1. Introduction
The Secretariat of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace1, the Geneva Water Hub organized a two-day think-tank workshop on “Hydro-Diplomacy and Financial Incentives for Water, Peace and Security” to discuss possible approaches for fostering water cooperation for broader peace-building and develop recommendations of action for the Panel. The workshop was held in the context of the collaboration between the Panel on Water and Peace and the UN-World Bank High-Level Panel on Water.
Water is increasingly recognized as an essential tool for the maintenance of peace and security at international and local levels2. However, while current approaches to transboundary water cooperation have been beneficial and continue to be necessary, realizing this potential will require new models of hydro-diplomacy, coupled with economic and financial incentives. These models should seek to move beyond joint management into a broader, more comprehensive drive for peace-building and conflict-prevention. They should deal with intersectorality as water-related conflicts are mainly and increasingly due to competing sectoral interests and tensions between sustainable development objectives. The workshop addressed the question of how such water cooperation could be strengthened by dedicated institutional and financial mechanisms, and how diplomatic efforts and financial incentives could be linked more effectively.
The first think tank roundtable on February 27, 2017 addressed the subject of “New Models for Hydro-diplomacy”, building on the proposals considered during the third meeting of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace in December 2016 in Costa Rica. Based on a discussion of the paper “New Models for Hydro-diplomacy – Beyond shared Management” participants discussed the idea of establishing, in connection with Regional Multilateral Water Centers3, a Global Observatory for Water and Peace as a global knowledge management and coordinating mechanism to provide guidance on and models of best practice to governments in using water for peace processes. The discussions and results of this part of the workshop are summarized in this report.
The second think tank roundtable on February 28, 2017 dealt with “Financing Incentives for Water Cooperation” and discussed current and potential financial mechanisms for facilitating water cooperation. The workshop addressed the links between water, diplomacy and financing, notably in terms of the blockages that one poses on the feasibility of the other, and explore further how to move forward from these constraints and develop opportunities across the finance, insurance and impact investment levels. Financial incentives were explored both in terms of their setting (transboundary, cross-sector or post-conflict situations) and in terms of their timing on the project/program cycle: at “upstream” early concept stage, at development stage and to sustain longer term water cooperation through innovative mechanisms such as result-based financing. The discussions and results of this second think tank roundtable are summarized in a second report.
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/roundtable_hydrodiplomacy_20170228.pdf
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1. Introduction
The Secretariat of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace1, the Geneva Water Hub organized a two-day think-tank workshop on “Hydro-Diplomacy and Financial Incentives for Water, Peace and Security” to discuss possible approaches for fostering water cooperation for broader peace-building and develop recommendations of action for the Panel. The workshop was held in the context of the collaboration between the Panel on Water and Peace and the UN-World Bank High-Level Panel on Water.
Water is increasingly recognized as an essential tool for the maintenance of peace and security at international and local levels2. However, while current approaches to transboundary water cooperation have been beneficial and continue to be necessary, realizing this potential will require new models of hydro-diplomacy, coupled with economic and financial incentives. These models should seek to move beyond joint management into a broader, more comprehensive drive for peace-building and conflict-prevention. They should deal with intersectorality as water-related conflicts are mainly and increasingly due to competing sectoral interests and tensions between sustainable development objectives. The workshop addressed the question of how such water cooperation could be strengthened by dedicated institutional and financial mechanisms, and how diplomatic efforts and financial incentives could be linked more effectively.
The first think tank roundtable on February 27, 2017 addressed the subject of “New Models for Hydro-diplomacy”, building on the proposals considered during the third meeting of the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace in December 2016 in Costa Rica. Based on a discussion of the paper “New Models for Hydro-diplomacy – Beyond shared Management” participants discussed the idea of establishing, in connection with Regional Multilateral Water Centers3, a Global Observatory for Water and Peace as a global knowledge management and coordinating mechanism to provide guidance on and models of best practice to governments in using water for peace processes. The discussions and results of this part of the workshop are summarized in this report.
The second think tank roundtable on February 28, 2017 dealt with “Financing Incentives for Water Cooperation” and discussed current and potential financial mechanisms for facilitating water cooperation. The workshop addressed the links between water, diplomacy and financing, notably in terms of the blockages that one poses on the feasibility of the other, and explore further how to move forward from these constraints and develop opportunities across the finance, insurance and impact investment levels. Financial incentives were explored both in terms of their setting (transboundary, cross-sector or post-conflict situations) and in terms of their timing on the project/program cycle: at “upstream” early concept stage, at development stage and to sustain longer term water cooperation through innovative mechanisms such as result-based financing. The discussions and results of this second think tank roundtable are summarized in a second report.
to read full report please click on
/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/roundtable_hydrodiplomacy_20170228.pdf
^
