Year: 2024
Collections: Policy Briefs
Topics: Energy
Authors: Kobzev A., Manuel Andresh, Abylaikhan Soltanayev, Nurbek Yessetov
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source:
Year: 2020
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Water governance Water diplomacy,
Authors: et al., Margaret O. Wilder
Countries:
Source: Environmental Science and Policy
The United States and Mexico have engaged in hydrodiplomacy—a practice of transboundary water management that blends water diplomacy and science diplomacy–for more than 75 years, since the adoption of the Treaty of 1944 and the creation of the International Boundary and Water Commission. We examine six major turning points in U.S.-Mexico hydrodiplomacy to ascertain the key factors in the region’s history of resolving transboundary water issues. We find that recognized adaptive governance indicators—such as social learning, sustained relationships, flexible governance mechanisms, and state and non-state networks are essential elements of hydrodiplomacy. Our research suggests that robust and foundational institutions comprise another key indicator of adaptive governance specifically in transboundary contexts. A commitment to both science and diplomacy have been important components underlying the effectiveness of hydrodiplomacy in the border region. Binational networks involving diverse state and non-state actors at multiple scales have increasingly played a pivotal role in shaping desirable hydrodiplomatic outcomes in the region.
Year: 2023
Collections: Scientific Publications, Books
Topics: Water diplomacy, Water, Gender, Water governance
Authors: Rozemarijn ter Horst, Jenniver Sehring, Margreet Zwarteveen
Countries:
Source: Routledge. Taylor & Francis
This volume assesses the nexus of gender and transboundary water governance, containing empirical case studies, discourse analyses, practitioners’ accounts, and theoretical refections.
Year: 2017
Collections:
Topics: Water governance Climate, IWRM, Irrigation,
Authors: Tristam Barrett, Giuseppe Feola, Marina Khusnitdinova, Viktoria Krylova
Countries: Kazakhstan
Source: Human Ecology
The convergence of climate change and post-Soviet socio-economic and institutional transformations has been underexplored so far, as have the consequences of such convergence on crop agriculture in Central Asia. This paper provides a place-based analysis of constraints and opportunities for adaptation to climate change, with a specific focus on water use, in two districts in southeast Kazakhstan.
Year: 2022
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Water governance Water diplomacy,
Authors: Juho Haapala, Marko Keskinen
Countries:
Source: Water Alternatives, 15(1), 93-128
This study combines the strengths of historical studies and analytical approaches on transboundary water interactions to establish an historical process perspective on transboundary waters. The study analytically separates transboundary water cooperation, water diplomacy, and their broader political setting, and analyses their interplay over a long period of time. The paper presents a detailed case study on the development and transformation of Finnish-Russian transboundary water interactions over the last 100 years, with an emphasis on Finland and its relationship with the Soviet Union/Russia after World War II.
Year: 2023
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Water diplomacy
Authors: Juho Haapala, Marko Keskinen, Elina Häkkinen, Bota Sharipova
Countries:
Source: Water Alternatives 16(3): 949-977
This paper examines trust and trust-building activities in literature related to water diplomacy, linking them to conceptualisations of trust in the fields of international relations and natural resource management. The reviewed publications and key informant interviews emphasise the importance of trust in water diplomacy processes. The literature and interviews also allow us to identify ten categories of potential trust-building activities in water diplomacy.
Year: 2021
Collections: Scientific Publications, Review article
Topics: Water, Water diplomacy
Authors: Juho Haapala, Marko Keskinen, Erik Salminen
Countries:
Source: Journal of Hydrology
In this article, we seek to contribute to the practice of water diplomacy by introducing a step-wise Water Diplomacy Paths approach for analysing different water diplomacy contexts and related water diplomacy actions. To facilitate this, we recognise five key aspects for water diplomacy (Political; Preventive; Integrative; Cooperative; Technical) and propose a general definition for water diplomacy. We also discuss the possible distinctions between the related concepts of water diplomacy and transboundary water cooperation. The use of the Water Diplomacy Paths approach is demonstrated with brief case studies focusing on Central Asia, the Mekong Region, and the Finnish-Russian water cooperation. The work builds on an extensive literature review and comparative analysis of water diplomacy approaches as well as on a series of workshops and interviews among selected water diplomacy actors, including career diplomats.
Year: 2017
Collections: Research Paper
Topics: Water, Transboundary cooperation
Authors: Marloes H.N. Bakker, James A. Duncan
Countries:
Source: Water International
Using global data, this article examines the nexus of transboundary flood events and future social vulnerability. Which international river basins are forecast to experience an increase in both hydrological variability and population in the future, but currently lack institutional provisions to deal with these shared events?
Year: 2018
Collections: Scientific Publications
Topics: Water, Sustainable Development
Authors: Martens Patrick
Countries: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan
Year: 2025
Collections: Books
Topics: Water, Climate, Sustainable Development, Management, Water diplomacy, Water governance Gender, IWRM, Agriculture, Irrigation,
Authors: Shafiqul Islam, Kevin Smith, Martina Klimes, Aaron Salzberg
Countries: N/A
Source: Routledge
The Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy is a comprehensive guide to understanding and practicing water diplomacy – a framework for building relationships, negotiating shared interests, and managing complex water challenges across physical, political, and societal boundaries.
Year: 2025
Collections: Books
Topics: Water, IWRM, Water governance, Water diplomacy, Transboundary Water Resources, Transboundary cooperation
Authors: Shafiqul Islam, Kevin Smith, Martina Klimes, Aaron Salzberg
Countries:
Source: Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy
Full book available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V8lHqDiaqrMtHnU6JP9p9SBC2rsXY8gX/view?usp=sharing
The Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy is a comprehensive guide to understanding and practicing water diplomacy – a framework for building relationships, negotiating shared interests, and managing complex water challenges across physical, political, and societal boundaries.
In an era marked by rising scarcity, deepening uncertainty, and growing geopolitical tension, this timely volume offers actionable insights for negotiated problem-solving grounded in both scientific understanding and diplomatic skill. Moving beyond abstract theory and technical fixes, the Handbook introduces a dual-pathway structure designed to meet the diverse needs of its users. The “Working Together” pathway invites readers to engage with water diplomacy through the lens of their roles, whether as professionals, decision-makers, funders, researchers, or affected communities. The “What Matters and Why” pathway highlights key thematic dimensions, including process design, adaptive learning, trust-building, divergent worldviews, and the management of uncertainty.
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