Report on the seminar “Conflict over Water and Water to Solve Conflicts”

During Stockholm World Water Week 2008, the Gender and Water Alliance organized a seminar titled “Conflict over Water and Water to Solve Conflicts” in cooperation with Saferworld UK. The water world is characterised by competing claims, uncertainty and degradation of water supply at different levels, therefore for many people water management is by definition conflict management. Furthermore water intersects with other social relations of power, especially gender, reinforcing the power differences between different people. At the same time conflicts can be windows of opportunity to address change, chalenging inequities and differences. The seminar focussed on stories of hope, showing that facilitating access to water for all is at the heart of approaches to navigate conflict. To showcase this, five different cases were presented of conflict over water and how water was used to mitigate conflict.