The Role of International Water Law In Ensuring'Good Water Governance': A Call for Renewed Focus and Action (original) (raw)

Trends of Development of International Water Law

Beijing Law Review, 2015

International water law has been witnessing profound changes in the latter twenty years. These changes denote certain cardinal options for new goals and values that the newer international water law is seeking to embrace. Amongst these new goals and values, the ones of environmentalization, humanisation, economicisation stand out as attempts at bringing efficient response to the challenges set by the current global water crisis and the more complex expectations of the international community. They amount to an innovative normative message and even true paradigmshifts in the understanding of international water law. These trends of development of international water law set this legal field in line with other chapters of contemporary international law and derive in part from the cross-fertilisation of normative ideas and principles between these chapters of international law.

Principles of international water law: creating effective transboundary water resources management

International Journal of Sustainable Society, 2009

This article summarises the principles of international water law related to transboundary water resources management and analyses to what extent these principles are incorporated in recent international conventions and treaties. The study reveals that principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation, obligation not to cause significant harm, principles of cooperation, information exchange, notification, consultation and peaceful settlement of disputes are widely acknowledged by modern international conventions, agreements and treaties. These principles could facilitate effective transboundary water resources management involving riparian countries of shared watercourses and hence, promote sustainable development around the world.

Introduction to the Research Handbook on International Water Law

Research Handbook on International Water Law, 2019

Water is an essential and unevenly distributed resource. Although the amount of water on earth has not changed significantly in billions of years, pressures exerted on this essential resource have increased exponentially. With the rapid expansion of the global population and the increasing demands of industry and agriculture, the global competition for water has increased as has its relative scarcity per capita. There are more than 270 international watercourses in the world, with more than 2.8 billion people (roughly 41 per cent of the world’s population) living within transboundary river basins that cover more than 40 per cent of the earth’s total land area.1 The number of transboundary aquifers that have been mapped so far and the people living in the respective recharge areas is even higher. Regional tensions over shared watercourses are likely to increase as the global per-capita share of water decreases, leading countries toward either greater cooperation or greater conflict. ...

The evolution of international water law*

International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2015

International Water Law has been witnessing deep changes in the latter two decades. These changes denote certain cardinal options for new values that the newer International Water Law is seeking to embrace. Amongst these, the ones of environmentalization, humanization and economicization stand out as attempts at bringing efficient response to the challenges set by the current global water crisis. They amount to true paradigm shifts in the understanding of International Water Law and the normative message conveyed.

Examples of the Political Character of International Water Law

Proceedings of the Annual Meeting (American Society of International Law), 2008

In this brief paper, I suggest that the substantive principles of international water law have such a political character that they may be viewed more properly as tools of politics and international relations rather than those of a legal regime. In support of this proposition, I review two principles: equitable and reasonable utilization and sovereignty. The former is considered in the general context of international water law, while the latter is assessed in relation to the law applicable to transboundary groundwater resources. In considering the ...