Water as a source of conflict or a catalyst for cooperation

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Water as a source of conflict or a catalyst for
cooperation?

• Dr. Marwa Daoudy
• Political Science Department Marwa.Daoudy_at_graduate
  institute.ch

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ROAD MAP

• I. Water conflict and cooperation
• II. From theory to reality conflict or
  cooperation over the Euphrates and Tigris rivers?
• III. Water governance the debate

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I. Strategic Resources Conflict vs. Cooperation

• Conflict over shared and limited resources
• Neo-Malthusian approach
•  Crisis  or armed conflicts because of
  scarcity demographic growth
• Need for population control

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Strategic Resources Cooperation vs. Conflict

• Global common good need for collective action
• Cornucopian perspective mismanagement of
  abundant resources no  water wars 

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II. From Theory to Reality?

• The Euphrates and Tigris river basins
  cooperation or conflict?

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(No Transcript)
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Water and Conflict

• Issue of maldistribution rather than scarcity
• Euphrates 2700 km, 28-32 Bcm/year
• Tigris 1899 km, 44-48 Bcm/year
• - Riparian states Turkey, Syria, Iraq
• Upstream extraction GAP Project (1980- today)
• 22 dams, 19 HEPP on Euphrates and Tigris

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NEGOTIATION PROCESS

• Sequential process
• Bilateral (1960-1980 2001-2002) trilateral
  (1980-1993)
• Bilateral Agreements
• Syria/Turkey (1987) min. 500 m3/s.
• Syria/Iraq (1989) 58 - 42

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ASYMMETRY OF POWER

• Structural power Turkey
• Resources capacity to mobilize
• Capacity to turn the tap (GAP)
• Capacity to influence structure of interaction
• More patient low cost of no agreement
•  Structural dilemma  Syria, Iraq
• Securitization of water issues
• Impacting on the hegemons security narrowing
  the power gap

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ISSUE-LINKAGES

• ? BARGAINING POWER power strategies and
  counter-strategies (linking water with security
  issues)
• Syria Kurds IWL financement of GAP
  coalition-building (Iraq)
• Turkey coalition-building (Israel) Orontes
  waters (and link with pending territorial issues)

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Prospects for Cooperation

• End of  Kurdish  point of contention (1998)
• End of territorial issues
• Recent Syria/Turkey Agreement June 2002
• Common positions on Iraq War (2003)
• Multipurpose Cooperation
• Euphrates drainage waters
• Desalination perspectives
• Trade
• Track II Initiatives (Euphrates/Tigris Initiative
  for Cooperation)
• New formula The sharing of benefits joint
  governance of the common resources?

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III. Water Governance vs. Water Conflict

• The debate

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WATER GOVERNANCE

• Refers to range of political, social, economic
  and administrative systems that regulate the
  development and management of water resources and
  the provision of water services at different
  levels of society (UNDP, 2002)

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THE DEBATE

• Institutional, economic, social, ethical,
  strategic and political issues at stake
• Underlying causes of water crisis bad or
  ineffective water governance (Global Water
  Partnership, 2000)
• No common vision or unified strategy

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Defining Sustainable Development

• Sustainable development meets the needs of the
  present without compromising the ability of
  future generations to meet their own needs.
• Brundtland Report, 1987

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International Water Governance

• Promoting Integrated Water Resources Management
  (IWRM)
• Integrating sometimes opposed interests
  (ecosystems/human needs, surface
  water/underground resources, usptream/downstream
  interests, different uses).

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THE COOPERATION PUZZLE

• The identification and promotion of good water
  governance a key driver for cooperation over
  shared water resources?

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Actors Processes

• Actors
• Nature, power, interests
• How to best enhance participation by all relevant
  actors?
• Public-private partnerships?
• Frameworks to promote pro-poor and participatory
  water governance

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GOOD GOVERNANCE

• Decision-making process?
• Participatory processes in decision-making
• Enhance quality and implementation of decisions
• Raise public awareness on environmental issues
• Accountability, responsibility?
• Promotion of shared governance?
• Joint assessment and monitoring of shared water
  resources (quantity, quality)

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What Major Policy Reforms?

• Sustainable water use strategy?
• Control by-law to regulate the use of resources
• Existing national legislations?

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Major Policy Reforms?

• Adopt an integrated approach to water resource
  management in service delivery
• Promote service delivery on the basis of water
  users demand and their repayment capacity.
• Support private and public water service
  providers that create economic incentives for
  sustainable water use?

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WATER ETHICS

• Need to enhance joint management and use amongst
  all users
• What norms and legal principles for long-term
  sustainability of resources?
• Equitable and Reasonable Utilization

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KEY CHALLENGES

• What are the most critical policy measures needed
  to enhance water use efficiency in Cyprus?
• What are the specific rules for good governance
  and sustainable development of surface and
  groundwater resources?
• What are the possible legal and institutional
  reforms to foster cooperation and promote
  shared governance over common resources?