Geneva Water Hub

25/06/2026

In Mauritania's Hodh Chargui region, the people fleeing war in the Sahel will soon be as numerous as those who welcome them.

What holds this fragile balance together? Water 💧 and the way communities choose to share it.

A few days ago, the world marked World Refugee Day, this year coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the Geneva Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. A moment to remember the life force of those whom war has set on the road, and the values of those who open a door to them.

Hannah Arendt captured it back in 1943, in We Refugees:
"Refugees driven from country to country represent the vanguard of their peoples — if they keep their identity. […] The fellowship of European nations broke down when, and precisely because, it allowed its weakest member to be excluded and persecuted."

Words that resonate all the more today, now that we no longer hear the concert of nations.

In the arid land of Hodh Chargui 🌍, community solidarity, the goodwill of local authorities, and the sharing of water command deep respect. To preserve that social cohesion, we believe two things matter: strengthening the deliberative spaces around water points, and drawing on local know-how in conflict prevention.

That is the purpose of the participatory action-research on water points we carried out with our partners and of our work alongside UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency.

In a new video from UNHCR Mauritania, our Scientific Director Mara Tignino, a specialist in the legal protection of water, reflects on her own personal history with refugees.

👉 Watch the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irJgU-Y2nNE

📄 Read the full report of Geneva Water Hub mission in Mauritania (October 2025):https://www.genevawaterhub.org/sites/default/files/document/Rapport%20FINAL-Diagnostic%20Points%20Eau%20HeC%20-%20octobre%202025.pdf

How do we keep water a source of cooperation between communities, rather than a fault line? We'd love to hear your perspective 💬

14/04/2026

❗ Application deadline extended – 21 April 2026 ❗

The management of water resources faces environmental, climatic, political, and economic challenges. In this changing environment, innovative polic...

17/03/2026

Water can be a weapon of war, or a pathway to peace.

In 2025, we chose peace.

Today, the Geneva Water Hub releases its 2025 Annual Impact Report, offering a clear view of what happens when science, law, and diplomacy come together around one essential resource: water.

Across the year, this translated into concrete impact:
• Building dialogue across borders: from shared water access points in Mauritania to cooperation efforts between Iraq and Iran
• Protecting water in conflict settings: contributing to global recommendations reaching the UN Security Council
• Advancing global governance: supporting UN processes and shaping discussions ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference
• Training over 200 professionals from 27 countries: from diplomats to military advisors
• Expanding our operational reach: with new funding across West Africa, the Middle East, Afghanistan, and the Mekong region

As Prof. Mark Zeitoun writes:
“By using politics to address water challenges, and water to address socio-political challenges, the Geneva Water Hub will continue to open pathways for peace.”

In a fragmented world, water remains one of the few elements that still connects us all.

📄 The full report is available in the comments.

With the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), the Université de Genève, and the Geneva Graduate Institute

09/02/2026

💧 Appel à contributions – Droit africain des ressources en eau

Le Geneva Water Hub, l’École régionale de l’eau, la Faculté de droit de l'Université de Genève et l'Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN) lancent un appel à contributions pour un ouvrage collectif de référence consacré au droit africain des ressources en eau.

Cet ouvrage abordera les grands enjeux contemporains :
➡️ gouvernance de l’eau,
➡️ coopération transfrontalière,
➡️ prévention des conflits,
➡️ droits humains, climat et infrastructures,
➡️ protection des écosystèmes aquatiques.

👉 L’appel s’adresse aux chercheur·e·s, universitaires, juristes, praticien·ne·s et expert·e·s des politiques de l’eau, en particulier celles et ceux travaillant sur l’Afrique de l’Ouest (bassins du Niger, du Sénégal, Sahel, etc.).

