Water Sharing as a Pathway to Peace: Geneva Water Hub and UNHCR Mauritania Formalise Strategic Partnership
On 15 December 2025 in Geneva, the Geneva Water Hub and UNHCR Mauritania signed a Partnership Protocol formalising their cooperation to strengthen social cohesion around water sharing in refugee-hosting contexts in Mauritania’s Hodh Chargui region. The signature took place on the sidelines of the Global High Level Progress Review of the Global Compact on Refugees.
The partnership recognises that water governance is a critical lever for stability, social cohesion and refugee self-reliance, while also reinforcing the capacity of host communities to manage limited natural resources sustainably. It aligns with the first two objectives of the Global Compact on Refugees: easing pressure on host communities and enhancing refugee self-reliance.
Located in south-eastern Mauritania, Hodh Chargui has hosted refugees and displaced populations for more than a decade, in a context of increasing pressure on water resources. Pastoral wells, boreholes and seasonal water points play a central role in livelihoods and coexistence, making water sharing a sensitive but powerful entry point for dialogue and peace.
As noted by Tayyar Sukru Cansizoglu, UNHCR Representative in Mauritania:
“Water can be a source of tension, but it can also be turned into a source of social cohesion.”
The Protocol will support citizen-led, inclusive processes involving refugees, host communities, national and local authorities, and civil society, while facilitating field access for researchers and promoting water sharing as a vector for peace within international humanitarian and development agendas.
Prof. Mark Zeitoun, Director General of the Geneva Water Hub, underlined the importance of local expertise:
“Through this protocol, we reaffirm our commitment to promoting local African knowledge in the prevention and management of water-related conflicts.”
The partnership is supported by the City of Geneva and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), both of which took part in the signing session, reflecting Switzerland’s engagement in linking humanitarian action, development and peace through concrete, locally anchored cooperation.
