OLIVIER COGELS

Trainer and speaker in water cooperation and diplomacy

Learn about my passion and the organizations I have worked with during my career

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

Four decades of global experience in water resources management, geopolitics, and diplomacy
From a young age, I have been deeply fascinated by water and its critical role in connecting people across the globe. This passion has been the driving force behind my professional journey. Holding a Master’s in Agricultural Engineering and a Ph.D. in Soil Hydrodynamics from UCLouvain, Belgium, and enriched by postdoctoral studies in Irrigation Science at the University of California, I embarked on an academic path. My first field mission in 1978 took me to Northern Kenya, where I addressed the severe droughts affecting nomadic populations.
My career has since taken a global trajectory, spanning dozens of countries and involving engagements with local communities and high-level politicians and diplomats. My diverse roles have included managing Belgian development aid in Senegal, directing a global program at the FAO in Rome, leading the Mekong River Commission in South-East Asia, and providing advisory services to various international organizations including the World Bank, the European Commission, UN entities, the Global Water Partnership Organization, the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the German International Cooperation Agency, and many others.
Over the past 20 years, I have concentrated on water geopolitics and diplomacy at both strategic and operational levels. My goal is to prevent conflicts and promote international cooperation in transboundary river basins. Concurrently, I have maintained my commitment to academia, teaching at various universities in Europe and Africa, with a focus on the critical need for sustainable water management My approach is to support organizations and educate a broad spectrum of individuals in navigating the complexities of water management and diplomacy. Through interactions with international and river basin organizations, NGOs, students, professionals, diplomats, and political figures, I strive to deepen their understanding and kindle a shared commitment to sustainable and peaceful water resource management on a regional and global scale.
detailed CV

ORGANIZATIONS I'VE WORKED WITH

International and regional OrganizationsWorld Bank (WB) European Commission (EC)Joint Resaerch Centre in Ispra (JRC)Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)UNESCOGlobal Water Partnership (GWP)African Development Bank (AfDB)Asian Development Bank (ADB)African Union Commission (AUC)South African Development Community (SADC)International Union for Conservation of Union (IUCN)Regional Environmental Centre for Central Asia (CAREC)European Space Agency (ESA) Eumetsat
Bilateral Development AgenciesSwiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) Belgian Development Agency (ENABEL)German International Cooperation Agency (GIZ)
River Basin OrganizationsMekong River Commission (MRC)Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal (OMVS)Nile Basin Initiative (NBI)Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO)Niger Basin Authority (NBA)Volta Basin Authority (VBA)Several Basin Organizations in the SADC RegionChangjiang Water Resources Commission (CWRC)African Network of Basin Organization (ANBO)
UniversitiesUCLouvain, BelgiumUC Davis, CaliforniaUNIGE SwitzerlandETHZ, SwitzerlandIAV Hassan-II, Morocco2iE, Burkina FasoUniversité du Burundi

SPEECHES, LECTURES AND PUBLICATIONS

  • COGELS O., 2024: Introduction à l'hydro-diplomatie. Webinaire organisé par l'Association des Jeunes Diplomates Africains (JDMUN 2024), 15 mai 2024
  • COGELS O., 2024: Introduction à l'hydro-diplomatie. Atelier sur l'hydrodiplomatie et la gouvernance des eaux transfrontalières en Afrique de l'Ouest et Centrale., Dakar, Sénégal, Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal (OMVS), 22-24 avril 2024
  • COGELS O., 2023: Crise de l'or bleu: défis et solutions. Forum Belfius Investors, Namur, Belgique, 19 octobre 2023
  • COGELS O., 2023: International water diplomacy in Africa. Earth observation for hydrology in Africa for sutainable management and improved early warning. Webinar - 24 August 2023
  • COGELS O., 2023: Vers une « Doctrine des Investissements Coordonnés » pour la Coopération en Matière d'Eaux Transfrontalières en Afrique. Table Ronde Virtuelle sur les enjeux et défis de la gouvernance des ressources en eau en Afrique et le rôle de l’hydrodiplomatie - Lancement du site HYDRODIPLOMACY.COM, IPAR-Sénégal, 15 juillet 2023
  • COGELS O., 2023: Hydrodiplomatie: un tour d'horizon. Présentation Powerpoint. Voyage d'études des étudiants du PREP-Lausanne. Croisière Bou El Mogdad sur le Fleuve Sénégal
  • COGELS O., 2023: Hydrodiplomatie: le cas du fleuve Sénégal. Présentation Powerpoint. Voyage d'études des étudiants du PREP-Lausanne. Croisière Bou El Mogdad sur le Fleuve Sénégal
  • COGELS O., 2022: Conflict and Cooperation in the Mekong River Basin. Lecture of 8 November 2022. Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich (ETHZ)
  • COGELS O., 2022: Towards a doctrine of coordinated investements. Keynote speech. Workshop on “Technology, Experience sharing and Vision for Water Security - Implementing outcomes of 9th World Water Forum”. Chinese Pavillon, World Water Forum, Dakar, 25 March 2022.
