Category: Sustainable Development

So what is a Water Forum anyway?

COA Admin March 11, 2012 0 Comments
Those familiar with the UN Climate Treaty (UNFCCC) or the Convention on Biological Diversity covered by might be confused by the World Water Forum.  They should be.  It is a very different animal but an important one none-the less.  Unlike the UNFCCC or other international treaty regimes, there is no treaty; there is no single agency or Secretariat, in fact the UN plays a very small role if...

Belo Monstro: a first hand account of hydro-politics in Brazil

guest March 7, 2012 1 Comment
COA student Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler is currently in Altamira, Brazil, from where he sent us this dispatch. As an delegation heads off to the World Water Forum in France, this piece serves as a poignant reminder as to what is at stake in the world of hydropolitics. You can read more about Jivan's experiences on his blog.  ***** The Xingu and the dam run side by side through the social fabric of...

“You can’t have a tug-of-war without a rope”

Nathan Thanki June 7, 2011 0 Comments
By Nathan Thanki As CSD-19 finally drew its last breath at 8.52am on Saturday morning, the road to Rio looked not only rocky, but downright perilous. The CSD had failed to come to an agreement, the text was left, brackets and all, as delegates flew home. The possibility of a resumed session remained minimal—the likelihood that it would be an inclusive process; nil. As a result, the overwhelming...

The quick of it

Nathan Thanki June 7, 2011 0 Comments
By Nathan Thanki CSD-19 is only 3 days old, but already we’re seeing significant weakening of the Chair’s Draft negotiating document. Sad to say, it’s a case of the usual suspects: JUSCANZ. The United States is relentlessly pushing forth the idea that waste is a “resource,” like oil or gold, and should be exploited for economic benefit. The sad thing is that, with many people in...