BONN--Water
ignores international boundaries, but nations do
not. There are 261 river basins that are currently
shared by two or more states, including nearly
half the population and surface area of the planet.
The need for comprehensive and integrated solutions
to the current water crisis is now also critical
with a tripling in global population and a seven-fold
increase in the demand for this natural resource.
UNESCO and Green Cross International have taken
on these challenges in a joint venture, under the
auspices of the World Water Assessment Programme
(WWAP), to find innovative and practical solutions
to integrated management of shared water resources
for benefit of all parties
The
two components to this program, called "From Potential
Conflict to Co-operation Potential: Water for Peace," were
discussed at a side event at the Freshwater Conference.
The first component, From Potential Conflict to Co-operation
Potential (PC to CP) is tackled by Unesco, and focuses
on conflict prevention as well as helping parties involved
in potential water conflicts to find peaceful resolutions,
with the help of educational material, developing methods
and mechanisms for facilitating open discussions and
disseminating results and best practices. The target
group includes governments, professional staff of water
management institutions, including current and future
decision makers, educators and donor and funding agencies.
Aaron Wolf, Department
of Geosciences, Oregon
State University, in
his historical overview
of conflict and cooperation
at the event, noted
that in the rare instances
that conflict did occur
it was verbal rather
than violent. His research
indicated that in the
past 50 years, 37 violent
disputes had occurred
as opposed to 157 negotiated
treaties. As an international
resource, water has
thus far tended to
induce cooperation
rather than incite
violence. However,
with increasing pressures
on this finite resource,
the potential for future
competition and tension
is inevitably much
higher.
An
objective of the
second component, "Water
for Peace," initiated
by Green Cross International,
seeks to prevent such
new conflicts arising
out of changing circumstances.
It also aims to strengthen
dialogue between parties,
both national and local,
civil society and private
sectors, in conflict
resolution and integrated
management. Its target
groups are therefore
more at the grass roots
level, including community
and local user organizations,
the private sector
as well as parliamentarians
and local authorities.
The
draft recommendations
for actions of the
Freshwater Conference
emphasize the importance
of co-operation across
international boundaries
so as to use transboundary
waters in an equitable
and reasonable manner.
This project provides
an excellent example
of fulfilling this
objective by combining
innovative analysis
and research with practical
application. Speaking
at the presentation,
Lena Salame,Unesco,
highlighted that "Both
components of this
joint program are complementary.
Their purpose is to
promote peace around
water security. By
combing their expertise
they will be able to
reach a much larger
audience."
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