ES 418: Hydro-diplomacy and the Nexus (WS)
Course Title |
Hydro-diplomacy and the Nexus (WS) |
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Course Code |
ES 418 |
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Course Type |
Elective |
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Level |
Postgraduate |
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Year / Semester |
1st/2nd |
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Instructor’s Name |
Fadi Comair (Lead Instructor) |
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ECTS |
5 |
Lectures / week |
1 (2 hr) |
Laboratories / week |
Group projects: 3 simulations of negotiations/mediations (half a day each) for the entire course |
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Course Purpose and Objectives |
With unprecedented population growth, new emerging economies and the effects of climate change, pressures on our finite freshwater resources are increasing. Meanwhile, the ability of some nations to secure their water demand requirements is being severely challenged, causing great and legitimate concern that tensions around water hotspots will intensify among water users. This course discusses the hydro-diplomacy as one of the important concepts in the field of water conflict, “a tool to implement peace among riparian countries sharing transboundary water basin”. Hydro-diplomacy employs the technical process of IWRM at the basin level, international relations, economics, environments, politics et cetera to deal with transboundary water resources and conflicts. Thus, the course aims to (i) define the transboundary water resources (surface and aquifer), their types, and challenges, (ii) define the Harmon Doctrine and the unilateral water practices, (iii) define the cooperation and the financial management on transboundary basins, (iv) identify and analyze issues, challenges and potential conflicts of water allocation and access to water resources at different scales, (v) highlight the need for modern diplomatic solutions to mitigate conflict and enable water’s potential for cooperation at the transboundary level and sharing benefits, (vi) use an interdisciplinary approach to critically assess and evaluate water- related conflicts, (vii) apply conflict management tools and design conflict resolution processes with the aim of mitigating water management disputes. apply legal framework such as UNECE 1992 and UN convention of 1997, (viii) introduce the Win-Win Approach to address the transboundary water conflict, (ix) manage a transboundary basin of the nexus approach of water-energy-food security and ecosystem preservation highlighting the SDGs 2, 6, 7 at basin level, (x) and adoption of international (e.g. International law and water diplomacy: UNECE convention 1992, UN convention 1997, and IHP-UNESCO Water Strategy IX, and Paris Water PACT 2015 COP 21) and regional (e.g. African Union) instruments for facilitating the negotiations. |
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Learning Outcomes |
At the end of the course, students should be able to:
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Prerequisites |
None |
Required | None | ||||
Course Content |
The Course contents are:
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Teaching Methodology |
In class teaching |
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Bibliography |
• Ballabio, R., Comair, F.G., Scalet, M., Scoullos, M. (2015). Science diplomacy and transboundary water management: the Orontes River case. UNESCO Publishing. ISBN9230000175, 9789230000172 • Comair, F. (2018). Hydrodiplomatie et nexus Eau-Energie-Alimentation (French Edition. JOHANET. ISBN-13:979-1091089371 • Global Water Partnership (GWP).; and the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO). (2012). The Handbook for Integrated Water Resources Management in Transboundary Basins of Rivers, Lakes and Aquifers. INBO. ISBN:978-91-85321-85-8 • United Nations Economic Commission for Europe; and the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO). (2015). Water and Climate Change Adaptation in Transboundary Basins Lessons Learned and Good Practices. INBO. ISBN:978-92-1-117083-2 |
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Assessment |
Coursework, group projects, and presentations |
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Language |
English |