As a basic human need, the provision of safe water is among the highest priorities of government and humanitarian interventions during post-conflict recovery and peacebuilding. In the aftermath of war, water, sanitation, and infrastructure play a critical role in the recovery of livelihoods and economic development. Moreover, shared waters have great potential for interstate cooperation, assisting to rebuild trust following conflict and to prevent a return to conflict. This volume draws on studies from around the world to create a framework for understanding how water resources decisions and activities can facilitate or undermine peacebuilding in a post-conflict setting.

Erika Weinthal is an Associate Professor of Environmental Policy at the Nicholas School of the Environment, Duke University, USA.
Jessica Troell is a Senior Attorney and Director of the International Water Program at the Environmental Law Institute, USA.
Mikiyasu Nakayama is a Professor in the Department of International Studies at the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, University of Tokyo, Japan.

Foreword Part 1: Basic Services and Human Security Introduction 1. The Role of Informal Service Providers in Post-conflict Reconstruction and State Building 2. A Tale of Two Cities: Restoring Water Services in Kabul and Monrovia 3. Conflict and collaboration for water resources in Angola's post-war cities 4. Thirsty for Peace: The Water Sector in South Sudan 5. Community Water Management: Experiences from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, and Liberia 6. Environmental Management of the Iraqi Marshlands in the Post-conflict Period Part 2: Livelihoods Introduction 7. Lessons of Water Resource Management from Perspectives of Irrigation Water-use Management and Flood Control: A Case Study of Japan after World War II 8. Refugee Rehabilitation and Transboundary Cooperation: India, Pakistan, and the Indus River System 9. Despite the Best Intentions? The Political Ecology of Water Resource Management in Northern Afghanistan 10. Water's Role in Security and Stabilization in Helmand Province, Afghanistan Part 3: Peace Processes, Cooperation, and Confidence Building Introduction 11. The Jordan River Basin: A Conflict like no other 12. Transboundary Cooperation in the Lower Jordan River Basin 13. The Sava River: Transitioning to Peace in the Former Yugoslavia 14. Transnational Cooperation over shared Water Resources in the South Caucasus - Reflections on USAID Interventions 15. Water Security and Scarcity: Potential Destabilization in Western Afghanistan and Iranian Sistan and Baluchestan due to Transboundary Water Conflicts 16. Water Resources in the Sudan North-South Peace Process and the Ramifications of the Secession of South Sudan Part 4: Legal Frameworks Introduction 17. Management of Waters in Post-Dayton Bosnia and Herzegovina: Policy, Legal, and Institutional Aspects 18. The Right to Water and Sanitation in Post-conflict Legal Mechanisms: An Emerging Regime? Part 5: Lessons Learned 19. Harnessing Water Management for more Effective Peacebuilding: Lessons Learned