In 2008, the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Draft Articles on the Law of Transboundary Aquifers. Yet, nearly two decades later, they have still not evolved into a legally binding international convention. This raises an important question: Is the international community reluctant to embark on another codification process for transboundary groundwater after the long […]

The 1997 UN Watercourses Convention is often criticized as being too vague for practical application, particularly with regard to the principle of equitable and reasonable utilization. However, this perception fails to appreciate the 1997 UN Watercourses Convention, which codifies the rules of customary international law governing the non-navigational uses of international watercourses. The Convention establishes

In international law, one of the greatest challenges is balancing between political consensus and precision in treaty drafting. Too often, negotiators face a difficult choice: insist on precise legal language, which may hinder negotiations, or accept flexible, open-ended provisions as the price of achieving consensus. This creates an important legal paradox:What facilitates consensus today may