Bridging Gaps in Water Governance: Addressing Conflict and Climate Challenges

Stefan Döring

Despite frequent warnings of ‘water wars’, conflicts over water rarely escalate into violence. While most disputes over water access, quantity, or infrastructure remain non-violent, the gap between national water diplomacy and local water disputes presents a critical governance challenge. Such challenges are more severe in regions affected by armed conflict and climate stress, with water shortages disrupting livelihoods and aggravating inequalities. This policy brief examines conflict- and climate-related challenges to water governance and explores how multi-level collaboration can bridge the gap between global policies and lived realities.

Brief Points

• Gaps between country-level water diplomacy and unresolved local-level water disputes hinder effective water governance.

• Areas impacted by both armed conflict and climate change are at higher risk of water scarcity.

• Environmental stressors can amplify war-induced intergroup tensions.

• Empowering local actors strengthens resilience and can connect global policies to local realities.

• Resource scarcity can undermine cooperation by furthering in-group biases.

• Effective water governance integrates national policies, regional frameworks, and grassroots actions to address interconnected challenges.