Author: Nathaniel Fagelson

Committee: Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Topic: Addressing Water Insecurity on a Geopolitical Level

Letter From the Chairs

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Esteemed Delegates,

For something as fundamental as water, the rulebook is truly still being written. Water

insecurity will undoubtedly be a major topic of sustainable development for the rest of the

century. This topic also gives great insight into the geopolitical strategies of many governments.

By preparing for and participating in this committee, delegates will gain knowledge that they can

use to understand and interpret the world around them.

Please feel free to contact me with any questions: nathaniel.fagelson@gmail.com,

Nathaniel Fagelson

Definition of Key Terms

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● Water Insecurity - “water security is when the entire population of a country has

sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptably clean water” (BBC, 2020). Thus,

water insecurity is the lack of water security.

 ● Geopolitics - “the study or the application of the influence of political and economic

geography on the politics, national power, foreign policy, etc., of a state”

(Dictionary.com, 2020).

● Hydropolitics - “the systematic study of conflict and cooperation between states over

water resources that transcend international borders” (Elhance, 2020).

● Transboundary Waters (same thing as International Watercourses) - “any surface or

ground waters which mark, cross or are located on boundaries between two or more

states” (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 1992).

● Riparian Parties - “parties bordering the same transboundary waters” (ibid).

● Upstream Nation - a nation which a transboundary waterway must flow through in order

to reach another nation.

● Downstream Nation - a nation whose water source flows through at least one of its fellow

riparian parties in order to reach it.

Background

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Water is essential for sustaining human life. However, it is also used for many things

other than drinking. Freshwater has been used for transportation, industry, trade, agriculture, and

cleaning for thousands of years. Conflict over this precious resource dates back as early as 2500

B.C.E. (Pacific Institute, 2020). However, the modern world is being presented with new

challenges related to water.

Global demand for water is estimated to increase by 55% from 2000 to 2050, a result of a

growing global population (Smedley, 2017). With a limited supply of water on the planet, the
task of sharing the world’s resources will be a daunting one. Because of this, many experts agree

that hydropolitics has the potential to make or break world peace and diplomatic relations for

decades to come (Lufkin, 2017).

Many countries don’t have sufficient freshwater resources to meet their needs, so they

rely on importing water (Lufkin, 2017). However, water imports are not just water itself, they

can also include “virtual water”, products that require water to produce, like food (ibid). Thus,

water is already deeply ingrained in international relations and trade.

Often, conflict (diplomatic or militaristic) stems from an upstream nation having leverage

over a downstream nation (Lufkin, 2017). Upstream nations can build dams, pollute, or divert

rivers, all at the cost of the downstream nation, without harming their own water source. Due to

the extremely powerful positions that upstream nations experience, some conflicts focus on

gaining control of the area around the water source, when a downstream nation hopes to become

an upstream one (Al Jazeera, 2011). The real-world dynamics are much more nuanced than this,

but it still paints a troubling picture that will need to be addressed.

The most notable UN action on the topic is the UN Convention on the Law of the

Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses. It deals with the definition of terms,

attempts to establish problem-solving frameworks, and most importantly, issues guidance on the

use and sharing of international watercourses (McCaffrey, 2001). Article 5 underlines the

principle of “equitable and reasonable utilization and participation”, and Article 7 introduces the

“obligation not to cause significant harm”, two key components of the agreement (General

Assembly of the United Nations, 1997).

The introduction of these two principles raised new debates and problems. This is due to

the fact that Article 5 and Article 7 can conflict; equitable utilization and an obligation to do no
harm may hinder each other (McCaffrey, 2001). For example, achieving equitable utilization

may cause harm, and preventing harm may interfere with equitable utilization (ibid). The

convention leaves room for interpretation on which principle should be prioritized, which has led

to a debate between nations with varying interests (ibid). Many nations favor the principle that

benefits them, so it is more of a practical debate than a philosophical one. Some would argue that

it is imperative that guidelines be clarified and standardized so that they can be utilized

consistently and effectively, while others would argue that treating each conflict as a separate

issue would be more fair.

Directive

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This committee should consider how sharing, compromising, and problem-solving

regarding international watercourses should be approached. It should also discuss potential

solutions for countries that lack water sources and rely on imports. This committee should focus

on the international, economic, and geopolitical aspects of water and avoid discussing the issue

of hygienic drinking water.

