Water-related Legislation and Conventions

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What are the predominant water-related conventions? What is their status of ratification? What international and regional law governs water-related issues? Find out below.

The chief international legal document related to international water resources management is the UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses, adopted by the UN General Assembly in May 1997. (See the press release for who voted and who did not. Some interesting insights!) This has largely superseded the "Helsinki Agreement" (Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, Helsinki, 17 March 1992). However, a wide array of international, regional and subregional water-related legal conventions and agreements exist.

Contents 1 UN Documents 2 EU Legislation 3 Other 4 (Sub-) Regional Conventions and Treaties 5 References 6 See Also 7 External Resources

UN Documents

• Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (1997)
  • The Convention's Protocol on Water and Health
  • The Convention's Protocol on Civil Liability for transboundary damage caused by hazardous activities
  • The Convention's Press Release, giving details of how countries voted
• Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses
• General Comment 15: The Right to Water (2002)
• UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

EU Legislation

• European Union Water Framework Directive (Directive 2000/60/EC)
• European Charter on Water Resources (2001)
• EU Directive on the assessment and management of flood risks - adopted on 25 April 2007 by the European Parliament as "compromise package" (final adoption expected during second half or 2007)
• The Convention on the Protection of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (the Bern Convention)

Other

• Status and importance of water-relevant international legal instruments for the 5 Central Asian countries
• Boundary Waters Treaty
• Convention
• Framework Convention
• Groundwater in international law Compilation of treaties and other legal instruments
• Negotiation in the Context of International Water-Related Agreements
• The Protection of Water Facilities under International Law
• Transforming Potential Conflict into Cooperation Potential: The Role of International Water Law
• Water Conflict and Cooperation/Legal and Institutional Approaches
• Convention on Biological Diversity
• International Water Law Project
• Convention on EIA in a Transboundary Context - the 'Espoo (EIA) Convention' (1991)
• The Aarhus Convention
• RAMSAR Convention
• The Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement (1978)

(Sub-) Regional Conventions and Treaties

• UNDP 2003: Water-related legal and institutional structures in Central Asia
• Danube River Protection Convention
• Carpathian Convention
• The Rhine Convention
• Towards a Convention and Action Programme for the Protection of the Caspian Sea Environment, Phase II
• National Law On intergovernmental use of water resources and water facilities of the Kyrgyz Republic
• Barcelona Convention (Convention for the Protection Of The Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution)

References

See Also

• International water law and the long path towards the human rights dimension: the UNECE Water and Health protocol
• National water allocation legislation – A human rights perspective
• Human Rights-Based Approach
• The Human Rights-Based Approach to Development - The Right to Water

External Resources

US EPA Water Laws, Regulations, Policy, Guidance and Legislation

International Conventions

UNECE Water Convention website

International Water Law Project - The International Water Law Project website was created to provide pertinent information on international water law and policy and related topics. Specifically, it offers treaties, articles, news stories, case law, Internet links, and other relevant information.

Environmental Treaties and Resource Indicators - ENTRI is an online service for accessing multilateral environmental treaty data.

European Water Framework Directive - This site provides information on the different pieces of water legislation (and related policies) in the European Community.

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage - The Commission is a Scientific, Technical and Voluntary Not-for-profit Non-Governmental International Organization dedicated to enhancing the worldwide supply of food and fibre for all people by improving water and land management and the productivity of irrigated and drained lands through appropriate management of water, environment and application of irrigation, drainage and flood management techniques.

International Commission on Large Dams - ICOLD is an international non-governmental organization which provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering. The organization leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment. The web page has information about different themes related to dams: safety dams, sustainable dams, food, energy, hydrology and floods.

International Environmental Agreements

Ministerial Declaration of The Hague on Water Security in the 21st Century

Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database

UN Treaty Collection

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change

The Water Page on International Water Law

Water/Health as Human Right WHO on Water as a Human Right