In 2017, an estimated 700,000 Rohingya refugees fled across the border from Myanmar into Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar district. Adding to a refugee population of 200,000 already living there. The response by the international community since then has been tremendous with numerous International Organisations (NGOs, IGOs, INGOs, etc) providing emergency services to the refugees. The Project […]
In the week from 26 to 29 October 2020 I had the pleasure to facilitate a workshop in Water Diplomacy, organized by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). The workshop included negotiation training, power mapping, insights in legal background and of course many discussions about International River Basins and water related challenges. Participants […]
“What is most needed in the Middle East is investment in human capital and resources.” See my first publication in Arabic on www.swissinfo.ch من أجل تجنب وقوع كارثة جديدة مثل انفجار بيروت في الرابع من أغسطس، فإننا بحاجة إلى إنشاء هياكل مستقرة محليًا وخلق مناخ جيد وبيئة قادرة على استثمار الموارد المتاحة بنجاح، يقول لوكاس بيك، مهندس […]
Rainwater harvesting in Switzerland? You might think this would be mainly useful for countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East? No! We do harvest rain water even in Switzerland. For humans and animals alike. As you can see on the map below, mean annual precipitation in Switzerland varies from semi-arid conditions of 545 mm/year […]
A visit to Vallée de Joux and the Glacière de Monlési in Val de Travers If you enjoyed an iced summer drink in Paris beginning 20th century, it was very likely to have ice cubes originating from Vallée de Joux in Switzerland. Until the 1940ies it was a common habit to cut huge ice cubes […]
On August 4 2020, a huge explosion destroyed large parts of Beirut and made it largely inhabitable. Besides loss of livelihood of many individuals, the destruction of shops and small businesses is devastating and an existential threat. As I’ve been working and living in Beirut for many years I know several families who lost everything […]
A drainage divide is defined as the line forming the exterior boundaries of a watershed, catchment, or river basin. It separates neighbouring drainage basins. A continental drainage divide is the line from where the adjacent drainage basins discharge to the boundaries of the continent. In the case of Europe, one could regard the Mediterranean Sea […]
Even though Switzerland is one of the most water rich and peaceful countries in the world, we have a long history of conflict and cooperation about water. In particular in the dry parts of Switzerland, where farmers rely on irrigation such as in the Canton of Wallis, there are numerous examples of water allocation schemes […]
Jordan River refers to freedom for the Jews. According to Jewish tradition, the Israelites made a difficult and hazardous journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the Promised Land. Crossing Jordan River is the final step of the journey which then is complete. For Christians, Jordan River is holy. According to Christian faith, Jordan […]
Even most bureaucratic cooperation is a little bit like a romantic relationship. It involves love, hate, drama, happiness, success, and daily life. And every romance starts with a first contact. It could be to meet at the petrol station, the read of an article or dating on the internet.Places and circumstances where we meet for […]