Water Diplomacy and Transboundary Aquifer Management

About This Course

Welcome to the Online Course on Water Diplomacy and Transboundary Aquifer Management. The course consists of six modules with lectures by numerous prominent experts in the field of transboundary aquifers (TBAs) and water diplomacy. These lectures will increase your understanding about what TBAs are and where you can find them. You will learn more about conflict and cooperation over TBAs, as well as international law and water diplomacy. In the last modules you will get to understand negotiations and dispute resolution about TBAs. All modules are accompanied by Quiz Questions to test your newly acquired knowledge.

Learning Objectives

Build capacities young professionals on the approaches and tools for water diplomacy, with a particular emphasis on transboundary aquifers.
Provide a course that can be used as a primer/requirement for more advanced courses on water conflict management, water cooperation and water diplomacy, allowing a measurable increase in capacities
Contribute to the long-term knowledge-base for UNESCO capacity building programmes and that of its partners
Contribute to the development of a community of practice of open source learning tools for the UNESCO water family

Work Load

The course is comprised of 6 modules with a duration of 2-3 hours each. The course can be completed in a total of 15 hours.

Meet the Course Staff

Dr. Susanne Schmeier

Susanne Schmeier, LLM, is an Associate Professor at IHE Delft. Her research, teaching and advisory work focuses on conflict and cooperation around natural resources and the environment, with a particular focus on shared water resources. She is particularly interested in legal and institutional mechanisms for preventing conflicts and ensuring cooperation. Prior to joining IHE Delft, she worked for the Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), among others functions managing GIZ’s transboundary water portfolio. She also worked for other international and regional organizations, such as the World Bank and the Mekong River Commission.

Alyssa Offutt

Alyssa Offutt is a doctoral candidate in water conflict, cooperation, and diplomacy at the IHE Delft Institute for Water Education. She researches the multi-scalar relationships between water quality, conflict, cooperation, and environmental justice in transboundary basins. She also supports the Water, Peace and Security and Water Diplomacy initiatives at the institute and engages capacity development activities in Mali, Iraq, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Meet the Guest Speakers

1. Christina Fraser | The International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre

2. Melissa McCracken | The Fletcher School at Tufts University

3. Rozemarijn ter Horst | IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

4. Stefano Burchi | International Association for Water Law (AIDA)

5. Kirstin Conti | The World Bank Group / Personal capacity

6. Gabriela Cuadrado Quesada | IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

7. Gabriel Eckstein | Texas A&M University School of Law

8. Karthik Rajagopal | IHE Delft Institute for Water Education

9. Ricardo Hirata | Institute of Geosciences at the University of São Paulo

10. Martin Grambow | Bavarian Ministry of Environment and Consumer Protection

11. Aaron T. Wolf | Oregon State University

12. Hussam Hussein | University of Oxford

13. Todd Jarvis | Institute for Water & Watersheds at Oregon State University

Frequently Asked Questions

What web browser should I use?

The Open edX platform works best with current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox, Internet Explorer, or Safari.

See our list of supported browsers for the most up-to-date information.

Can I receive a certificate for this course?

All learners have the opportunity to earn a free digital Certificate of Completion, awarded by UNESCO in cooperation with IHE, upon completing the course. To receive this digital certificate, you will need to complete all 6 modules with a grade of 80% or higher for each module assessment.