On Thursday, 28 May, EWI’s Preventive Diplomacy Initiative hosted the third installment of its policy dialogue series on Alternative Futures for Afghanistan and the Stability of Southwest Asia: Improving Regional Cooperation on Water. This session focused on the water resources of the Kabul River basin and the related challenges and opportunities for cooperation between Afghanistan and its neighbors, especially Pakistan.

Speakers included Rakhshan Roohi, Principal Scientific Officer of the Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, and Seyyedali Hussaini of the Department of Geology at the University of Kabul and co-author of Water Resource Management in Kabul River Basin, Eastern Afghanistan.

The series, part of EWI’s initiative to promote alternative futures for Afghanistan and Southwest Asia, is designed not only to foster better management of water—the most critical of natural resources—but also to create ties between local and regional authorities that can build trust and prevent conflicts in this volatile area. It was launched on Thursday 2 April with the endorsement of the EWI’s Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention and Human Security and is made possible with the support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation.

Photo by Keith Stanski