Water resources are becoming increasingly contested and subjects of conflict in many regions of the world. This project will train water advocates across the globe in a new practice-oriented approach to peacebuilding and conflict resolution. This will help those who face conflicts related to their water resources: conflicts between community members, between managing agencies or even between nation states.
Water insecurity can generate social tensions and even trigger violent confrontations. Whether speaking of droughts in the context of polarized politics in Australia, over-extraction and pollution in the Tigris-Euphrates Basin, disputes on water access in the Lake Chad Basin or social-tensions between communities in London - there is a need to bring stakeholders together for dialogue and cooperation.
It addresses Waterkeepers who face conflicts related to their water resources: conflicts between community members, between managing agencies or even between nation states. Additionally, Waterkeepers who are based in fragile and unstable regions marked by socio-political and ethno-national conflicts, can learn how to turn challenges of sustainable water governance into opportunities for building social cohesion.
Shared natural resources provide ongoing opportunities for dialog and cooperation. The key lies in guiding conflict parties towards understanding and accepting their mutual interdependence. This interdependence sets the foundation for the development of prosperity and trust on both sides. Collaboration and exchange with peer organizations holds for all kinds of conflict settings: at the community-level, the regional level, the national level and the transboundary level.
