The Role of SAARC in Advancing the Water-Energy-Peace Nexus in South Asia: Missed Opportunities and Future Pathways

Bilal Aslam, School of Integrated Social Sciences, University of Lahore (Pakistan)

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) was envisioned as a platform for fostering regional collaboration on shared challenges, including access to water, energy, and sustaining peace. However, persistent geopolitical tensions, especially between India and Pakistan, have hindered meaningful cooperation within this framework. This paper critically examines the untapped potential of SAARC in advancing the water-energy-peace nexus in South Asia, a region marked by climate vulnerability, energy insecurity, and frequent trans-boundary water disputes. It explores how SAARC’s institutional architecture, despite its limitations, can serve as a vehicle for regional environmental peacebuilding through integrated water and energy strategies. The study identifies specific missed opportunities such as the defunct SAARC Energy Centre’s limited role and the lack of a regional shared water governance mechanism. The paper contributes to emerging scholarship on environmental peacebuilding by arguing that projects of water and energy cooperation can lay the groundwork for durable peace in South Asia.