Resources

The Geneva Water Hub’s online platform offers a wide range of resources. You will find a range of different formats each created especially for a particular target audience – student, scientist or professional.

Vacancy announcement - General Director

The Geneva Water Hub is looking for a strong candidate to fill the General Director vacancy, which will be open as of June 2021. In collaboration with the leadership team, the new General Director will guide the Geneva Water Hub’s strategic development.

MEDRC Transboundary Waters – Practioners Briefing Series – Issue 8 – Gender and Transboundary Water

In this edition of MEDRC's "Transboundary Waters", Natasha Carmi, our Lead water specialist, is invited to apply a gender lens to the challenges of water security and transboundary cooperation, and discuss methods for achieving the SDG of Gender Equality in the water sector

Webinar on "International Water Law and Transboundary Cooperation"

The webinar examines the role of international water law in enhancing transboundary cooperation. It will also emphasize how the Implementation Committee of the UNECE Water Convention serves as a mechanism to support cooperation between riparian States.

Witnessing the Environmental Impacts of War - Environmental case studies from conflict zones around the world

With case studies from Iraq, Syria, Colombia, Yemen, Ukraine, Laos DPR and Senegal, this jointly produced report provides a snapshot of environments impacted by active conflict, post conflict governance gaps, and humanitarian efforts to restore usable lands. The stories tell a tale of the often complex relationship between armed conflict and its environment footprint that lingers long after the guns fell silent.

Distance Learning Course on International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers

Would you like to be able to implement a transboundary water agreement? The 5^th Edition of the Distance Learning Course on International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers has already been launched!

The Geneva Water Hub invites you to participate in the 5^th session of its Online Course on International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers which will take place from 5 October to 14 December 2020.

"Water for peace: preventing conflict related to water and wetlands"

As part of the 2020 World Bank Fragility Forum, and In collaboration with The Water, Peace and Security (WPS) partnerhsip and Wetlands International, we contributed to a World Bank Blog article entitled “Water for peace: preventing conflict related to water and wetlands”. This piece is part of the 2020 Fragility Forum along partners’ podcasts.

Imagine Blue Peace Semifinalist - “Blue Justice: Water between its Scarcity and Resilience”, a visual book

Following the 2019 Youth for Water and Peace Platform call for contributions, we are proud to feature the first semi-finalist in the “Visual Art” category: “Blue Justice: Water between its Scarcity and Resilience” by Stephanye Zarama Alvarado.

DAMS: water flows regulation in a fragmented world

the Geneva Water Hub and IUCN’s Environmental Law Centre launch the initiative “Dams: water flows regulation in a fragmented world”. This assessment will include a compendium of references grouping and analyzing the main frameworks and principles to be considered when addressing the challenges of dams in general and large dams in particular.

MOOC n°1 - Water Resources Management and Policy

As of 4 Januars 2016, the "Education and Knowledge" component of the Geneva Water Hub has made the MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) on Water Resources Management and Policy on the Coursera platform available in English. This course is a first of a series, it is free of charge and freely accessible.

Water management nowadays faces new challenges, such as climate change or the influence of anthropogenic activities. Public or private actors in this field have to develop new competences to better manage the water cycle “at large”.

Sign-in at www.coursera.org/learn/water-management!

Review of European, Community and International Environmental Law Special Issue

Volume 29, Issue 1.
Special Issue:Water Protection and Armed Conflicts in International Law.

The issue of water security and protection in relation to armed conflicts has been examined from various perspectives and approaches, including by academics in law, political science, peace and conflict studies as well as by decision makers and practitioners from States, international organizations and civil society.

The Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure

The Geneva List of Principles on the Protection of Water Infrastructure is the result of a think-tank process started by the Geneva Water Hub’s Platform for International Water Law in 2016 during the reflection carried out by the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace.

Imagine Blue Peace Semifinalist - “Record Keeper”, a music movement

Following the 2019 Youth for Water and Peace Platform call for contributions, we are proud to feature the first semi-finalist in the “Music - a movement you have composed” category. Music movement entitled "Record Keeper", by artist Adam Bagatavicius.

Second edition of the online course on international water law

The Geneva Water Hub invites you to participate in the 2^nd edition of its online course on the international water law which will take place between 30 March 30 and 10 May 2020.

Universities’ partnership: the role of academic institutions in water cooperation and diplomacy

Academic and research institutions play a key role in understanding water cooperation and tackling water diplomacy needs. The Geneva Watrer Hub is proud to be leading with its core partners the launch and expansion of the University Partnership for Water Cooperation and Diplomacy (UPWCD). The following article discusses the role that academic and scientific institutions play in water diplomacy and cooperation, and reflects on the contribution that partners of the UPWCD can jointly make to further the cause of water cooperation and diplomacy.

