The intention of this manual is to provide the necessary general information and specific tools in a user-friendly way so that any water resource stakeholder may be able to resolve existing or deflect impending disputes in a way that is agreeable to all parties. The emphasis in this manual is on Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), in particular, principled negotiation – an approach that seeks to embed outcomes and processes that will serve sustainable, equitable and efficient long-term social needs.
ADR locates itself within the larger framework of integrated water resources management (IWRM). Within the IWRM framework, Cap-Net, among other institutions, groups and networks, has facilitated numerous conflict resolution and negotiation workshops for water managers in anticipation of impending and/or intensifying struggles over the resource. Each of us has been involved – working separately, together, and as part of a larger team – in the planning and implementation of several of these workshops at local (community-based natural resource management), national (e.g., Ethiopia Country Water Partnership), regional (e.g., SADC, Nile-IWRM) and global (combining regions and countries) levels. We have distilled our experiences into this training manual that will act as a user-centered resource in the field of conflict resolution and negotiation for IWRM.