Water Security

Competing demands for freshwater play out between sectors and regions within the same country, and between nations that vie for access to the water on which their entire economies—agriculture, energy, and industry—rely. This web page is the library for all content on water security by scholars across CSIS. The CSIS Project on Water Security web page present comprehensive policy solutions to the challenges water insecurity poses to U.S. geopolitical and economic interests, with a special focus on global food security, produced by the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program. The Water and the Future of the Middle East project webpage houses the Middle East Program’s work to energize the policy environment around the issue of water insecurity in the region and provide constructive recommendations for necessary transformation.

A woman carries water in front of a surreal desert sunset

Created by Sarah Grace with footage from Getty and Storyblocks

Troubling Waters: Understanding Global Water Security

As the ramifications of the global water crisis grow in scope and severity, understanding the manifold and devastating consequences of water insecurity—in all its forms—is increasingly critical to safeguarding the lives and livelihoods of billions around the world.

Digital Report by Zane Swanson and Sarah Grace — February 12, 2024

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Featured Event

Living the Global Water Crisis

Presented by Global Food and Water Security Program
March 22, 2024 • 12:00 – 12:30 pm EDT

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Global Food and Water Security Program

Leading research, analysis, and policy recommendations to improve global food and water security.

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Past Events

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Experts

Caitlin Welsh

Caitlin Welsh

Director, Global Food and Water Security Program
Katherine E. Bliss

Katherine E. Bliss

Senior Fellow and Director, Immunizations and Health Systems Resilience, Global Health Policy Center
David Michel

David Michel

Senior Fellow, Global Food and Water Security Program
Jon B. Alterman

Zane Swanson

Deputy Director, Global Food and Water Security Program

All Water Security Content

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What Causes Water Conflict?

Growing water demands, mounting environmental stresses, and poor management practices increasingly strain global water supplies. Violent conflicts over access to and control of water systems are rapidly rising as competing users assert their claims to vital resources.

Commentary by David Michel — November 8, 2024

Gaza's Looming Polio Threat—Gaza: The Human Toll

CSIS welcomed Jean Gough, Special Representative for UNICEF in the State of Palestine; Hamid Jafari, WHO Director of Polio Eradication; and Richard (Rik) Peeperkorn, WHO Representative for Occupied Palestinian Territory, to discuss the threat of polio in Gaza.

Transcript — August 20, 2024

Roadmap to Resilience: USAID's Updated Resilience Policy

Join the CSIS Global Food and Water Security Program for a discussion on USAID's updated Resilience Policy for improving the well-being of people, communities, and countries in the face of increased shocks and stresses.

Event — July 30, 2024

Roadmap to Resilience: USAID’s Updated Resilience Policy

The CSIS Food and Water Security Program hosted an international expert panel to discuss the enduring relevance of resilience in global development and how USAID's Resilience Policy will contribute to greater impact and more efficient implementation of our collective programming.

Transcript — July 30, 2024

No City Is an Island: Urban Water Security, Infrastructure, and Resilience

Cities are thirsty places. But rising demand and growing environmental pressures increasingly strain urban water supplies. By 2050, half the world’s big cities will face water scarcity. Cities worldwide must develop strategies to strengthen sustainable water systems.

Commentary by David Michel — June 3, 2024