Young Water Diplomats Programme 2025
The Young Water Diplomats programme is designed to enhance an interdisciplinary understanding of transboundary water challenges and advance tools for water cooperation and diplomacy, as well as to strengthen professional networking among the next generation of leading water and environmental diplomats.
For Whom?
Early career diplomats engaged and/or interested in international water and environmental politics with a background in foreign affairs, international law or international relations.
Prerequisites
Applicants should have Bachelor level diploma as a minimum prerequisite. Working experience or knowledge in the field of international relations, foreign affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, and cooperation – preferably in environment or water-related issues are necessary preconditions. The programme will benefit participants with a degree in social sciences, law or humanities.
Learning objectives
- Evaluate key challenges that transboundary freshwaters (ground- and surface water) face under different conditions
- Understand and apply different tools of water diplomacy
- Assess and apply different institutional arrangements and diplomatic tools for water cooperation
- Analyse and compare lessons learnt from water conflict and cooperation in different basins in the world
- Understand key aspects of water resources and their management (including the hydrological cycle, hydrological monitoring and modelling, infrastructure and its effects, climate change impacts, integrated water resources management)
- Integrate interdisciplinary knowledge in problem-solving and collaborate in intercultural and transdisciplinary teams
Content of the Programme
The Young Water Diplomats Programme will be conducted from January to July 2025 (six months). During this period, participants will be engaged in online and in-person learning activities consisting of lectures, reading assignments, group work, and discussions with experts.
Thematic lectures delivered by leading academics will be coupled with interventions from practitioners. Interactive meetings with diplomats who have experience in the fields of water and environmental peace-building will create additional space for sharing experiences and getting first- hand knowledge.
The programme consists of bi-monthly webinars that will take place online throughout the duration of the programme. In addition, it includes two face-to-face workshops: in New Delhi (India) and Delft (The Netherlands).
Requirements of the Programme
Participants are expected to spend on average about 4 hours per week in order to fulfil the minimum requirements of the programme. Webinars will take place twice a month on work days during working hours in the CET time zone. In addition, for the in-person meetings in March and June, physical travels to India and The Netherlands are expected.
The average monthly workload of 16 hours includes the following mandatory activities:
- Active participation in two webinars per month (lectures, discussions, presentations, and other activities)
- Preparatory readings
- Contribution to group work
- Fulfilment of self-paced individual assignments
- Participation in two workshops in New Delhi and Delft (March and June 2025)
Funding and Scholarships
There are a limited number of scholarships available for applicants from low- and middle-income countries by the IHE Delft Water and Development Partnership Programme (DUPC3) under its Cross-regional learning for transformative water diplomacy (CroWD) project.
The scholarship can cover tuition fees, roundtrip air tickets to New Delhi and back from closest international airport in March 2025, roundtrip air tickets to Amsterdam and back in June 2025, accommodation, visa application fee, local transportation, and DSA for both trips for selected participants.
IHE does not cover insurance fees for the period of travel and stays in New Delhi and Delft.
See the OECD’s latest DAC list of Official Development Assistance (ODA) for recipients eligible for a scholarship.
In the application form, you can indicate whether you wish to apply for a scholarship.
Please note: participants seeking a scholarship will be requested to provide a formal confirmation from their employer stating that they are available to participate in the course and that they will be able to devote the time required to complete the programme.
Eligibility criteria
Applicants should:
- have at least bachelor degree in the social sciences, preferably in international relations, international law or related subjects
- be at an early stage of their career, priority is given to applicants who are below the age of 40
- have working experience in the field of international relations, foreign affairs, diplomacy, conflict resolution, and cooperation – preferably in environment or water-related issues
- have strong command of English (ability to read and understand academic literature, and articulate thoughts clearly).
Application deadline:
