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The UN Watercourses Convention: Legacy, Prospects and Value for the Realisation of International Policy Goals
Tuesday 19 August
Morning Seminar
Convenors: Green Cross International, Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI), Swedish Network of Peace, Conflict and Development Research, United Nations Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science and World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF)
In 1997, the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses, with approving votes from more than one hundred nations. Since then, population growth, increases in water demand, growing levels of pollution and climate change coupled with inadequate or nonexistent cooperation frameworks between co-watercourse states have aggravated the problems that motivated the convention’s adoption. With sixteen contracting states at this time, the convention requires 35 parties to become effective. The seminar aims to inform the process for entry into force and future implementation of the UN Watercourses Convention. It will look at the convention’s potential role in contributing to the achievement of international policy goals. In particular, its role in: preventing interstate conflict in the context of a changing climate; better enabling the implementation of development cooperation programmes; contributing to biodiversity conservation and sustainable use in international watercourses; and complimenting existing water governance frameworks in Africa. A second session will examine the possible reasons slowing down the ratification process and show how the convention has supported interstate cooperation since its adoption. This session will also explore the added value from entry into force of the convention and assess the flipside of non-entry into force. It will evaluate how each scenario could affect the convention’s ability to support policy goals and contribute to improving cooperation between basin states.
Seminar Programme 08:30-12:00, Room K11
Chair: Dr. Anders Jägerskog, Project Director, SIWI
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Introduction |
08:30 |
Welcome by Chair. Dr. Anders Jägerskog |
08:35 |
Introduction
Mr. James P. Leape, Director General, WWF International |
08:45 |
Advancing the MDGs: The UN Watercourses Convention in the Hashimoto Action Plan
HRH Willem-Alexander the Prince of Orange, Chair, UN Secretary-General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB), The Netherlands (tbc) |
08:50 |
The UN Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses: An Overview
Mr. Attila Tanzi, Professor, University of Bologna, Italy |
09:05 |
Questions |
09:15 |
Assessing the Relevance of the UN Watercourses Convention for Advancing International Policy Objectives on Environment and Development
Moderator:
Dr. Bertrand Charrier, Vice-President, Green Cross International, France
• Water-Related International Development Cooperation
Guy Howard, Water and Environment Advisor, Department for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom
• Conserving Inland Water Biodiversity in Transboundary Watersheds
David Coates, Programme Officer, Secretariat, Convention on Biological Diversity, Canada
• The UN Watercourses Convention as a Compliment to Existing Water Governance Frameworks in Africa - A Regional Perspective
Mr. Anton Earle, Project Director, Capacity Building, SIWI
• Preventing Disputes and Supporting Interstate Cooperation on Adaptation to Climate Change in Transboundary Watersheds
Dr. Ashok Swain, Director, The Swedish Network of Peace, Conflict and Development Research
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10:00 |
Moderated Debate and Questions/Link to Next Session |
10:15 |
Coffee Break |
10:45 |
The Status of the UN Watercourses Convention and the Case for Entry into Force: Global Relevance and Regional Applicability
Moderator: Flavia Rocha Loures, Freshwater Programme Officer, International Law & Policy, WWF International
• Possible Reasons Slowing Down the Ratification Process
Mr. Attila Tanzi, Professor, University of Bologna, Italy
• The Legacy of the UN Watercourses Convention since its Adoption
Dr. Alexander Lopez Ramirez, Director, Centro Mesoamericano de Desarrollo Sostenible del Trópico Seco (CEMEDE), Professor of International Relations at the Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA)
• Value Added by Entry Into Force and Widespread Acceptance
Dr. Patricia Wouters, Director, UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, Scotland
• Potential Effects from Non-Entry into Force
Mr. Johan Lammers, Professor of International Environmental Law, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands |
11:30 |
Moderated Debate and Questions |
11:50 |
Conclusions. Closing Remarks by Chair. Dr. Anders Jägerskog, SIWI |
12:00 |
Close of Seminar |
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 Invitation for this seminar
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