Water Information A Legal Perspective

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Water Information A Legal Perspective

• Dr Patricia Wouters
• IWLRI Dundee
• Kyoto 19 March 2003

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The Role of Water Law
Water law Water for all
Implementation

• Poverty Alleviation

• M.D. Goals

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Introduction to Water Law

• Rules of the Game
• National
• International
• Transnational
• What need for information?

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International Water Law

• Analytical Framework
• Scope
• Substantive Rules
• Procedural Rules
• Institutional Mechanisms
• Compliance / Dispute Avoidance

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Law and Information

• Rules of international water law
• Equitable reasonable utilisation
• Exchange of information
• (1997 UN Watercourses Convention)
• How to implement?

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Sharing Transboundary WatersThe Legal Assessment
Model
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The LAM Methodology

• Interdisciplinary law, economics, hydrology
• 3 case studies upstream (China) downstream
  (Mozambique) and groundwater (Palestine)

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The LAM 4 Phases

• Phase I Defining Scope
• Phase II Data Collection
• Phase III Method of Evaluation
• Phase IV Options

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The LAM Phase I

• Defining Scope
• What resource? (spatial)
• What uses? (functional)
• What obligations? (legal)

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The LAM Phase II

• Data Collection Tools
• Glossary of Terms
• Legal Audit Scheme
• Relevant Factors Matrix

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Relevant Factors Matrix

• What? (physical)
• Who? (population)
• What Uses?
• What impacts?
• What options?

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The LAM Phase III

• Method of Evaluation
• Evaluation of data
• Current Status?
• Equitable Reasonable? What Legal Parameters?

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The LAM Phase IV

• Legal Options
• Equitable Reasonable?
• Planned Measures? (prior notice, etc)
• Dispute Avoidance
• Dispute Settlement
• National Policy

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The Legal Assessment Model
Law Hydrology Economics

Phase I Defining Scope
Defining Scope

• Legal
• Hydrological
• Economic

Data Collection Tools
Phase II Data Collection

• Legal Audit Scheme
• Relevant Factors Matrix
• Glossary of Terms

Evaluation
Phase III Evaluation

• Methods
• Techniques
• Legal Parameters

Phase IV Options ensuring equitable entitlement
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Findings

• Critical role for information
• Challenge of Interdisciplinarity
• Need for Water Champions

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The Future

• Implementation
• Team work
• Long-term capacity building

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For more.

• www.dundee.ac.uk/law/iwlri
• Sept 2004 Dundee Water Conference
• Water Law Governance AWRA/IWLRI