Introduction to Water Diplomacy E-Course Presented by UNITAR

Nov 6, 2017 - Dec 3, 2017 | United Nations Institute for Training and Research
Online
View Original

Water is every living organism’s common denominator. Societies depend on it for their own subsistence and growth, and go great lengths to ensure water secure futures. But freshwater is not, in essence and in practice, an egalitarian resource and its accessibility to some often means inaccessibility to others. With unprecedented population growth, new emerging economies and the effects of climate change, pressures on our finite freshwater resources are increasing. Meanwhile, the ability of some nations to secure their aqueous requirements is being severely challenged, causing great and legitimate concern that tensions around water hotspots will intensify among water users. Yet, water holds an immense potential for cooperation which has still to be understood and empowered. Water is and will remain at the heart of international peace and security, the defense of human rights and the imperative for sustainable development paths. An increasingly strong and coordinated response is therefore expected from the international community in order to raise awareness, mitigate conflict, and build cooperation from the growing challenges posed by water between sovereign states.

The purpose of this course will first be to raise awareness on the current state of freshwater resources worldwide and the need for adequate diplomatic solutions to stimulate cooperation around the way the resource is managed. It will provide knowledge resources, circumstantial experiences, and a cadre of tools to water-relevant stakeholders so as to enhance their ability to assess, prevent, and respond to the tensions arising from situations of water scarcity and mismanagement worldwide. This approach will be relevant to the great water stressors of our time and will serve to promote both short and longer term cooperation through shared benefits, inclusive multi-stakeholder agreements, and sustainable transboundary institution building.

For more information, visit: http://www.unitar.org/mdp/ or contact: mdp-elearning@unitar.org.

Registration is $600.00, but participants from Least Developed Countries (LDCs) are eligible to apply for a fellowship. Visit here for more details. Registration will be closed as soon as the course is full and your place will be secured once your payment is confirmed.

When: 6 Nov 2017 to 3 Dec 2017 (4 weeks)

Organizer: Course developed in collaboration with the University of East Anglia (Water Security Research Centre) and the UNESCO International Hydrological Programme. Associated partners include UNESCO's "Potential Conflict to Cooperation Potential" Programme, UN Water, the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) and Oregon State University.