Join SPAG and UNC Global Affairs for a panel discussion on Water Diplomacy: cooperation and/or conflict around shared water resources, whether between cities or nations. Water diplomacy is a particularly important topic internationally, as climate change brings more frequent and more intense weather events, including an overabundance of water (floods) and a paucity of it (droughts). For many countries, shared water resources form the basis of strong relationships (e.g., US/Canada), but for others, a dependence on transboundary resources can exacerbate existing tensions (e.g., Egypt/Ethiopia). In either case, scientists have important roles to play in understanding hydrologic realities and water availability, and using that information to design sustainable and fair water management strategies.

This conversation will feature Dr. Mark Giordano (Georgetown University), Dr. Aaron Salzberg (UNC Water Institute and former US Special Coordinator for Water Resources), Rosa Cuppari (UNC Environmental Sciences and Engineering) and former Ambassador Barbara Stephenson (UNC Global Affairs). Refreshments and mingling after the event (4:30 - 5:30 pm). This event counts as a Campus Life Experience. 

Participant Bios: 

Dr. Mark Giordano is Professor of Geography and Vice Dean for Undergraduate Affairs in the Walsh School of Foreign Service. His research focuses on the international political dimensions of water, agriculture and the environment. He teaches classes on those topics and others including Map of the Modern World. As part of his interest in the role of art in global affairs, he sits on the boards of The Kentler International Drawing Space, Brooklyn and the Mokuhanga Project Space, Walla Walla and advises the National Museum of Asian Art. Prior to Georgetown, Mark held multiple roles at the Sri Lanka based International Water Management Institute, winner of the Stockholm Water Prize--the "Nobel Prize for Water". In an earlier career, he was an agricultural trade economist and a combine mechanic. Most of his professional life has been in Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. He is from a small town in the other Washington. 

Dr. Aaron Salzberg serves as the Director of the UNC Water Institute and the Don and Jennifer Holzworth Distinguished Professor in the Department of Environmental Science and Engineering. Prior to joining UNC, Aaron served as the first Special Coordinator for Water Resources in the U.S. Department of State. In this role, Aaron led the development of the first U.S. Government Global Water Strategy and the State Department's engagement on transboundary water issues. Aaron has a Ph.D. in Genetic Toxicology and a Master of Science degree in Technology and Policy from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Maryland. He currently holds appointments as a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson Center and as a member of the World Meteorological Organization's Scientific Research Board.

Rosa Cuppari is a PhD student with the Center on Financial Risk in Environmental Systems in the Department of Environmental Sciences and Engineering. Her interests in water resource management and water diplomacy began at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, where she received a BSFS in Science, Technology and International Affairs. Rosa's current research focuses on the impact of extreme events on hydropower, both at the regional scale as well as the global and national levels. Her earlier professional experience has included work at the Department of State, the American Enterprise Institute, the International Centre for Water Resources and Global Change, and Global Water Intelligence. 

Barbara J. Stephenson is vice provost for global affairs and chief global officer at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Previously, Stephenson was president of the American Foreign Service Association from 2015-2019 and was a U.S. Foreign Service officer for over 30 years. She was a principal advocate for diplomacy, working closely with Congress, the media and globally engaged strategic partners. Stephenson has served as U.S. Ambassador to Panama (2008) and was the first woman to serve as deputy ambassador and acting ambassador at the U.S. Embassy in London. Stephenson's additional postings have included deputy senior advisor to the secretary and deputy coordinator for Iraq (2006-2008), American Consul General in Belfast, Northern Ireland (2001-2004), Consul General and Chief of Mission in Curaçao (1998-2001), special assistant to Under Secretary for Political Affairs Tom Pickering, desk officer for the UK, political-military officer in South Africa, and political officer in The Hague, San Salvador, and Panama.