Virtual Dialogues - Beyond Technical Solutions: Water Governance, Power, Social–Ecological Change

Water challenges are often framed as technical problems of infrastructure, scarcity, or management. This webinar brings together leading scholars to examine water instead as a question of governance, power, and social–ecological dynamics. Drawing on diverse empirical contexts, the speakers explore how institutions, inequalities, and environmental change interact to shape water access and outcomes. Prof. Farhana Sultana will bring insights from feminist political ecology, highlighting how power, gender, and historical inequalities shape experiences of water insecurity and struggles for water justice. Jean Carlo Rodríguez-de-Francisco (German Institute of Development and Sustainability) will discuss recent work on the multiple dimensions of water beyond the narrow focus of SDG 6, emphasising how water intersects with broader development and governance challenges. Ariadna Romans i Torrent (University of Amsterdam) will present her research examining water through a social–ecological systems lens, showing how complex interactions between institutions, ecosystems, and local actors shape water governance in practice in Cape Town, South Africa. Together, the discussion highlights why addressing water challenges requires moving beyond technocratic solutions toward more inclusive, adaptive, and justice-oriented approaches. Speakers: Farhana Sultana – Professor at Syracuse University, United States Jean Carlo Rodríguez-de-Francisco - Senior Researcher at the German Institute of Development and Sustainability Ariadna Romans I Torrent - PhD candidate at the Centre for Sustainable Development Studies, University of Amsterdam