International Waters

International waters refer to international fresh water, international groundwater and international marine water resources that are shared by two or more sovereign states. Nowhere is the current world water crisis more applicable than in the case of international waters. International waters are critically important in the context of the current world water crisis.

First, agreements governing utilization of international waters serve not only to protect and promote sustainable development but also to affect security throughout an entire basin. In other words, international agreements have a propensity to stabilize and enhance security at the regional level and the security return generated is independent of the concrete ecological and economic benefits produced by such agreements.

Second, international waters are important because nearly half of the world’s population is located within one or more of the 263 international freshwater drainage basins alone shared by two or more states. At least 145 nations currently include territory within international freshwater drainage basins. At least 21 nations lie in their entirety within international freshwater drainage basins including 33 countries which have greater than 95% of their territory within these basins. Nineteen of these basins areshared by 5 or more riparian countries. The Danube has 13 riparian nations. The Congo, Niger, Nile, Rhine and Zambezi are shared by between 9 and 11 countries. The remaining 13 basins have between 5 and 8 riparian countries. Severe deforestation, soil erosion, salinization, toxic contamination, drought and flooding, water overuse and scarcity, and air and water pollution in a global international waters context are just some of the environmental calamities that can increase international tension. Conversely, the very process of reaching accommodation while developing bilateral resources and environmental mechanisms for cooperation in a trans-boundary water context creates a stabilizing and more transparent atmosphere. The mere fact of negotiation usually widens political participation, builds political stability and spreads confidence between basin states. Even in cases in which riparians merely agree to share information and exchange data, while agreeing to disagree on substantive issues, increased confidence usually emerges.

Developing more effective governance mechanisms for the management of international waters is both challenging and urgent. While this demands considerable effort at national levels, there is added complexity in creating institutional structures that span different national jurisdictions in transboundary water management. Policy and management of resources depend greatly on scientific input to develop coherent and feasible programs for resource use. The combined effects of climate change, increased pressure from population growth and development, and shifting societal values make trends in resource availability and use difficult to predict. Climate change predictions indicate that the only real certainty will be one of ‘change,’ as there is little consensus regarding the extent of precipitation alterations, save that they will be markedly different. Consequently, assumptions on hydrologic patterns that have been used to make agreements, prescribe allocations, and permit consumption patterns, will likely alter, making those agreements and allocations unrealistic.