2019 Webinars in International Water Law

As part of the 2019 edition of the online course on “International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers”, the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law, in collaboration with DiploFoundation, organized the following webinar

The Global Observatory for Water and Peace

In 2017, The Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace presented a set of concrete recommendations for action, which now need to be implemented with the support of States and organizations willing to commit to the agenda for the future of water, peace and security. One of these recommendations called for the creation of a Global Observatory for Water and Peace.

Imagine Blue Peace Semifinalist - “Proportion”, a poem

Following the 2019 Youth for Water and Peace Platform call for contributions, we are proud to feature the first semi-finalist in the “Literature (short stories, poems, essays)” category.

Title: "Proportion"

Distance Learning Course "International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers" between 21 October and 22 December 2019

Developed by the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law of the University of Geneva, the online course in "International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers" has been designed for professionals from different backgrounds including law, international relations, hydrology, engineering or economics. Government officials (diplomats, technical and scientific specialists working in transboundary water issues), international organizations staff, NGO, civil society representatives, academics and professionals from the private sector.

The Water Diplomat - Bridging the gap on hydropolitical information

"The Water Diplomat" is a free monthly news and intelligence resource produced by OOSKAnews and Geneva Water Hub. The publication, distributed monthly by email, is part of a media platform developed to engage our world in understanding the intersects among water, peace, conflict and diplomacy. The monthly publication is accompanied by a free monthly videocast distributed by Vimeo.

Water Talks Series n°5 - Prof. J. Harou

Imagine Blue Peace Finalist - “Water and Peace 2.0 Youth Outlook, 2019”

2019 Youth for Water and Peace Platform call for contributions overall winner features the vision of young water specialists on water and peace using the case of Central Asia. Made by Bota Sharipova (WYPW), Nataliya Chemayeva (WYPW), Nargiza Osmonova (WYPW), Mirsaid Uzakov (WYPW), Tim Nolden (WYN) and Farhad Safi (CAY4W), 2019. The themes covered in the video include: social inclusion and stakeholder participation; transboundary river basins and aquifers, water, peace, and youth.

Governance of a Transboundary River - The Rhône

The Geneva Water Hub, in collaboration with the UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics (University of Geneva) is proud to present this latest edition published under the “Palgrave Studies in Water Governance: Policy and Practice” series.

This edition exposes major lessons that might be applied to transboundary water governance, offers a comparative study of different governance models and shows how governance of the Rhone river evolved in practice.

Water Talks Series n°5 - Prof. C. Sneddon

Distance Learning Course "Droit international de l’eau douce" between 27 May and 7 July 2019

Developed by the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law of the University of Geneva, the online course in "Droit international de l’eau douce" has been designed for professionals working full-time and run for six weeks. Participants have free access at all times to course content, assessment activities and learning materials.

Summer School in Water Governance: Frameworks and Negotiations, June 3-15 2019

The Geneva Water Hub is leading the organisation of the University of Geneva Summer School in Water Governance. If you are a professional acting at strategic levels and aiming to develop analytical skills on water governance processes, please check out this oportunity. The next edition will take between 3 and 15 June 2019.

Water Talks Series n°5 - Prof. A. Kibaroglu

Power dynamics and integration in the water-energy-food nexus: Learning lessons for transdisciplinary research in Cambodia

A new peer-reviewed Geneva Water Hub collaborative publication aims to delimit and understand the power-related enabling conditions for integration processes in a situation of water, food and energy conflicts in Cambodia. To do so, the collaborating authors (University of Geneva, UNESCO Chair on Hydropolitics, IUCN Water Programme and Institute of Development Studies) reflected on their experiences and outcomes in a knowledge co-production approach for identifying nexus indicators in a WWF Conservation Mekong Flooded Forest Landscape.

Water Talks Series n°5 - Dr. F. Menga

2018 Webinars in International Water Law

As part of the 2018 edition of the online course on “International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers”, the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law, in collaboration with DiploFoundation, organized two webinars.

Research Handbook on Freshwater Law and International Relations

A research collaboration between the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law (Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva) highlights the intersections between freshwater law and international relations.

Youth for Water and Peace - Members of the World Youth Parliament for Water Visit an Indigenous Community in Brazil

Brazil had quite a number of experiences that touched our hearts as a parliament, but the one that stood out the most was our visit to the indigenous community; The Sanctuary of the Shaman (Santuário dos Pajés).

