2013 – the UN Year of Water Cooperation – is a big year for international water law. The UN Watercourses Convention, adopted by the UN General Assembly in 1997, may well enter into force before 2014 – only five additional ratifications
are required. In addition, the amendment to the UNECE Helsinki Convention, which would allow non-UNECE States to join, is likely to become operational by the end of the year. Last but not least, this year sees States debate the fate of the 2008 Draft Articles on Transboundary Aquifers within the UN General Assembly.
Text: Alistair Rieu-Clarke, Reader in International Law, University of Dundee
Will 2013 be seen as the International Year of Water Law Cooperation?