Special Water Diplomacy Webinar Attracts Large Audience, Diverse Voices
On December 15, 2025, eight speakers, including both editors and authors of the Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy, provided a special WRRC Water Webinar to discuss building relationships, negotiating shared interests, and managing complex water challenges across physical, political, and societal boundaries. Over the course of the 90-minute webinar, each speaker offered a short presentation, followed by a panel during which they addressed virtual questions from attendees around the world. The webinar was co-convened by the Stockholm International Water Institute; the International Centre for Water Cooperation; the UNU Institute for Water, Environment and Health; and the Women in Water Diplomacy Network.
More than 60% of fresh water flows across international boundaries, providing ample opportunity for cooperation and agreements on how to share this vital natural resource. Presenters of the webinar, which was titled “The ‘How’ of Water Diplomacy: An Introduction to the Routledge Handbook of Water Diplomacy,” explored the aspects needed for successful outcomes as outlined in the Handbook, such as trust, knowledge co-production, and mutual respect. Speakers included Aaron Salzberg, Former Director of the Water Institute at UNC and Former Special Coordinator for Water Resources at the US Department of State; Shafiqul Islam, Professor of Engineering and Water Diplomacy at Tufts University and a Radcliffe Fellow at Harvard University; Martina Klimes, Senior Manager & Advisor on Climate, Water and Peace at Stockholm International Water Institute and the Institute for Water Cooperation; Sharon B. Megdal, WRRC Director and Professor in the U of A Department of Environmental Sciences; Burcu Çallı, Water Diplomacy Expert at the Turkish Water Institute; Sogol Jafarzadeh, UN and Government Relations Coordinator at the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health; Zodwa Dlamini, Independent Consultant and former Chief Delegate and Permanent Representative on the Lesotho Highlands Water Commission; and Yumiko Yasuda, Independent Consultant & Researcher, Visiting Researcher at Research School on Water Cooperation at Uppsala University, and Wuhan International Water Law Academy Affiliate.