Governing Water Contentious Transnational Politics and Global Institution Building Dr. Ken Conca University of Maryland [email protected].

Governing WaterGoverning WaterContentious Contentious

Transnational Politics Transnational Politics and Global Institution and Global Institution

BuildingBuilding

Dr. Ken ConcaUniversity of [email protected]

Protesters strip at a global meetThe Hague, Netherlands

Two naked protesters confront Egyptian water resources minister during his speech at the Second Water Forum. (AP)

The opening session of an international conference on global water problems was disrupted on Friday when protesters ripped off their clothes to protest a Spanish dam project.

Egyptian water minister Mahmoud Abu Zeid looked on in silence as Egyptian water minister Mahmoud Abu Zeid looked on in silence as a man and woman disrobed in front of the speakers’ podium to a man and woman disrobed in front of the speakers’ podium to reveal the name of the controversial dam painted on their backs and reveal the name of the controversial dam painted on their backs and buttocks.buttocks.

Other activists did not strip, but scaled the walls of the conference Other activists did not strip, but scaled the walls of the conference hall and hung from the ceiling to protest what they claimed was the hall and hung from the ceiling to protest what they claimed was the conference’s intention to sidestep crucial environmental issues like conference’s intention to sidestep crucial environmental issues like the Itoiz dam project in northern Spain’s Navarra province.the Itoiz dam project in northern Spain’s Navarra province.Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander stepped to the podium and Dutch Crown Prince Willem Alexander stepped to the podium and asked for restraint from the protesters. The protest overshadowed asked for restraint from the protesters. The protest overshadowed the start of the five-day, UN-sponsored Second World Water Forum, the start of the five-day, UN-sponsored Second World Water Forum, which will discusswhich will discuss new ways to ease water shortages and improve new ways to ease water shortages and improve environmental and sanitary conditions worldwide.environmental and sanitary conditions worldwide.

The police had to use a bolt-cutter to remove one protester who The police had to use a bolt-cutter to remove one protester who chained herself to a chair.(AP) chained herself to a chair.(AP)

Rivers, lakes, forests,

grasslands, soils, wetlands, deserts,

coastal zones, …

Criticalecosystem

Anchor of local

livelihoods and

cultural systems

Scarce commodity

with market value

Transnational contentious environmental politics

The foundations of The foundations of successful interstate successful interstate

environmental diplomacyenvironmental diplomacy

Consensual/shared knowledge Consensual/shared knowledge frameworkframework

Clear delineation between what is Clear delineation between what is “domestic” and what is “international”“domestic” and what is “international”

Domain in which states can Domain in which states can legitimately exercise authoritylegitimately exercise authority

Network-based forms of Network-based forms of institutional developmentinstitutional development

Expert networks for “Integrated Expert networks for “Integrated Water Resources Management”Water Resources Management”

““Watershed democracy”/anti-dams Watershed democracy”/anti-dams movementmovement

Water neoliberalism and its Water neoliberalism and its discontentsdiscontents

Brazil South Africa

Common Common content:content:

OWNERSHIP:OWNERSHIP: water as national water as national resourceresource

THE STATE:THE STATE: from provider of from provider of public goods to guardian of public public goods to guardian of public trusttrust

MANAGEMENT:MANAGEMENT: river basin as river basin as primary unit; basin-level primary unit; basin-level management & planning management & planning processesprocesses

WATER RIGHTS:WATER RIGHTS: end of end of riparianism as water-rights basisriparianism as water-rights basis

Common Common content:content:

PRIORITIES:PRIORITIES: basic human basic human needs prioritized over other usesneeds prioritized over other uses

ECONOMICS:ECONOMICS: toward full-cost toward full-cost pricing; “cobranpricing; “cobrançça” schemesa” schemes

PARTICIPATION:PARTICIPATION: ambitious ambitious participatory mechanisms for civil participatory mechanisms for civil society, “stakeholders”society, “stakeholders”

Key themes from the cases:Key themes from the cases:

Sources of policy innovation: Informal Sources of policy innovation: Informal linkages growing out of social conflict linkages growing out of social conflict outstripping formal cooperative outstripping formal cooperative diplomacydiplomacy

Transnational expert networks: Transnational expert networks: tearing down the old versus building tearing down the old versus building up the newup the new

Key themes (cont’d):Key themes (cont’d):

Key role of courts in context of Key role of courts in context of democratizationdemocratization

Domestic policy entrepreneurs exploit Domestic policy entrepreneurs exploit fashion trends in int’l policy circlesfashion trends in int’l policy circles

International debates on water as International debates on water as resources that tip the balance of resources that tip the balance of domestic struggles—both materially and domestic struggles—both materially and rhetoricallyrhetorically

Concluding observationsConcluding observations

Making progress on contentious transnational Making progress on contentious transnational socio-environmental controversies is THE socio-environmental controversies is THE challenge of global environmental governancechallenge of global environmental governance

We are seeing not necessarily, resolution but We are seeing not necessarily, resolution but institutionalization,institutionalization, of conflicts—and thus of conflicts—and thus conflict as a source of institution buildingconflict as a source of institution building

Progress means nurturing Progress means nurturing process process mechanisms: stakeholder dialogues, conflict mechanisms: stakeholder dialogues, conflict resolution, cooperative knowledge buildingresolution, cooperative knowledge building