Part IV Fundamental Rights and Obligations, 8 Introduction: The 1997 United Nations Convention and its Precursors

Subject(s):

Freshwater — Lakes — Rivers — Specific treaties

This chapter discusses the 1997 United Nations Watercourses Convention. The Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on May 21, 1997 and entered into force on August 17, 2014. The UN Watercourses Convention represents an effort by the international community to reflect the general principles and rules of international law governing the use by states of shared freshwater resources, except for principles and rules concerning navigation. The working document on the basis of which the Convention was negotiated was the result of twenty years’ work by the International Law Commission, a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly charged with “the progressive development of international law and its codification.” The chapter then provides an overview of the provision of the Convention.