Rivalries over water have been the source of disputes since humans settled down to cultivate food. But while users within a nation often fight over water, no nations have gone to war specifically over water resources for thousands of years. International water disputes are resolved peacefully, even as conflicts erupt over other issues. Warnings of coming “water wars” have diverted attention from the benefits that can flow from the world’s transboundary river basins. By coming together to jointly manage their shared water resources, countries can build trust and help prevent conflict. To bring these little-known opportunities to a wider audience, the Environmental Change and Security Program’s Navigating Peace initiative has designed a series of short policy-friendly briefs that examines how water can contribute to cooperation between states, while addressing water’s role in conflict within states. The briefs offer policy recommendations for using water resources management to head off conflict and to support sustainable peace among countries. Released in time for the annual World Water Week meetings in Stockholm, Sweden, the first and second policy briefs, "Water Can Be a Pathway to Peace, Not War" and "The Challenges of Groundwater in Southern Africa" were distributed to water stakeholders, policymakers, and activists. In the near future, three more briefs will be published on the new dynamics of water conflict; lessons from the Nile River Basin; and the Niger River Basin.

In addition, already in March 2006, the Navigating Peace initiative launched "Water Stories," an interactive website addressing small-scale water and sanitation projects. In recent decades, many projects in the water and sanitation sectors have performed poorly. While the international community has increasingly turned to small-scale and community-based projects, research and information on these methods are limited. To help fill this research gap, "Water Stories" offers papers and audio/video presentations exploring lessons learned and assessing NGO and community-based water and sanitation efforts. The papers will be compiled into a forthcoming book. (by Meaghan Parker, Environmental Change and Security Program, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars)

For the "Navigating Peace initiative", please see http://www.wilsoncenter.org/water and for the water stories http://www.wilsoncenter.org/waterstories

For the policy brief "Water Can Be a Pathway to Peace, Not War", please see http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/NavigatingPeace_1.pdf

For the policy brief ""The Challenges of Groundwater in Southern Africa", please see
http://www.wilsoncenter.org/topics/pubs/NavigatingPeace 2.pdf

Published in: ECC-Newsletter, October 2006