EnPAx Icon Environmental Peacebuilding in Transboundary River Catchments (A Path to Ottawa Event)

Feb 10, 2026
online

Climate change is fueling human conflicts around the world. Degradation of ecosystems, including land and water resources, has forced mass migration among communities, both within nations and internationally. Some of the most stressed locations are catchments or watersheds of rivers around the world. These river basins/catchments are home to large populations that rely on the water supply for agriculture, industry and other purposes. As climate change, pollution, overexploitation, etc. are disrupting the catchment ecosystems, water-related (scarcity and floods) migration is underway, which can potentially lead to more conflicts.

Major river catchments around the world are often transboundary, such as the Colorado River Basin, Indus River Basin, Tsangpo-Brahmaputra, etc. Even within nations, river systems often run through multiple local boundaries. Transboundary catchments have an added dimension of complexity and can lead to more geopolitical tension.

As part of Path to Ottawa, a webinar on this issue will be organized in February 2026. This webinar will explore the interplay between climate change, migration, and conflicts related to transboundary river basins and how to mitigate and prevent them.

Speakers include:

  • Moderator: Ashok Swain, Professor & Head of Department, Department of Peace and Conflict Research, Uppsala University (expertise on security and catchments)
  • Carl Bruch, Senior Attorney and Director of International Programs, Environmental Law Institute
  • Mara Tignino, Lead Legal Specialist of the Platform for International Water Law at the Geneva Water Hub. (international law perspective)
  • Hew Merrett, Assistant Professor at National Yunlin University of Science and Technology. (policy and governance perspective)
  • Rosario Sanchez, Senior Research Scientist at Texas Water Resources Institute. (Colorado basin expertise)
  • Anders Jägerskog, Program Manager, Cooperation in International Waters in Africa (CIWA) Trust Fund, World Bank (Sub-Saharan Africa expertise)

Please join us for this Path to Ottawa event on February 10, 2026, from 3 to 4:30 pm CET.