The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses - A Commentary

A research collaboration between the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law (Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva) examines the preparatory work leading to the Convention as well as the practice that has developed since its adoption in 1997.

Distance learning course on International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers

The Geneva Water Hub’s Platform for International Water Law in collaboration with DiploFoundation, have the pleasure to launch the second edition of its Distance learning Course on International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers.

Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace - Secretariat

In September 2017, the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace launched the final recommendation Report in Geneva and in New York. The Report was then presented at the 2018 World Water Forum in Brasília, 18-23 March 2018. The Geneva Water Hub acted as Secretariat of the Panel. The Strategic Foresight Group, a think tank based in Mumbai, supported the work of the Panel.

Youth for Water and Peace - Impact on the 8th World Water Forum, 18-23 March 2018, Brasília, Brazil

Youth for Water and Peace - As our first collaborative resource between the International Secretariat for Water - Solidarity Water Europe (ISW-SWE) and the World Youth Parliament for Water (WYPW), we would like to share a series of contributions from the WYWP on their impact on the 8^th World Water Forum in Brasília which took place between 18 and 23 March 2018.

Publication of the book "Maintien de la paix et de la sécurité internationales et la gestion des ressources en eau"

The book "Maintien de la paix et de la sécurité internationales et la gestion des ressources en eau" edited by Noura Kridis, is the result of a Workshop organised by the Faculty of legal, political and social sciences of Tunis, in collaboration with the Platform for International Water Law of the Faculty of Law and the Geneva Water Hub. The event was held in February 2016.

2016 and 2017 Webinars in International Water Law

As part of the 2016 and 2017 editions of the online course on “International Water Law and the Law of Transboundary Aquifers”, the Geneva Water Hub and the Platform for International Water Law, in collaboration with DiploFoundation, organized a series of webinars. International experts from different disciplines, including law, political science and natural sciences, participated in these webinars.

Water Talks Series n°4 - Prof. A. Wolf

Policy Brief n°7 - Community management of rural water supply in Malawi: part of the sustainability problem, not the solution

Community management has been seen since the 1990s as the key to ensuring clean water supply in rural villages in low-income countries. Community management approach is ‘the idea that communities should operate and maintain their
own water supply systems’ (Schouten and Moriarty, 2003). The core of the community management model is the Water Point Committee, typically a group of 6 to 10 villagers elected or otherwise delegated by their community to take responsibility for a water point such as a borehole with handpump, a protected spring, or a gravity-fed tap.

"A Matter of Survival"

The Geneva Water Hub, as Secretariat of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace, is proud to present “A Matter of Survival”, the final recommendation Report of the Panel. The Report was officially launched and presented to the public in Geneva on 14 September 2017. The recommendations were also presented in New York City on 18 September 2017, during a Working Ministerial Dinner entitled "Water cooperation as a tool for conflict prevention". Speakers included H.E.

Palgrave Studies in Water Governance

The Geneva Water Hub is proudly coordinating and co-branding with Palgrave-Macmillan publisher the new series “Palgrave Studies in Water Governance”. Looking at the issues of water governance through the perspective of the social sciences, books in the Palgrave Series in Water Governance take a global perspective on one of the key challenges facing society today: the sustainable development of water resources and services for all.

Water Talks Series n°4 - Dr. F. Farinosi

Water Talks Series n°4 - Prof. T. Bernauer

"Network Governance and Conflict Resolution Between Domains, Sectors and Levels in Vietnam’s Urban Water Management"

Dr Fischer explains, for example, how the water sanitation situation has generally improved in Vietnam over the last decades, however, waste water treatment plants are constructed but do not work properly and faecal sludge management (FSM) is newly regulated, but poorly and not yet implemented.

"Negotiation, Tinkering and Bricolage: Analysing Strategies in Everyday Agricultural Water Politics"

Dr Kemerink-Seyoum attempts to identify and shed light on spaces of negation, tinkering and bricolage in everyday agricultural water use. Such spaces offer an interesting opportunity to contribute to theories on human agency and in particular how objects, such as the water itself, water infrastructure or water legislation, co-shape human-technology-nature relations. Furthermore, a better recognition and explicit nurturing of such spaces can support alternative ways for reconciling conflicts over water.

Policy Brief n°6 - Everyday Politics of Water: From Water Reform Policies to Water Resource Configurations in Rural Africa.

