The Shared Waters Lab Partnership (SWLP) aims to strengthen international water diplomacy by providing critical data and analysis on transboundary freshwater resources, supporting the governance and management of shared water to prevent conflict and increase equitable, sustainable cooperation.

SWLP is a partnership between Oregon State University, the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and IHE Delft, organized around three focal areas:

• Monitoring water conflict & cooperation

• Early warning for conflict risk

• Promoting equitable, sustainable, and effective cooperation

We pursue this work by collecting global data on transboundary river basins, freshwater treaties, and joint basin institutions, with the goal of providing insight into potential water conflicts and opportunities for cooperation. In analyzing this data, we identify early warning signs and drivers of conflict, factors that increase cooperation or reduce conflict potential, and what makes institutions and cooperative processes effective—applying this work to key challenges facing shared freshwater resources. We translate these analyses into strategic advising, facilitation, and capacity building, publish research that informs policy, and develop trainings that build institutional capacity for collaborative governance of transboundary waters.

Much of this work centers on the Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database (TFDD), which we are updating and expanding into an interactive spatial platform for understanding the world's transboundary river basins, freshwater treaties, and institutional frameworks in support of our mission to aid researchers and policymakers in navigating and mitigating water-related conflicts while promoting cooperation.