U.S. policies on the range of pressing international water-related issues--umanitarian relief, human health, economic development, environmental stewardship, and stability and security--fragmented, underresourced, and insufficiently coordinated. In particular, both the U.S. government's current organizational structure and the resources it now commits to water-related policies are inadequate for meeting the global water challenge in its current form. And when it comes to addressing future trends involving water, the government's structure falls far short of what will be required to respond to the mounting complexities--nd policy challenges--ssociated with the dynamic interactions among water, agriculture, the environment, and energy. To examine ideas on how to reform the structure and procedures of government to address the global water crisis, a working group of individuals representing diverse institutions and perspectives was organized by the CSIS Global Strategy Institute. This report and its recommendations were inspired by the working group and build on many of the valuable comments and reactions that were part of the group's deliberations.

On September 28, 2005, after a year of extensive background research, two conferences hosted in February and March 2005, and collaboration with several experts, the Center for Strategic and International Studies and Sandia National Laboratories released a White Paper outlining the major conclusions of the Global Water Futures project. The goal of the project was to generate fresh thinking and concrete policy recommendations on how the United States can (1) better address future global water challenges and (2) more efficiently leverage and deploy available technologies. The White Paper, "Addressing Our Global Water Future," meets these goals by exploring four themes supported by fourteen main "Findings" that together highlight the core tenets of an integrated, comprehensive U.S. foreign policy toward global water challenges.

This book describes the existential threats facing the global water systems from population growth and economic development, unsustainable use, environmental change, and weak and fragmented governance. It argues that ‘business-as-usual’ water science and management cannot solve global water problems because today’s water systems are increasingly complex and face uncertain future conditions. Instead, a more holistic, strategic, agile and publically engaged process of water decision making is needed. Building Resilience for Uncertain Water Futures emphasises the importance of adaptation through a series of case studies of cities, regions, and communities that have experimented with anticipatory policy-making, scenario development, and public engagement. By shifting perspective from an emphasis on management to one of adaptation, the book emphasizes the capacity to manage uncertainties, the need for cross-sector coordination, and mechanisms for engaging stakeholder with differing goals and conflict resolution. This book will be a useful resource for students and academics seeking a better understanding of sustainable water use, water policy and water resources management.

campaign; 3. The president should appoint a special high-level representative to lead implementation of the U.S. global water campaign; 4. The special representative should be directly reinforced by a core team to help guide implementation of the water campaign, in addition to expanded capacities at the Department of State at the behest of the special representative; 5. The proposed U.S. campaign should be commensurate with the magnitude of the challenge - which means a significant increase in the amount and duration of resources committed under the campaign; 6. The U.S. government should attempt to energize and catalyze international efforts; and 7. The U.S. government should reinforce public/private-sector partnerships." --Book Jacket.