‘Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace’ to propose solutions to conflicts

In International Affairs
November 18, 2015

Fifteen countries, the United Nations and an Indian think-tank have come together to create a Global High Level Panel on Water and Peace.

Aim:-

To prevent water wars and conflicts that could generate peace dividends of $100-200 billion annually.

Panel and head:-

United Nations Water, an apex body that coordinates 27 UN agencies, would be an observer on the panel chaired by former Slovenian president Danilo Turk.

When and by whom:-

The effort was initiated by Switzerland two years ago and the panel was formalised on November 16.

Objective:-

The panel was mandated to prepare a global architecture to prevent water wars, to use water as an instrument of peace and cooperation and to engage world leaders at a time when water resources were depleting at a fast pace.

Background:-

Mumbai-based Strategic Foresight has been mandated to draw up a set of recommendations and design the architecture.
It will also propose a regime of financial incentives to promote cooperation between countries.
The panel is expected to draw lessons from commissions managing transnational rivers in Europe and Africa to design best practices that can be applied in areas that have international water conflicts.
It currently does not have countries that have ongoing international disputes over water.
The panel estimates that the developing world loses more than 300 billion cubic metres of fresh water every year and if the trend continues, there will be food shortages within 15-20 years, leading to high food prices, riots and migration.
About 2.3 billion people live in shared river basins of the developing world.