List of Current Key Questions

Below is a list of Key Questions that are currently available. Please report any inaccuracies to an administrator. They are presented in no particular order and are generally organized by type/topic of question.

Transboundary Water Issues

• How can mutual trust amongst riparians be nurtured? What actions erode that trust?
• How can packages or options that link issues creatively or build on possible technology innovations be employed to create non-zero sum choices within negotiations that include water resources?
• What considerations can be given to incorporating collaborative adaptive management (CAM)? What efforts have the parties made to review and adjust a solution or decision over time in light of changing conditions?
• What kinds of water treaties or agreements between countries can provide sufficient structure and stability to ensure enforceability but also be flexible and adaptable given future uncertainties?
• What mechanisms beyond simple allocation can be incorporated into transboundary water agreements to add value and facilitate resolution?

Balancing Industries and Sectors

• How can consultation and cooperation among stakeholders and development partners be better facilitated/managed/fostered?

Dams, Hydropower and Infrastructure

• How do issues of equity and development impact the identification of stakeholders in cases involving hydropower or other revenue generating water infrastructure?
• What calculations and considerations should be investigated by countries looking to harness additional hydropower? Which potential outcomes should be investigated or identified?
• What role(s) can hydropower play in a nation's energy strategy?
• Where does the benefit “flow” from a hydropower project and how does that affect implementation and sustainability of the project?

Influence, Leadership and Power

• How can government be dis/incentivized to offer an inclusive planning process?
• How do national policies influence water use at the local level?
• How does asymmetry of power influence water negotiations and how can the negative effects be mitigated?
• To what extent can international actors and movements from civil society influence water management? How and when is this beneficial/detrimental and how can these effects be supported/mitigated?
• What effective mechanisms can downstream riparians use to protect their water related interests/rights?
• What role can agricultural subsidies play in finding solutions to complex water management problems?

Urban Water Systems and Water Treatment

• How can increasing urban water demand be balanced between the needs of the urban population and industry?
• What approaches are most beneficial for rapidly growing cities in the developing world to link water management to sustainable urban growth strategy?

Desalination

• What roles can desalination play in a country's national water policy and what energy ecological and water quality considerations ought to go into making such a decision?
• What types of benefit sharing models can be used to make desalination more economically feasible and beneficial in water-scarce regions?

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Alphabetical Listing of Key Questions