  • COGELS 0., 2018: The Lower Mekong Basin and The Mekong River Commission. Lecture of 25 May 2018 at the Lancang-Mekong Water Resources Cooperation Center in Beijing
  • COGELS O., 2018, 2017, 2016: Hydrodiplomacy - Towards Joint Investment and Role of Transboundary River Basin Institutions: Lessons Learned from Around the World. UNIGE Certificate of Advanced Studies, Summer School in Water Governance, Module on Hydrodiplomacy
  • COGELS O., 2018: International Cooperation for the Management of Transboundary Rivers. Experiences from around the world. International Conference on Integrated Water Resources and risk Management. Sharing the Sino-Swiss Jinsha River Basin Cooperation. Beijing, 24 May 2018
  • COGELS, O.G., 2018: How RBOs can secure strategic investments to realize the benefits of cooperation. Keynote paper presented at the 8th Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) River Basin Organisations (RBOs) workshop, Windhoek, Namibia, 8-9th May 2018
  • COGELS, O.G., 2018: Water - Energy - Food Security Nexus Program of the European Union and how it can be applied in Central Asia. Video Produced with Financial Support of the European Commission, Global WEF Nexus Dialogue Program, Brussels
  • COGELS, O.G., 2018: Communicating about the Nexus. The Water, Energy and Food Security Resource Platform, 21 March 2018
  • COGELS, O.G., 2018: Interview par Christian Brethaut de l'Université de Genève à propos de l’Organisation pour la Mise en Valeur du Fleuve Sénégal (OMVS). Genève, Mars 2018
  • COGELS, O.G., 2018: Interview par Christian Brethaut de l'Université de Genève à propos de la Commission du Mékong - Mekong River Commission (MRC).Genève, Mars 2018
  • COGELS, O. G., 2014. ‘Hydro-diplomacy: putting cooperative investment at the heart of transboundary water negotiations’. In G. Pangare (Ed.), Hydro Diplomacy. Sharing Water Across Borders. Academic Foundation, New Delhi. 2014
  • COGELS, O. G., 2014. ‘The cooperative multi-sector investment program, an effective driver of transboundary water cooperation. Lessons learned from global experiences’. 4th Nile Basin Development Forum. Presentation for the World Bank, CIWA Program, Nairobi, 6-7 October 2014.
  • COGELS O. G., 2014. ‘Building effective institutions for the joint management of international rivers. A pressing challenge for multi-track hydro-diplomacy’. Draft expert paper prepared for the IUCN’s Ecosystems for Life project, New Delhi. April 2014.
  • COGELS, O.G., 2013: 'Hydro-diplomacy: Putting cooperative investment at the heart of transboundary water negotiations.' International Water and Peace Conference. Water Diplomacy Consortium (WDC), The Hague, 14-15 November 2013
  • COGELS, O.G., 2012: Building successful Transboundary River Basin Institutions. Keynote Speech. Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office (ENTRO). 1Oth anniversary celebration, 23 October 2013.
