Online course on water diplomacy and TBAs now open for registration

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On 7 February 2022, an online course on water diplomacy and transboundary aquifer management will be launched by UNESCO. This course has been developed in collaboration with IHE Delft and with contribution by IGRAC, and it will introduce participants from all over the world to relevant concepts and principles, such as groundwater hydrology, water conflict and cooperation, international water law, negotiations, and dispute resolution. The course is still open for registrations

Online course: Water diplomacy and transboundary aquifer management

This online course has been developed as part of the GGRETA project and consists of six modules with lectures by numerous prominent experts in the field of transboundary aquifers (TBAs) and water diplomacy. These lectures will increase the participants' understanding about what TBAs are and where they can be found. Moreover, attention will given to conflict and cooperation over TBAs, as well as international law and water diplomacy. In the last modules, participants will get better understanding of negotiations and dispute resolution about TBAs. All modules are accompanied by quiz questions to test this newly acquired knowledge.

IGRAC contribution

Christina Fraser, researcher at IGRAC, contributed to the first module of this course with a video presentation on the location and distribution of transboundary aquifers globally. In the video, she also discusses IGRACs transboundary aquifer mapping activities and the challenges faced in their assessment.

Course programme

Module 1: Introduction to Transboundary Aquifers

Module 2: Conflict and Cooperation over Transboundary Aquifers

Module 3: International Law on Transboundary Aquifers

  • Introduction to International Water Law, by: Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft);
  • Recent Developments and Current Status of International Law, by: Gabriel Eckstein (Texas A&M University School of Law);
  • National Legal Instruments for Groundwater Governance, by: Gabriela Cuadrado Quesada (IHE Delft); and
  • Case Study: Aquifers in Federal Legal Systems, by: Karthik Rajagopal (IHE Delft)

Module 4: Water Diplomacy for Transboundary Aquifers

  • Concept of Water Diplomacy, by: Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft);
  • Tools and Tracks of Water Diplomacy, by: Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft);
  • Aquifer Organizations Lessons Learned from River Basin, by: Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft); and
  • Case Study: Water Diplomacy in the Guarani Aquifer, by: Susanne Schmeier (IHE Delft) & Martin Grambow (Bavarian Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection)

Module 5: Negotiations

  • Negotiation Skills An Introduction, by: Aaron T. Wolf (Oregon State University);
  • Negotiations for Transboundary Aquifers, by: Aaron T. Wolf (Oregon State University);
  • Case Study: Guarana Aquifer Negotiations, by: Hussam Hussein (University of Oxford); and 
  • Role of Science in Negotiations, by: Todd Jarvis (Institute for Water & Watersheds at Oregon State University)

Module 6: Dispute Resolution