6th WATER AND PEACE SEMINAR
The 6th Annual Water and Peace Seminar on conflict and cooperation dynamics around large infrastructure in transboundary basins was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan on 17-18 April. The seminar was organized jointly by the German-Kazakh University and the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education within the program of Cross-regional learning for transformative water diplomacy (CroWD).
The seminar was focused on cooperation between states on large water infrastructure in transboundary basins. In the course of two days the following topics were addressed:
- Impact of infrastructure development in transboundary basins
- Local aspects and stakeholder dynamics around dams
- Conflict and cooperation around infrastructure in transboundary basins
- Role of international water law and institutions
- Institutional mechanisms and dam management in transboundary basins
- Cultural and emotional aspects of dam construction
The seminar brought together researchers and representatives of higher education institutions and academia, government and non-government, regional and inter-regional organizations, private sector and transboundary water and water diplomacy centers from the Netherlands, Sudan, India, Jordan, Zimbabwe, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Sweden, US, Germany, Hungary and Finland.
SIC ICWC was represented by Director Dinara Ziganshina (online), Deputy Director Sherzod Muminov, and researchers Alexander Dolidudko and Matlyaba Rakhimova.
Dinara Ziganshina made presentation on “Water Infrastructure of Interstate Importance in Central Asia: Legal, Institutional and Financial Arrangements”. Sherzod Muminov took part in the panel discussion on the removal of conflict risks and the cooperation potential around infrastructure through legal and institutional arrangements and answer a number of questions:
- Why dams become the cause of conflicts more frequently than other hydraulic structures?
- What mechanisms are available to solve dam-caused conflicts and were they successful?
- What are the key emerging water infrastructure related challenges and how can we improve legal and institutional arrangements in this context?
- What are successful practices of cooperation through legal or institutional arrangements for water infrastructure?
In the course of two days discussions addressed the matters related to dams, large water infrastructure, environmental and social implications of dams, conflicts and cooperation.
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