  • COGELS O., 2012: Case Study: Mekong hydro-politics and donors. Negotiating over shared water resources in the Mekong River Basin and role of the international donor community. EC Policy Dialogue Training. Brussels, 28 June 2012
  • COGELS, O.G., Malzbender D. and Goor Q., 2011: Study on Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA). SOFRECO for African Development Bank, African Union and NEPAD, 2011
  • COGELS, O.G., 2010: Ressources en Eau et Développement. Enjeux du 21ème siècle. Conférence donnée à l'Université Catholique de Louvain, Décembre 2010
  • COGELS, O.G., 2009: GIRE: Quoi ? Pourquoi ? Comment ? Atelier sur assainissement et GIRE, organisé par l'Union Européenne. Rabat, 21-23 avril 2009
  • COGELS, O.G., 2007: Handover speech, Vientiane Lao, PDR, 9th August 2007
  • COGELS, O.G.,2007: Welcome Speech at MRC’s 5th Annual Mekong Flood Forum, Ho Chi Minh City, Viet Nam, 17-18 May 2007
  • COGELS, O.G., 2007: Statement on the occasion of the International Conference on the Mekong River Commission, Hanoi, Vietnam 24 April 2007
  • COGELS, O.G., 2007: Key features and development challenges for the Mekong River Basin. Opening address at the Danish Water Forum, Copenhagen, Denmark, 1 March 2007
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Opening Address at ASIA 2006 - the International symposium on Water Resources and Renewable Energy Development in Asia, Bangkok, Thailand, 30 November – 1 December 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Speech at The International Forum on Water and Food. Vientiane, Lao PDR, November 12 – 17, 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Need for a basin-wide approach to sustainable hydropower development in South-East Asia. Opening address at the International Symposium on Water Resources and Renewable Energy Development in Asia - Asia 2006. Bangkok, Thailand, 30 November 2006
  • COGELS O., 2006: Managing the Mekong River. Challenges and Opportunities. Presentation à the Catholic University of Louvain-La-Neuve. 4 October 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Challenges to regional cooperation on water resources management in the Mekong Basin. Opening Address at the Conference on Mekong Research for the People of the Mekong, Chiang Rai, 18 October 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Mekong River Basin – Meeting the needs, keeping the balance. Presentation at the Session on Water Management in Large Basins of the 5th International Water Association Biennial World Water Congress, Beijing, 12 September 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: Welcome Speech at MRC’s 4th Annual Mekong Flood Forum, Siem Reap, Cambodia, 18 May 2006 - 19 May 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., March 2006: Statement at the Asia Pacific Water Ministerial Meeting for the creation of the Asia-Pacific Water Forum during the 4th World Water Forum held in Mexico City in March 2006, 1 March 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2006: The Mekong Program, regional cooperation program for the sustainable development of water and related resources in the Mekong Basin. Applying IWRM at Basin Scale. Keynote address at the World Water Forum, Mexico, March 2006
  • COGELS, O.G., 2005: ‘‘River Commission Takes on Development Role in the Lower Mekong Basin’’, Mekong Update and Dialogue , Vol. 8, No. 2, Australian Mekong Resource Centre, Sydney
  • COGELS, O.G., 2005: On Mekong River Commission’s strategy for Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) of the Mekong River. Opening address at the International Forum on Integrated Water Resources Management of the Mekong River Basin, Chiang Rai, Thailand, 28 November 2005
  • COGELS, O.G., 2005: Welcome Speech at MRC’s Third Annual Mekong Flood Forum, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 7 April 2005
  • COGELS, O.G., 2005: Welcome Speech at MRC's 10th Anniversary, 5 April 1995 - 5 April 2005, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 5 April 2005
  • COGELS, O.G., 2005: Opening Address at the International Conference on, “Advances in Integrated Mekong River Management”, Lao Plaza hotel, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 05 April 2005
  • COGELS, O.G., 2004: Water resources and poverty alleviation in the Lower Mekong Basin. Keynote address at the IUCN World Conservation Congress, Bangkok, Thailand, 18 November 2004
  • COGELS, O.G., 2004: Opening address at the International Conference on Advances in Integrated Mekong River Management, Vientiane, Laos, 25 October 2004
  • COGELS, O.G., 2004: Watershed management in the Lower Mekong basin. Keynote address at the Policy Dialogue, Mekong River Commission, Vientiane, Laos, 28 September 2004.
  • COGELS, O.G., 2004: Welcome Speech at MRC Secretariat Official Inauguration, Vientiane, Lao PDR, 27 Aug 2004 - 27 Aug 2004
  • COGELS, O.G., 2004: Crise mondiale de l’eau: Quelles solutions pour quelle crise? Conférence donnée à l’Université Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgique, 1 avril 2004.
