WWW 2020 - Reducing the Risks of Climate-Related Water Conflicts
Evidence continues to accumulate that human-caused climate changes influence tensions and violence over water resources. This session aims to bring awareness to the legal, technical, economic and social tools available to prevent climate-related water conflicts, equipping water development and peacebuilding practitioners, governments, and others with strategies to sustain peace.
While a wide range of tools and approaches are available for improving cooperation over water resources, the challenges posed by climate change add a new dimension to such efforts. This session will briefly review the issue of water, climate, and conflict and then focus on legal, technical, economic, and social tools for identifying and reducing the risks of such conflicts. Brief case studies will be provided demonstrating the practical application of these tools in preventing water conflicts at different scales.
The session outline is provided below:
- Session Moderation by the Water, Peace, and Security Partnership
- Overview by the Pacific Institute of the data and science around climate-related water conflicts
- Overview by the Environmental Peacebuilding Association or Geneva Water Hub of “environmental peacebuilding” strategies
- Case studies to be selected from Africa/Middle East (e.g. Nile, Maghreb); Asia/Latin America (e.g. Indus)
- Presentation by a high-level official/Minister on approaches to promote cooperation
Following these presentations, the Water, Peace and Security Partnership will lead an interactive discussion with the audience to identify next steps for advancing environmental peacebuilding and address urgent needs and paths forward to get ahead of water-related conflicts. The session will wrap-up with a summary by the panelists.