Water Diplomacy - Gender-Inclusive Transboundary Water Governance in the Brahmaputra Basin

Abstract

This paper examines how gender inclusion in transboundary water governance can be transformed from symbolic to substantive participation in the Brahmaputra Basin. Using qualitative methods including literature review, stakeholder mapping, and 11 semi-structured interviews across India and Bangladesh, the study applies an integrated conceptual framework linking transboundary water governance, multi-track water diplomacy, and gender-responsive governance. Findings reveal a state-centric water governance architecture lacking basin-wide organization or gender mandates. Security-technocratic framings, opaque delegation processes, sociocultural barriers, and short project cycles systematically exclude women from agenda-defining decision-making roles. Women's participation remains strongest in community-level activities and weakest in high-level diplomatic forums where rules and budgets are determined. However, documented enablers include written representation requirements, gender-responsive budgeting, donor conditionality, linked Track-2 and Track-3 platforms, and evidence translation mechanisms that legitimize women's experiential knowledge. The thesis presents recommendations: establishing Common Minimum Standards for Inclusion within bilateral agreements; creating structured pathways from Track-2 to Track-1 diplomatic roles; implementing joint fact-finding with gender-disaggregated indicators; developing knowledge translation mechanisms; and fostering normative shifts through male champions supported by donor conditionality. This research demonstrates how institutional design can systematically include or exclude gender perspectives in transboundary diplomacy. The proposed recommendations offer a replicable model for other transboundary contexts, moving beyond equity arguments to show how gender inclusion enhances decision quality and governance legitimacy in climate-vulnerable basins.

Popular Abstract

Water is fundamental to life, yet millions face extraordinary challenges simply to access clean water. The Brahmaputra is a single river that crosses four countries i.e., China, India, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. But its governance is anything but unified. Cooperation is mostly pieced together through bilateral memoranda and short technical exchanges. This makes it hard to build shared baselines for decisions in an intensifying climate change.
This thesis asks how to move gender inclusion from symbolism, women being present in the room to substance, where they can shape agendas and outcomes. To answer that, the study combined a literature review, stakeholder mapping, and semi-structured interviews with practitioners across India, and Bangladesh, and then combined those insights into a single framework linking transboundary governance, water diplomacy, and gender-responsive practice.
The core finding is that the region’s water governance is still state-centric and securitized. Delegations and decisions are concentrated in a narrow Track-1 circle with informal rules, opaque selection pipelines, and weak accountability. In that setup, women contribute most visibly in communities and evidence-gathering roles, but fade from view where rules and budgets are set.
Is it enough for international river negotiations to focus on technical fixes or diplomatic agreements without listening to those who manage water at home? This thesis argues that it is not. By exploring countless interviews, policy reviews, and global comparisons, the research reveals a simple truth: without meaningful roles for women in water diplomacy, solutions often miss the mark and are less likely to last. Barriers such as closed-door selection processes, cultural traditions, and logistical hurdles mean that women’s real knowledge about flood responses, water safety, and daily needs barely reaches the negotiation table. When their participation is limited to symbolic gestures, everyone loses from national governments down to village households.
But the story does not end with problems, it points toward transformative solutions. The thesis demonstrates that formal inclusion standards in treaties, dedicated budgets for participation, and visible support networks can change the equation. When women from local groups find pathways into diplomatic spaces, their insights make water management fairer, more resilient, and better adapted to reality. These changes don’t just benefit women, they help entire populations manage the unpredictable impacts of climate change and political uncertainty.
There is progress to build on. Track-2 and Track-3 dialogues those involving experts, civil society, and local leaders have widened the space for cooperation and demonstrated that women’s representation can influence outcomes in conflict resolution and disaster preparedness. But translation upward into official Track-1 diplomacy remains partial unless there are formal mechanisms that recognize different kinds of knowledge, create feeder pathways into delegations, and require gender-responsive indicators in basin institutions.
Why does this matter? Because inclusion isn’t just fair it makes decisions better. When women help shape agendas, especially through joint fact-finding and turning community data into decision-grade indicators, priorities become more risk-aware and grounded in day-to-day realities. When they’re excluded, conversations tilt toward narrow security-technocratic framings that can erode public trust and compliance.
The thesis points to practical fixes that work across the basin’s political realities. It recommends “Common Minimum Standards for Inclusion” written directly into future MoUs covering who gets to set agendas, guaranteed observer or alternate seats for women from knowledge institutions and civil society, and budgets for interpretation, childcare, and safe travel paired with a simple monitoring template that tracks not just attendance but actual influence. It also calls for formal pipelines that carry people and evidence from Track-2/3 platforms into Track-1 roles, and for joint fact-finding with gender-disaggregated indicators so women lived experience counts as decision-grade evidence.
Finally, the study argues that smarter data sharing and routine, transparent exchanges can reduce rumor cycles and invite broader expert participation including women in risk assessment and diplomacy. Taken together, these steps turn inclusion from a “checkbox” into a core capability of governance, improving legitimacy and resilience in the Brahmaputra and offering a replicable model for other transboundary rivers facing climate stress.

• author: Chandrakala Prashanth, Priyanka
• supervisor: Erik Nilsson
• organization: Division of Water Resources Engineering
• course: VVRM01 20251
• year: 2025
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering
• keywords: transboundary water governance, gender inclusion, water diplomacy, Brahmaputra Basin
• publication/series: TVVR 5000
• report number: TVVR25/5011
• ISSN: 1101-9824
• language: English
• additional info: Examiner; Magnus Persson
• id: 9214210
• date added to LUP: 2025-10-20 16:05:16
• date last changed: 2025-10-20 16:05:16