New Report - The Transboundary Water Opportunity Analysis

Stockholm, March 10, 2009 - The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) has issued a report detailing an analytical framework for effectively developing transboundary water resources in a responsible manner.

The report, The TWO Analysis - Introducing a Methodology for the Transboundary Waters Opportunity Analysis, outlines an approach by which transboundary water stakeholders can collaborate on the equitable and sustainable use of their jointly held freshwater resources. It sets out a methodology for optimizing benefits for development and economic growth and clarifies tradeoffs in developing transboundary water resources.

"TWO analysis can enable nations and regions to focus on developing benefits from their jointly shared water resources rather than just competing for access and volume," said SIWI Executive Director Anders Berntell. "We believe that it could be a highly practical tool to promote regional cooperation and, thereby, aid in conflict prevention."

The TWO framework helps stakeholders understand both opportunities and tradeoffs in four key areas including hydropower and power trading, primary water use in agriculture, urban growth and industry, and environmental and ecosystem services. Water sources include development of potential "new water" from such sources as desalination or waste water reuse, as well as more efficient use of existing water sources.

"We developed the TWO framework for practical application by water sector managers, government officials, regional economic planners, financial officers, and philanthropic organizations who need to make informed decisions about policy and infrastructure investments in transboundary water basins," said Dr. Anders Jägerskog, project director at SIWI and co-author of the report.

Jakob Granit, also a co-author and project director at SIWI, noted that TWO analysis can help transboundary water stakeholders address some of their complex challenges. "Stakeholders in these basins often face conflicting needs and difficult decisions," he said. "This approach can provide them with a foundation to understand their options and tradeoffs more completely, and is a first step towards analyzing and implementing development projects by public and private sector investors."

The TWO analysis framework and report was developed by SIWI in collaboration with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research of South Africa (CSIR) and Phillips Robinson and Associates of Namibia. Funding for the project was provided by the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs with support from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the Water Research Commission (WRC) in South Africa, the Swedish Research Links Programme, and the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

The full report is available for downloading at www.siwi.org.

About SIWI

The Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) is a policy institute whose diverse Stockholm-based, internationally-oriented programmes and activities contribute to findingsustainable solutions to the world's escalating water crisis. SIWI manages projects, synthesises research and publishes findings and recommendations on current and future water, environment, governance and human development issues. SIWI serves as a platform for knowledge sharing and networking between the scientific, business, policy and civil society communities. SIWI buildsprofessional capacity and understanding of the links between water-society-environment-economy.