UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics

Scientific production and dissemination

The UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics, in its aim to provide new information on the political and institutional aspects of water governance, produces several scientific articles, books, and policy briefs, and connects different audiences with the topics of water politics and the politics of water.

Palgrave Series on Water Governance

Looking at the issues of water governance through the perspective of the social sciences, books in the Palgrave Series in Water Governance take a global perspective on one of the critical challenges facing society today: the sustainable development of water resources and services for all. In stepping away from the traditional focus on engineering and geophysics, the series takes a more holistic approach to consolidate and generate knowledge that can be applied to different geographic areas by academics, researchers, policy-makers, NGOs and the private sector. This series emphasizes the link between science and policy by considering water as a socio-ecological system, water and the territoriality of action, and water in the context of conflicts. The series includes:

Water Talks

The ‘Water Talks’ series is an open-speech opportunity for researchers to expose and explain their ideas and stances on contemporary challenges linked to water governance. The series includes:

  • Water Talk nº 1, March 2015.
  • Water Talk nº 2, January 2016.
  • Water Talk nº 3, November 2016, on “Water, Conflicts and Cooperation”.
  • Water Talk nº 4, February 2018, on “Anticipating transboundary water disputes: how to make use of hydropolitical data?”.
  • Water Talk nº 5, April 2019, on “Exploring Dam Politics: Rivalries, Power and Hope”.

Participation in the Geneva Peace Week

The Geneva Peace Week (GPW) aims to galvanize leadership, build trust, and contribute to international cooperation.

In 2020, the UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics, together with the UNESCO SIMEV Chair, the Montpellier UNESCO International Water Centre, Montpellier University of Excellence and Clingendael Institute, convened a plenary session on the theme “Beyond water: science diplomacy for local conflict prevention”. The session brought together experiences from scientific organisations working in the water sector to enrich new approaches to conflict prevention.