Water Cooperation Is Under Threat

Jan 26, 2026 | Susanne Schmeier, Melissa McCracken, and Aaron Wolf
View Original

Rivers, lakes, and aquifers ignore borders and politics, binding countries, people, and ecosystems together. This shared reality has long required cooperation, even among states divided by tensions or conflict. Through technical dialogue, data sharing, and joint institutions, countries have often quietly managed floods, negotiated infrastructure, and protected water quality

Today, that cooperation is under severe threat. As states, international organizations, and civil society gather in Dakar for the High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 UN Water Conference to discuss key themes – among them “water for cooperation” – international cooperation over water might seem very much alive at the global discursive stage. A closer look, however, suggests that water cooperation is in critical condition and in urgent need of resuscitation.