Abstract As facilitator of this country case study session, I will provide a brief introduction to some of the critical issues at the cross roads of economic and environmental policy, investments and decision making, as they impact the quality of life and peoples choices and opportunities on the ground. Issues of equity in access to environmental assets and conflict as it relates to issues of sharing and distribution will be tabled, using illustrations from around the world. The global Human Development Reports on Water (2006) and on Climate Change (2007) will be referenced. This will provide an opener to the indepth case studies to be presented by the two other panelists.