2024 - TURNING THE TIDE: ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF WATER INSECURITY ON ALLIED SECURITY

MERLE SPELLERBERG (Germany) - PRELIMINARY DRAFT REPORT

02 May 2024

Across the globe, the frequency and severity of water crises are on the rise, casting a dark shadow over millions of lives and livelihoods. These crises are not only endangering communities by depriving them of this essential resource but also escalating into significant threats to global peace and security.

As water scarcity becomes more acute, tensions over access and distribution heighten, potentially sparking conflicts and exacerbating existing geopolitical frictions. These impacts of water insecurity beyond the Euro-Atlantic area pose significant threats to Allied security.
 
NATO members are also experiencing the direct impacts of water security on their own territories. At home, water insecurity tests the social, economic and military resilience of Allies, exposing vulnerabilities that could be exploited by adversaries.

In response, there is an urgent need to strengthen resilience to water insecurity both within and outside the Alliance to preserve national and collective security in a rapidly changing environment.
 
This preliminary draft report outlines the destructive relationship between water insecurity and conflict and provides an overview of the emerging risks that water insecurity poses to Allied security. It describes the significant measures undertaken by NATO and the Allies to enhance collective and national resilience to water insecurity and concludes with a set of policy recommendations to further bolster these efforts.