Some questions to consider when crafting your position:

● What is/are your country’s main source(s) of freshwater? Rivers? Glaciers?

Groundwater? Lakes? Imports?

● If your country is a riparian party to any meaningful transboundary waterway:

○ What does your country rely on it for?

 ○ What are your neighboring countries’ relationships with the water source (What

do they use it for? What are their ambitions? etc.)?

○ Is your country upstream or downstream from other countries (or both)?

○ What are your own country’s goals regarding the water source?

○ Is your country’s relationship with the other countries cooperative or contentious?

● If your country relies on imports:

○ How could more sustainable solutions be achieved (and what might those be)?

● Should we work towards prioritizing the principle of equitable utilization or do no harm

(or neither, or something else)?

● What should be the role of international oversight?

● How should (inevitable) conflicts or disagreements be resolved?

● Is it more important to have consistency on the international scale or disregard

consistency to resolve different situations based on their unique nature?

Resources

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Water Conflict Map & Timeline (many are irrelevant but could be of use to some delegates)

Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses

Handy Analysis of the Convention

Transcript of GA 51st Session, 99th Plenary Meeting at which the Convention on the Law of the

Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses was discussed

Notes:

● The link for the transcript if for the website to download the PDF.
 ● Delegates should Ctrl+F for their country in the last two resources, there are some very

helpful footnotes and speeches.

Delegations

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1. China

2. India

3. Egypt

4. Ethiopia

5. Pakistan

6. Sudan

7. Turkey

8. Laos

9. Bangladesh

10. Cambodia

11. Vietnam

12. Myanmar

13. Afghanistan

14. Hungary

15. Slovakia

16. Jordan

17. Israel

18. Burundi
 19. Rwanda

20. Lebanon

21. Syria

22. Bolivia

23. Brazil

24. Saudi Arabia

25. France

26. Colombia

27. Kazakhstan

28. Uzbekistan

29. Turkmenistan

30. Kyrgyzstan

31. Czech Republic

32. Tanzania

33. Thailand

Works Cited

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Al Jazeera. “Kashmir and the Politics of Water.” Asia News | Al Jazeera, Al Jazeera, 1 Aug.

2011, www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/08/01/kashmir-and-the-politics-of-water/. Accessed

8 December 2020.
BBC. “ Water Supply and Consumption - Factors Affecting Water Availability.” BBC News,

BBC, 2020, www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/guides/zgx382p/revision/2. Accessed 14 December

2020.

Dictionary.com. “Geopolitics.” Dictionary.com, Dictionary.com, 2020,

www.dictionary.com/browse/geopolitics?s=t. Accessed 14 December 2020.

Elhance, Arun P. “Hydropolitics.” Global Institute for Water, Environment & Health, Global

Institute for Water, Environment & Health, 2020, www.giweh.ch/page.aspx?s=1.

Accessed 14 December 2020.

General Assembly of the United Nations. “Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses

of International Watercourses.” General Assembly of the United Nations, United Nations,

21 May 1997, legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/8_3_1997.pdf.

Accessed 4 December 2020.

Lufkin, Bryan. “Why 'Hydro-Politics' Will Shape the 21st Century.” BBC Future, BBC, 15 June

2017,

www.bbc.com/future/article/20170615-why-hydro-politics-will-shape-the-21st-century.

Accessed 4 December 2020.

McCaffrey, Stephen. “The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of

International Watercourses: Prospects and Pitfalls.” The Law of International

Watercourses, Oxford University Press, 2001, pp. 17–27.

Pacific Institute. “Water Conflict Chronology.” World Water, Pacific Institute, 2020,

www.worldwater.org/conflict/map/. Accessed 4 December 2020.

Smedley, Tim. “Is the World Running out of Fresh Water?” BBC Future, BBC, 12 Apr. 2017,

www.bbc.com/future/article/20170412-is-the-world-running-out-of-fresh-water.

Accessed 8 December 2020.

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. “Convention on the Protection and Use of

Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes.” United Nations Economic

Commission for Europe, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe, 17 Mar.

1992, unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/env/water/pdf/watercon.pdf. Accessed 4 December

2020.