CPD Kicks Off Water Diplomacy Initiative

Today marks the official launch of the USC Center on Public Diplomacy's Water Diplomacy Initiative. The Initiative will feature a number of publications on Water Diplomacy, several CPD Conversations in Public Diplomacy roundtables, a major conference on the topic in the spring of 2012, a briefing on the topic in Washington, D.C., and continuing research activity addressing a range of water diplomacy issues. An international line-up of scholars, practitioners, and policy makers will be on hand at the conference.

Water, essential to humankind’s existence, is increasingly unavailable because of pollution, failure to develop conservation programs, and mismanagement of water resources. During the near future, water shortages could lead to conflict in many parts of the world. Water-related problems are global in scope, and although international bodies actively support initiatives to conserve and fairly allocate water, not enough is being done to address this critical topic. The USC Center on Public Diplomacy believes that water diplomacy can help international actors reach publics around the world in ways that can save lives and enhance influence. The Water Diplomacy Initiative is a part of the Center's ongoing Science Diplomacy research program.

For information on the initiative, click here.

To learn more about the February 27, 2012 conference, visit the event page.

For all PD news about water diplomacy, click here.

You can access the ever-growing water diplomacy bibliography here.