Often to the disappointment of policy makers, water flows in agriculture seldom follow policy directives. Especially given the notoriously capricious nature of water, relatively little is known what happens between government's policies on paper and everyday water management practices within rural waterscapes. This paper zooms in on this ‘grey’ area, in a concerted attempt to identify and shed light on spaces of negation, tinkering and bricolage and how this affect the implementation of agricultural water policies.

Bibliography - “Participatory Water Governance in Africa: Community Management of Rural Water Supply”

This bibliography presents short summaries of some of the key publications (~1990-2016) on Participatory Water Governance in Africa. The primary focus is on community management of rural water supply for domestic use, but some sources that focus on urban water supply, irrigation, and integrated water resource management (IWRM) have been included where they contribute important insights. Sources are broadly grouped thematically and by date.

The Geneva Water Hub MOOC offer

The Geneva Water Hub is proud to co-organize three massive open online courses (MOOCs) now available on the Coursera platform.

MOOC n°3 - International Water Law

The MOOC on International Water Law is now available in English!

Water scarcity, climate change, a growing population, the increasing demand on hydropower and the consequences of environmental degradation all lead to more frequent transboundary impacts. These international effects, combined with the consumptive nature of certain water uses, make agreements between States on the utilisation of shared water resources necessary. Otherwise, the multiple demands on, and the uneven distribution of, freshwater across regions can lead to tensions and disputes. This topic, which dominates current political and economic discourse, affects everyone who is passionate about, or who wishes to shape, our planet’s future.

MOOC n°2 - Ecosystem Services: A Method for Sustainable Development

The Geneva Water Hub is proud to co-organise MOOC n°2 - Ecosystem Services: A Method for Sustainable Development. It strengthens the Geneva Water Hub’s offer in free open online courses alongside the one on Water Management and Policy and the planned one on International Water Law (March 2017).

Bibliography - "Everyday Politics in Agricultural Water Management"

Following is a selection of major peer-reviewed contributions that deal with water governance issues. It gives a specific insight into everyday politics within the agricultural water management realm. A brief comment introduces each reference to facilitate users’ reading.

Water Talks Series n°3 - Dr. Alan Nicol

Water Talks Series n°3 - Prof. David Blanchon

Water Talks Series n°3 - Prof. Jérémy Lucchetti

Water Talks Series n°2 - Dr. Manuel Fischer

Policy Brief n°4 - Transboundary Governance of the Senegal and Niger Rivers: Historic Analysis and Determining Factors Identification

The Senegal River Basin Development Organization (OMVS) and the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) are recognized as examples of international watercourse governance best practices. Thanks to a set of skills that goes beyond the restrictive framework of flows management, they constitute genuine agencies for economical and social development. Despite their proximity, these organisations differ as their respective path to success undergone highly contingent features. Therefore we propose to compare the evolution of governance with respect to the Senegal and Niger watercourses in order to highlight common factors that led to coordination success as well as specificities of each case. We thereby ensure the tranposability of each model.

Monthly Water Map n°3 - Governance at the Basin Level: Senegal and Niger Rivers

The Organisation pour la mise en valeur du fleuve Sénégal (OMVS) and the Autorité du bassin du Niger (ABN) are recognised for their good practices in transboundary cooperation. Both institutions are characterized by robust cooperative frameworks on political and financial dimensions, information exchange, coordination mechanisms and public participation. As highlighted by the following visuals, the proper functioning of these institutions is tributary to multiple factors, but the level of uniformity between the parties seems to be a key facilitator of effective coordination. The illustrations bring a visual insight of the differences between the Senegal and the Niger River Basins’ components and contexts.

Policy Brief n°5 - The Status of Common Facilities and Benefit Sharing in the Senegal and Niger River Basins

The Senegal River Development Organisation (Organisation pour la mise en valeur du fleuve Sénégal (OMVS) in French) and the Niger Basin Authority (NBA) have put into place specific regimes on the management and rational use of water resources. In order to concretize the concept of community of interests and right, both basin institutions have developed specific arrangements on the management of facilities and benefit sharing, taking into account the particularities of the two basins.

Bibliography - Hydropolitics

Following is a selection of major peer-reviewed contributions that deal with water governance issues. It gives a specific insight into the concept of hydropolitics. A brief comment introduces each reference to facilitate users’ reading. The concept of hydropolitics (the geopolitics of water) first emerges in a book in 1979 (Waterbury, 1979). In the 1990s and 2000s the concept was further detailed but rare definitions were provided (Elhance, 1997; Turton, 2002). In the literature, the concept was applied to analyse conflict and cooperation in several transboundary river basins mostly in the South.

