Just as water defies political boundaries and classification, the water crisis is well beyond the scope of any individual country or sector and cannot be dealt with in isolation. The need for integrated, cooperative solutions is particularly urgent in the 261 river basins that are shared by two or more states and in which nearly half the territory and population of the world are located. Competition over this precious resource could increasingly become a source of tension—and even conflict—between states and sectors. But history has shown that the vital nature of freshwater is also a powerful incentive for cooperation; it can compel stakeholders to reconcile their diverging views, rather than allow opposing interests to escalate into harmful confrontations.

Several organizations are examining the potential for shared water resources to become a catalyst for regional peace and sustainable development through dialogue, cooperation, and participatory management of river basins. They will present successful case studies that demonstrate how conflicts over water resources can be turned into water cooperation. UNESCO and Green Cross International are implementing a joint program entitled “From Potential Conflict to Co-operation Potential (PC : CP): Water for Peace�Eand are jointly coordinating this theme in preparation for the 3rd World Water Forum.

 As water for peace emerges as one of the highest priority issues around the world, these sessions will propose practical means of increasing security by sharing the benefits of good transboundary water management among all people in a basin and show that with determination and proper intervention cooperation can prevail.