Interactive Online Session: International Water Law and Transboundary Groundwater

GWP and the International Water Law Academy (IWLA) of Wuhan University are co-organizing an interactive online series called the "Transboundary Freshwater Security Governance Train". The series of online engagement sessions is conducted in an approach of a ‘train’ stopping at various locations around the world, focusing on topics related to transboundary freshwater security. At each stop, a different topic from the Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) for Governance for Transboundary Freshwater Security is explored. The 6th and final session is on groundwater and the implementation of legal commitments, and it takes place on 15 June.

Around the world there are approximately 600 transboundary aquifers, transboundary groundwaters that are shared by two or more states. These aquifers hold significant water resources that are being utilized to meet growing and changing water demands around the world.  The purpose of this session is to explore the different ways in which transboundary groundwaters are governed, and to exchange experiences on some of the practices and challenges faced.

Questions will be collected in advance (through the MOOC platform) and during the 1.5-hour-long session. Panelists will provide brief presentations and then the floor is open to questions in breakout rooms, which offers an opportunity to engage directly with regional experts.

WHEN: Tuesday, 15 June, at 9:00 (Washington DC), 10:00 (Rio de Janeiro), 14:00 (London), 15:00 (Stockholm), 15:00 (Johannesburg), 21:00 (Beijing) 

WHAT: The session will feature speakers with different experiences to share, discussing the following topics:

  · What are transboundary groundwaters and how are they defined in international law?

  · How are transboundary groundwaters governed? What are the global, regional, and bilateral legal mechanisms?

  · What are examples of best practices in transboundary groundwater governance?

HOW: Registration is required, please use this link.

WHO: The confirmed speakers are:

  · Dr. Yumiko Yasuda (Event moderator), Senior Network & Transboundary Water Cooperation Specialist, Global Water Partnership

  · Professor Otto Spijkers (Co-chair), Academy of International Water Law, Wuhan University

  · Dr. David J Devlaeminck (Co-chair), School of Law, Chongqing University

 ·James Sauramba, Executive Director, Southern African Development Community (SADC) Ground Water Management Institute

  · Dr. Francesco Sindico, School of Law, Strathclyde University

  · Professor Pilar Carolina Villar, Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil