Dr Danilo Turk, former President of Slovenia, is the Chairman of the panel. Mr. Mansour Faye, Minister of Water and Sanitation of Senegal and Chairman of African Ministers’ Council on Water, as well as Dr Alvaro Umaña Quesada, former Minister of Energy and Environment of Costa Rica, are the two Vice Chairmen of the High Level Panel. While the Members of the Panel have been nominated by the governments of the Co-convening Countries, the Panel is an independent body.

The Global High Level Panel is expected to propose global architecture for water and peace, including prevention and resolution of water related conflicts and the use of water as an instrument of peace and security. It will develop concrete proposals, among others, for financial incentives to promote trans-boundary cooperation, measures to secure water assets during violent conflicts and acts of terrorism, prevention of conflicts over quality of shared water resources, creation of hydro-diplomacy mechanisms to resolve water conflicts at an early threshold, strategies for appropriate role of water in post conflict peace building and engagement of high level political decision makers in the water discourse to enable bold solutions.

The Global High Level Panel has plans to meet 4 times in different parts of the world to analyse linkages between water and peace and propose global solutions. The first meeting of the Panel was held in Geneva, Switzerland in November 2015. The second meeting of the Panel was held in Dakar, Senegal in April 2016. The third meeting of the Panel was held in San Jose, Costa Rica in December 2016 and the fourth meeting is expected to be held in Asia in May 2017. In addition, various consultations and expert workshops are being organised to provide input to the Panel.

It is expected to produce a report and submit it to the UN system and the international community by September 2017. 

The Secretariat of the Panel is based in Geneva Water Hub. SFG provides intellectual, diplomatic and practical support to the Global High Level Panel and its Secretariat.