Fostering cooperation on transboundary waters: success stories from Swiss international cooperation

Wherever water resources are shared, conflicts might arise between the users that depend upon that water. When rivers, lakes, and aquifers cross national borders, these conflicts could threaten national and international security. Countries working together to manage transboundary water resources thus form an essential building block of global and regional stability.

The “Water Diplomacy and Governance in Key Transboundary Hot Spots” programme, which was established in 2011 by SDC’s Global Programme Water (GPW), seeks to foster cooperation among countries and communities that share water resources. With the support of GPW’s Transboundary Hot Spots programme, four implementing partners conduct a wide range of activities that address transboundary cooperation at multiple levels in more than 15 river basins and aquifers around the world. In addition, the programme supports initiatives to strengthen legal frameworks and capacities for water cooperation at the global level. All implementing partners are working together to ensure a coherent multi-level approach. Since the programme began in 2011, Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has provided more than 15 million Swiss Francs to implement its innovative activities, making it one of GPW’s largest initiatives.

As a follow-up to an external review of the programme that was carried out by adelphi in 2015, adelphi was commissioned to compile success stories from the programme's activities around the world, that explain the GPW's multi-level approach to fostering transboundary cooperation. The compilation was prepared in five languages and provides an accessible overview of the complex programme structure.