s.9 The UN Watercourses Convention and Instruments Dealing with the Management and Protection of Fresh Water Resources, Ch.20 The Interplay between the UN Watercourses Convention and the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes

Subject(s):

Right to non-discrimination — Regional co-operation — Modes of liability — Lakes — Rivers — Law of treaties — Settlement of disputes — Boundaries

This chapter examines the relationship between the UN Watercourses Convention and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. It first provides an overview of certain articles found in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties which may be of relevance to the UNECE Convention and the UN Watercourses Convention before discussing the common and distinct features of the two water conventions, focusing on terminology (e.g. ‘transboundary waters’, ‘transboundary impact’, ‘(international) watercourses’, ‘equitable use and participation’, and ‘significant harm’) and scope, substantive principles and obligations, cooperation, exchange of information, planned measures, harmful conditions and emergency situations, non-discrimination, responsibility and liability, and peaceful settlement of disputes.