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Water Diplomacy - Building River Dialogue and Governance

• 20.05.2017
• Author:Dursun Yıldız
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Water Diplomacy - Building River Dialogue and Governance © IUCN/Nazareth Porras Key Message Water diplomacy enables countries to negotiate agreements on water management. For transboundary agreements over water to work more effectively on the ground, they need the involvement of water users at multiple levels of governance. Water diplomacy should therefore be a process which operates under the authority of sovereign States, requiring their ultimate involvement, but which also unlocks cooperation among multiple stakeholders,  including municipalities and provinces and civil society. Working broadly as a multi-level governance process, water diplomacy can better integrate government priorities for natural resource security and economic growth, while providing a means to integrate biodiversity conservation into water management   Recommendations

• A critical practice in water diplomacy should be the promotion of dialogues between a broad spectrum of water users in order to gain agreements.
• Cooperation in water management demands that stakeholders share a common understanding of stakeholder priorities and governance principles and options that take concrete steps towards solutions. It is essential that opportunities are created for the various actors to come together, understand each other and find common ground on water management issues.
• It is a fundamental feature of transboundary water management that decisions are made at multiple scales, ranging for example from planning a dam at the scale of a whole basin to allocating water along an irrigation channel within a community. Water management works best when decisions are taken at the appropriate level, but in doing so, collaboration across scales needs to be implemented through joint actions.
• Solving problems step-by-step is a crucial process in water diplomacy. An intergovernmental treaty does not often provide a solution for all problems, and nor is it necessary to wait for one to materialise. Stepwise process in water diplomacy can deliver practical and concrete results.

• Water diplomacy often requires a variety of support functions to be effective. This involves providing legal and technical assistance. It means connecting water users across scales   To read full article please click on Water Diplomacy - Building River Dialogue and Governance