Progress made to date
Much knowledge has been accumulated over the years on how to manage water across borders. It is now time for action and time to stop repeating messages we already know. The steps for action are however not as clear as the theory. The value of small steps should not be underrated and we should pay attention to opportunities for cooperation. Technical and infrastructural cooperation has been highlighted as a possible entry point. There should be a focus on regional integration because the benefits of cooperation in enhancing water quality are far-reaching. Shared water resources do not necessarily lead to conflicts. In the case of the Lake Victoria basin in Africa, shared water resources also drive regional cooperation. The EU Water Framework Directive and the Baltic Sea Action Plan are two examples from Europe on international agreements that state baselines for water quality in the member countries and in a shared sea, respectively. The objectives are focused on achieving a good ecological status in freshwater and marine ecosystems and actions are identified to enable individual countries to move forward to achieve these goals. Securing sufficient water knowledge is a crucial prerequisite for addressing water quality issues. There is a need to advance monitoring and data collection efforts with the aim of creating comprehensive regional and global assessments. Building databases that are acceptable to riparian countries may be a challenging task, but there is a demand for them and it is an opportunity for action. There has been progress in the development of indicators for assessing water quality within an IWRM framework. This includes the assessment and results tracking of transboundary water systems, with indicators relating to water quantity, water quality and ecosystem assets. Within the field of transboundary waters, a call for ‘effective’ cooperation, river basin organisations, or water treaties are commonplace, without clarification of what is actually meant. We need a more systematic and rigorous analysis of what effective governance should look like and whether this is being achieved. There are new efforts to establish indicators for assessing the quality of governance. Their applicability is still under discussion, but it could be a first step in addressing water quality through identifying areas where governance needs to be improved.
There has been significant progress in recent decades in the field of international water law. The life and well-being of people and the natural environment are inextricably linked. This notion is central to the call for a “greening” of water law which sees environmental considerations integrated into water law, policy and management. Mechanisms applicable at the international level include equitable and reasonable utilisation, no significant harm, environmental impact assessment, pollution prevention and abatement, environmental flows, and protection of ecosystems. The UN Resolution on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers placed a special emphasis on vital human needs when realising the principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation, providing safe and good quality water for all strata of the society.
There has been significant progress in recent decades in the field of international water law. The life and well-being of people and the natural environment are inextricably linked. This notion is central to the call for a “greening” of water law which sees environmental considerations integrated into water law, policy and management. Mechanisms applicable at the international level include equitable and reasonable utilisation, no significant harm, environmental impact assessment, pollution prevention and abatement, environmental flows, and protection of ecosystems. The UN Resolution on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers placed a special emphasis on vital human needs when realising the principle of equitable and reasonable utilisation, providing safe and good quality water for all strata of the society.
