Water Law - International Resources

This section includes only agreements that aren't restricted to one region or group of nations. For continental or regional agreements, see the following pages: Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America.

UN Convention on the Law of the Non-navigational Uses of International Watercourses, United Nations, 1997. See here for versions in other languages.

• UNILC's Report and Commentaries, 1994
  
• UN press release on the adoption of the Convention
• Current Status of the Convention

Convention Relating to the Development of the Hydraulic Power of International Affecting More Than One State, and Protocol of Signature, Geneva, 9 December 1923

Convention and Statute on the Regime of Navigable Waterways of International Concern, Barcelona, 20 April 1921

Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat, Ramsar, Iran, 2 February 1971

United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Series Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, Paris, 14 October 1994 (available in English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, and Chinese)

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UN/ECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes, Helsinki, 31 I.L.M. 1312 (1992)

UN/ECE Draft Protocol on Water and Health to the 1992 Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (final draft as adopted June 17, 1999)

UN/ECE Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context, 30 I.L.M. 800 (1991)

UN/ECE Charter on Ground-Water Management, U.N. Doc. E/ECE/1197, ECE/ENVWA/12, U.N. Sales No. E.89.II.E.21 (1989)

U.N. Human Rights Council Resolution on Human Rights and Access to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation, A/HRC/15/L.1 (24 September 2010)

U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the Human Right to Water and Sanitation, A/64/L.63/Rev.1 (26 July 2010)

UNILC Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers

• 2008 U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers, A/RES/63/124 (December 2008).
• Related UNILC's Report and Commentaries are available in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, Russian, and Spanish.
• 2011 U.N. General Assembly Resolution on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers, A/RES/66/104 (December 2011)
• Report of the Sixth Committee, The law of transboundary aquifers (UN Doc. A/68/470, 19 November 2013), containing the text of the 2013 Resolution on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers adopted by the UNGA

General Assembly resolution 2669 (XXV) on progressive development and codification of the rules of international law relating to international watercourses, New York, 8 December 1970

Institute of International Law

• Athens Resolution on the Pollution of Rivers and Lakes and International Law, Institute of International Law, 12 September 1979
• Sazburg Resolution Concerning the Utilization of Non-Maritime Waters for Purposes Other than Navigation, Institute of International Law, 11 September 1961
• Paris Resolution on Regulation Governing Navigation on International Rivers, Institute of International Law, 19 October 1934
• Madrid Declaration on International Regulations Regarding the Use of International Watercourses for Purposes Other than Navigation, Institute of International Law, 20 April 1911
• Heidelberg Resolution on International Regulation on River Navigation, Institute of International Law, 9 September 1887

International Law Association

• The "Berlin Rules": Berlin Conference on Water Resources Law, International Law Association (2004)
• Water Resources Committee Report Dissenting Opinion (9 August 2004)
• Seoul Rules on International Groundwaters, International Law Association (1986)
• Helsinki Rules on the Uses of the Waters of International Rivers (with comments), International Law Association (1966)

Other International Documents

• Draft Convention on the Industrial and Agricultural Use of International Rivers and Lakes, Organization of American States, Rio de Janeiro (1 September 1965)
• Dublin Statement on the Water and Sustainable Development Transboundary Groundwaters: The Bellagio Draft Treaty, 29 Nat. Resources J. 676 (1989)
  
• General Comment No. 15 (2002), The Right to Water, Substantive Issues Arising in the Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, U.N. Economic and Social Council, E/C.12/2002/11 (26 November 2002)

International water law cases decided by the Permanent Court of International Justice (1922-1946)

International water law cases decided by the International Court of Justice

International water law decisions rendered by other national and international tribunals

International Water Law

Sources of International Water Law, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 1998

Fact Sheet: The Right to Water, United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 2010

Water for Life, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs

Water Portal scientific knowledge base, UNESCO

The Right to Water, World Health Organization (WHO), 2003

The Right to Water: From Concept to Implementation, World Water Council, March 2006

Water Law and Standards Database, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO)

Treaties and International Agreements

United Nations Treaty Collection

ECOLEX international environmental law database (click here to go directly to the Treaties search screen)

Global International Waters Assessment Reports, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

Research Guide on Transboundary Freshwater Treaties and Other Resources, GlobaLex, February 2014

Transboundary Freshwater Dispute Database (TFDD), Oregon State University

• Includes spatial and statistical datasets for U.S. and international river basins. Also includes the Atlas of International Freshwater Agreements. Resources are mostly not current, but were updated within the last few years.