Chapter
2:
Concept
note
2.6
The
Yemen
water
conflict
analysis
framework
Key
message:
• An
appropriate
analysis
of
conflicts
and
suggestions
for
conflict
resolutions
should
be
based
on
an
integrated
analysis
of
the
conflicts,
not
only
looking
at
water-‐related
issues,
but
also
at
the
historical,
political,
institutional,
legal
and
societal
context.
Context
and
contextual
changes;
how
are
the
conflicts
embedded
in
the
local
physical,
socio-‐economic,
political
and
legal-‐
institutional
structure,
which
lessens,
intensifies,
shapes
and
distributes
the
conflict?
Have
contextual
changes
triggered
or
caused
conflict?
• Stakeholder
analysis:
Identify
the
practices,
interests
and
influences
of
the
involved
actors:
who
gets
what,
when
and
how?
• Dispute
regulation
mechanisms:
Which
solutions
for
preventing
or
resolving
conflicts
are
tried
and
why?
Based
on
the
abovementioned
frameworks,
we
envisage
that
water-‐related
conflicts
are
embedded
in
a
wider
physical,
socio-‐economic,
political
and
legal-‐institutional
structure,
which
lessens,
intensifies,
shapes
and
distributes
the
conflict.
Conflict
arbitration
and
mediation
occurs
via
both
formal
structures,
as
well
as
traditional
and
spiritual
leaders.
However,
the
effectiveness
of
dispute
regulation
mechanisms
rests
not
only
on
information
availability
and
transparency,
but
also
on
the
trust
stakeholders
have
in
these
mechanisms
and
the
balance
of
power
impacting
the
acceptance
of
mediation
efforts.
Therefore,
we
derive
the
following
parameters,
which
are
elaborated
below.
In
chapters
4
(Context),
5
(Stakeholder
analysis)
and
6
(Legal
and
regulatory
framework),
these
parameters
are
analysed
in
greater
detail
for
the
specific
context
of
Yemen.
We
use
these
parameters
to
develop
and
operationalize
an
analytical
framework
for
the
design,
implementation
and
analysis
of
the
research
in
Yemen
on
water
conflicts.
2.6.1
A:
Context
and
contextual
changes
How
are
the
conflicts
embedded
in
the
local
physical,
socio-‐economic,
political
and
legal-‐institutional
structure,
which
lessens,
intensifies,
shapes
and
distributes
the
conflict?
Moreover,
have
contextual
changes
triggered
or
caused
conflict?
It
is
important
to
embed
water
conflicts
in
a
wider
context,
since
they
are
not
isolated
from
other
developments,
but
occur
in
the
context
of
climatic,
demographic,
cultural
and
economic
change,
as
well
as
transformations
in
information
technologies,
global
governance,
social
conventions
and
the
globalizing
flows
of
capital
and
(to
a
lesser
extent)
labour
(see
O’Brien
and
Leichenko,
2000).
Within
the
context
of
climate
change,
the
management
of
water
resources
is
afflicted
with
uncertainties;
unpredictability
of
development,
incomplete
knowledge
or
conflicting
perspectives
on
the
seriousness
of
a
problem,
its
causes
and
potential
solutions
(Pahl-‐Wostl,
2007;
Isendahl
et
al.,
2010).
Nowadays
uncertainties
increase
since
pace
and
dimension
of
changes
(e.g.,
climatic,
demographic)
are
accelerating
and
are
likely
to
increase
even
more
in
the
future.
The
water
system
supports
key
societal
functions,
such
as
–
in
the
Yemen
case
–
mainly
domestic
and
agricultural
water
use,
including
irrigation.
Knowledge
of
this
system
refers
to
knowledge
of
the
natural
processes,
but
also
knowledge
of
the
properties
of
the
infrastructure
depends
on
its
societal
functions.
These
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