Review of European, Community and International Environmental Law Special Issue
The issue of water security and protection in relation to armed conflicts has been examined from various perspectives and approaches, including by academics in law, political science, peace and conflict studies as well as by decision makers and practitioners from States, international organizations and civil society. To ensure that competence from various backgrounds is gathered and explored systematically and comprehensibly, on 15–16 February 2018 at Lund University, an experts’ workshop on ‘Water in Post-Conflict Situations and the Role of the Security Council’ and a panel discussion on “Transforming Water from a Strategy of War to an Asset for Peace” was co-organized by the Geneva Water Hub and Lund University to explore the security dimension of water issues.
The aim of the workshop was to discuss the shortcomings of international law and policies in relation to armed conflict as well as provide for suggestions on how to safeguard water in the future. The workshop gathered international experts including leading academics as well as representatives from the United Nations Environment Programme, the Swedish and Finnish governments, the Swedish International Development Aid Agency (Sida), WaterAid, the World Resources Institute, the Conflict and Environment Observatory and others, to ensure that perspectives from the academic community, policy makers, civil society as well as from the field were represented and shared.
The Special Issue on “Water Protection and Armed Conflicts in International Law” of the Review of European, Community and International Environmental Law is an outcome of the 2018 workshop.
