Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges

The document identifies a critical disconnect between macro-level transboundary water treaties and the lived realities of local water users, particularly in conflict-prone and climate-stressed regions. It argues that while 'water wars' are rare, the failure to integrate grassroots concerns into national strategies can exacerbate local tensions and undermine regional stability. The brief highlights how armed conflict destroys infrastructure and how climate-induced scarcity can reduce altruism and increase in-group bias. It recommends bridging these gaps through inclusive governance, technological innovation, and evidence-based policymaking to foster resilience and peacebuilding.

• A significant governance gap exists between national-level water diplomacy and unresolved local disputes, where macro-level treaties often fail to address specific local allocation issues between agricultural, urban, and rural populations.
• Regions experiencing both armed conflict and climate change are at a higher risk of water scarcity, as conflict destroys vital infrastructure and environmental stressors like drought amplify intergroup tensions.
• Armed conflict causes immediate health crises by targeting water infrastructure—such as dams and treatment plants—and creates long-term vulnerabilities by contaminating aquifers and hindering economic recovery.
• Resource scarcity driven by climate change can negatively impact social behavior by reducing altruism and increasing in-group biases, leading individuals to prioritize their own community over others.
• Grassroots initiatives, such as community-led irrigation in Burkina Faso or rotational sharing in India, demonstrate the potential for local cooperation, but these efforts often lack the formal recognition and funding needed to scale.
• Technological tools like satellite monitoring and AI can bridge governance gaps by providing real-time data, but they are not a complete solution if systemic issues like corruption and low trust in governance are not addressed.

APA

Döring, S. (2025). Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges. Peace Research Institute Oslo. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/5aba794e-2b79-4e45-b1c0-9bc29aecc0ab/PRIO Policy Brief 1 2025.pdf?inline=true

Chicago

Döring, Stefan. Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges. Peace Research Institute Oslo, 2025. https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/5aba794e-2b79-4e45-b1c0-9bc29aecc0ab/PRIO Policy Brief 1 2025.pdf?inline=true.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Döring |first1=Stefan |title=Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges |publisher=Peace Research Institute Oslo |date=2025 |url=https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/5aba794e-2b79-4e45-b1c0-9bc29aecc0ab/PRIO Policy Brief 1 2025.pdf?inline=true |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{dring2025bridging, author = {Döring, Stefan}, title = {{Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges}}, institution = {Peace Research Institute Oslo}, year = {2025}, url = {https://cdn.cloud.prio.org/files/5aba794e-2b79-4e45-b1c0-9bc29aecc0ab/PRIO Policy Brief 1 2025.pdf?inline=true}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }