Confronting the Politics of Water Security

Keynote Session for Conference Theme 3
23.11.2023 09:00- 09:45
Main Auditory
Jami Nelson-Nuñez

Increasing access to drinking water was one of the success stories of the Millennium Development Goals. Yet, eight years into the Sustainable Development Goals, there is reason to believe that we are increasingly off target. To address the challenge of water security, we need to contend with misconceptions about why people lack access to water and recognize the institutional roots of water inequities. Because institutions serve to create clarity and regulate behavior, they protect the status quo and become obstacles in responding to rapidly changing water landscapes. In this talk, I draw from what communities have taught me about institutional arrangements that can increase local water security as well as what lessons political science can offer regarding our shared challenge ahead to reshape institutions to address water security at national and global levels.