ICWC International Symposium on Water Diplomacy

This week, the ICWC International Symposium on Water Diplomacy will be held in Stockholm, Sweden. Speakers include Margareta Wahlström (Swedish Women Mediator Network), Aaron Wolf (OSU) and Seifeldin Abdalla (Ministry of Water, Sudan).

We are entering a new global era in diplomacy and political dynamics. In recent years, diplomacy has evolved to be more inclusive, open and transparent, involving different actors in order to better tackle complex global challenges such as water scarcity and climate change. The process of water diplomacy is also receiving growing interest from the diplomatic community and security analysists.

Global interdependencies are growing. Decision-making in one part of the world can easily impact possibilities to advance cooperation in others. It is more important than ever to be better at sharing water and its associated benefits, especially with the added pressures of climate change and population growth.

Our dependency on water – and the political sensitivity this entails – therefore makes the process of water diplomacy an extremely important one. It engages actors from different levels (international, regional and local), with different expertise, and presents an opportunity to advance cooperation beyond water, making use of different entry points to incentivize dialogue and negotiations around, for example, investment in infrastructure and regional development initiatives.

There are many examples of governments coming together, or maintaining a dialogue around the need for regional water cooperation – often beyond what is considered politically possible at that time. They are willing to take certain political risks however, because water is such a unique and indispensable resource, and failure to cooperate would negatively impact the potential to, for example, increase agricultural production, advance cross-border trade or invest in water storage capacities.

The ICWC Symposium will aim to bridge knowledge and encourage collaboration between researchers, diplomats, decision-makers, thought-leaders and practitioners to discuss the process of water diplomacy as an approach that contributes to conflict transformation, peacebuilding and regional security.

Participants will discuss multi-track diplomacy, regional dimensions, environmental peacebuilding and grassroots diplomacy, as well as the role of women in promoting and sustaining cooperation around shared water resources. These subjects help to unpack the different layers of actors and change agents, organizational and institutional frameworks, perspectives and approaches, as well as incentive structures and behavioural change.

The Symposium is hosted by the International Centre for Water Cooperation and SIWI, in collaboration with the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change, Koblenz, Germany
Click here for more information about the theme.

For interview requests, contact:
Rowena Barber
Communications Manager, SIWI
Rowena.Barber@siwi.org
+46 72 050 6039