Critical Hydropolitics

The Geneva Water Hub conducts research on transboundary water management, collaborates with the Universities Partnership for Water Cooperation and Diplomacy to enhance scientific knowledge and inform public discourse, and works with the UNESCO Chair on Hydropolitics to develop research projects, educational programs, and science-policy bridges in the field of water resources management.

Rooted in social science methods and theories, researchers with the Geneva Water Hub explore a range of topics related to water diplomacy, water sharing in transboundary and local settings, water justice, and the politics of water and land governance. We are particularly known for our pioneering work on water conflict transformation, for critical discourse analysis of hydropolitics, for critical perspectives on water infrastructure, and for the integration of variables such as power and politics in structuring water governance outcomes.

Some recent academic publications include:

Kebebew, T., Turley, L., Turk, D., & Zeitoun, M. (2024). Bandung Principles: a path to equitable global water governance? *International Journal of Water Resources Development, 40*(1), 1-15.[↓]
Abbara, A., Shomar, R. A., Daoudy, M., Sittah, G. A., Zaman, M. H., & Zeitoun, M. (2024). Water, health, and peace: a call for interdisciplinary research. The Lancet, 403(10435), 1427-1429. [↓]
Bréthaut, C., Vij, S., Mulhauser, G., Nayemi, S., Marsac, G., & Fauvain, H. (2024).Policy instruments for governing water in cross-border metropolitan areas, the case of Greater Geneva. Journal of Environmental Policy & Planning, 26(2), 218-231. [↓]
Bréthaut, C., & Rodriguez Echavarria, T. (2024). The role of third parties in shaping transboundary cooperation of the Sixaola river basin (Costa Rica and Panama): an analysis through States’ involvement, technocratic turn, and reterritorialization. Frontiers in Water, 6, 1369002. [↓]

To access additional research, navigate to the Academic Publications tab below.

Transboundary water management – policy tools from around the world

The Geneva Water Hub, in collaboration with the Canton of Geneva's Water Office, studied the Greater Geneva region as a 'living lab' to explore the practical challenges and opportunities of transboundary water management between Switzerland and France.-

Academic Publications

UNESCO Chair on Hydropolitics

The University of Geneva's Institute for Environmental Sciences has hosted the UNESCO Chair on Hydropolitics since 2015, collaborating closely with the Geneva Water Hub to develop research projects, create educational programs, and build bridges between science and policy. -

Related informations