  • COGELS, O.G., VERDIER, J., DENECKE H., SALMAN M., FERNANDEZ S., TATO S., 2003: The IPTRID Partnership Program: Supporting Capacity Development for Sustainable Agricultural Water Management. FAO, Rome, December 2003 , 51 pp
  • COGELS, O.G., 2003: IPTRID’s new partnership program launched: GRID Magazine, Issue 21, November 2003
  • COGELS, O.G., 2003: IPTRID – A new approach. Building capacity for sustainable agricultural water management. GRID Magazine, Issue 20, March 2003
  • COGELS, O., 1995: Le Geomanagement, un concept au service du développement durable. AFRICAGIS'95. Abidjan, 6-10 Mars 1995
  • COGELS O., FERRIÈS B., 1995: Méta-données et géomanagement. SIG et Télédétection, 14, 9 ANSELIN L. (1995) Local Indicators of Spatial Association – LISA
  • COGELS, O.G., 1995: Geomanagement and satellites: Development of future space programs for supporting sustainable development and preservation of the environment. Joint UN-ESA Conference on Space Programs for Developing Countries, Graz, Austria, September 1995.
  • COGELS, O.G., 1992: Geomanagement : A concept for wide area decentralized management. Conference Proceedings EGIS'92, Third European Conference and Exhibition on Geographical Information Systems, Munich, Germany, March 23-26, 1992
  • COGELS, O.G., 1992: Geomanagement System : A new concept for communication, integration, and analysis of geo-referenced information. Conference Proceedings New techniques and technologies for statistics, Bonn, Germany, February 24-26, 1992
  • COGELS, O.G., 1990: La Géomatique: Possibilités de gestion des territoires offertes par les nouvelles technologies d'information géographique. Conférence Sécurcity, Palais de Congrès, Bruxelles, le 23 octobre 1990
  • COGELS O., 1990: Technologie Belge, Agonie ou Renaissance ? Ou Quel Modèle pour la Recherche & Développement Belge dans l’Europe de la Science et de la Technologie ? Livre édité par ACADEMIA, 48 pp
  • COGELS O.G., 1989: The CDS referential information system, State of the Art, Conference Presented at the Danish Ministry of Environment, Copenhagen, 28 November 1989, 20 pp.
  • COGELS, O.G., 1989: The Catalogue of Environmental Data of the European Community. An information system to improve access to environmental data produced at the regional, national and international levels, EC-CORINE Seminar, Brussels, 1-3 July 1989, 10 pp
  • COGELS, O.G., 1989: An information system for managing environmental data in the European Community. EC Conference on the Contribution of Remote Sensing to the Study of Desertification, Valencia, 29-30 May 1989
  • COGELS, O.G., 1989: Le projet Catalogue des Sources de Données. Conférence CCE-CORINE, Ministère de l’Environnement Italien, Rome, le 22 mars 1989, 18 pp
  • COGELS O., WALEWYNS J.-L., GILSOUL G. et D. DETHIER, 1988: Appareil et procédé de prospection électrique du sous-sol. Brevet déposé le 22 novembre 1988
  • COGELS O., 1987: A Review of “Diagnosing irrigation successes and failures”, FAO Investment Center Technical Paper 5. Land Use Policy, April 1987, p. 173
  • COGELS O., 1987: Technologies nouvelles en améliorations foncières et réflexions sur leurs retombées économiques. Tropicultura, Vol. 5,1 : pp. 26-31
  • COGELS O.G., 1984: Une fonction d’uniformité d’irrigation tenant compte de l’échelle d’influence racinaire. Conf. Inter. sur les Besoins en Eau des Cultures, CIID, Paris, 11 pp
  • DUFEY J.E., D. JAMAR, O.G. COGELS en R. FRANKART, 1984: Invloed van het landbouwbedrijfstype op de eigenschappen van de bewerkte gronden. I. Chemische eigenschappen. Landbouwtijdschrift n°5, Jg 37, pp. 1241-1253.
