The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses plays a crucial role in protecting and managing international watercourses and other sources of fresh water. Boisson de Chazournes, Mbengue, Tignino, and Sangbana head a team of experts in this commentary, which examines the travaux preparatoires leading to the Convention and practice developed since the adoption of the Convention in 1997. Tackling the rationale and objectives of the provisions, they offer crucial insights on the Convention's impact on the development of a universal regime for shared water resources.

Examining cross-cutting topics such as the prevention and settlement of water disputes, the relationship between the Convention and other legal instruments, as well as the role of the ICJ and other judicial means to solve water disputes, this book is crucial to all those who seek a deep understanding of water law.

About the Author:
Laurence Boisson de Chazournes, Professor of Law, University of Geneva, Makane Moïse Mbengue, Associate Professor of Law, University of Geneva, Mara Tignino, Senior Researcher and Coordinator of the Platform for International Water Law, University of Geneva, Komlan Sangbana, Teaching and Research Assistant, University of Geneva, and Assistant Editor Jason Rudall, Researcher, Faculty of Law, University of Geneva.

Laurence Boisson de Chazournes is Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Geneva. She is a world-renowned expert in international water law. She is the author of Fresh Water in International Law published by Oxford University Press in 2013. In 2001, she was the Director of the Session on Water Resources and International Law of The Hague Academy of International Law. She served as Counsel in the International Court of Justice case Pulp Mills on the Uruguay River and as the legal expert for the Baglihar Dam dispute (under ICSID). She was involved in the negotiation of the Water Charter of the Senegal River and the accession of Guinea to the Charter. She also contributed to the negotiation of the Nile Cooperative Framework Agreement.

Makane Moïse Mbengue is an Associate Professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Geneva. He is the author of several articles on fresh water and international law published in leading journals of public international law. He is an expert for international organisations and States in matters dealing with the management and protection of transboundary water resources. He was involved in the negotiation of the Water Charter of the Senegal River and the accession of Guinea to the Charter. He has also contributed to development of the Water Charter on the Chad Lake Basin and was involved in the campaign for the ratification of the UN Watercourses Convention at the level of some African river basins.

Mara Tignino, Reader at the Faculty of Law and the Institute for Environmental Sciences at the University of Geneva. She is the Coordinator of the Platform for International Water Law at the Geneva Water Hub. She obtained a PhD in international law from the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva) and was a Visiting Scholar at the George Washington University School of Law. She has published widely on issues related to international water law, such as the human right to water, the protection of water resources in times of armed conflict and the settlement of water disputes. She has served as an expert on international water law for various international organisations (UNITAR, the Inter-American Development Bank snd OSCE) and non-governmental organisations (WWF, Green Cross International). She was also a Legal Adviser in the International Court of Justice's case Pulp Mills on the Uruguay River.

Komlan Sangbana is a Consultant with the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes. He is a member of the Platform for International Water Law. He obtained a PhD in international law from the Faculty of Law of University of Geneva. He was a Visiting Scholar at the Faculty of Law of the University of Edinburg. His research interests include the study of the rights and obligations on non-State actors in freshwater management, the protection of the environment and the functions and mandate of river basin organisations.

Jason Rudall is a Researcher at the Faculty of Law of the University of Geneva and Programme Manager of the LL.M. in International Law at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies. He also holds a PhD in International Law from the Graduate Institute, Geneva.