About : UNESCO IHE Delft Young Water Diplomats Programme 2024.
The Young Water Diplomats programme is designed to enhance an interdisciplinary understanding of transboundary water challenges and advance tools for water cooperation and diplomacy, as well as to strengthen professional networking among the next generation of leading water and environmental diplomats.
For whom?
Early career diplomats engaged and/or interested in international water and environmental politics with a background in foreign affairs, international law or international relations.
Prerequisites for Young Water Diplomats Programme
No specific prerequisites are required for this course. However, working experience or knowledge in the field of international relations, foreign affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, and cooperation – preferably in an environment or water-related issues are necessary preconditions. The programme will benefit participants with a degree in social sciences, law or humanities.
Learning objective
Course content
The Young Water Diplomats Programme will be conducted between January and July 2024. During this six-month period, participants will be engaged in online and in-person learning activities such as lectures, reading assignments, group work, and discussions with experts.
Thematic lectures delivered by leading academics will be coupled with interventions from practitioners. Interactive meetings with diplomats who have experience in the fields of water and environmental peace-building will provide opportunities to share experiences and gain first-hand knowledge.
The programme comprises bi-monthly webinars held throughout the course and two face-to-face sessions – the first in Almaty, Kazakhstan, and the second in Delft, the Netherlands.
Lecturers
The following lecturers from IHE Delft, among others, will deliver the programme, along with practitioners and guest lecturers from different transboundary basins.
Susanne Schmeier
Susanne Schmeier is an Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy and the Head of Water Governance Department at IHE Delft. Her research, teaching and advisory activities focus on the legal and institutional dimensions of water resources management at both the (sub-)national and the transboundary levels, the role of agreements and river basin organizations in promoting and maintaining sustainable water resources management, the linkages between water insecurity and conflict and related entry points for water-based cooperation and negotiation processes.
Jenniver Sehring
Jenniver Sehring is an Associate Professor of Water Governance and Diplomacy at the Water Governance Department at IHE Delft. Her research and teaching focus on water governance at local, national and transboundary level and on institutional arrangements as well as practices of water cooperation and diplomacy.
Michael McClain
Michael McClain is Chair Professor of Ecohydrology at IHE Delft. His interests lie broadly in hydrology and the science and practice of ecohydrology to support Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) and sustainable development. His research focuses on catchment hydrology and water quality, flow-ecology relationships, environmental flows, and land-water interactions. He routinely advises governmental authorities in a science and management context and leads major research and development projects in Africa and South America.
Shreedar Maskey
Shreedar Maskey is an Associate Professor of Hydrology & Water Resources at IHE Delft. With a background in hydraulics, hydrology and mechanics and hydroinformatics, he developed expertise in modelling water resources systems and application of models for floods, droughts and climate change impact assessment. He has worked with a large number of river basins, including Mekong, Yellow, Yangtze, Koshi, Bagmati, Red River and Karkheh (Asia), Aral Sea Basin (Central Asia), Loire and Vit Rivers (Europe), Limpopo, Blue Nile, Pangani and Incomati, Niger, Rufiji (Africa) and others.
Requirements
Participants are expected to spend on average about four hours per week in order to fulfil the minimum requirements of the programme. Webinars will take place twice a month on work days during working hours in the CET timezone. In addition, you are expected to travel to Kazakhstan and the Netherlands for the in-person meetings in April and June.
The average monthly workload of 16 hours includes the following mandatory activities:
- Active participation in two webinars per month (lectures, discussions, presentations, and other activities)
- Preparatory readings
- Contribution to group work
- Completion of self-paced individual assignments
- Participation in two workshops in Almaty, Kazakhstan (April 2024) and Delft, Netherlands (June 2024)
Costs
The programme fee is €1400 excluding value-added tax (VAT). Additional costs to be borne by participants include travel, visa, insurance, living expenses and accommodation costs for the face-to-face meetings in Almaty and Delft.
Candidates from low- and middle-income countries who meet all eligibility criteria can apply for a scholarship that covers programme-related expenses, including the programme fee and travel-related costs (for more information, see our YWD Programme Frequently Asked Questions). See below for more information on funding and scholarships.
Eligibility criteria for Young Water Diplomats Programme
To be eligible to participate, applicants must:
- have at least a Bachelor’s degree
- be at an early stage of their career, priority is given to applicants under 40 years of age
- have working experience in the field of international relations, foreign affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, and cooperation – preferably in environmental or water-related issues
- have a strong command of English (ability to read and understand academic literature, and articulate thoughts clearly)
Application process for Young Water Diplomats Programme
Please be prepared to submit your motivation statement in the required format (available under Downloads), Bachelor diploma and transcript, CV, and a copy of an identity document (for example passport).
To apply press the “Apply now” button in the IHE Delft application portal. Then register your details and select this course from the short courses section of the portal.
The deadline for application is 12 November 2023 – 23:59 (CET).
Funding and scholarships
There are a limited number of fellowships available to applicants from low- and middle-income countries for funding by the IHE Delft Water and Development Partnership Programme (DUPC3) under its Cross-regional learning for transformative water diplomacy (CroWD) project. See the OECD’s latest DAC list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) recipients eligible for a scholarship.
In the application form, you can indicate whether you wish to apply for a scholarship.
Please note: participants seeking a scholarship will be requested to provide a formal confirmation from their employer stating that they are available to participate in the course and that they will be able to devote the time required to complete the programme.
Contacts
- If you have questions about the content and requirements of the programme, contact the course coordinator below, or email: Young Water Diplomats Programme
- If you have questions about the application process, contact our fellowship and admission officer.
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