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UN Watercourses Convention (UNWC) Global Initiative

This project is funded by the Norwegian government and is run in partnership with WWF. Its objective is to support the entry into force and widespread support for  the UNWC; and to examine issues around effective implementation of this global instrument.  We have a long history of working with WWF and the Green Cross promoting the UNWC, and recent years have seen sustained momentum around this ratification campaign. The IHP-HELP Centre is delivering a key role in this project taking responsibility for a range of key tasks relating to legal research, technical advice, awareness raising and training. See UNWC GI project poster and also the latest research conducted on the implications of UK accession to the Convention.

May and June 2011 Presentations:

Presentations by Alistair Rieu-Clarke, Andrew Allan and Musa Abseno (all in east Africa) and Dinara Ziganshina (in Tashkent):

The above three presentations are from the IHP-HELP Centre team visit to Ethiopia and Uganda from May 26-June 4 2011 for the purpose of conducting a regional assessment awareness-raising activities in favour of the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention and its ratification and entry into force, and its prospects for entry into force and beyond (implementation); download the Ethiopia and Uganda Report May-June 2011, East Africa Regional Assessment Team for more information.

Addis Ababa Workshop: a one day workshop was launched in Addis Ababa in collaboration with the Ethiopian Ministry of Water and Energy. The workshop was officially opened by H. E. Ato Alemayehu Tegenu, Minister of Water and Energy. More than 38 participants from various government institutions, academia, NGOs, Civil Society Groups and the private sector participated in the workshop. Dr. Alistair Rieu-Clarke presented the role and relevance 1997 UN Convention. The main themes of his presentation include transboundary water challenges, international architecture for transboundary water governance, the UN Watercourses Convention evolution and content, reasons for and benefits of entry in to force, and prospects for entry in to force and beyond (implementation); Andrew Allan’s presentation on ‘Current developments in national water law framework’ discussed factors influencing water law change with comparative examples on permit, environment, flood management, land use, right to water and institutional coordination; and Musa Abseo’s presentation on ‘Transposing International (Legal Commitments at National Level) introduced review on the relationship between international and domestic law interface, the need for water law interface, domestic implementation of Multilateral Agreements (MAs), the normative content of Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement, domestic synthesis of the Ethiopian laws and institution, a framework design for transposing rights and obligations within the Nile.

Dinara Zigashina's presentation (below) relates to parallel advocacy work for the Convention conducted in Central Asia; see Towards the 6th World Water Forum news item specifically on her keynote address.