Water-related risks
About this project
Providing the Blue Peace Index Calculation (BPI) free Toolkit is the main goal of the Project. Fundamentally, BPI helps to structure, collect and assess information from a transboundary river basin. BPI demonstrates how well riparian countries are cooperating in the basin highlighting the issues that need to be solved (policy and legal frameworks, institutional arrangments, etc.). The WaterCafè team adapted BPI methodology created by the Economist Intelligence Unit making it short and comprehensible for a group activity during a 2-4-hour event. The way we achieved it, was through the creation of a Toolkit, which is user friendly for both real and virtual participants with an adapted methodology of calculation for inter- and intrastate basins, short activities, ready-made presentations, scenario for a voxpop and etc.
The inception workshop of testing BPI Toolkit was organized by the WaterCafè team in 2019 for the Colorado and Columbia Rivers of North America at the Oregon State University. After the workshop, the WaterCafè team promoted such an event via social media attracting attention from the youth community globally. The BPI calculations for Kura-Araks River Basin, Brahmaputra Basin and Syr Darya Basin are underway. There is a great potential to expand this initiative to other river basins which are in dispute by offering a more comprehensible set of tools.
We plan to offer a BPI tool as one of the main products on the WaterCafè online platform. The WaterCafè is an initiative of recent graduates of international water programs that has developed into a platform transcending international scientific knowledge to simple and comprehensible digests, as well as by creating engaging events for youth. Resembling its name, WaterCafè stands for a chill space where all the participants feel free, secured and relaxed to dream, share and fix things together, thinking about water as the unifying symbol. At present WaterCafè aims to center its mission around the BPI Toolkit promotion as an engaging tool for active young water experts.
Goals and Objectives
There are multiple objectives set behind introducing the BPI Toolkit centered around the goal of providing a tangible tool for strengthening youth voice in transboundary water management.
Multiple objectives include:
- Promoting and educating youth on using Blue Peace Index;
- Promoting the scientific approach in understanding transboundary issues;
- Sharing tools and case studies from the around the world;
- Collecting feedback on the Index;
- Networking of youth involved or interested in water management processes;
- Improving the BPI Toolbox and approaches in its application;
- Inspiring youth to be more creative.
Expected result
With the help of YWC Project we plan to strengethen the WaterCafè as a new initiative organized by the Central Asian early career water experts to build a water school of thought by adapting international practices to local needs. The BPI Toolkit will become the first significant contribution from the Central Asia to the global community of water experts and will generate more interest in developing a systematic study on transboundary basins. Besides to that, we expect to achieve the following results:
- The platform for young water leaders united by their interest to work on indicators of transboundary water management indicators is created.
- Young water leaders are familiarized with the indicators and scores used to characterize effectiveness of cooperation in transboundary basins.
- Ideas of the Blue Peace movement are popularized among young people.
- Network of young water professionals interested in transboundary water management is built and expanded.
Sustainable Development Goals
About me / organisation
Nataliya Chemayeva
Young water expert and a recent graduate of the Water Cooperation and Diplomacy MSc, currently working in the transboundary river basin commission - the International Fund for Saving the Aral Sea. Also, one the of main contributors to the BPI Toolkit development.
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