Updated Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database Explorer launched at World Water Week

The updated Transboundary Freshwater Diplomacy Database (TFDD) and the new TFDD Explorer were launched by the Shared Waters Lab (SWL) Partnership between Oregon State University, IHE Delft, and The Fletcher School at Tufts University at an event held on 27 August 2024.

The updated database is a key resource,  Johannes Cullmann, IHE Delft Director for Impact and Partnerships, said at the launch: “The database is the compendium of water diplomacy. It gives us a reference of what we did in the past.”

Since its inception, the TFDD has played a critical role in reshaping the narrative around transboundary water interactions – for example, it shows that water more often leads to cooperation than conflict. Mapping all water events between countries worldwide, the TFDD is the only resource of its kind, offering a unique and comprehensive perspective on international water diplomacy.

The recent updates to the TFDD include:

• Expanded Data Explorer, incorporating new shapefile of transboundary river basins and related geospatial information.
• New Treaties and details on River Basin Organizations, offering deeper insights into the governance of shared waters.
• Mapping of Transboundary Wetlands, broadening the scope of its environmental impact assessments.

SWL Partnership Director, Melissa McCracken of the Fletcher School at Tufts University hailed the impact of TFDD Explorer as a gamechanging interface to access the data and analyse data linkages from a spatial perspective. Its development is possible through the support of partners, including IUCN, GWPSA, Government of the Netherlands, World Bank, IW:Learn and GEF.

“The TFDD Explorer will help expand our knowledge and understanding from the global scale on how transboundary conflict and cooperation dynamics are functioning,” she said.

Further advancing this key resource requires additional resources, and the launch of the new version also served as a call-to-action for support, said SWL Partner Lead Susanne Schmeier, IHE Delft Associate Professor of Water Law and Diplomacy.

Looking forward, the TFDD team is focused on automating the updates of conflict-cooperation events, enhancing the timeliness and accuracy of the database. These efforts will further solidify the TFDD’s position as an essential tool for understanding and managing transboundary water issues.

By illustrating institutionalized cooperation mechanisms and the numerous interactions —both cooperative and conflictive—between countries over shared water resources, the TFDD provides a foundation for informed decision-making in water diplomacy. The TFDD's datasets are also instrumental for academic research.

The TFDD launch was just one of several World Water Week events with IHE Delft involvement. IHE Delft experts are speaking at sessions including the SIWI Seminar Series on the art of water diplomacy, which features PhD Candidate Bota Sharipova and Lecturer/Researcher Mohd Faizee.