Water Resources (In-)Security and Conflict – Exploring Inter-Linkages

Both water resources and security challenges are increasingly moving up the international political and academic agenda. As the global risk rankings of the World Economic Forum indicate, policy makers as well as media are increasingly often sounding alarm bells over water scarcity and its impacts on human uses and wellbeing as well as economic development. Very often, security implications are directly tied to these challenges, with conflicts emerging directly over the use of potentially scarce water resources or indirectly as a result of foregone socioeconomic development opportunities. The specific pathways through which water and security connect are, however, still insufficiently explored. They hardly go beyond the mere claim – or its rejection – that water scarcity leads to or exacerbates conflicts. The event explores the inter-linkages between water (in-)security (and other challenges such as land degradation) and conflict as well as their potential consequences on peaceful and sustainable development more generally. It aims at not only identifying these linkages but also exploring options for turning these vicious into virtuous cycles. The audience is invited to comment and contribute examples of water resource improvements being levered for peace building.