Rebooting the international peacebuilding system: a call for hydrodiplomacy

The UN system upholding international peace and security is at a turning point. Major shifts in state priorities bring great uncertainty around how to fulfil its mandate. Yet, times of crisis also offer opportunities for new dynamics to emerge and for the UN to lay fresh foundations grounded in today’s realities. Among the many risks to global peace, water stands out as a vital resource—essential for survival, sustainable development, and the prevention of conflict.

A decade ago, the Global High-Level Panel on Water and Peace, tasked with exploring the nexus of water, peace, and security, recommended reviving multilateral dialogue on water within the universal system. This call has been addressed with the organisation of UN Water Conferences in 2023 and 2026. As climate change increasingly disrupts the hydrological cycle, water-related peacebuilding will become central to advancing hydrodiplomacy and new forms of cooperative agency.

At the eve of independence period, the Bandung Principles marked a shift towards a more multilateral world based on universal values such as equality, sovereignty, human rights, and justice. With renewed relevance today, they support tolerance, mutual respect, sustainable growth, valuing diversity, and belief in the power of youth and next generations. The Bandung Spirit Water Summit convened in 2024, built upon these principles to emphasize the role of sustainable and equitable management of shared water resources for peacebuilding processes.

This session will explore new approaches to peacebuilding that address short-term water-related tensions, while building long-term systems of water cooperation to strengthen peace and social cohesion.