Water Conflicts & Developing Nations

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Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars & Catholic Relief Services


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Jason Gehrig
Catholic Relief Services (CRS) Consultant and Engineer

Wrote a book. Structural violence must also be considered in development issues.

He was in Bolivia. 2000 Cochababmba Water Rights had been privitized. In El Alto 2005 also privitized after 8 years they had enough. Is it really "pro-poor"? They make $2 a day and they had to pay $435. Water is a Human Right. Indiginous wisdom and understanding how they see it as a part of their worldview (veins of mother earth), this is the indigenous wisdom.

We're gonna go out there and "fix" other people's problems, we need to look at our own.

So often the expertise we bring comes with strings attached, political, economic, etc.

Co-author Water and Conflict: Incorporating Peacebuilding Into Water Development. King "Peace is not just the absence of violence, it is the presence of justice."

Conflict: victims of arbitrary violence, we need to be by their side if we are serious about what we're doing.

Making it ecologically sustainable and a true renewable resource.

To truly be builders of peace, we need to truly listen to the voices of the people to their struggle for human dignity and life truly become our own.

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William Hall
Georgetwon Universtiy
Conflict Resolution Professor

Sometimes, victims don't even know that they are in conflict because the violence is structural.

ECR (Environment Conflict Resolution) evaluation framework: engage and listen to the actual populations.

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Tjip Walker
USAID Conflict Management Warning and Analysis Team Leader


Generally speaking societies that are more democratic, participatory, and open/ free flow of information are less likely to fall into violence, as are highly autocratic ones, for totally different reasons.

There is a direct link with greatest water deficits and bad governance.

Those who have a stake in the matter can work together in a process to create good and effective management of the resources.

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Dennis Warner
Catholic Relief Services, Senior Water and Sanitation Adviser

CRS's concern is the welfare, dignity, and empowerment of those most suffering from these issues.

Kristen Commie (privitization in Libya) the commons, Indiana University.

are the Larouche followers a cult?!? or just stupid?

The Nature Conservancy: Development vs. longterm sustainable Conservation

Geoff Dableck
Wilson Center for Environment and Security Director