Going Beyond the Silos: Integrating Water into International Policy through Ongoing Dialogue and Action

Water is the foundation of sustainable development, underpinning economic growth, social well-being, and environmental health. Yet, despite its critical importance, water is often fragmented across international policy agendas, leading to incoherent and ineffective governance. This Research Topic will analyze how to enhance the cause of water by systematically and concretely incorporating it into international policy tracks. It will explore the political feasibility of various institutional options for achieving this goal, including potentially establishing a dedicated platform for water within or across relevant UN treaties and conventions, modifying an existing process, or creating a new global platform.
The research can focus on examining the current state of global water governance, analyzing how water is addressed (or not) in the policy frameworks and platforms for climate change, biodiversity, deforestation, food security, disaster risk reduction, energy security, and others. It can identify gaps and overlaps to assess where water is adequately integrated, where it is missing, and where there are inconsistencies across different policy areas. This analysis will involve a review of relevant instruments such as multilateral environmental agreements, UN agency platforms and multistakeholder platforms, and other relevant international forums.
Building on this analysis, the research will assess the strengths and weaknesses of different institutional options for enhancing the cause of water. It will explore the potential of:
• Leveraging existing treaties and conventions, such as the Water Convention and the Rio Conventions, to better integrate water into their frameworks and implementation mechanisms.
• Modifying an existing process, such as the Dushanbe Water Process and World Water Forum to serve as a more dedicated platform for water.
• Creating a new global water platform to provide a central forum for coordinated action, knowledge sharing, and policy development.
The research will consider the political, economic, and institutional factors that could influence the feasibility and effectiveness of each option. It will analyze the interests and potential roles of key actors, including states, NGOs, and businesses, and examine potential power dynamics and challenges.
Critically, the research will address the limitations of the current reliance on sporadic UN Conferences on water. It will investigate mechanisms for ensuring continuous global dialogue and action on water between and beyond these conferences. Options include regular high-level meetings, a dedicated UN Water Envoy, a standing committee within the UN system, or strengthening UN-Water's mandate and capacity.
This Research Topic welcomes original research articles and reviews in areas that may include (but are not limited to) the following:
• Water Governance: Assessing the fragmentation and coherence of global water governance across different multilateral frameworks and institutions;
• UN, Pseudo-UN, non-UN Platform: Analyzing the political feasibility and potential benefits and risks of establishing a dedicated Water Platform;
• Institutional Options: Exploring alternative institutional options for enhancing the cause of water, such as leveraging existing conventions, processes, organizations, or creating a new global institutional arrangement;
• Policy Integration: Examining the integration (or lack thereof) of water in key policy areas such as climate change, biodiversity, deforestation, food security, disaster risk reduction, and energy security;
• Stakeholder Engagement: Investigating the roles and perspectives of different stakeholders, including states, NGOs, businesses, and local communities, in international water governance;
• Capacity Building: Identifying capacity-building needs and opportunities for developing countries to strengthen their participation in international water policy processes;
• Financing: Analyzing innovative financing mechanisms to support the implementation of international water policy frameworks;
• Gender Equity: Assessing the gendered dimensions of water governance and ensuring the inclusion of women's voices in international water policy processes.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• FAIR² DATA Direct Submission
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Water, climate change, food systems, food security, climate resilience

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.