  • DUFEY J.E., D. JAMAR, O.C. COGELS et R. FRANKART, 1984: Effet du type d’exploitation agricole sur les propriétés des sols cultivés. I. Propriétés chimiques. Revue de l’Agriculture n° 5, Vol. 37, pp. 1191-1203
  • KLOSTERMEYER J., O.G. COGELS and I.S. ROBINSON, ed., 1984: Physical processes in atmospheres, oceans, hydrospheres and soils, as revealed by remote sensing techniques, summary. 10th Meeting European Geophysical Society, Louvain-La-Neuve. Terra Cognita, Vol. 4, n° 3, pp. 317-320
  • COGELS O.G., 1983: Effet de la variabilité à petite échelle sur la description de l’uniformité de l’irrigation. Variabilité Spatiale des Processus de Transfert dans les Sols. Ed. INRA Pub., n° 15, pp. 141-149
  • COGELS O.G., 1983: Heterogeneity and representativity of sampling in the study of soil microstructure by the mercury intrusion method. Agric. Water Management, Vol. 6, n° 2, pp. 203-212
  • COGELS O.G., 1983: An irrigation uniformity function relating the effective uniformity of water application to the scale of influence of the plant root zones. Irrigation Science, Vol. 4, pp. 289-299
  • COGELS O.G., 1982: Rapid data collection relating to the physical environment of agricultural practices. Int. Course on Research in Agric., I.A.C., Wageningen, 18 pp
  • DE BACKER L.W., O.G. COGELS, J. BATARDY et M. DEHON, 1982: Utilisation des résultats porosimétriques. Bulletin du GFHN, Nov. 82, n° 11, pp. 23-27
  • COGELS O. Mai 1980 : Cours d’Améliorations Foncières, Volumes A, B et C. Université Catholique de Louvain. Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques
  • BATARDY J., M. DEHON, O.G. COGELS and L.W. DE BACKER, 1981: Selection of soil profiles for the estimation of the water balance of a watershed. AGU Chapman Conf. On Spatial Variability in Hydrologic Modeling, Fort Collins, CSU
  • COGELS O.G., 1981: Geometrical heterogeneity of soils and spatial variability of their physical properties in relation with dimensional scales. Seminar, Spring 1981, U.S.A., 27 pp
  • COGELS O.G. and L.W. DE BACKER, 1980: Spatial variability of soil physical properties as related to pore space geometrical heterogeneity. European Geophysical Society, Seventh Annual Meeting, Budapest., Hungary, 15 pp
  • COGELS O. Mai 1980 : Hétérogénéité géométrique des milieux poreux naturels en relation avec leurs propriétés hydrodynamiques. Thèse de Doctorat. Université Catholique de Louvain. Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques. Département de Génie Rural
  • COGELS O.G., 1979: A water resources study in the District of Marsabit, Strategic planning in an arid environment. In : Proc. III World Congress on Water Resources, Mexico, Vol. 5, pp. 2186-2194
  • COGELS O.G. et L.W. DE BACKER, 1978: Etude des relations entre la distribution des pores d'un milieu poreux et ses propriétés de transfert et de rétention. In : Proc. IAHR Symposium on Fluid Mechanics and Scale Effect on the Phenomena in Porous Media, Thessaloniki, pp. 3.18-3.34
  • DE BACKER L.W., O.G. COGELS and E. TILMAN, 1977: Une méthode de calibration des senseurs résistifs pour la mesure du potentiel de l'eau dans les milieux poreux non saturés. In : Proc. IAHR Symposium on Hydrodynamic Diffusion and Dispersion in Porous Media, Pavia, pp. 253-260
  • FRANKART R., L.W. DE BACKER and O.G. COGELS, 1976: Physical characteristics and consequences of leaching with high calcium content water of heavy soils physically and chemically saturated. In : Proc. ISSS Symposium on Water in Heavy Soils. Ed. M. KUTILEK and J. SUTOR, Bratislava, Vol. 1, pp. 244-251
  • COGELS O.G. and L.W. DE BACKER, 1975: Soil water content and potential profiles in relation with the parameters of the water budget. In : System Simulation in Water Resources, Ed. VANSTEENKISTE, North Holland Publ. Co., pp. 145-155
  • COGELS O. Juin 1975 : Systématisation de l’étude du bilan hydrique du sol de petits bassins versants. Application au bassin du Kipsteekbeek. Thèse de Maîtrise. Université Catholique de Louvain. Faculté des Sciences Agronomiques. Département de Génie Rural