UNWC Global Initiative Symposium

Here's an announcement on the UNWC Global Initiative Symposium, co-organised by IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science (under the auspices of UNESCO), University of Dundee and WWF, on 5th-8th June 2012, University of Dundee, Scotland, UK

The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention – What Relevance in the 21st Century?

Call for Papers

In 1994 the UN General Assembly made the decision to elaborate a global framework instrument on the law of the non-navigational uses of international watercourses (UN General Assembly Resolution 49/52). The resultant Convention was adopted in 1997 by more than 100 nations. Since the Convention’s adoption over 14 years ago, there has been a heightened recognition of the numerous challenges humanity faces in securing water for all, and a widespread acceptance that governance plays a key role. However, the legal architecture for international watercourses remains fragmented, and the UNWC has not yet entered into force.

In recent years, a coalition of institutions under the general rubric of the UNWC Global Initiative has come together to examine the underlying reasons why the UNWC has not yet entered into force. Additionally, the UNWC Global Initiative has sought to further knowledge and understanding of the relevance of the UNWC in addressing the contemporary pressures on the world’s freshwater resources. As part of the activities of the UNWC Global Initiative, the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science in collaboration with WWF will be organising a global symposium on the UNWC between 5th and 8th of June 2011. The aim of the symposium is to gather together a wide and diverse range of experts from academia, government, international organisations, civil society, etc, to debate the existing and potential relevance of this global framework instrument.

Towards this endeavour the convenors of the symposium are inviting experts to submit papers on a range of topics related to the UNWC.

Further details are available here 

Dundee International Water Law and Transboundary Freshwaters Workshop

The International Water Law and Transboundary Freshwaters Workshop will be held in at the IHP-HELP Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, this August. Here's the blurb:

Running from Monday 1st August to Friday 5th August 2011 (inclusive), internationally renowned speakers will explore the role of international water law in the management of freshwater resources. Key topics to be addressed include:

• What is international water law and how does it support regional peace and security?

• How do international legal frameworks support national decision-making related to transboundary water resources planning and management?

• Who is entitled to use transboundary freshwater resources – why and how?

• What special rules exist for the management of groundwater?

• How does international law reconcile competing claims over transboundary freshwaters?

• How can states use international law to promote hydro-diplomacy?

More info can be found here.

Dundee UNESCO Centre for Water Law Symposium

(BY HUGO)

On 20-24 June 2011, the Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science, University of Dundee, will hold a Symposium on National Water Law: Managing Global Water Resources.

The Symposium will «focus on water resources, rather than the delivery of services, and will take a comparative approach, drawing on experience from different jurisdictions. Best practice will be highlighted based on approaches that have successfuly tackled universal problems.»

Additional information on programme and registration can be found here.

COGESAF Forum on stormwater management in urban area

(BY HUGO)

On 23-25 October 2011, the Saint-Francois Watershed Steering Committee (COGESAF), in partnership with Sherbrooke University and Sherbrooke City, will organize the second edition of International Forum on Integrated Water management on "Stormwater management in urban area".

The Forum «aims to increase the global knowledge on stormwater management in urban areas to all the actors in Quebec, Canada and around the world. Furthermore, an added value will come from the presence of internationally renowned experts wishing to share their advanced research and positive experiences about the development and implementation tools for a better control of stormwater.»

Theme 1 «Governance, strategy development and territorial planning» notably focuses on legal instrument and governance tools for sustainable stormwater management.

2011 Canadian Bar Association Conference on Water

(BY HUGO)

The Canadian Bar Association 2011 National Environment, Energy and Resources Law Summit will focus on Water Law - Property, Protection and Policy. The Summit will be held on 7-9 April 2011, in Banff, Alberta. The annoucement for the Summit states:

«Join leading legal practitioners, academics and industry experts from across Canada and from the United States, South Africa and elsewhere, to discuss and understand the implications of differing domestic water allocation regimes on competing demands, the interplay between commercial development and water, the regulation and protection of natural water resources. Learn about the international concerns surrounding trade and the treatment of water as an export commodity, water in the Arctic, and trans-boundary water pollution. Develop insight into local and municipal issues such as restricted water use, pollution control legislation, drinking water delivery, watershed management and issues related to the development of Canada's water related infrastructure and the protection of Canada's drinking water supplies.»

The full details of the Summit are only available to attendees.

Preannouncement: National Water Law Symposium 2011

(BY HUGO)

The Dundee UNESCO IHP-HELP Centre has set the dates for the 2011 National Water Law Symposium. The symposium will take place on 20-24 June 2011.

The symposium will focus on water allocation, water quality controls and integrated frameworks for water resources management. Among the various issues discussed will also be the implementation of international agreements at national level, the application of access to water as a fundamental human right and the provision of water services.

Further details will be annouced here.

Conference: Water wars between Alabama, Georgia and Florida

(BY HUGO)

On 27 October 2010, Professor Jake Peters from the USGS Georgia Water Science Centre will give a conference on inter-state tensions over the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River Basin at the University of Dundee.

The conference, titled «Dukes of Water Hazard: Alabama, Georgia and Florida wage war over the waters of the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint river basin, but what about the fish, birds, bugs and bunnies?», is jointly organised by the University of Dundee’s UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and its Centre for Environmental Change and Human Resilience.

Details for the conference can be found here.

