How Political Should Germany’s Foreign Water Policy Be?
The 22nd Forum on Global Issues organized by the German Foreign Office under the theme "Water: Resource, Source of Conflict, Human Right" was held on March 6, 2009The topic drew an audience of almost 400.During the three panel discussions – on transboundary water management for conflict prevention, access to water and sanitation, and regional water cooperation in Central Asia – it became amply clear that the politicization of resource distribution and socio-economic factors play a critical role alongside geographic and technical aspects.
Contributions in the first panel were focused primarily on transboundary water cooperation in the Middle East. The debate turned even more political when it came to Germany’s responsibility regarding various water-related issues. Can a water sector dialogue between Israel and Palestine, for instance, be restricted to supposedly non-political topics? As Prof. Martin Trondalen proposed, Germany should leverage its position as a recognized mediator in the Middle East to more actively shape water policy in the region and mediate in the relevant conflicts. The important role played by Germany in the transfer of water-related technology and know-how was also highlighted and an appeal was made to use these activities proactively, as political instruments for conflict prevention and the stabilization of the region.
Regional water cooperation in Central Asia was another focus area. With the "Berlin Process", the German Foreign Office kick started an initiative using water as a means of intensified cross-border cooperation in Central Asia. It includes specific projects such as building irrigation facilities, but also training programmes, advisory inputs and the development and implementation of general guidelines for regional water management. The Forum demonstrated here too, that if stability and security in the region should be promoted time needs to be taken in an initiative’s planning stage to consider how cooperation in the field of water can be transferred to other aspects and to higher political levels. (Annabelle Houdret and Annika Kramer)
For more information on the conference, please see http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Aussenpolitik/ForumGF/22-GF/Wasser.html
Contributions in the first panel were focused primarily on transboundary water cooperation in the Middle East. The debate turned even more political when it came to Germany’s responsibility regarding various water-related issues. Can a water sector dialogue between Israel and Palestine, for instance, be restricted to supposedly non-political topics? As Prof. Martin Trondalen proposed, Germany should leverage its position as a recognized mediator in the Middle East to more actively shape water policy in the region and mediate in the relevant conflicts. The important role played by Germany in the transfer of water-related technology and know-how was also highlighted and an appeal was made to use these activities proactively, as political instruments for conflict prevention and the stabilization of the region.
Regional water cooperation in Central Asia was another focus area. With the "Berlin Process", the German Foreign Office kick started an initiative using water as a means of intensified cross-border cooperation in Central Asia. It includes specific projects such as building irrigation facilities, but also training programmes, advisory inputs and the development and implementation of general guidelines for regional water management. The Forum demonstrated here too, that if stability and security in the region should be promoted time needs to be taken in an initiative’s planning stage to consider how cooperation in the field of water can be transferred to other aspects and to higher political levels. (Annabelle Houdret and Annika Kramer)
For more information on the conference, please see http://www.auswaertiges-amt.de/diplo/de/Aussenpolitik/ForumGF/22-GF/Wasser.html
Published in:ECC-Newsletter, April 2009