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Featured articles:

• A Last Ditch Effort to Save the Jordan River by Mr. Rami Abdelrahman and Dr. Anders Jägerskog
  
• Development Under Water Duress by Ms. Chibesa Pensulo
• Water in the Post-2015 Development Agenda by Ms. Maya Rebermark
• Exploring Water Cooperation on World Water Day by Ms. Lovisa Selander
• Top Ten Reasons to Attend the 2013 World Water Week in Stockholm by Ms. Sanna Gustafsson

A Last Ditch Effort to Save the Jordan River
by Mr. Rami Abdelrahman, Programme Officer, and Dr. Anders Jägerskog, Director, Knowledge Services, SIWI

Arguably one of the most endangered rivers on the planet, the river Jordan has been shrinking since one of the oldest continuously inhabited human cities, Jericho, was established on its West Bank. In biblical stories, the Israelites crossed the Jordan “against Jericho,” suggesting that the River was so wide, it reached Jericho. The exact geographical accuracy of this story cannot be defined, but today Jericho stands 10 kilometres away from the River’s West Bank.

Our blue planet is at a most interesting crossroad. Water challenges continue to grow more pressing as demand for finite resources escalates due to both population and economic growth. The requirements to produce more
food and energy, as well as the variability of water availability, are putting our water resources under significant stress. Demand from manufacturing industries is projected to quadruple to 2050, and water use by both thermal electricity generation and households is set to more than double.

Today, 783 million people around the world still do not have access to clean water and almost 2.5 billion live without adequate sanitation. On all fronts, more needs to be done to create a world where the human right to clean water and sanitation is fulfilled for all people. But there are many reasons for optimism. Attention to water issues is rising as a social, political, and development priority. The international community is now discussing the creation of new wise ambitions that will support the movement towards a sustainable and desirable world for all – the so called Post-2015 Development Agenda.

In this issue, Stockholm Water Front had the opportunity to hear the thoughts from those deeply engaged in this process who explain why a ‘water goal’ is something we should aim for. During the International Year of Water
Cooperation, we do see more collaboration emerging between governments, the private sector, academia and civil society. As you can read about here, this is especially important, but can also be exceptionally challenging,
in water stressed regions like the Lower Jordan River.

We also hope to contribute to improved cooperation and more concrete outcomes through the World Water Week on the same theme. In case you haven’t booked your tickets to Stockholm already, we offer our top ten reasons why we think your trip will be worth it. We look forward to seeing you in Stockholm!

The project aims to accelerate the existing partnership between academia and the policy institutions. It will produce a number of academic papers and a published book, entitled “Transboundary water management and the climate change debate”. This book will analyse the current status of the climate change discussions both globally and at the transboundary basin level.

Project Info

• Project team: Anders Jägerskog, Joakim Öjendal (SIWI Associate, Gothenburg University), Ashok Swain (Uppsala University), Stina Hansson (Gothenburg University)
• Partners: Uppsala University, Gothenburg University
• Funded by Sida
• Timeline: 2011 – 2013
• Links and resources:
  - Anton Earle, Ana Elisa Cascao, Anders Jagerskog, Ashok Swain, Joakim Ojendal, (forthcoming) “Transboundary Water Management and the Climate Change Debate”
  - Anders Jägerskog. (2011) “Climate change and land acquisition’s challenge transboundary water management“. New Routes, September 2011
  - Jägerskog, A., Cascao, A., Hårsmar, M. and Kim. K., (2012), “Land Acquisitions: How Will They Impact Transboundary Waters?“. Report Nr. 30, SIWI, Stockholm.
  - Ashok Swain, (2012) “Global Climate Change and Challenges for International River Agreements“, International Journal on Sustainable Society, vol. 4, nos _, 2012, pp. 72-87.
  - Ashok Swain (2012), “Politics or Development: Sharing of International Rivers in the South” in Joakim Öjendal, Stina Hansson, Stina; and Sofie Hellberg, Eds., Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed (New York: Springer, 2012).
  - Ashok Swain, (2011) “Challenges for Water Sharing in the Nile Basin: Changing Geo-Politics and Changing Climate“, Hydrological Science Journal, vol 56, no. 4. 2011, pp. 687-702.
  - Ashok Swain (2011), “South Asia, its Environment and Regional Institutions“, in Lorraine Elliott & Shaun Breslin eds., Comparative Environmental Regionalism (London: Routledge, 2011), pp. 76-91.
  - Ashok Swain, Ranjula Bali Swain, Anders Themnér and Florian Krampe (2011), Climate Change and the Risk of Violent Conflicts in Southern Africa, (Pretoria: Global Crisis Solutions, 2011).
  - Ashok Swain, Ranjula Bali Swain, Anders Themnér and Florian Krampe, “Zambezi Basin: A Risk Zone of Climate Change and Economic Vulnerability“, New Routes, no. 3, 2012, pp. 17-20.
  - Ashok Swain & Qazal Jamali, “The China Factor: New Challenges for Nile Basin Cooperation“, New Routes, no. 3, 2011, pp. 7-10.
  - Ashok Swain & Florian Krampe, “Transboundary Rivers and Climate Change: African and Asian Rivers“. Conflict Trends, vol. 2, 2011, pp: 16-21.
  - Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson & Sofie Hellberg (eds.), 2012, Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed – The Case of the Lower Mekong Region, Springer, London.
  - Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson (lead) & Sofie Hellberg,2012, ‘INTRO: Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed . The Case of the Lower Mekong Basin’, in Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson & Sofie Hellberg (eds.), 2012, Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed. The Case of the Lower Mekong Region, Springer, London.
  - Öjendal, Joakim & Kurt Mørck Jensen, 2012, ‘Politics and Development of the Mekong River Basin – Transboundary dilemmas and participatory ambitions’, in Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson & Sofie Hellberg (eds.), 2012, Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed – The Case of the Lower Mekong Region, Springer, London.
  - Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson & Sofie Hellberg,2012, ‘CONCLUSION: Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed – The Case of the Lower Mekong Basin’, in Öjendal, Joakim, Stina Hansson & Sofie Hellberg (eds.), 2012, Politics and Development in a Transboundary Watershed – The Case of the Lower Mekong Region, Springer, London.