Conference: Forum québécois sur l'eau

(BY HUGO)

Just a quick heads-up: on 25-26 October 2010, the Forum québécois sur l'eau (programme here - in French) will aim at bringing into focus the various issues and challenges for water resources management in Québec. This is organised by Les Affaires, Le Devoir and 98,5FM.

This is a real who's who of water in Québec, so if you can attend...

Conference: The right to water and water rights

(BY HUGO)

The UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education hosts a colloquium on «The right to water and water rights in a changing world» on 22 September 2010.

This is a great and timely topic. However, the detailed programme notes indicate that the scope of the colloquium might extend to a host of other issues such as effectiveness, climate change, legal adaptability, floods and scarcity. Such a variety of subjects to cover in a single day might hinder a reflection aimed at clarifying the relationships between the human rights to water and other water rights at international and national levels - in itself a formidable task.

Among the participants are Professors Joyeeta Gupta and Laurence Boisson de Chazournes.

Water Energy Nexus: Water and Mining Conference

(BY HUGO)

On 9-11 June 2010, the second International Congress on Water Management in the Mining Industry will take place in Santiago, Chile. The focus will be on water supply, efficient water use and effluent management in the mining industry:

«In the last few years due to increasing scarcity, on one hand, and the ever growing demand, on the other, important efforts have been undertaken by the mining industry to improve the efficient use of this valuable resource.

Between 2000 and 2008 the average water consumption in the Chilean copper industry decreased from 1.1 m3 to 0.79 m3 of fresh water for each ton of ore processed by flotation, and from 0.3 m3/t to around 0.13 m3/t of ore used in hydrometallurgical processes.»

The programme is available here.

Conference on water in international law

(BY HUGO)

Programme for the Conference on water in international law at Université d'Orléans on 3, 4, 5 June can be found here.

Conference on the human right to water in Western U.S.A.: Call for paper

(BY HUGO)

The College of Law at Willamette University along with the Law and Government, the Sustainable Environmental, Energy & Resources Law certificate programs, the Law Review and the Center for Sustainable Communities seek submission of scholarly papers from all disciplines exploring Implementation of the Human Right to Water in the West, to be presented in connection with a working conference to be held at Willamette University in Salem, Oregon, USA on February 3 -5, 2011.

Abstract Submission Deadline: June 1, 2010
Notice of Acceptance: July 1, 2010
Full Paper Submission Deadline: November 15, 2010
Conference Presentation: February 3-5, 2011

2010 Freshwater Summit

The 2010 Canadian Freshwater Summit will take place on 1 & 2 June and will focus on the management of inland lakes, and rivers as well as its economic, social, and environmental implications.

Among the distinguished speakers will be David Schindler, who gave a masterful presentation at the recent McGill Conference on the Future of the Canadian Water Strategy, and Maude Barlow.

Symposium on International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters

(BY HUGO)

The UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy & Science organises a Symposium and Workshop on International Law and Transboundary Freshwaters - June 21-24, 2010.

Key questions which will be covered are:

• What is international water law and how does it promote regional peace and security?

• How do international legal frameworks support national decision making related to transboundary water resources planning and management?

• Who is entitled to use transboundary freshwater resources – why and how?

• How does international law reconcile competing claims over transboundary freshwaters?

• What diplomatic strategies and tactics can nation-states employ to secure the best legal outcomes possible in light of their transboundary water interests?

World Water Day: Dee & Tweed HELP workshop (Live Broadcast)

(BY HUGO)

The UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science at the University of Dundee will be holding a workshop (link here) with a focus on land use and water management. Following is the release received from the organizers:

«The University of Dundee’s UNESCO Centre for Water Law, Policy and Science is takes a leap into the world of online conferencing for the celebration of World Water Day next month, on the 22nd March.

This event will be broadcast live via the internet, both through live audio-visual and a transcript of proceedings in real time. Global participants to this free online event will be encouraged to provide immediate feedback to the conference speakers and organizers and to share comments with one another through an online forum facility.

The focus will be on the work of the UNESCO Centre in the Tweed valley, in particular the interface between land use and water management. Comparisons will be made with other UK river valleys, in particular the Dee and the Thames. The conference will showcase global water issues and the multidisciplinary work of the UNESCO Centre in promoting the importance of water law and hydrological science in helping to achieve more consensual and informed water policy and practice. World Water Day was inaugurated in 1993, since when it has been a focus globally for action on water issues, including promoting fair and equitable access to transboundary watercourse and groundwater resources of freshwater.»

McGill University Conference on a New Canadian Water Policy

(BY HUGO)

The focus of this year's annual MISC Conference at McGill University is «Canadian Water: Towards a New Strategy».

The Conference will be held on March 25-26, 2010, and will feature key participants from the international development sector such as Margaret Catley-Carlson, and some prominent Canadian academics in water management such as Rob de Loë, Karen Bakker, Madeleine Cantin Cumyn and Linda Nowlan.

The participation of the Honourable Jim Prentice, Canadian Minister of the Environment, and Scott Vaughan, Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development from the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, marks this conference as a high level event for water management in Canada.

(Of note, the Commissioner recently released reports critical of the implementation of two federal legal regimes important for the management of water-related resources - the Fisheries Act and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act)

Could this conference serve as the spring board for a new federal water management framework? The previous one dates back to 1987 and arguably needs to be revamped.