CIAO DATE: 08/2010
March 2010
Climate change, economic development and population growth are changing perceptions of water and raising awareness of the growing stresses placed on the world’s freshwater resources. The limited availability of water is particularly acute in regions such as the Middle East where demand already outweighs supply and neighboring states must share their main freshwater resources. Competition over dwindling and ill-managed water resources will likely increase, potentially threatening food security, health, economic development and peace in a region already struggling with ongoing conflict. There is an urgent need for political action in the Middle East and other regions – including much of Africa and Asia – to address the potential for conflict over water and to foster a process of cooperation among co-riparian states. Policymakers often acknowledge in principle the importance of water for regional security. However, the recent EastWest Institute policy series has shown that there is still insufficient coordination in the management of shared water resources.
Resource link: Improving Regional Cooperation on Water: Meeting Report of the Third Session of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention and Human Security [PDF] - 493K