Water Talks Series n°2 - Prof. Margreet Zwarteveen

Serious Games

Serious games are an educational tool aiming at developing skills or teaching formal contents through a playful interface. The following list sheds light on five easily accessible serious games, each one highlighting a specific dimension of water governance with original and relevant materials. They are mostly freely accessible, online games.

Water Talks Series n°2 - Prof. Géraldine Pflieger

Monthly Water Map n°2 - Hydropower Along the Nile

The following visuals highlight and help to better understand the hydropower expansion along the Nile River. The main factors explaining such development in the sector are: 1) Riparian countries lack access to grid electricity although demand is increasing with rising economies and population;

Case Study n°1 - Co-evolution Between Mega-Cities’ Development and the Vulnerability to Floods: Lessons from the Yangtze and the Yellow River

This first Case Study explores interlinkages between urban development patterns and the vulnerability to floods. These co-evolution processes are illustrated by the case of two adjacent watersheds, the one of the Yangtze River (Chang Jiang) and the one of the Yellow River (Huang He).

Policy Brief n°3 - The Reconfiguration of Water Policies in Central Asia: A Reflexion on the IWRM Implementation in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan

In the framework of Political Geography of Water, this contribution examines the logics of water policies implementation in Central Asia. Reflecting on the interactions between water policies, political power, and hydraulic territories, it analyzes the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) implementation - the global water paradigm promoted by the development organizations since the mid-1990s - its logics and rationales, in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan at the basin / local level (Middle Zeravshan Valley, Uzbekistan / Arys Valley, Kazakhstan).

Water Talks Series n°2 - Prof. Frances Cleaver

Bibliography - Water Conflict and Cooperation

Since the beginning of the 1990s, there is a growing number of publication related to water as causal factors for armed conflicts in water scarce regions. After several publications criticizing this “water wars” literature, articles have focused on different intensity of water conflicts and on water cooperation with a very large number of articles published in the last few years. Academics and research centers, such as the Pacific Institute, use and develop these concepts but also international organizations and NGOs that try to implement water cooperation mechanisms in such conflicts.

Water Talks Series n°1 - Prof. Joyeeta Gupta

Policy Brief n°2 - Entry into force of the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (1997)

The entry into force of the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses (United Nations 1997 Convention) on 17 August 2014 constitutes a major milestone for water international law development.

Multilevel governance
International Geneva as a hub for water governance

Policy Brief n°1 - Multilevel governance: International Geneva as a Hub for Water Governance

Geneva is one of the world’s major hubs for world governance and multilateral diplomacy. With its high concentration of international organisations, non-governmental organisation and permanent missions, Geneva plays a leading role in the active governance of the world’s most pressing issues and challenges. This is represented across all sectors and water governance is no exception. Many of the principal actors who are engaged on water governance policy and cooperation, those both locally and globally focused, are situated in the Geneva area.

Bibliography - Water Security

Water security could be broadly defined as a water system that provides enough water, in terms of quantity and quality, to human or non-human users. Water security is ensured if users are safe from water access and water-related risks. This notion appears central in water governance narratives and is often linked to notions such as the water nexus and integrated water resource management (IWRM). The idea of water security initially came from practitioners, and later on academics took interest on it. The notion was already used to a great extent in 1990’s, but since 2004-2005 water security became a key notion to water governance and related publications rose sharply.

Is Water Geopolitical?

Mr Jean-Christophe Victor addresses the questions around water in the world. His approach is both quantitative – consequences of water stress, minimum management, cropping patterns, improved irrigation techniques – and qualitative. Access to water – is this a source of tension or outright war? Pollution and is this a factor in social unrest?

Water Talks Series n°1 - Dr. Jeremy Allouche

Monthly Water Map n°1 - Geneva Water Actors

The database leading to the following visuals aims at characterizing the main actors of the “Geneva international” in the water sector. As of early October 2014, the database counts 52 actors, characterized by 88 numeric and alpha-numeric variables. The three main data sources are Internet search, semi-directed interviews and various exchanges with certain actors. This collection is not exhaustive, and is still growing, but our analysis already leads to convincing results which can be interpreted as guidelines to focus the Geneva Water Hub’s activities.

Hydro-hegemony

Bibliography - Hydro-hegemony

This selection is about the concept of hydro-hegemony developed in 2006 by Mark Zeitoun and Jeroen Warner. It is defined by basin scale hegemony or control over transboundary waters, consolidated by one actor. The London Water Research Group has developed and put into practice this concept. This group gathers water professionals and scholars to facilitate the analysis of transboundary water management, policy and politics. We present here the main publications on hydro-hegemony from this group.