Water Diplomacy
The demand for fresh water is announced to exceed availability by 40% in 2030 already. The correspondingly increased competition over water resources holds the potential for (unpredictable) tensions and conflicts in delicate contexts. The Blue Peace Initiative (BPI) wants to enhance water cooperation across borders, sectors and generations in order to foster peaceful, cohesive, and sustainable societies. RésEAU supports regional water networks in Central Asia and the Middle East where the BPI is very active.
The Blue Peace Initiative
The SDC is dedicated to addressing these issues through water diplomacy, policy, and advocacy. It participates in international policy discussions and supports local capacity development and sector policy reforms in various countries.
Launched in 2010, the Blue Peace initiative combines water diplomacy with development cooperation and brings together key decision-makers and government representatives to discuss and negotiate the use of shared water, while considering the needs of the private sector and the civil society.
Find all documentation about Blue Peace on the Alexandria repository and download main documents below.
Blue Peace Index Methodology Note
Report of 2019
Learning Journey on Groundwater - Transboundary groundwater management
slides of webinar 3
Blue Peace Government Delegation
Government representatives from Central Asia learning methods of peaceful cross-border water cooperation at the Senegal River basin.
RésEAU Brief no. 6 - Water: turning the risk of conflict into an opportunity for cooperation and peace
The current edition contributes learning from concrete projects on water for peace. Switzerland as an elected member of the UN Security Council from 2023 to 2024 focuses on building sustainable peace, protecting civilians in armed conflict and addressing climate security. In all these areas, water and water-related infrastructure is often a key piece of the puzzle.
Blue Peace Index Report 2020
Global Brief GPW - Blue Peace
Blue Peace aims at harnessing water for dialogue and cooperation. How to turn this ideal into a global movement is presented in this brief.
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SDC and Blue Peace
With the FDFA’s lines of action as part of the Blue Peace initiative, Switzerland is contributing technical and policy solutions to political dialogue in the regions concerned.
Blue Peace Index
The SDC developed - jointly with The Economist Impact (EI) - the Blue Peace Index (BPI) which allows to examine how countries manage their transboundary water resources in a sustainable, equitable and collaborative manner at both national and basin level. The BPI assesses the management of shared water resources across five pillars: Policy & legal frameworks, Institutional arrangements & participation, Water management instruments, Infrastructure & financing, and Cooperation.