Water for Peace

Date & Time
Jun 9, 2026 | 11.00 - 12.30

Link
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Mae3fOmLTHWu8g8v6h8VDQ

Participants
Chair: Ekta Patel, Environmental Policy Innovation Center (United States)
Pintu Kumar Mahla, University of Arizona (India)
Jens Iverson, Leiden University (United States/Netherlands)
Aline Telle, University of Geneva
Eugénie Stoclet, Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l'Ecole Militaire/Université Paris-Saclay (France)

Water can be both a catalyst for conflict, as scarcity increases with climate change, and an opportunity for peace in the presence of strong treaties and transboundary agreements. This panel explores this dynamic tension through the example of the Indus Waters Treaty, once a model of bilateral cooperation and conflict prevention, but now facing rising tensions due to climate-induced scarcity and fluctuations in flow, highlighting the need for adaptive governance structures and enhanced transparency. The panel also examines how transboundary agreements more broadly function as tools for cooperation and peace, while also requiring multiscalar, power-sensitive, and conflict-sensitive approaches to preserve human security and minimize conflict risks. It further highlights how rebuilding water infrastructure and water security can serve as an underappreciated yet critical pathway to just and sustainable peace. Across contexts, the panel also identifies factors that enable and restrict biodiversity-sensitive governance, contributing to more integrated and conservation-oriented legal frameworks. Overall, the panel underscores the dual role of water as both a source of tension and a foundation for resilient peace across scales.

Transboundary River Cooperation and Peacebuilding: Revisiting the Indus Waters Treaty Between India and Pakistan

Pintu Kumar Mahla, University of Arizona (India)

Hydro-Peacebuilding in Palestine

Jens Iverson, Leiden University (United States/Netherlands)

Transboundary Water Governance Beyond EU Borders: Legal Integration, Nature-Based Solutions, and Policy Interactions in Shared River Basins

Aline Telle, University of Geneva

A Multiscalar Framework for Water Resilience and Peacebuilding in Transboundary Basins: Insights from Central Asia

Eugénie Stoclet, Institut de Recherche Stratégique de l'Ecole Militaire/Université Paris-Saclay (France)