ALM UNDP

Summary:

 MICROCON   is a five-year research programme funded by the European Commission, which takes an innovative micro level, multidisciplinary approach to the study of the conflict cycle.

As member of the MICROCON consortium UNU-EHS is undertaking a research project on ‘Water related conflicts in the local context in selected Sub-Saharan African countries’.

States, sub-national social groups, and households compete over access to and distribution of water. The possibility of conflicts at international, regional and local level regarding access to and use of freshwater resources therefore poses a serious threat to both human security and the security of states.

However, most conflicts of these types are conducted non-violently. Experience shows that the danger of violent escalation of water-related conflicts is biggest on the local (waterpoint) level. The problem is not so much (the danger of) ‘water wars’ in the form of classical international wars between states or even classical internal wars between governments and an armed opposition, but rather localised violent conflict between water users in a rural environment or new types of violence in the form of ‘water riots’ in villages or urban settings (which does not exclude trans-national repercussions).

Based on four case studies in Botswana (desk research only) and Lesotho, Namibia and Tanzania (field research), UNU-EHS pursues the following two objectives:

• How do formal’ and ‚informal’ institutions shape (potential) violent and/or non-violent conflicts in regards to water-related issues?
• What are the different strategies developed by individuals or group actors to control, enforce or secure their access to institutions and/or water resources?

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