WATER PEACE AT HOME WATER PEACE IN THE WORLD

What We Do

General

Water will play a critical role in reshaping the policies and the economy of the 21st century.

As the national water resources are getting polluted and becoming insufficient due to rapid increase in population, inefficient uses, migration to urban sections, industrial activities, and current global warming and climate change, the significance of international surface and groundwaters are increasing. Limiting the impacts of water on the social and economic development of countries especially of some regions of the world will no doubt bring the current problems to an upper level. Such a case will bring national and international water use policies (Hydropolitics) into more forefront than today. There is a need for more comprehensive works to be done in this issue also in Turkey.

In brief, we are rapidly moving toward significant national and international hydropolitics approaches (increased food, water and energy relationships).

Since the beginning of the 20th century, significant efforts have been spent to create legal bases and consensuses about water-related issues. However, within the scope of up-to-date agreements, practice laws and general legal principles, a system of rules covering final provisions and judgments and binding entire countries globally have not been created, yet.

At the beginning of the 21st century, besides transboundary surface waters, the problem of transboundary groundwaters was included in the country agendas. UN relevant commission has already initiated works on this latter issue.

The unlimited development model, being implemented with the industrial revolution, water resources pollution, increased consumption stress over water resources, the uneven spatial and temporal distribution of water, ever-increasing climate pressures, increased water-energy-food relationships all have brought water management to top of the world agenda.

21st century will be a century marked by Water, Energy, and Food security. Ever-increasing relationships among those three security concepts with a central focus on water also increased the works and efforts on international water policies.

Objectives: The Hydropolitics Academy, to be proposed, was initially designed as a website over which academics and experts from various disciplines may present opinions and propose suggestions.HPA will foster the existence of a community of experts with the purpose of aiding in the management and use of water for the benefit of all humankind.

THE  HYDROPOLITICS ASSOCIATION’S OBJECTIVES ARE

  •  To foster dialogue between organizations involved in global water resources matters.
  • To increase society’s awareness and concern for water as a source of all life
  • To contribute to the prevention and resolution of national and international water resources conflicts
  • To promote sustainable water resources management
  • To foster a society of learning, dialogue and cooperation among decision-makers, water professionals, science, industry, civil society and politicians in water resources management and water conflict resolution.

National and international water management is not only the subject matter of engineering disciplines but also concerns the other disciplines such as economy, international relations, environment, meteorology, climate, oceanography and statistics.

A team composed of different disciplines should get together time-to-time and make round-table meetings to share their knowledge and experiences in joint works. Hydropolitics Association aims to take a humble step forward to form such a multidisciplinary joint work environment.

Mission:To perform multi-disciplinary scientific and technical works about national and international water management issues and to provide support in using water as a means of peace and collaboration for both the region and the world.

Vision: To be an international innovative, transdisciplinary education and training center on local, regional, national, and international water development and management policies.

What will the Hydropolitics Association do?

1. Publish articles and analyses  covering up-to-date evaluations,

2. Prepare reports about specified issues,

3. Perform round-table meetings and publish the outcomes as brief reports,

4. Organize conferences and seminars,

5. Develop international relations with scientific academies and centers and share knowledge and experiences with them,

6. Provide support to works of relevant universities, public institutions, and organizations of the country.

7.Using Webinar software, HPA will try to organize some interactive seminars and conferences between experts, academics,decision-makers, politicians on international water and water-related matters.

The ultimate goal of the HPA is to establish an institute for a water-related educational program that will give a multidisciplinary vısion and bring young experts from areas of disputed waters together in practical cooperation.The program will address  “water resources co-operative actions” and  “water resources conflict resolution related to international rivers management, water resources sustainability,  technological innovations and improvements, and research and development”

Who will be the members of the Association?

From various water resource management disciplines, the expert and active academics, instructors, ambassadors, upper-level managers and administrators of public institutions and organizations, experts and other individuals approved by the Association administration will be the members of the Association. Opinions and suggestions of those members will be published in the Association website.

Membership is based on the assumption that all members will actively participate in the work of the association. Membership is based on the assumption that all members will actively participate in the work of the Academy. Membership is accorded on an individual basis. No one can be selected for the simple reason that she or he has succeeded a member of the Association in a position or a chair. Each candidate shall be judged on his or her own merits

The Board of Trustees shall consider and make a decision regarding the Hydropolitics  Association’s Admittance Committee’s (AC) recommendations.

The Institutional Development

The institutional development of the Association should aim at achieving the broadest participating approach in

• further development of the membership base

• assuring the broadest possible involvement of members in the development of the Academy

• assuring member participation in program activities

• networking building among members

• contacts between industrial partners, and institutional partners, and decision-makers

*Projects  together with academia and water-related organizations

HPA  members
Hydropolitics Association now has 60 members including specialists in social sciences, water management, water diplomacy, engineering, statistics former director generals, ambassadors, technocrats, representatives of organizations public, private or temporary  foreigners
All of them combine their knowledge and experience in order to approach the theme of water use , management, governance.

Its balanced composition (less than 50% of water specialists and more than 50% of other disciplines) was intended to allow a transdisciplinary approach and provide an objective and neutral look at the various aspects of water management and water use, in Turkey and the international area.