Setting the Research Agenda

The Geneva Water Hub’s work is grounded in rigorous research. Anchored across two leading universities – the University of Geneva and the Geneva Graduate Institute – we use research to explore diverse facets of our mission to use water as a catalyst for peace.

Through both leading and collaborative efforts, the Geneva Water Hub engages in fundamental and applied research across various domains, including water governance, diplomacy, hydropolitics, international law, and environmental peacebuilding. Recognizing the inherent political dimensions of water challenges, we examine the discourses and narratives of actors, the construction of equitable (and inequitable) water arrangements, the extent to which international norms and laws are useful in ‘realpolitik’, and the way that power influences the above. We avoid oversimplification or the provision of simple solutions for convenience, and strive to communicate comprehensive and nuanced research findings to expert and non-expert audiences. Our research not only sets the agenda for scholars worldwide but also informs policy and practice in tangible ways.

It is through our research activities that the Geneva Water Hub’s science-policy interface work thrives. Based on the latest research, and using diverse methodologies, we shape policy and law by advocating for the use of water for peace in development, humanitarian, and peacebuilding efforts. We also link academic researchers to policy processes through growing a community of practice on science-policy, notably through our Science-Policy Incubator Grant.