Water and Peace

SIWI – Leading expert in water governance
/
Why Water
/
Water and Peace

When properly managed, water can be a peacemaking platform for long lasting cooperation

Water cooperation

Water is a growing concern in many parts of the world. Countries can improve their water resilience through transboundary water cooperation over shared waters.

Many of the most pressing challenges in the world are about water: too little, too much or too inferior. Such challenges can only be effectively addressed through adequate governance of available water resources.

Water and the 2030 Agenda

In 2015, the global community launched the 2030 Agenda, with 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that should be reached by 2030. Some progress has been made, but for most of the goals, the world is not on track to meet the deadline. Water can help us do better.

Groundwater

Groundwater is the regulator of the entire freshwater cycle, but its invisibility makes it difficult to manage and protect.

Water and climate

The climate crisis is essentially a water crisis. When we treat it as such, we get new tools to mitigate climate change and adapt to consequences that are unavoidable.

Water scarcity

Insufficient supply and inadequate infrastructure leaves millions of people in the world without water.

Agriculture and water

How to increase the productivity of agriculture around the world through better water management.

The impact of COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic has pushed millions of people back into poverty and exposed unacceptable gaps between the rich and the poor. One in three people are still not able to wash their hands with soap and water at home.

Indigenous knowledge

Indigenous peoples are the custodians of many of the world’s most fragile and important ecosystems. They also possess invaluable knowledge about sustainability and resilience, so they have a vital role in protecting our environment.

Source-to-Sea

The source-to-sea approach focuses on the strong connection between what happens on land, along waterways, and in the sea.

Water in landscapes

A growing number of people, societies and companies are discovering the power of resilient landscapes. It is still possible to shift to more sustainable practices that recharge water, restore soil health, sequester carbon, and strengthen biodiversity – but we need to make the transformation now.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)

More than two billion people in the world lack safely managed drinking water and twice as many lack safely managed sanitation, making WASH one of the most urgent development challenges.

Rivers

While we all depend heavily on rivers for our survival, many rivers are under constant threat from unsustainable human activities

PERSPECTIVES

Youth and water

More and more young people offer important contributions to solving the growing water challenges they are inheriting.

Human rights and water

Having access to water and sanitation has been recognized as a human right since 2010. But water is also essential to ensuring the fulfilment of many other rights.

Gender and water

To improve water governance, we need to take a close look at gender roles.

Access to safe water is imperative for civilizations to prosper. However, conflicts over water are continuing to pose severe risks on populations and the environment across the globe. When properly managed, water can, and should, instead be a peacemaking platform for long lasting cooperation.

Climate change is considered a threat multiplier, increasing the likelihood of natural disasters, severe water deficits, and extreme conditions – all of which can exacerbate tensions between countries and increase the risk of conflicts over shared resources, such as water, particularly in places that are already water scarce.

Water scarcity is increasing most rapidly in fragile and conflict-affected regions. Of the world’s 17 most water scarce countries, 12 are located in West Asia and Northern Africa (WANA), in regions that already have a history of conflict, are suffering from rapid degradation of the environment, and have a fast-growing population. On a global scale, water sources are already under pressure from economic growth, urbanization, and a rapidly increasing global population, which could reach 10 billion by 2050. Further, current research from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute indicates that climate change could trigger a 20-40 percent decline in food and water availability.

Further, conflicts are becoming more complex, and underlying tensions can be exacerbated by climate uncertainties. While these trends seem to indicate that there might be intensified competition over water and a possible rise in social conflicts and violence, water can be a bridge to peaceful negotiations rather than a trigger or weapon of war. The proper management of natural resources, particularly water, can strengthen local communities, remove uncertainty over access to safe water, and reduce the risk of conflict rather than bolster it. Applying the interlinked knowledge of climate-security, environmental peacebuilding, and water diplomacy can bridge gaps, and usher in peace to areas most affected by water-scarcity and conflict.

So, how can water be a peaceful tool rather than a weapon in conflicts?

Water can be a platform to base peaceful processes on. Instead of adding to climate threats, water can also build resilience if decision makers should apply:

Transboundary cooperation. When countries work together over transboundary water resolutions, it can deescalate tension and serve as a starting point for peaceful treaties and cooperative solutions.
Water diplomacy tools. Water diplomacy establishes and/or enhances technical and political cooperation over shared waters among a wide range of actors. If applied appropriately, water diplomacy will bring more actors to the table, increasing knowledge, and facilitating dialogue.
Climate-security policy. Traditionally siloed approaches to security are no longer sufficient. Experts on security, climate, environment, and development need to share knowledge to better understand new threats that arise from climate change, environmental degradation, and population growth, as well as social, economic, and political factors.
Climate and conflict informed water governance. Sustainably managing natural resources through both conflict-assessed and climate informed water policies and institutions can build peace capacities, prevent conflicts from starting, and make water systems more resilient.
Inclusive perspectives. If decision makers include gendered, youth, and indigenous perspectives to water discussions, longer lasting, more sustainable and climate-resilient solutions will emerge.