International Water Security: Mitigating Transboundary Risks

1
International Water Security Mitigating
Transboundary Risks

• Joshua Newton
• Fletcher School of Law Diplomacy, Tufts
  University
• European Large Lakes Symposium
• September 15, 2006

2
Presentation Overview

• International Water Security What is it?
• International Water Security Levels
• Case Study Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe
• Mitigating Transboundary Risks
• Conclusion

3
International Water Security

• What is it?
• Three Paradigms
• Global Water Security
• Weaponization of Water
• International Waters Security

4
International Water Security

• Global Water Security
• The protection of our water resources on an
  global scale.
• Water resources, infrastructure, systems
• World Water Balance (Postel et al. 1996)
• Precipitation 110,300 km3/year
• Evapotranspiration 69,600 km3/year
• Runoff 40,700 km3/year (roughly 2/3 g.w.)
• Of which withdraw 4,430 km3/year

5
International Water Security

• Weaponization of Water
• Using water as a weapon
• Sri Lanka
• Iraq
• River Meuse
• US Embassy in Italy

River Meuse
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International Water Security

• International Waters Security
• Ensuring that water that crosses national
  political boundary (upstream-downstream) or is
  shared as a boundary (border river/lake/groundwate
  r), is secure from harm by another nation sharing
  that resource

7
International Water Security

• Levels (International Waters Security)
• International
• Interactions between national governments NGOs
• National
• Interactions between government agencies
  (environment, trade, foreign affairs, etc.) NGOs
• Local
• Interactions between communities (nat. intl)
  and government agencies NGOs

8
Case Study Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe

• Levels International
• Examples
• Ministries of Foreign Affairs
• Inter-governmental Estonian-Russian Fisheries
  Commission
• Estonian-Russian Transboundary Water Commission
• Peipsi Center for Transboundary Cooperation (CTC)

9
Case Study Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe

• Levels National
• Examples
• Estonia
• Ministry of the Environment
• Ministry of Economic Affairs
• Estonian University of Life Sciences
• Estonian Fund for Nature
• Russia
• Ministry of Natural Resources
• Ministry of Transport
• Chudskoe Project

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Case Study Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe

• Levels Local
• Examples
• Local governments
• Pskov Department of State Research Institute for
  Lake and River Fisheries, Põlva County
  Environmental Department, Department of Tartu
  County, etc.
• NGOs and Local Research Centres
• Ida-Virumaa Local Authorities Union, Pskov City
  Ecological and Biological Center, Pskov Regional
  Public Organization, etc.

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Mitigating Transboundary Risks

• Technical
• Data/Information Sharing
• Joint Management/Projects
• Inform of projects/works
• Political
• Dispute Resolution Mechanisms
• Borders
• Will

12
Mitigating Transboundary Risks

• Legal
• Legal Framework (laws/regulations)
• Institutions
• Economics
• Trade
• Navigation

13
Mitigating Transboundary Risks

• Public Participation
• Allows for effective, sustainable projects on all
  levels avoiding potential conflict as there is
  buy in from stakeholders
• Risk Communication
• Mitigates potential conflicts before they might
  arise as institutions have the forewarning to
  prepare for negative impacts

14
Mitigating Transboundary Risks
Public Participation
Legal
Technical
Cooperation
Economics
Politics
Risk Communication
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Conclusion

• Risk Communication and Public Participation,
  within a framework of cooperation which includes
  the political, legal, technical and financial
  aspects of transboundary water management, will
  minimize risks to international waters security
  in the Lake Peipsi/Chudskoe basin.

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• Thank you for your attention!
• Joshua Newton
• Joshua.Newton_at_tufts.edu