broaden the knowledge base that is ultimately developed, while helping to ensure that the viewpoints of the contributors are taken into consideration in developing the WCD's outputs. The work programme envisages both formal and informal opportunities for affected peoples and the range of stakeholders to submit their viewpoints and thereby contribute to the findings and recommendations of the WCD. Solicited contributions 2. There are three main avenues for promoting exchanges with different interest groups during the WCD process. Firstly, regional consultations will enable different groups to participate in the process through submissions and debate. Secondly, a WCD Forum will be convened which brings together a wide range of different actors in the dams' debate at the international level . Members of the Forum will be invited to jointly discuss and comment on the ongoing WCD work, and the Forum will serve as a "sounding board" for the Commission. Thirdly, inputs will be received through the individual case studies at the country level and thematic studies at the country and international level. 3. Each of the focal dam/river basin case studies will involve consultations of various kinds with affected people, stakeholders and interest groups. Peer reviews and consultations through expert panels and task forces will also be central to the thematic reviews. Taken together, these mechanisms will increase the outreach of the WCD's work, and allow feedback and exchange with the constituency groups most directly concerned by WCD's conclusions. Additional ad-hoc contributions 4. Interested groups and individuals are welcome to contribute with additional inputs to the WCD process in the form of other case studies, reports, testimonies, etc. Procedures for organizing and synthesizing independently submitted materials are being developed. All efforts will be made to incorporate these inputs into the ongoing work programme and the knowledge base, to the extent possible. 5. The WCD website is another key focal point for making draft WCD materials available to a wider readership, and for gathering comments on ongoing work. Draft reports, guidelines and other materials will be posted for comment before their final versions are published. H. Work Programme Implementation 1. At this stage the following approach is envisaged: Commission Members will guide, review and approve the overall work programme through regular meetings of the Commission as a whole; Commission Members will actively supervise and contribute to activities in the work programme through one or more of the programme sub-committees for outputs 1, 2 and 3. Where their timetables permit, they also will work with the respective implementation teams; Secretariat staff will coordinate the development of the methodological approach for the case studies and thematic reviews, identification of appropriate institutions and individuals for collaboration, co-ordination of the case study and thematic review process, and the final drafting of the synthesis documents for consideration by the Commission Members; The Secretariat will carry out the pilot study (November (1998) - March (1999)), on the Orange River Basin in South Africa. The objective is to refine the approach and methodology to be used by the teams for the global case study programme during the March 1999 to January 2000 period. The global programme of case studies will be undertaken by teams of Secretariat staff and commissioned teams from the focal dam/basin countries. The case studies will be undertaken between March 1999 and January 2000. The thematic summaries, panels and task forces will be prepared by identifying key institutions or individuals as partners who will be given the lead role to bring together a competent and balanced range of expertise and knowledge on the particular theme/topic to be addressed. While summaries may require relatively limited Commission Member and Secretariat staff input, the panels and task forces in particular will assume more or less continuous involvement by Secretariat staff, and where feasible the Commission Members. Secretariat staff involving consultants with appropriate credentials and access to the necessary information will prepare the 150+ large dam cross-check survey. The process will include a peer review before the work is finalized. Secretariat staff will process inputs from interest groups and individuals. Whenever feasible, the Commission will utilize these inputs in the context of ongoing case studies and thematic reviews. The communications group in the Secretariat will coordinate the regional public consultations and WCD Forum meetings. Where feasible local hosting partners will be identified for these events. I. Schedule The work programme has been divided into several phases. These should be regarded as core periods. In practice, there will be overlap and a continuous process of information gathering, analysis, synthesis and reconfirmation as the work programme is implemented: June '98 - August '98: Commission start-up, establishment of Secretariat, logistics, fund raising September '98 - December '98: initial review of existing knowledge base, drafting of the work programme, holding of the South Asia Consultation, development of the methodology and implementation of the pilot case study in South Africa; January '99 - November '99: implementation of studies, field work and consultations; drafting of interim progress report for June 1999, preliminary review of findings; November '99 - February '00: synthesis phase, identification of gaps and corresponding activities to address these; February '00 - April '00: drafting of conclusions and recommendations, review and feedback from stakeholders and interested parties; April '00 - June '00: drafting of final report and presentation to international community.