📅 Dates clés
- 31 mars 2026 : soumission d’un résumé (1 page max)
- 30 avril 2026 : notification des propositions retenues
- 30 septembre 2026 : remise des chapitres complets
📘 Publication prévue entre janvier et juin 2027 (en open access)

🤝 Projet coordonné par François Bokona Wiipa, Dr., Mutoy Mubiala et Mara Tignino, avec l’ambition de renforcer un cadre de réflexion juridique africain structuré et opérationnel, en lien avec les défis contemporains du continent.

🌍 Thématiques clés :
hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag hashtag

🔗 Retrouvez toutes les informations ici : https://www.genevawaterhub.org/news/appel-contributions-droit-africain-des-ressources-en-eau

➡️ Vous travaillez sur ces sujets ? Contribuez à un ouvrage qui vise à structurer le débat juridique et politique sur l’eau en Afrique.

Le Geneva Water Hub, l’École nationale de l’eau, la Faculté de droit de l’Université de Genève et l’Université de Kinshasa (UNIKIN) lancent un appel à contributions pour un ouvrage collectif consacré au droit africain des ressources en eau.

05/02/2026

💧 Water is no longer just a resource. It’s a strategic priority. 🌍

From climate security to geopolitics and development, water is now at the heart of global decision-making, and it will be a central topic at the 3rd United Nations Water Conference in the UAE later this year.

If you want to be part of the next generation shaping these debates, the CAS “Water Governance: Frameworks and Negotiations” (from 22 June to 3 July 2026, Geneva) is designed for you.

🎓 What you’ll gain (in 2 intensive weeks + online module):
✔️ Understand hydropolitics and power dynamics around shared waters
✔️ Navigate international water law and transboundary negotiations
✔️ Build conflict management and negotiation skills
✔️ Use data and governance tools to support cooperation
✔️ Connect with practitioners from International Geneva and beyond

This blended programme combines cutting-edge research, real-world cases, and hands-on policy tools, for professionals working at the strategic level in water, diplomacy, development, and sustainability.

📅 Dates: 22 June – 3 July 2026 (Geneva)
📝 Application deadline: 28 March 2026
👥 Limited cohort (max. 15 participants)

🤝 This programme is delivered in partnership with the Institut des sciences de l'environnement (ISE) - Université de Genève, the Geneva Water Hub, and the UNESCO Chair in Hydropolitics, and brings together leading academics and practitioners from International Geneva.

🎤 The 2026 edition features contributions from experts including Christian Bréthaut, Géraldine Pflieger, Imane Messaoudi-Mattei, Mara Tignino, Olivia Macharis, and Diego Jara.

👉 Ready to turn water challenges into governance solutions?
Apply now and join a community shaping the future of water cooperation:

The management of water resources faces environmental, climatic, political, and economic challenges. In this changing environment, innovative polic...

18/12/2025

💧 Quand le partage de l’eau devient un levier de cohésion sociale et de paix

Le Geneva Water Hub et le UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Mauritanie ont signé à Genève un Protocole de partenariat visant à renforcer la cohésion sociale autour du partage de l’eau dans les contextes d’accueil de réfugiés en Mauritanie.

Signé le 15 décembre 2025 en marge du Global High Level Progress Review du Pacte mondial sur les réfugiés, ce partenariat reconnaît que la gouvernance de l’eau est un levier essentiel de stabilité, de dialogue et d’autonomie, tant pour les réfugiés que pour les communautés d’accueil confrontées à des ressources limitées.

📍 Dans la région du Hodh Chargui, où la pression sur les ressources hydriques est forte, les points d’eau jouent un rôle central dans les équilibres sociaux. Les savoir-faire locaux en matière de prévention et de gestion des conflits liés à l’eau constituent un atout clé pour la coexistence.

🗣️ « L’eau peut être une source de tension, mais elle peut aussi devenir un facteur de cohésion sociale », souligne Tayyar Sukru Cansizoglu, Représentant du HCR en Mauritanie.

🤝 Soutenu par la Ville de Genève et la Direction du développement et de la coopération (DDC), ce partenariat illustre une approche concrète du nexus humanitaire–développement–paix, fondée sur l’expertise locale et la coopération internationale.