Water and Security in an Uncertain World

Oct 19, 2016 | Environmental Change and Security Program (Wilson Center)
Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center One Woodrow Wilson Plaza 1300 Pennsylvania, Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20004
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As our climate changes, the uncertainty of water availability and access threatens to become one of the major challenges to national security. But much like climate change’s connections to security, water’s impact on conflict can be difficult to see when measured against seemingly more immediate threats like terrorism – and similarly challenging to understand. By unpacking the many ways that water relates to U.S. strategic interests, international security, and conflict risks, we can better understand not only its links to insecurity but also opportunities for building peace and fostering cooperation.

Join us for a discussion with representatives from across the U.S. government, academia, and practitioner community to discuss the challenges and opportunities posed by water security.

This event is made possible by the generous support of USAID’s Office of Conflict Management and Mitigation and the Jackson Foundation.

Opening Remarks

John Hempelmann
President, Henry M. Jackson Foundation

Craig Gannett
Vice President, Henry M. Jackson Foundation; Partner and Co-chair, Energy and Environmental Practice, Davis Wright Tremaine

Panel I: Risks and Responses

Ken Conca
Public Policy Fellow, Wilson Center; Professor, School of International Service, American University

Sherri Goodman
Public Policy Fellow, Wilson Center; Former Deputy Undersecretary for Defense (Environmental Security) 

Christian Holmes
Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Economic Growth, Education, and Environment & Global Water Coordinator, U.S. Agency for International Development

Rod Schoonover
Director of Environment and Natural Resources, National Intelligence Council

Lieutenant General Jeffrey Talley (ret.)
Global Fellow, IBM Center for The Business of Government; Vice President, Global Public Sector, Global Business Services 

Panel II: Water Spillovers: Regional and Sectoral Effects

Klomjit Chandrapanya
Senior Regional Adviser, South East Asia, Stockholm International Water Institute

Doris Kaberia
Director of Kenya Programs, Millennium Water Alliance

Sandra Ruckstuhl
Senior Social Development Specialist; Co-author, Water and Conflict Toolkit

Brigadier General Gerald Galloway (ret.)
Glenn L. Martin Institute Professor of Engineering, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering & Affiliate Professor, School of Public Policy, University of Maryland, College Park

Moderator

Roger-Mark De Souza
Director of Population, Environmental Security, and Resilience, Wilson Center